Editing Peromyscus

{{Short description|Genus of mammals}}
{{Distinguish|mouse-deer}}
{{Redirect|Deer mouse|a broader category of rodents which includes other deer mouse species|Neotominae|the species often called deer mouse|Peromyscus maniculatus}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = Late [[Miocene]] – Recent
| image = Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) (9310532204).jpg
| image_caption = ''Peromyscus maniculatus''
| taxon = Peromyscus
| authority = [[Constantin Wilhelm Lambert Gloger|Gloger]], 1841
| type_species = ''[[White-footed mouse|Peromyscus arboreus]]''<ref>{{MSW3|id=13000436}}</ref>
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See [[#Species|text]]
}}

'''''Peromyscus''''' is a [[genus]] of [[rodent]]s. They are commonly referred to as '''deer mice''' or '''deermice''', not to be confused with the [[chevrotain]] or "mouse deer". They are [[New World mouse|New World mice]] only distantly related to the common house and laboratory mouse, ''[[Mus musculus]]''. From this distant relative, ''Peromyscus'' species are distinguished by relatively larger eyes, and also often [[countershading|two-tone coloring]], with darker colors over the dorsum (back), and white abdominal and limb hair-coloring. In reference to the coloring, the word ''Peromyscus'' comes from Greek words meaning "booted mouse".<ref name="Crossland"/> They are also accomplished jumpers and runners by comparison to house mice, and their common name of "deer mouse" (coined in 1833) is in reference to both this agility as well as their two-toned coloring.<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deer%20mouse Deer mouse etymology from Merriam-Webster. Accessed April 6, 2025]. https://www.merriam-webster.com/ (2025-04-06). Retrieved on 2025-04-06.</ref>

The most common species of deer mice in the continental [[United States]] are two closely related species, ''[[Peromyscus maniculatus|P. maniculatus]]'' and ''[[Peromyscus leucopus|P. leucopus]]''. In the United States, ''Peromyscus'' is the most populous [[mammal]]ian [[genus]] overall, and has become notorious in the western [[United States]] as a carrier of [[hantaviruses]].<ref name="cdc.gov">[https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/phys/virology.htm CDC – Hantavirus]. Cdc.gov (2012-11-01). Retrieved on 2014-01-05.</ref><ref>[http://www.sc.edu/research/pdf/Bioengineering.pdf What if ...] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929210037/http://www.sc.edu/research/pdf/Bioengineering.pdf |date=2012-09-29 }}. University of South Carolina</ref>

== Reservoir of human disease ==

=== Hantavirus ===
The deer mouse came to the attention of the public when it was discovered to be the primary reservoir species for [[Sin Nombre orthohantavirus|Sin Nombre]] [[hantavirus]].<ref name="cdc.gov"/><ref name="Deadly">{{cite journal|title=It's Official—The Deer Mouse Is Deadly|journal=Newsmagazine |date=18 July 1994|volume= 21 |issue =31|page=43}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|pmid=9847363|year=1999|last1=Netski|first1=D|last2=Thran|first2=BH|last3=St. Jeor|first3=SC|title=Sin Nombre virus pathogenesis in ''Peromyscus maniculatus''|volume=73|issue=1|pages=585–91|pmc=103864|journal=Journal of Virology|doi=10.1128/JVI.73.1.585-591.1999}}</ref>

=== Lyme disease ===
A recent study in British Columbia of 218 deer mice showed 30% (66) were seropositive for ''[[Borrelia burgdorferi]]'',<ref>[http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/08vol34/dr-rm3401a-eng.php Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) – Vol.34 CCDR-01 – Public Health Agency of Canada]. Phac-aspc.gc.ca (2008-01-30). Retrieved on 2014-01-05.</ref> the agent of [[Lyme disease]].

