Chaetodipus rudinoris

Peninsular Pocket Mouse
(*Chaetodipus rudinoris*)
Peninsular Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus rudinoris)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Supramyomorpha
Infraorder:	Castorimorphi
Superfamily:	Geomyoidea
Family:	Heteromyidae
Subfamily:	Perognathinae
Genus:	Chaetodipus
Binomial details
	Chaetodipus rudinoris (D. G. Elliot, 1903)
Other resources
	Full taxonomic details at MDD

The Peninsular Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus rudinoris) is a large pocket mouse found in low desert flats and rocky hillsides with medium to large bushes and trees. It ranges from southern California through much of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Description

From Ceballos (ed., 2014): "Chaetodipus rudinoris is one of the largest species in the genus... The tail is longer than the length of head and body, and the tail is conspicuously crested. The ears are large. The pelage is smooth and it has bristles. Dorsal coloration varies from yellowish-gray to buffy ochre or pale buffy (Hall, 1981; Paulson, 1988)."

Museum specimens

Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905.

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
California	Ingles (1947)	200–231	110–136	26–28	9–11
not reported	Ceballos (editor, 2014)	188–223	103–124	24–27	7–11	24–28

Skull

Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Dorsal view of the skull. The right zygomatic arch is unfortunately broken.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Arrows point to the interorbital width. The interparietal bone is colored yellow. The interorbital width is usually equal to or greater than the width of the interparietal
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Ventral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Lateral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Dorsal view of the mandible.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Upper molars.
Holotype: USNM 146672. Chaetodipus rudinoris extimus. Adult female. Tres Pachitas, about 36 mi (58 km) south of La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Collected 25 December 1905. Lower molars.

Taxonomic notes

Riddle et al. (2000) examined phylogenetic relationships within Chaetodipus baileyi and concluded that populations west of the Colorado River and Sea of Cortez should be recognized as a distinct species, Chaetodipus rudinoris.

Similar species

From Ceballos (ed., 2014): "It can be distinguished from other species by its soft pelage that lacks bristles, large size, and dorsal coloration (Hall, 1981). Within the genus, C. rudinoris and C. baileyi are only surpassed in size by C. hispidus (Williams et al., 1993)." Chaetodipus rudinoris was considered a subspecies of Chaetodipus baileyi until Riddle et al. (2000) examined phylogenetic relationships within Chaetodipus baileyi and concluded that populations west of the Colorado River and Sea of Cortez should be recognized as a distinct species, Chaetodipus rudinoris.

Bailey's Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus baileyi). The upper pelage is gray-brown with varying degrees of yellow wash.
Hispid Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus). Dorsal coloration ranges from yellowish to reddish-buff.
Peninsular Pocket Mouse (Chaetodipus rudinoris) observed by Alan Harperin Baja California Sur, Mexico. Dorsal coloration varies from yellowish-gray to buffy ochre or pale buffy.

References

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

Hall ER. 1981. The mammals of North America. 2 vols. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Paulson DD. 1988. Chaetodipus baileyi. Mammalian Species (297):1-5. https://doi.org/10.2307/3503891

Riddle BR, Hafner DJ, Alexander LF. 2000. Comparative phylogeography of Baileys' pocket mouse (Chaetodipus baileyi) and the Peromyscus eremicus species group: historical vicariance of the Baja California peninsular desert. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 17(2): 161-172.

Williams DF, Genoways HH, Braun JK. 1993. Biogeography. Pp. 319-356 in: Biology of the Heteromyidae (HH Genoways and JH Brown, editors). Special Publication 10, American Society of Mammalogists.