Rodentia Part Deu

1
RodentiaPart Deu

• Lab 4

2
Suborder Sciurognathi
The Families remaining to be covered this week
are the following

• Dipodidae
• Heteromyidae
• Cricetidae
• Muridae

3
Family Dipodidae

• Napaeozapus
• Zapus

4
Zapus princeps

• Western Jumping Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/0 3/3 18
• Habitat Heavily vegetated fields, as well as
  brushy fields and marshes across Southern Canada
  east to Montana and south to New Mexico and Utah
• Food seeds of many grasses and forbs, fungus
  (Endogone), insect larvae, and fruits
• Reproduction Two litters of 5-6 young, births
  peak in Jun-Aug. Gestation lasts 19 days.
• Trivia A great deal about the food habits,
  ecology, ectoparasites, and hibernation of Zapus
  was discovered by Dr. John Whitaker.

5
Family Heteromyidae

• Chaetodipus
• Dipodomys
• Liomys
• Microdipodops
• Perognathus

6
Chaetodipus eremicus

• Chihuahuan Desert Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat sandy or soft alluvial soils of stream
  beds and washes in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert
  region
• Food seeds from Mesquite, creosote bush, and
  broomweed
• Reproduction 2 litters of 2-6 young a year.
  Gestation unknown.
• Trivia High annual turnover (95).

7
Chaetodipus hispidus

• Hispid Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat Pasture lands and native prairie, as
  well as some flood plains from North Dakota south
  to Mexico
• Food seeds from Mesquite, sunflower, cactus,
  bluestem, and sagebrush
• Reproduction 2 litters of 2-9 young a year.
  Gestation unknown.
• Trivia Like all pocket mice, capable of using
  metabolic water to like in desert environments.

8
Chaetodipus intermedius

• Rock Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat rocky canyons, bouldery areas, and
  rocky slopes from Utah to T-P Tx, s to Sonora and
  Chihuahua
• Food seeds from Mesquite, sunflower, cactus,
  bluestem, and sagebrush, and the fungi that grows
  on food caches
• Reproduction 2 litters of 3-6 young a year.
  Gestation unknown.
• Trivia Like all pocket mice, they are
  nocturnal.

9
Chaetodipus nelsoni

• Nelsons Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat Rocky areas from SE New Mexico and T-P
  Tx south to Jalisco and San Luis Potosi, Mexico
• Food seeds from Mesquite, creosote bush, and
  prickly pear cactus. May consume insects.
• Reproduction 2 litters of 2-4 young a year.
  Gestation 1 month.
• Trivia This species of pocket mouse does not
  seem to hibernate like the others found in TX..

10
Dipodomys merriami

• Merriams Kangaroo Rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat Found mainly in open habitats or
  shrublands from Nevada East to Texas and south
  into Mexico
• Food Grains and seeds from grass, goosefoot,
  mustard, locoweed, and mesquite
• Reproduction Most young appear to be born from
  March into July in 2 litters of 1-5 young per
  year.
• Trivia Of the other species of Kangaroo rats,
  this species is the most salt-tolerate, even
  being able to live out on the salt flats of Utah
  and Nevada.

11
Dipodomys ordii

• Ords Kangaroo Rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat Lives in a variety of habitats from
  open shrublands to juniper woodlands. Prefer
  sandy soils from Southern Alberta south into
  central Mexico
• Food grains and seeds of grasses and forbs, as
  well as some green vegetation and animal matter
• Reproduction One to two litters of 1-6 young
  per year. Gestation period 28-32 days.
• Trivia D. ordii and D. merriami are cabable of
  coexisting due to the division of microhabitats
  (D. ordii like sandier soils) and grain species.

12
Dipodomys spectabilis

• Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat sparely brush-covered slopes and low
  hills between 1,200 and 1,500 m in elevation from
  SC Arizona to W TX S to Sonora and Chihuahua
  Mexico
• Food grains and seeds of grasses and forbs, as
  well as some green vegetation.
• Reproduction One to three litters of 1-6 young
  per year. Gestation period unknown.
• Trivia These agile night rodents are tricky but
  run to catch my hand, but beware the teeth. They
  can inflict impressive bites.