=== Other diseases ===
[[Ehrlichiosis]] and [[babesiosis]] are also carried by the deer mouse.<ref name="Crossland">Crossland, J. and Lewandowski, A. (2006). [http://stkctr.biol.sc.edu/Pages%20from%20aalas_tech_talk_2.pdf Peromyscus&nbsp;– A fascinating laboratory animal model] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120052440/http://stkctr.biol.sc.edu/Pages%20from%20aalas_tech_talk_2.pdf |date=2008-11-20 }}. ''Techtalk'' 11:1–2.</ref>

[[SARS-CoV-2]] transmits efficiently in deer mice.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Griffin |first1=B. |date=14 June 2021 |title=SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in the North American deer mouse |journal=Nature|volume=12 |issue=1 |page=3612 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-23848-9 |pmid=34127676 |pmc=8203675 |bibcode=2021NatCo..12.3612G }}</ref>

== Use as a laboratory animal ==
While wild populations are sometimes studied,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tietje|first1=William D.|last2=Lee|first2=Derek E.|last3=Vreeland|first3=Justin K.|date=2008|title=Survival and Abundance Of Three Species Of Mice In Relation to Density Of Shrubs and Prescribed Fire In Understory Of An Oak Woodland In California|journal=The Southwestern Naturalist|volume=53|issue=3|pages=357–369|doi=10.1894/PS-35.1|bibcode=2008SWNat..53..357T |s2cid=54586518}}</ref> ''Peromyscus'' species are also easy to breed and keep in captivity, although they are more energetic and difficult to handle than the relatively more tame ''M. musculus''. For certain studies, they are also favored over the [[laboratory mouse]] (''M. musculus'') and the [[laboratory rat]] (''Rattus norvegicus'').  Apart from their importance in studying infectious diseases, ''Peromyscus'' species are useful for studying [[phylogeography]], [[speciation]], [[chromosome]]s, [[genetics]], [[ecology]], [[population genetics]], conservation<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cobo-Simón|first1=Irene|last2=Méndez-Cea|first2=Belén|last3=Portillo|first3=Héctor|last4=Elvir|first4=Fausto|last5=Vega|first5=Hermes|last6=Gallego|first6=Francisco Javier|last7=Fontecha|first7=Gustavo|date=2019|title=Testing the effectiveness of conservation management within biosphere reserves: the case of the Mexican deer mouse (Peromyscus mexicanus) as a bioindicator|journal=Integrative Zoology|volume=14|issue=5|pages=422–434|doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12371|pmid=30585414|s2cid=58592507 }}</ref> and [[evolution]] in general.  They are also useful for researching repetitive-movement disorders.<ref name="Joyner">{{cite journal|vauthors=Joyner CP, Myrick LC, Crossland JP, Dawson WD |pmid=11406688|year=1998|title=Deer Mice As Laboratory Animals|volume=39|issue=4|pages=322–330|journal=ILAR Journal |doi=10.1093/ilar.39.4.322|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Dewey, M.J.  |author2=Dawson, W.D. |name-list-style=amp |doi=10.1002/gene.1011|title=Deer mice: "The ''Drosophila'' of North American mammalogy"|year=2001|journal=Genesis|volume=29|issue=3|pages=105–9|pmid=11252049|s2cid=40389176 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging|author2=National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Animal Models for Research on Aging|title=Mammalian Models for Research on Aging|url=https://archive.org/details/mammalianmodelsf0000inst|url-access=registration|date=1981|publisher=National Academies|isbn=978-0-309-03094-6}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|pmid=19713521|year=2009|last1=Linnen|first1=CR|last2=Kingsley|first2=EP|last3=Jensen|first3=JD|last4=Hoekstra|first4=HE|title=On the origin and spread of an adaptive allele in deer mice|volume=325|issue=5944|pages=1095–8|doi=10.1126/science.1175826|pmc=2736094|bibcode=2009Sci...325.1095L|journal=Science}}</ref> Their use in aging research is because ''Peromyscus'' spp., despite being of similar size to the standard laboratory mouse, have maximum lifespans of 5–7 years, compared to the 3-year maximum lifespan of ''ad libitum''-fed laboratory strains or wild-caught ''M. musculus''.<ref name="Crossland" />

[https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/pharmacy/centers/peromyscus_genetic_stock_center/ The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center] at the [[University of South Carolina]] was established by Professor Wallace Dawson in 1985 to raise [[animal]]s of the peromyscine species for research and educational use. This institute maintains populations of several different species (including ''[[Peromyscus californicus]]'', ''[[Peromyscus maniculatus]]'', ''[[Peromyscus melanophrys]]'', ''[[Peromyscus eremicus]]'', and ''[[Peromyscus aztecus]]''). A variety of mutations affecting their behavior, [[biochemistry]], and the color of their coats is exhibited in these genetic lines.

