Mice of the Genus \u3ci\u3ePeromyscus\u3c/i\u3e in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Mice of the genus Peromyscus are found in virtually every habitat type in Guadalupe Mountains National Park in West Texas. Because of their abundance and wide distribution, they comprise an important component of the park\u27s ecosystem. The first known specimens of Peromyscus from the area now included in the park were collected by Vernon Bailey in 1901 (Bailey, 1905). He collected specimens of Peromyscus boyIii in Dog and McKittrick canyons. Davis (1940) collected P. leucopus at Frijole in 1938 and P. boylii in The Bowl in 1938 and 1939. Davis and Robertson (1944) reported collecting P. pectoralis from along Bell Creek in 1938. A previously unreported specimen of P. diijicilis collected in 1901 by Vernon Bailey in McKittrick Canyon was recently reported by Diersing and Hoffmeister (1974). During a survey of mammals of Guadalupe Mountains National Park conducted from June 1973 to August 1975, specimens of seven species of Peromyscus were obtained. In addition to the four previously reported species, specimens of P. eremicus, P. maniculatus, and P. truei were collected. We are not aware of any other place where seven species of Peromyscus occur in such a small area. Genoways et al. (1979) presented general distributional, ecological, and faunal information for all mammals occurring in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. In the present report the use of morphometries and karyology as methods of identification of deer mice in the park are discussed, and the distribution and ecology of deer mice are described in greater detail than they were in Genoways et al. (1979)