Onychomys leucogaster
Northern Grasshopper Mouse
(Onychomys leucogaster) | |
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Range | |
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Taxonomic classification | |
Order: | Rodentia |
Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
Superfamily: | Muroidea |
Family: | Cricetidae |
Subfamily: | Neotominae |
Tribe: | Onychomyini |
Genus: | Onychomys |
Binomial details | |
Onychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied, 1841) |
Description
From McCarty (1975): "Onychomys leucogaster has a bicolored pelage. The short, thick tail tapers to an obtuse point and the tip is often white. Total length is 119 to 190 mm; tail length 29 to 62 mm: length of hind foot 17 to 25 mm; length of ear 12.4 to 16.9 m."
From Hoffmeister (1986): “A relatively short-tailed, long-bodied species; in adults the tail length (often about 44 mm) is usually less than half the length of the head-body (often 52 mm), size large, maxilllary tooth-row long (4.69 mm to 5.30 mm), skull long and broad across zygomatic arches, M3 usually longer than wide and semicircular or triangular in outline, M1 usually less than half the length of the maxillary tooth row, fur underparts with the basal band whitish or plumbeous in color.”
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The northern grasshopper mouse is a stout-bodied, short-tailed mouse that superficially resembles a deer mouse [Peromyscus maniculatus]. The dorsal coloration is gray in juveniles, molting to cinnamon-buff or reddish brown and becoming gray again in very old animals. The underparts and distal part of the tail are white."
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 |
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Arizona (Cochise County, vicinity of Willcox and Portal) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 145–161 (n=19) | 37–52 (n=19) | 21–23 (n=19) | 15–19 (n=19) | |
Arizona (Coconino County, Lower end Prospect Valley) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 140–155 (n=7) | 42–48 (n=7) | 21–22 (n=7) | ||
Arizona (Coconino County, north of Page) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 139–160 (n=17) | 38–48 (n=17) | 21–22 (n=17) | 17–20 (n=17) | |
Arizona (Coconino County, south of Page) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 150–164 (n=12) | 41–48 (n=12) | 20–24 (n=12) | 18–20 (n=12) | |
Arizona (Coconino County, vicinity of Wupatki, Cameron, Angell) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 138–161 (n=16) | 39–49 (n=16) | 21–23 (n=16) | 16–20 (n=16) | |
Arizona (Mohave County, northern part) | Hoffmeister (1986) | 142–155 (n=9) | 40–51 (n=9) | 21–22 (n=9) | 17–19 (n=9) | |
California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 120–190 | 29–62 | 17–25 | 12–17 | 24–38 |
Colorado | Armstrong et al. (2010) | 128–158 | 34–52 | 20–23 | 14–19 | 23–45 |
Minnesota | Hazard (1982) | 139–166 | 34–45 | 19–23 | 14–18 | 34.8–50.6 |
Nebraska | Johnsgard (2020) | 120–155 | 29–50 | 35–45 | ||
North Dakota | Seabloom et al. (2020) | 157 | 43 | 22 | 14 | 42 |
Texas | Schmidly & Bradley (2016) | 164 | 42 | 22 | 27–46, occasionally as much as 52 |
Similar species
1. Total length 130 to 190 mm; tail usually less than half of body length (31 to 57%); maxillary toothrow long (3.8 to 4.8 mm); length of mandible usually more than 14 mm... O. leucogaster. 2. Total length 120 to 163 mm; tail usually more than half of body length (48 to 56%); maxillary toothrow short (3.3 to 4.0 mm); length of mandible usually less than 14 mm...... O. torridus.
From McCarty (1975): "O. torridus differs from O. leucogaster as noted in the key above, and as follows: mandible shorter (12.5 to 14.6 mm and 13.7 to 17.3 mm, respectively), zygomatic breadth narrower (11.9 to 13.7 mm and 12.6 to 17.3 mm, respectively), and smaller braincase (11.0 to 12.3 mm and 11.9 to 13.7 mm in width, respectively."
From Hoffmeister (1986): “O. leucogaster differs from O. torridus in numerous features, all of which are not obvious without careful examination and need to be used in combination. These include: tail less than half the body length, toothrow long, length of M1 usually less than half of the entire toothrow, M3 longer than wide, skull longer and wider (if condylobasal or greatest length is plotted against breadth, there is little or no overlap), baculum longer and bladelike rather than short and thin. If the fur on the underparts is white to the base, the animal is O. leucogaster, although some specimens do have the fur plumbeous as the base as in O. torridus.
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Onychomys leucogaster -
Southern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys torridus)
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Onychomys leucogaster -
Southern Grasshopper Mouse (Onychomys torridus)
Skull Characters
From Armstrong et al. (2010): "The skull is distinctly heavier than that of the deer mouse [Peromyscus maniculatus] but otherwise similar, although the third upper molar is reduced in size and the coronoid process of the mandible is as high or higher than the condyloid process; the latter character distinguishes the species from any other mouse in Colorado.
References
Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.
Hazard EB. 1982. The mammals of Minnesota. Minneapolis (MN, USA): University of Minnesota Press.
McCarty R. 1975. Onychomys torridus. Mammalian Species (59): 1-5.
Hoffmeister DF. 1986. Mammals of Arizona. Tucson (AZ, USA): University of Arizona Press.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Johnsgard PA. 2020. Wildlife of Nebraska: a natural history. Lincoln (NE, USA): University of Nebraska Press.
Seabloom R, Hoganson JW, Jensen WF. 2020. The mammals of North Dakota. Fargo (ND, USA): North Dakota State University Press.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.