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Heteromys irroratus

From WhiskerWiki

Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
(Heteromys irroratus)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:Rodentia
Suborder:Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:Castorimorphi
Family:Heteromyidae
Subfamily:Heteromyinae
Genus:Heteromys
Binomial details
Heteromys irroratus J. E. Gray, 1868

Description

From Dowler and Genoways (1978): "Pelage is hispid, consisting of stiff spines mingled with slender soft hairs; upper parts are grayish brown; lateral stripe, which is usually present, is generally pale pink to buff; underparts are white; hairs on back do not curl upward so are not conspicuous above spines. Juvenile pelage is grayish and consists primarily of soft slender hairs."

Schmidly & Bradley (2016): "A medium-sized mouse with extremely harsh pelage over entire upperparts (the hairs flattened, sharp pointed, and grooved); external, fur-lined cheek pouches; and relatively long tail. Similar in general appearance to the spiny-haired pocket mouse (Chaetodipus spp.), but upper incisors lack the longitudinal groove on the outer face and the pelage is much more spiny and harsh. Tail about as long as head and body, sparsely haired and distinctly bicolor, brownish above, whitish below; upperparts dark gray, grizzled with orange; underparts pure white; sole of proximal half of hind foot hairy, blackish."

Heteromys irroratus observed in Mexico by Oscar Báez.
Heteromys irroratus observed in Texas by Ari Rice.

External measurements

Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.

Part of range Reference Total length Tail length Hindfoot length Ear length Mass
Mexico (Jalisco) Dowler & Genoways (1978) males: 216.0–262.0 (n=22); females: 207.0–251.0 (n=34) males: 106.0–138.0 (n=22); females: 102.0–131.0 (n=34) males: 26.0–31.0 (n=21); females: 27.0–30.0 (n=36)
not reported Ceballos (editor, 2014) 194–300 95–169 22–36 12–15 34–50
Texas Schmidly & Bradley (2016) 237 122 30 males: 50–60; females: 35–50


Skull

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References

Ceballos G, editor. 2014. Mammals of Mexico. Baltimore (MD, USA): Johns Hopkins University Press.

Dowler RC, Genoways HH. 1978. Liomys irroratus. Mammalian species, (82), pp.1-6.

Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.

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