Reithrodontomys
| Genus Reithrodontomys | |
|---|---|
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Supramyomorpha |
| Infraorder: | Myomorphi |
| Superfamily: | Muroidea |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Neotominae |
| Tribe: | Reithrodontomyini |
From Hooper (1952): "Harvest mice of the genus Reithrodontomys are small long-tailed rodents with deeply grooved upper incisors. They are known from Pleistocene deposits of North America and now occur over much of southern North America and in the northern part of South America. Their altitudinal range extends from below sea level in Death Valley of California to over 13,000 feet on the mountains of México and Central America. Ecologically they usually are associated with grasses or other low herbage in a wide variety of habitats and climates, as, for example, in marine or fresh-water marshlands and on dry, well-drained uplands in temperate climates; on hot, sandy deserts among xerophytic vegetation; on the border of tropical forests in humid lowlands; and in cool, coniferal forests up to timber line on high mountains."
Currently (as of July 2025), there are 27 recognized species in the genus. Five species of Reithrodontomys are present in the United States.
Species in the United States
Species not pictured: Salt-marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris), an endangered harvet mouse endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California, which looks similar to Reithrodontomys megalotis.
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Fulvous Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens) -
Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) -
Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) -
Plains Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus)
Identification
Key to the Reithrodontomys of the USA
Range maps for species in the United States
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Fulvous Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys fulvescens) -
Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis) -
Western Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) -
Plains Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) -
Salt-marsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris)
Available taxon pages
The following subgenera are available on WhiskerWiki for this genus:
- Subgenus: Reithrodontomys
References
Hooper ET. 1952. A systematic review of the harvest mice (genus Reithrodontomys) of Latin America. Miscellaneous Publications of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan no. 77.