An American scientist once asked, "How do you go out there and vaccinate a bunch of deer mice against Hantavirus by hand?"<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.popsci.com/contagious-vaccine-virus/ |title=Vaccines of the future could be as contagious as viruses |date=5 June 2017 |publisher=popsci.com |accessdate=5 June 2017}}</ref> In 2017, [[Rocky Mountain Laboratories]] started a deer mouse ''(Peromyscus)'' colony.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Williamson |first1=B. |date=17 May 2021 |title=Continuing Orthohantavirus Circulation in Deer Mice in Western Montana |journal= Viruses|volume=13 |issue=6 |page=1006 |doi=10.3390/v13061006 |doi-access=free |pmid=34072112 |pmc=8226622 }}</ref> The BSL-4 laboratory had used deer mice as a model for research on self-spreading vaccines.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nuismer |first1=S. |date=21 September 2020 |title=Bayesian estimation of Lassa virus epidemiological parameters: Implications for spillover prevention using wildlife vaccination |journal= PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases|volume=14 |issue=9 |pages=e0007920 |doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0007920 |doi-access=free |pmid=32956349 |pmc=7529244 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Scudellari |first1=Megan |title=Journal Club: Can transmissible vaccines have a major role in eradicating disease? |url=https://www.pnas.org/post/journal-club/journal-club-can-transmissible-vaccines-have-a-major-role-in-eradicating-disease |language=en |doi=10.1073/journal-club.2387 |date=14 November 2016|doi-broken-date=22 May 2025 }}</ref> [[SARS-CoV-2]] transmits efficiently in deer mice.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fagre |first1=A. |date=21 May 2021 |title=SARS-CoV-2 infection, neuropathogenesis and transmission among deer mice: Implications for spillback to New World rodents |journal= PLOS Pathogens|volume=17 |issue=5 |pages=e1009585 |doi=10.1371/journal.ppat.1009585 |doi-access=free |pmid=34010360 |pmc=7418741 }}</ref>

