The Project Gutenberg eBook of A New Piñon Mouse (Peromyscus truei) from Durango, Mexico This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title: A New Piñon Mouse (Peromyscus truei) from Durango, Mexico Author: Robert B. Finley Release date: February 1, 2010 [eBook #31149] Most recently updated: January 6, 2021 Language: English Credits: Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph R. Hauser, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net *** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A NEW PIÑON MOUSE (PEROMYSCUS TRUEI) FROM DURANGO, MEXICO *** Produced by Chris Curnow, Joseph R. Hauser, Joseph Cooper and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net A New Piñon Mouse (Peromyscus truei) from Durango, Mexico BY ROBERT B. FINLEY, JR. University of Kansas Publications Museum of Natural History Volume 5, No. 20, pp. 263-267 May 23, 1952 University of Kansas LAWRENCE 1952 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS, MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Editors: E. Raymond Hall, Chairman, A. Byron Leonard, Edward H. Taylor, Robert W. Wilson Volume 5, No. 20, pp. 263-267 May 23, 1952 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas PRINTED BY FERD VOILAND, JR., STATE PRINTER TOPEKA, KANSAS 1952 24-2794 A New Piñon Mouse (Peromyscus truei) from Durango, Mexico BY ROBERT B. FINLEY, JR. The extensive collection of Mexican mammals made by Mr. J. R. Alcorn for the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History contains fourteen piñon mice from lava rocks eight miles northeast of the city of Durango, Mexico. These mice are all much darker than the piñon mice, _Peromyscus truei gentilis_, of adjoining areas in Durango and Zacatecas and show a superficial resemblance to the widespread _P. t. gratus_ which occurs 450 miles to the southeast. Morphological differences from _P. t. gratus_, as well as geographic considerations (see remarks), make desirable the recognition of the lava-dwelling piñon mice from Durango as a distinct subspecies. All specimens examined of subspecies compared with the series of piñon mice from northeast of Durango are in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. Capitalized color names and designators are of Maerz and Paul, A Dictionary of Color, McGraw Hill Book Co., New York, 1930. I wish to acknowledge generous financial aid from the Kansas University Endowment Association which made possible the field work by Mr. Alcorn in Mexico. This heretofore unknown subspecies is characterized below and may be known as: =Peromyscus truei erasmus= subsp. nov. _Type._--Mus. Nat. Hist., Univ. Kansas, no. 34417, young adult female, skin and skull; from eight miles northeast of Durango, 6200 feet, Durango, Mexico; collected 16 August 1949 by J. R. Alcorn, original number 10255. _Range._--Known only from the type locality. _Diagnosis._--Upper parts dark brownish gray (Smoke Brown, 16 A 2, to Biskra, 16 A 12), darkest between ears; lower sides suffused with dull orange buff (13 H 9 to 12 H 9); dark eye ring and black spot at base of vibrissae conspicuous; ears 95 to 100 per cent as long as hind foot; bullae round, greatly inflated; interparietal large, anterior margin curved or slightly sinuous, not bulging strongly forward laterally; rostrum short; nasals broad; braincase high and full; incisive foramina slightly pointed anteriorly; molars small, as in _P. t. gentilis_. _Measurements._--Measurements of 3 males and mean and extreme measurements of 11 females, all from the type locality, are, respectively, as follows: total length, 192, 188 (incomplete), 196 (incomplete), 193 (188-209); length of tail, 102, 97 (broken), 97 (broken), 101 (94-114); length of hind foot, 22, 23, 23, 22.5 (22-23); length of ear, from notch, in flesh, 21, 22, 23, 21.5 (20-23); greatest length of skull, 27.4, 27.7, 27.9, 27.3 (26.5-28.3); basilar length, 20.2, 21.0, -- (broken), 20.4 (19.6-21.2); greatest breadth of braincase, 12.8, 12.8, 13.3, 12.85 (12.4-13.4); least interorbital breadth, 4.4, 4.6, 4.6, 4.41 (4.2-4.6); length of nasals, 10.1, 10.3, 10.9, 10.3 (9.8-11.1); diastema, 6.6, 7.0, 7.1, 6.78 (6.3-7.2); length of incisive foramina, 5.6, 5.9, 6.0, 5.77 (5.5-6.0); length of palatal bridge, 3.8, 3.9, --, 3.96 (3.8-4.3); postpalatal length, 9.9, --, --, 9.7 (9.2-10.4); alveolar length of maxillary tooth-row, 4.1, 4.1, 4.4, 4.2 (4.1-4.4). All measurements are in millimeters. _Measurements of the type._--Total length, 189; length of tail, 95; length of hind foot, 22; length of ear, from notch (in flesh), 21; greatest length of skull, 26.9; basilar length, 20.3; greatest breadth of braincase, 13.0; least interorbital breadth, 4.4; length of nasals, 10.1; diastema, 6.6; length of incisive foramina, 5.5; length of palatal bridge, 3.9; postpalatal length, 9.8; alveolar length of maxillary tooth-row, 4.2. _Comparisons._--From _Peromyscus truei gentilis_ (specimens from 5 mi. N Durango, Durango; 4 mi. W Durango, Durango; and 8 mi. N & 1 mi. W Sombrerete, Zacatecas), the subspecies of the surrounding region, _P. t. erasmus_ differs in markedly darker coloration, sides and face less brightly washed with orange buff, dark eye ring and spot at base of vibrissae more conspicuous, higher incidence and greater extent of buffy pectoral spot. External measurements do not differ significantly. No consistent cranial differences were found. From _Peromyscus truei gratus_ (specimens from Pedregal de los Reyes, Distrito Federal, México) to the southeast, _P. t. erasmus_ differs in slightly darker dorsal color, more inflated bullae, and less sinuous (not bulging so much forward laterally) anterior margin of interparietal. From _Peromyscus truei gratus_ (specimens from various localities in eastern Jalisco and western Michoacán) to the south, _P. t. erasmus_ differs in slightly darker dorsal color, longer ears, and more inflated bullae. From _Peromyscus truei