Microdipodops pallidus
| Lahontan Kangaroo Mouse
(Microdipodops pallidus) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Castorimorphi |
| Superfamily: | Geomyoidea |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Dipodomyinae |
| Genus: | Microdipodops |
| Subgenus: | Psammophilomys |
| Binomial details | |
| Microdipodops pallidus C. H. Merriam, 1901 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
Hafner et al. (2025) used genetic (karyology and nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequencing) and phenetic (cranial morphometrics and pelage colorimetry) characters to examine differentiation within the genus Microdipodops. They found that the species referred to as Microdipodops pallidus is actually composed of two morphologically cryptic but genetically distinct species: the Kawich Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops ruficollaris) and the Lahontan Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops pallidus). According to Hafner et al. (2025), the Lahontan Kangaroo Mouse (Microdipodops pallidus) is "endemic to the Lahonton Trough of western Nevada and isolated populations of Deep Springs and Eureka Dunes of eastern California."
Description
From O’Farrell & Blaustein (1974): "pale pinkish cinnamon above with the hair of underparts white to the base.... The tail is wider near the center than at either end."
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): "This kangaroo mouse has a rather pale pink dorsum and a white venter; both dorsal and ventral hairs are white at the base. The tail is about the same color as the body, not blackish or dark at the tip. The hind foot is 25 mm or longer (longer than in the Dark Kangaroo Mouse [M. megacephalus])."
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 USNM 210397 (Esmeralda County, Nevada) | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | 158 | 81 | 26 |
Skull
From Jameson & Peeters (2004): "The incisive foramina have parallel outer margins."
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Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. Dorsal view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. Ventral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. Lateral view of the skull. -
Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. Dorsal view of the mandible. -
Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. Lateral view of the left mandible.
Similar species
From O’Farrell & Blaustein (1974): "The pale kangaroo mouse is pale pinkish cinnamon above with the hair of underparts white to the base, whereas M. megacephalus is brownish, blackish, or grayish above with underparts basally plumbeous and white-tipped. The upper parts of the tail are approximately the same color as upper body parts and lacking a black tip. The hind foot is slightly larger than that of M. megacephalus (greater than 25 mm rather than 23 to 25 mm).... "Hall (1946) presented evidence that hybridization occurs between M. pallidus and M. megacephalus in Penoyer Valley, N of Groom Baldy, Lincoln Co., Nevada."
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Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. -
Holotype: USNM 210397. Microdipodops pallidus pallidus. Adult male. Clayton Valley, Esmeralda County, Nevada. Collected 19 October 1915. -
Holotype: USNM 24417/31823. Microdipodops megacephalus megacephalus. Adult male. Halleck, East Humboldt Valley, Elko County, Nevada. Collected 23 October 1890. -
Holotype: USNM 24417/31823. Microdipodops megacephalus megacephalus. Adult male. Halleck, East Humboldt Valley, Elko County, Nevada. Collected 23 October 1890.
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. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaf070
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Merriam CH. 1901. Descriptions of Three New Kangaroo Mice of the Genus Microdipodops. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 14: 127.
O’Farrell MJ, Blaustein AR. 1974. Microdipodops pallidus. Mammalian Species (47): 1-2.