13
Perognathus flavus

• Sliky Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat Rocky to sandy soils from SW Great
  Plains S to Sonora and Puebla, Mexico
• Food Seeds, green vegetation, juniper berries,
  and occasional invertebrates.
• Reproduction Have two or three litters of 2-6
  young a year, gestating 21-25 days.
• Trivia Like most pocket mice, this species uses
  it forelimbs for aid in running about, as well as
  stuffing their cheek pouches full of seeds to
  store in their burrows.

14
Perognathus merriami

• Merriams Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat sandy to gravely soil with spare
  vegetation from SE New Mexico and TX S to
  Chihuahua, Mexico.
• Food Seeds of grasses and weeds, as well as
  juniper berries and other fruits when available.
• Reproduction Have two or more litters of 2-6
  young a year, gestating less than a month.
• Trivia Like most pocket mice, these animals
  refuse to drink, getting all their water from the
  food they eat and metabolic water.

15
Liomys irroratus

• Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 1/1 3/3 20
• Habitat dense banks of rivers and ox-bows from
  S TX s into Mexico
• Food Seeds of hackberry, mesquite, and other
  shrubs.
• Reproduction Have one or two litters of 2-8
  young a year, gestating 21-25 days. Breed year
  round.
• Trivia Although restricted in Texas, this
  rodent is very abundant in Mexico.

16
Key to Heteromyidae

• Skins
• C. his course fur, ttl gt 100mm
• D. merr tail with fluffy tip, 4 toes on each
  hind foot, hind foot lt42mm
• D. ord tail fluffy tip, 5 toes on each hind
  foot, hind foot gt44mm

• Skulls
• C. his Auditory Bulla Large and well seporated
• D. merr Auditory Bulla HUGE, Narrow Interorbital
  width
• D. ord Auditory Bulla HUGE, Wider Interorbital
  width

17
Family Cricetidae

• Baiomys
• Clethrionomys
• Dicrostonyx
• Lemmiscus
• Lemmus
• Microtus
• Neofiber
• Neotoma
• Ochrotomys

• Ondatra
• Onychomys
• Oryzomys
• Peromyscus
• Phenacomys
• Podomys
• Reithrodontomys
• Sigmodon
• Synaptomys

18
Baiomys taylori

• Northern Pygmy Mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat Known from Mexican tropical lowlands,
  it is found in coastal TX and mesquite-chaparral
  southern TX. As far north as the high plains.
• Food stems and fruits of cactus, grasses,
  mesquite beans, insects, snails and small
  reptiles
• Reproduction Bred year round, with several
  litters a year of 1-5 young after a 20 day
  gestation period.
• Trivia These mice are expanding rapidly,
  largely following railroad and highway
  right-of-ways northward.

19
Microtus mexicanus

• Mexican vole
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat patchy occurrences from Utah and
  Colorado south through central Mexico
• Food green grasses and herbs in summer, tubers
  and bulbs in the winter
• Reproduction An average of 2-5 young are born
  per litter from early spring into the fall, with
  30-40 days between litters.
• Trivia These voles only exist in Texas at
  Guadalupe Mountains NP.

20
Microtus ochrogaster

• Prairie vole, Prairie meadow vole
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat dry,grassy fields and unworked ag
  fields that support burrows from Ohio to Wyoming
  and south to Oklahoma and East TX
• Food green vegetation
• Reproduction Produce many litters a year, with
  pregnant females found year round, although the
  largest push is from Mar-Oct. Gestate 21 days
  and
• Trivia Form monogamous pairs that share
  parental duties

21
Ochrotomys nuttalli

• Golden mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat Found in the mountains of Tennessee and
  Virginia, in Spanish moss in the southern swamps,
  and in the canebrakes of Alabama
• Food sumac, wild cherry, dogwood, greenbrier,
  poison ivy, and blackberry, as well as eating
  some inverts
• Reproduction Bred from March to Oct, with
  several litters a year of 3-5 young after a 21-13
  gestation period, although one female has been
  documented having 17 litters in 18 months.
• Trivia These beautiful mice are generally in
  competition with P. leucopus throughout their
  range. It should be noted that Ochrotomys are
  basically Peromyscus themselves.