truei_ (specimens from 4 mi. N El Rito, Rio Arriba Co., New Mexico) to the northwest, _P. t. erasmus_ differs in much darker color, shorter tail, shorter hairs on tail, smaller ears, shorter rostrum, wider nasals, and more pointed anterior ends of incisive foramina. _Remarks._--The tail of _P. t. erasmus_ varies greatly in color, being either bicolor or unicolor, dark gray above and varying from white to dark gray below. The type has the tail dark gray above grading gradually on the sides to medium gray below. A buffy pectoral spot or band is present in about half of the adults examined, being most prominent in the type, which is also one of the darkest specimens in the series. The shape of the posterior edge of the bony palate is also variable, being convex, square, or concave; and the dorsal branches of the premaxillaries may terminate slightly anterior or slightly posterior to the posterior ends of the nasals. In the type the posterior palatal margin is concave and the dorsal branches of the premaxillaries almost reach the ends of the nasals. _Peromyscus truei gratus_ from Distrito Federal also shows high variability in all these characters. _Peromyscus truei erasmus_ is a dark race of the piñon mouse known from the west side of a rough area of dark lavas a few miles northeast of the city of Durango and closely surrounded by the light colored race, _P. t. gentilis_, known from outside the area of lava rocks. Specimens of _erasmus_ from eight miles northeast of Durango are all conspicuously darker than 11 specimens of _gentilis_ from five miles north of Durango and four miles west of Durango which are typical in color for _gentilis_. Although _erasmus_ more nearly resembles in color _gratus_, in cranial characters and external measurements it shows closer relationship to _gentilis_. Alcorn reported (verbal communication) that the type series of _erasmus_ was collected on the west side of the Río de la Saucida in hills covered with broken lava rocks, cactus, and spiny shrubs. Some cottonwoods grow along the river, which is almost dry most of the time. East of the river is a flat plain or valley of adobelike soil a few miles wide beyond which extends a rough area of dark lavas. The approximate extent of the lava plain is indicated on World Aeronautical Chart, Lake Santiaguillo (521). The specimens of _gentilis_ from five miles north of Durango and four miles west of Durango were collected on slopes of adobe soil covered with grasses, scattered junipers and low shrubs, this habitat being the lower eastern edge of the juniper-wooded slopes that rise westward to the Sierra Madre Occidental. The available facts suggest that _P. t. erasmus_ has evolved from _P. t. gentilis_ by natural selection for concealing coloration on the dark lavas northeast of Durango, México. _P. t. erasmus_ probably reaches its western limit close to the type locality. _Specimens examined._--Total 14, from the type locality. _Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence._ _Transmitted January 21, 1952._ 24-2794 *** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A NEW PIÑON MOUSE (PEROMYSCUS TRUEI) FROM DURANGO, MEXICO *** Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will be renamed. Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. START: FULL LICENSE THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work (or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at www.gutenberg.org/license. Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works 1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property (trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. 1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. 1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the United States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it without charge with others. 1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any country other than the United States. 1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: 1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, copied or distributed: This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. 1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. 1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™. 1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project Gutenberg™ License. 1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. 1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. 1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided that: • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.” • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ works. • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of receipt of the work. • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works. 1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. 1.F. 1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. 1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further opportunities to fix the problem. 1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. 1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. 1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any Defect you cause. Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™ Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from people in all walks of life. Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org. Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws. The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status with the IRS. The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate. While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who approach us with offers to donate. International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate. Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. Most people start at our website which has the main PG search facility: www.gutenberg.org. This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.