Reithrodontomys burti Benson 1939

233.

Sonoran Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys burti

French: Souris-moissonneuse du Sonora / German: Sonora-Erntemaus / Spanish: Ratén espiguero de Sonora

Taxonomy. Reithrodontomys burti Benson, 1939, Rancho de Costa Rica, Rio Sonora, Sonora, Mexico.

Reithrodontomys burti is in subgenus Reithrodontomys. Monotypic.

Distribution. From WC Sonora to N Sinaloa states (NW Mexico).

Descriptive notes. Head—body 64-70 mm, tail 52-66 mm, ear 14-17 mm, hindfoot 16-17 mm. No specific data are available for body weight. The Sonoran Harvest Mouse is small. Dorsum is ocherous buff, with black-tipped hairs along sides and rump; venter is white but plumbeous to bases. Feet are white, with fine dusky line. Tail is relatively long, 70-97% of head-body length, and has thin indistinct stripe. Skullis similar to that of the Plains Harvest Mouse (R. montanus), butit differs by having wider interorbital area, broader zygomatic process of maxilla, larger interorbital foramina, and longer nasals.

Habitat. Lowland (60-182 m) scrublands of mesquite (Prosopis, Fabaceae) and other trees of the same legume family, grasses, and cultivated fields in Sonora and thorn scrub forests and in fields containing agaves (Agave, Asparagaceae), mesquite, and grasses in Sinaloa.

Food and Feeding. No information.

Breeding. No information.

Activity patterns. The Sonoran Harvest Mouse is presumably nocturnal.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. No information.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Data Deficient on The IUCN Red List.

Bibliography. Benson (1939), Csuti (1980), Hall (1981), Hooper (1952a), Miller & Kellogg (1955), Russell & Alcorn (1957), Sanchez (2014c).