22
Onychomys arenicola

• Chihuahuan grasshopper mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat Throughout the Chihuahuan Desert
• Food grasshoppers, beetles, moths, and small
  mammals
• Reproduction Gestate for 27 to 30 days (longer
  if already lactating) to produce 2-7 young per
  litter of 2-3 litters per year
• Trivia often emit high pitched chirps or howls
  when foraging. This is used to establish
  territoriality. Although rare in most
  localities, it is believed to not be threatened.

23
Onychomys leucogaster

• Northern grasshopper mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat short grass prairie, stabilized dunes,
  grasslands, and sagebrush desert throughout most
  of the Western United States and parts of Canada
  and Mexico
• Food grasshoppers, beetles, moths, and small
  mammals
• Reproduction Gestate for 27 to 38 days (longer
  if already lactating) to produce 1-6 young per
  litter of 3-6 litters per year
• Trivia Fairly aggressive mice, this species
  will pounce on the backs of subordinates or prey,
  killing them by biting through the neck at the
  base of the skull.

24
Peromyscus attwateri

• Texas mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat cliffs and rocky outcrops from
  Missiouri, Kansas, OK, and N and C TX.
• Food seeds and insects, such as grasshoppers,
  crickets, juniper berries, green veg, and acorns
• Reproduction Bred through Fall and winter,
  having litters of 1-6 young after a 20 odd day
  gestation period.
• Trivia Formerly part of P. boylii, it was
  seperated due to kyrotypic differences, and
  differences in dentition and foot length.

25
Peromyscus boylii

• Brush mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat brushy and treed areas over much of the
  SW United States
• Food pine nuts, Douglas fir seeds, acorns and
  juniper berries
• Reproduction Bred several times a year, having
  litters of 2-5 young after a 23 day gestation
  period.
• Trivia A very arboreal mouse, it forages
  commonly off the ground, and makes nests in
  natural cavities.

26
Peromyscus eremicus

• Cactus mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat rocky outcrops and cliffs in desert
  habitats from SE Cal to the T-P TX and south into
  Mexico
• Food seeds of desert annuals and insects
• Reproduction Bred three times a year, having
  litters of 1-4 young after a 21 day gestation
  period.
• Trivia Unlike most Peromyscus, this species
  only has 2 pairs of milk glands.

27
Peromyscus leucopus

• White-footed mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat generally in woods or brushy areas
  through most of the eastern and central North
  American continent
• Food seeds, nuts, fruits, insects, arthropods,
  fungi, etc.
• Reproduction have several litters of 4-5 young
  each after a 21 day gestation period.
• Trivia These mice, as well as all Peromyscus,
  should be handled carefully because of the risk
  of hanta virus.

28
Peromyscus maniculatus

• Deer mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat Open fields, cultivated areas, and sand
  dunes occurring across North America
• Food Seeds, nuts, insects, snails, fungi, and
  other material
• Reproduction Have many litters of 2-7 young
  each after a gestation of 21 days. Main
  reproductive push from early spring to late fall.
• Trivia Sometimes divided into subspecies groups
  based on woodland or prairie forms located about
  the county.

29
Peromyscus nasutus

• Northern rock mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat bounders in rocky slopes and piles from
  C CO and Utah, S thru New Mexico and T-P Texas to
  Coahuila, Mexico
• Food similar to other Peromyscus???
• Reproduction Bred several times a year, having
  litters of 2-6 young after a 30 day gestation
  period.
• Trivia very docile and gregarious, these make
  good lab pets.

30
Peromyscus pectoralis

• White-ankled mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat rocky habitats from C New Mexico and TX
  S to Hildalgo, Mexico
• Food various available seeds, fungi, and
  insects
• Reproduction Bred several times a year, having
  litters of 2-5 young after a 23 day gestation
  period.
• Trivia Commonly a problem species in human
  habitations, much like P. leucopus.

31
Reithrodontomys fulvescens

• Fulvous harvest mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat grassy and weedy areas from AZ to Miss,
  south to Nicaragua. In TX, located everywhere
  except the caprock
• Food seeds and green blades of grasses and
  sedges, some invertebrates
• Reproduction bred from Feb-Oct, having multiple
  litters of 2-6 young after gestating 21 days
• Trivia A rather opportunistic species, eating
  whatever food is available in a region.

