Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus Baiomys — John Shaqi
Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus BaiomysPackard, Robert L. (Robert Lewis)
Science
Speciation and Evolution of the Pygmy Mice, Genus Baiomys
Packard, Robert L. (Robert Lewis)
Mice
_Range._--Central Veracruz, coastal plains and eastern slopes of the
plateau of Central Mexico, see Figure 10. Zonal range: Upper Tropical
Life-zone (Lowery and Dalquest, 1951:537), parts of the Veracruz and
eastern Transverse Volcanic biotic provinces of Goldman and Moore
(1945:349). Occurs from near sea level at Boca del Rio, Veracruz, up to
5500 feet 3 km. SE Orizaba.
_Diagnosis._--Size medium to large for the species; ground color of
dorsum of paratypes near Olive Brown; darkest of specimens of this
subspecies examined (from Potrero Viejo, Veracruz) between Prouts Brown
and Mummy Brown; distal two-thirds of guard hairs of dorsum black,
proximal third dark gray to sooty; hairs of dorsum black-tipped having
subterminal band of Ochraceous-Tawny; sides paler (less of dark brown)
than dorsum; venter Deep Olive Buff to clay color, individual hairs pale
olive buff at tips, dark gray basally; region of throat and chin sooty
gray; ventralmost vibrissae white to base, other vibrissae black to
base; ears dark brown, sparsely haired; forefeet and hind feet
flesh-colored in palest specimens, sooty in darkest; tail pale brown,
slightly paler below than above; presphenoid only slightly constricted
towards midline; average and extreme external and cranial measurements
of 10 adults from Cerro Gordo, Veracruz, are as follows: total length,
118.9 (112-127); length of tail vertebrae, 45.1 (42-50); length of body,
74.0 (69-78); length of hind foot, 16.0 (16); length of ear from notch,
12.8 (12-13); occipitonasal length, 19.5 (19.0-20.0); zygomatic breadth,
10.3 (10.0-10.8); postpalatal length, 7.1 (6.7-7.5); least interorbital
breadth, 3.9 (3.7-4.0); length of incisive foramina, 4.4 (4.1-4.6);
length of rostrum, 6.9 (6.5-7.2); breadth of braincase, 9.5 (9.2-9.7);
depth of cranium, 7.1 (7.1-7.4); alveolar length of maxillary tooth-row,
3.3 (3.2-3.3); for photographs of skull, see Plate 1_a_, and Plate 3_a_.
_Comparisons._--For comparisons with _B. m. nigrescens_, see account of
that subspecies. From _B. m. pallidus_, _B. m. brunneus_ differs in:
dorsal, lateral, and facial coloration deeper reddish brown, more
melanins present; venter darker; buff gray rather than whitish buff to
gray as in paratypical series; vibrissae black rather than brownish to
white; tail sooty, less flesh-colored; forefeet and hind feet averaging
slightly grayer; most external and cranial dimensions averaging slightly
larger; nasals less attenuated; presphenoid less hour-glass shaped,
sides more nearly straight.
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