Microdipodops albiventer
| Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse
(Microdipodops albiventer) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Superfamily: | Geomyoidea |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Microdipodops |
| Subgenus: | Microdipodops (subgenus) |
| Binomial details | |
| Microdipodops albiventer E. R. Hall & Durrant, 1937 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Formerly included in Microdipodops megacephalus, genetic analysis by Hafner et al. (2025) revealed that the Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer) is a distinct species. This species is endemic to the Great Basin Desert of western North America and ranges from east-central Nevada to western Utah.
Description
Museum type specimens
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Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Dorsal view. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Ventral view.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holotype MVZ:Mamm:52803 (Desert Valley, Lincoln Co., NV) | Museum of Vertebrate Zoology | 150 | 80 | 24 | 9.5 | 11.6 |
Skull
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Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Lateral view of the right mandible.
Comparison with similar species
From Hafner et al. (2025): "Given the allopatric distribution of species of the subgenus Microdipodops, relevant comparisons are made between M. albiventer and its only neighboring species and sister taxon, M. polionotus. Chromosomally, populations of M. albiventer have the 2n=40-β (FN=76) karyotype, whereas M. polionotus has the 2n=40-α (FN=74) karyotype (cf Figs 7A and 9). From M. polionotus, M. albiventer shows a pelage that is generally paler in color and the tail typically lacks the black-colored tip; indeed, some populations of M. albiventer (e.g., those around the type locality) are among the palest of all kangaroo mice. As evident from etymology of the species, the belly hairs of M. albiventer are typically pure white to base, instead of possessing plumbeous bases as seen in neighboring populations of M. polionotus from south-central Nevada."
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Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Dorsal view. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:17031. Nevada Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops polionotus). Adult male. Collected 10 July 1912. Dorsal view. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:52803. Bonneville Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops albiventer). Adult male. Desert Valley, 21 mi W Panaca, Lincoln County, Nevada. Collected 30 May 1932. Ventral view. -
Holotype: MVZ:Mamm:17031. Nevada Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops polionotus). Adult male. Collected 10 July 1912. Ventral view.
References
Hafner, JC, Upham NS, Gowen-Huang F, Light JE. 2025. Cryptic species and taxonomic revision of kangaroo mice, the rodent genus Microdipodops. Journal of Mammalogy 106(6): 1342-1371.
Hall ER, Durrant SD. 1937-08. A new kangaroo mouse (Microdipodops) of Utah and Nevada. Journal of Mammalogy 18(3):357-359.