32
Reithrodontomys megalotis

• Western harvest mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat waste fields of matted grass and sedge
  brier patches, ditches, and wet bottomlands
  throughout much of the western United States and
  Central America
• Food seeds and green sprouts, with a limited
  storage of seeds
• Reproduction bred from Mar-Oct, having multiple
  litters of 1-9 young after gestating 23-24 days
• Trivia Dont form runways like other mice, but
  will use the runways of other species.

33
Reithrodontomys motanus

• Plains harvest mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat climax, well-drained grasslands from
  the High Plains of the C United States S to
  Durango, Mexico
• Food Mainly seeds (brome, grama, bluestem, and
  foxtail), flowerheads (broomweeds, ironweed, and
  snow-on-the-mountain), and some insects.
• Reproduction Breed year round having multiple
  litters of 2-5 young after a 21 day gestation
• Trivia These mice have small home ranges
  (0.23-0.84 has), and are limited dispersers (i.e.
  roadways are barriers to dispersal).

34
Sigmodon fulviventer

• Tawny-bellied cotton rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat grassy, weedy places (bunchgrasses) in
  mesquite-grassland veg from AZ, NM, and TX S into
  Mexico
• Food grassy plants, some ag crops, quail and
  other bird eggs and young, small arthropods
• Reproduction Bred throughout Mar to Nov, having
  multiple litters of 3-4 young per litter after a
  27 day gestation.
• Trivia Only known in TX from an isolated
  population near Fort Davis.

35
Sigmodon hispidus

• Hispid cotton rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat grass dominated fields of the southern
  United States and south into Central America
• Food grassy plants, some ag crops, quail and
  other bird eggs and young, small arthropods
• Reproduction Bred throughout Mar to Nov, having
  multiple litters of 4-8 young per litter after a
  27 day gestation.
• Trivia Although solitary, these rats are rarely
  outnumbered by all other southern rodents.

36
Sigmodon ochrognathus

• Yellow-nosed cotton rat
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat high elevation grasslands AZ to T-P TX,
  S to Durango, Mexico
• Food grassy plants, some ag crops, quail and
  other bird eggs and young, small arthropods
• Reproduction Bred throughout the year, having
  multiple litters of 3-5 young per litter after a
  35 day gestation.
• Trivia Previously thought to be rare, this
  species appears to be increasing its range with
  continuing aridity.

37
Key to Cricetidae I(Mice and Rat Skins)

• P. man body brown/gray above and white below,
  sharp color contrast on tail (pencil line), tail
  evenly hairy, hind foot lt 18mm.
• R. meg Body brown w/ golden patch behind
  forearm, underside gray w/ golden highlights,
  hindfoot similair to P. leu, tail not sharply
  bicolored.
• S. his upper fur grizzled tan, brown and black.
  Small black ears, medium long tail.

• O. nut Body gold, tail slightly bicolored.
• O. leu short tail (37-47mm), body brown to
  reddish above and white below, tail bicolored.
• P. leu body brown/gray above and white below,
  weak color contract on tail (smudged), tail
  evenly haired, hind foot gt 18mm.

38
Key to Cricetidae II(Mice and Rat Skulls)

• P. leu paired opening in rostrum bowed out in
  middle
• P. man paired opening in rostrum evenly
  parallel
• R. meg grooved incisors, 1st and 2nd lower
  molars with labial shelf
• S. his upper cheek teeth w/ folds of enamel
  around dentine, 2nd and 3rd molars have S pattern

• O. nut posterior palatine formina nearer to
  interpterygoid fossa than to anterior palatine
  formina
• O. leu Hypsodont molars, upper molar 3 reduced,
  high coronoid process on mandible

39
Family Muridae

• Mus

• Rattus

40
Mus musculus

• House mouse
• Dental Formula 1/1 0/0 0/0 3/3 16
• Habitat homes and building anywhere humans are
  found throughout much of the Western world
• Food seeds, insects, and anything edible around
  buildings
• Reproduction Have several litters a year, with
  5-7 young per litter after a 21 day gestation.
  Young can breed at two months of age.
• Trivia Although a pest in the home, this
  animals contributions in the laboratory has been
  invaluable to biological, genetic and medical
  research.

41
Key to Muridae

• Skin
• M. mus Body uniform gray, tail naked and gray.
• Skull
• M. mus Incisor notched, upper molars 3rd bigger
  than 1 2