==Species==
*'''''Peromyscus'''''
**''californicus'' group
***[[California mouse|California deermouse]] – ''P. californicus''
**''eremicus'' group
***[[Cactus mouse]] – ''P. eremicus''
***[[Burt's deer mouse]]– ''P. caniceps''
***[[Dickey's deer mouse]] – ''P. dickeyi''
***[[Eva's desert mouse]] – ''P. eva''
***[[Northern Baja deer mouse]]– ''P. fraterculus''
*** [[Angel Island mouse]] – ''P. guardia'' – possibly extinct
****''P. g. guardia'' – last seen 1991
****''P. g. mejiae'' – extinct (1973)
****''P. g. harbisoni'' – extinct (1963)
****''P. guardia'' subsp. indet. from Estanque Island – extinct (1998)
***[[San Lorenzo mouse]] – ''P. interparietalis''
***[[Mesquite mouse]] – ''P. merriami''
***[[Pemberton's deer mouse]] – ''P. pembertoni'' – extinct (1931)
***[[False canyon mouse]] – ''P. pseudocrinitus''
**''hooperi'' group
***[[Hooper's mouse]] – ''P. hooperi''
**''crinitus'' group
***[[Canyon mouse]] – ''P. crinitus''
**''maniculatus'' group
***[[Peromyscus maniculatus|Eastern deer mouse]] − ''P. maniculatus''
***[[Yukon deer mouse]] – ''P.'' sp.<ref name=Bradley2019/>
***[[Gambel's deer mouse]] – ''P. gambelii''<ref name=Bradley2019>{{cite journal |author=Bradley, R. D. |display-authors=etal| date = October 2019 | title = Mitochondrial DNA sequence data indicates evidence for multiple species within ''Peromyscus maniculatus''| journal = Special Publications, Texas Tech University| volume = 70 | pages = 1–59}}</ref>
***[[Northwestern deer mouse]] – ''P. keeni''
***[[Southern deer mouse]] – ''P. labecula''<ref name=Bradley2019/>
***[[Black-eared mouse]] – ''P. melanotis''
***†Giant island deer mouse – ''[[Peromyscus nesodytes|P. nesodytes]]'' – extinct
***[[Oldfield mouse|Oldfield mouse or beach mouse]] – ''P. polionotus''
****''P. p. allophrys''
****''P. p. ammobates''
****[[Pallid beach mouse]] ''P. p. decoloratus'' – extinct (1959)
****''P. p. leucocephalus''
****''P. p. niveiventris''
****''P. p. peninsularis''
****[[Anastasia Island beach mouse]] ''P. p. phasma''
****''P. p. trissyllepsis''
***[[Santa Cruz mouse]] – ''P. sejugis''
***[[Slevin's mouse]] – ''P. slevini''
***[[Western deer mouse]] – ''P. sonoriensis''<ref name=Bradley2019/>
**''leucopus'' group
***[[White-footed mouse]] – ''P. leucopus''
***[[Cotton mouse]] – ''P. gossypinus''
****[[Key Largo cotton mouse]] ''P. g. allapaticola''
****†[[Chadwick Beach cotton mouse]] ''P. g. restrictus'' – extinct (1938)
**''aztecus'' group
***[[Aztec mouse]] – ''P. aztecus''
***[[Transvolcanic deer mouse]] – ''P. hylocetes''
***[[Oaxacan deer mouse]] – ''P. oaxacensis''
***[[Gleaning mouse]] – ''P. spicilegus''
***[[Winkelmann's mouse]] – ''P. winkelmanni''
**''boylii'' group
***[[Brush mouse]] – ''P. boylii''
***[[Orizaba deer mouse]] – ''P. beatae''
***[[Carleton's deer mouse]] – ''P. carletoni''<ref name=Bradley2014>{{cite journal |author=Bradley, R. D. |display-authors=etal| date = 2014 | title = Morphometric, karyotypic, and molecular evidence for a new species of ''Peromyscus'' (Cricetididae: Neotominae) from Nayarit, Mexico| journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 95 | pages = 176–186|doi=10.1644/13-MAMM-A-217| doi-access = free}}</ref>
***[[Ensink's deer mouse]] – ''P. ensinki''<ref name=Bradley2024>{{cite journal | last1 = Bradley | first1 = Robert D. | last2 = Ordóñez-Garza | first2 = Nicté | last3 = Thompson | first3 = Cody W. | last4 = Wright | first4 = Emily A. | last5 = Ceballos | first5 = Gerardo | last6 = Kilpatrick | first6 = C. William | last7 = Schmidly | first7 = David James | year = 2022 | doi = 10.1093/jmammal/gyab128 | pages = 255–274 | title = Two new species of ''Peromyscus'' (Cricetidae: Neotominae) from the Transverse Volcanic Belt of Mexico | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 103 | issue = 2| pmid = 35422678 | pmc = 8996035 }}</ref>
***[[Greenbaum's deer mouse]] – ''P. greenbaumi''<ref name=Bradley2024/>
***[[Kilpatrick's deer mouse]] – ''P. kilpatricki''<ref name=Bradley2017>{{cite journal |author=Bradley, R. D. |display-authors=etal| date = 2017 | title = A new species in the ''Peromyscus boylii'' species group (Cricetidae: Neotominae) from Michoacan, Mexico | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 98 | pages = 154–165|doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyw160|s2cid=88766413|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311545565| doi-access = free}}</ref>
***[[Nimble-footed mouse]] – ''P. levipes''
***[[Tres Marías Island mouse]] – ''P. madrensis''
***[[Chihuahuan mouse]] – ''P. polius''
***[[Peromyscus sagax|La Palma deer mouse]] – ''P. sagax''
***[[Peromyscus schmidlyi|Schmidly's deer mouse]] – ''P. schmidlyi''
***[[Nayarit mouse]] – ''P. simulus''
***[[San Esteban Island mouse]] – ''P. stephani''
