Chaetodipus collis

Highland Coarse-haired Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus collis)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:	Castorimorphi
Family:	Heteromyidae
Subfamily:	Perognathinae
Genus:	Chaetodipus
Binomial details
Chaetodipus collis (Blair, 1938)
Other resources
Full taxonomic details at MDD

Formerly a subspecies of Chaetodipus nelsoni, Chaetodipus nelsoni collis was elevated to species by Neiswenter et al. (2019).

Description

From Neiswenter et al. (2019): "General effect of upper parts Tawny-Olive heavily washed with black. A distinct, Ochraceous-Buff lateral line present. Ears dusky. Underparts and feet white. Tail bicolor, blackish above, white below. … hairs on the hind legs coarser, flattened, and heavily grooved; rump spines coarser; annulations on the tail coarser...(Blair 1938:1–2)."

Chaetodipus collis observed near Alpine, Texas, by Madison Gover.

Chaetodipus collis observed by Madison Gover. The white arrow points to the subauricular spot, which is sometimes present in this species. When it is present, it is small. Above the subauricular spot is the lobed antitragus of the ear, which is helpful in differentiating this species from sympatric Perognathus. The black arrow points to one of the many rump spines, which is also helpful for differentiating from sympatric Perognathus.

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
Texas	Schmidly & Bradley (2016)	187	104	22		14–17
Texas (Trans-Pecos region)	Wilkins & Schmidly (1979)	males: 180, females: 181	males: 102, females: 102	males: 21, females: 21	males: 8, females: 8

Skull

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Similar species

From Neiswenter et al. (2019): "As noted by Baker (1956), most specimens of C. collis are lighter in pelage color than other populations of the former C. nelsoni."

From CMDBS (2008): "Chaetodipus intermedius and C. collis (formerly C. nelsoni in Texas) are both rock-dwelling pocket mice and are very similar in characteristics. Both have rump spines, but these may not be evident at some times. The restriction to rocky situations will usually separate these two species from C. penicillatus and C. eremicus (very strongly limited to non-rocky areas) and from C. hispidus, which usually is in medium to tall grass or tall annual forbs in areas of friable soil... C. penicillatus, and C. eremicus lack rump spines."

Taxonomic notes

In 2019, Neiswenter et al. published: "We investigated phylogeographic diversity within the species [Chaetodipus nelsoni] using morphologic, karyotypic, and molecular data. Data from nuclear (AFLP) and mitochondrial DNA support three distinct genetic groups with minimal substructuring coincident with biogeographic barriers previously identified in the Chihuahuan Desert and drainage basins of the Altiplano. We examined the morphological and karyotypic data in light of the molecular data. The results support recognition of three species within the currently accepted widespread C. nelsoni: 1) C. nelsoni restricted to a distribution centered on the El Salado River Basin; 2) elevation of C. n. collis to species, with two subspecies: one centered on Trans-Pecos Texas, the other on the Mapimí Basin (new subspecies); and 3) recognition of a new species, C. durangae, centered on the Nazas Basin and upper Río Mezquital drainage."

References

Baker RH. 1956. Mammals of Coahuia, México. University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History 9:125–335.

Blair WF. 1938. Two new pocket-mice from western Texas. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 381:1–3.

Centennial Museum and Department of Biological Sciences (CMDBS). 2008. Heteromyidae—Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats, The University of Texas at El Paso. [accessed 20 July 2024]. http://museum2.utep.edu/mammalogy/taxa/heteromyidae.htm

Neiswenter, SA, Hafner DJ, Light JE, Cepeda GD, Kinzer KC, Alexander LF, Riddle BR. 2019. Phylogeography and taxonomic revision of Nelson’s pocket mouse (Chaetodipus nelsoni). Journal of Mammalogy 100(6): 1847-1864.