The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys spectabilis'') is a species of

heteromyid Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within the gen ...

rodent

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The specific name ''spectabilis'' means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Liomys'', which is now recognized to be

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

and has been subsumed into ''

Heteromys ''Heteromys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Heteromyidae, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It is the only extant genus in the subfamily Heteromyinae which also includes the extinct genera ''Diprionomys'' and ''Metaliomys''. ''Heteromys ...

''. The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse is a relatively large member of its

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

, measuring in head-body length, with a tail about the same length again. Adult males weigh about on average, while females are significantly smaller, weighing on average. The fur is reddish brown over the back and flanks, and consists of fine soft hair beneath, and almost entirely hidden by, a dense coat of stiff spines. The flanks are also marked with a bright ochre stripe running lengthways down the body, while the underparts are white. The mouse is found only in southeast

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

in Mexico. It inhabits xerophytic areas and oak forest at altitudes between , and is common among low brush or grass, as well as in agricultural land. Little else is known of its biology, although one captured female was observed to be pregnant with five embryos in September. There are no recognised subspecies. One of the major threats to the survival of this species is

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

caused by the timber extraction from the pine-oak forests in this region. Even though this species has been declared endangered and protected by the Mexican law, they are rapidly decreasing in number with a limited severely fragmented distribution. The closest living relative of the Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse is the

painted spiny pocket mouse The painted spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys pictus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and the northern tip of Guatemala. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Liomys'', which is now recognized to be paraph ...

. The common ancestor of these two species split in response to changing climate, with the painted species becoming restricted to the coastal regions of western Mexico, and the Jaliscan species to the interior.

References

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Jaliscan Spiny Pocket Mouse The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys spectabilis'') is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Mexico. The specific name ''spectabilis'' means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed ...

Endemic mammals of Mexico Mammals described in 1971 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot