Peromyscus polionotus

261.

Oldfield Deermouse

Peromyscus polionotus

French: Péromyscus champétre / German: Kiisten-Hirschmaus / Spanish: Raton ciervo de erial

Other common names: Beach Mouse; Alabama Beach Mouse (ammobates), Anastasia Island Beach Mouse (phasma), Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse (allophrys), Perdido Key Beach Mouse (trissyllepsis), Saint Andrews Beach Mouse (peninsularis)

Taxonomy. Mus polionotus Wagner, 1843, Georgia, USA.

Peromyscus polionotus is in the maniculatus species group. Subspecies decoloratus named by A. H. Howell in 1939 from Ponce Park, near Mosquito Inlet, Florida, is extinct. Fifteen extant subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P.p.polionotusWagner,1843—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasin Georgia,USA.

P.p.albifronsOsgood,1909—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasinNWFlorida,USA.

P.p.allophrysBowen,1968—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasincoastalNWFlorida,USA.

P.p.ammobatesBowen,1968—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasincoastalSWAlabama,USA.

P.p.colemaniSchwartz,1954—NAlabama,NGeorgia,andNSouthCarolina,USA.

P.p.griseobracatusBowen,1968—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasincoastalNWFlorida,USA.

P.p.leucophalusA.H.Howell,1920—knownonlyfromSantaRosaI,Florida,USA.

P.p.lucubransSchwartz,1954—SAlabama,SGeorgia,andSSouthCarolina,USA.

P.p.niveiventrisF.M.Chapman,1889—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasinCEFlorida,USA.

P.p.peninsularisA.H.Howell,1939—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasincoastalNWFlorida,USA.

P.p.phasmaBangs,1898—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasinNEFlorida,USA.

P.p.rhoadsiBangs,1898—NWcoastofFlorida,USA.

P.p.subgriseusF.M.Chapman,1893—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasinNCFlorida,USA.

P.p.sumneriBowen,1968—restrictedtothetypelocalityandsurroundingareasinNWFlorida,USA.

P. p. trissyllepsis Bowen, 1968 — restricted to the type locality and surrounding areas in extreme S Alabama, USA.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 82-93 mm, tail 40-60 mm, ear 12-17 mm, hindfoot 15-19 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Oldfield Deermouse is small, with almost white to pale cinnamon or buffy dorsum, depending on substrate color. Venteris white. Tail is bicolored and shorter than head-body length. It is morphologically similar to the North American Deermouse (P. maniculatus), but its skull is much smaller.

Habitat. Normally old fields, abandoned fields, and beach habitats. The Oldfield Deermouse preferred areas included cactus patches, sandy fields with sparse grass cover, cotton and corn fields, fence rows, and open timber tracts. Sandy soils are preferred for digging burrows.

Food and Feeding. The Oldfield Deermouse eats variety of seeds, blackberries, and wild peas.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Oldfield Deermouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Seven coastal forms are of conservation concern: trissyllepsis is Critically Endangered; allophrys, ammobates, peninsularis, and phasma are Endangered; and leucocephalus and nwverventris are Near Threatened. All these subspecies have restricted distributions and are threatened by habitat loss and degradation.

Bibliography. Hall (1981), Hamilton & Whitaker (1979), Howell (1939), Musser & Carleton (2005).