**''truei'' group
***[[Pinyon mouse]] – ''P. truei''
***[[Texas mouse]] – ''P. attwateri''
***[[Perote mouse]] - ''P. bullatus''
***[[Zacatecan deer mouse|Zacatecan deer mouse or southern rock mouse]] – ''P. difficilis''
***[[Osgood's mouse]] – ''P. gratus''
***[[Northern white-ankled mouse]] – ''P. laceianus''<ref name=Bradley2015>{{cite journal |author=Bradley, R. D. |display-authors=etal| date = 2019 | title = Molecular and morphological data reveals multiple species in ''Peromyscus pectoralis''| journal = Journal of Mammalogy| volume = 96 |issue=2| pages = 446–459|doi=10.1093/jmammal/gyv049|pmid=26937045|pmc=4668931 | doi-access = free}}</ref>
***[[Northern rock mouse]] – ''P. nasutus''
***[[El Carrizo deer mouse]] – ''P. ochraventer''
***[[White-ankled mouse|Southern white-ankled mouse]] – ''P. pectoralis''
**''melanophrys'' group
***[[Plateau mouse]] – ''P. melanophrys''
***[[Puebla deer mouse]] – ''P. mekisturus'' – possibly extinct
***[[Tawny deer mouse]] – ''P. perfulvus''
**''furvus'' group
***[[Blackish deer mouse]] – ''P. furvus''
***[[Wide-rostrum deer mouse]] – ''P. latirostris''<ref name=Avila-Valle2012>{{cite journal |author=Avila-Valle, Z. A. |display-authors=etal| date = 2012 | title = Geographic variation and molecular evidence blackish deer mouse complex (''Peromyscus furvus'', Rodentia: Muridae)| journal = Mammalian Biology| volume = 77 | pages = 166–177|doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2011.09.008}}</ref>
**''megalops'' group
***[[Brown deer mouse]] – ''P. megalops''
***[[Black-wristed deer mouse]] – ''P. melanocarpus'' - assignment to the species group tentative
***[[Black-tailed mouse]] – ''P. melanurus''
**''mexicanus'' group
***[[Mexican deer mouse]] – ''P. mexicanus''
***[[Baker's deer mouse]] – ''P. bakeri''<ref name=Alvarez-Castaneda2019/>
***[[Carol Patton's deer mouse]] – ''P. carolpattonae''<ref name=Alvarez-Castaneda2019>{{cite journal |author=Alvarez, S. T. |display-authors=etal| date = October 2019 | title = Two new species of ''Peromyscus'' from Chiapas, Mexico and Guatemala| journal = Special Publications, Texas Tech University| volume = 71 | pages = 543–558|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336445089}}</ref>
***[[Peromyscus gardneri|Gardner's deer mouse]] – ''P. gardneri''<ref name=Lorenzo2016>{{cite journal |author=Lorenzo, C. |display-authors=etal| date = January 2016 | title = Revision of the Chiapan deer mouse, ''Peromyscus zarhynchus'', with the description of a new species | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 97 | issue = 3 | pages = 910–918 | doi = 10.1093/jmammal/gyw018| doi-access = free }}</ref>
***[[Big deer mouse]] – ''P. grandis''
***[[Guatemalan deer mouse]] – ''P. guatemalensis''
***[[Naked-eared deer mouse]] – ''P. gymnotis''
***[[Maya mouse]] – ''P. mayensis''
***[[Talamancan deer mouse]] – ''P. nudipes''<ref name=Perez-Consuegra2015/>
***[[Nicaraguan deer mouse]] – ''P. nicaraguae''<ref name=Perez-Consuegra2015/>
***[[Salvadoran deer mouse]] – ''P. salvadorensis''<ref name=Perez-Consuegra2015/>
***[[Stirton's deer mouse]] – ''P. stirtoni''
***[[Chimoxan deer mouse]] – '' P. tropicalis''<ref name=Perez-Consuegra2015>{{cite journal |author1=Perez-Consuegra, S. G. |author2=Vazquez-Dominguez, E. | date = 2015 | title = Mitochondrial diversification of the ''Peromyscus mexicanus'' species group in Nuclear Central America: biogeographic and taxonomic implications| journal = Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research| volume = 26 | issue = 4 | pages = 300–311 | doi=10.1111/jzs.12099| doi-access = free }}</ref>
***[[Yucatán deer mouse]] – ''P. yucatanicus''
***[[Chiapan deer mouse]] – ''P. zarhynchus''

==References==<!-- AmericanMidlandNaturalist18:460. -->
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.johnsankey.ca/peromyscus.html The song of the deer mouse]
* [http://stkctr.biol.sc.edu/ ''Peromyscus'' Genetic Stock Center (University of South Carolina)]
* [http://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/rodents/deer-mice/ Deer Mice Fact Sheet] from the [[National Pest Management Association]]—with information on habits, habitat and health threats
* [https://doh.wa.gov/you-and-your-family/illness-and-disease-z/hantavirus Hantavirus] at the Washington State Department of Health
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/peromhc/sets/72157604973585866/ ''Peromyscus'' photos]

{{Neotominae}}
{{Myomorpha|E.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1232962}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Peromyscus| ]]
[[Category:Rodents of Mexico]]
[[Category:Rodents of the United States]]
[[Category:Rodent genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by C. L. Gloger]]

[[nv:Naʼastsʼǫǫsí]]