Peromyscus is a genus of . They are commonly referred to as deer mice or deermice, not to be confused with the chevrotain or "mouse deer". They are 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, 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".[
]
(2025-04-06). Retrieved on 2025-04-06.
The most common species of deer mice in the continental United States are two closely related species, P. maniculatus and P. leucopus. In the United States, Peromyscus is the most populous genus overall, and has become notorious in the western United States as a carrier of hantaviruses.[ CDC – Hantavirus. Cdc.gov (2012-11-01). Retrieved on 2014-01-05.][ What if ... . University of South Carolina]
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
hantavirus.
Lyme disease
A recent study in British Columbia of 218 deer mice showed 30% (66) were seropositive for
Borrelia burgdorferi,
[ 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.] the agent of
Lyme disease.
Other diseases
Ehrlichiosis and
babesiosis are also carried by the deer mouse.
[Crossland, J. and Lewandowski, A. (2006). Peromyscus – A fascinating laboratory animal model . Techtalk 11:1–2.]
SARS-CoV-2 transmits efficiently in deer mice.
Use as a laboratory animal
While wild populations are sometimes studied,
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,
,
genetics,
ecology, population genetics, conservation
and
evolution in general. They are also useful for researching repetitive-movement disorders.
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.
The Peromyscus Genetic Stock Center at the University of South Carolina was established by Professor Wallace Dawson in 1985 to raise 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?"
Species
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Peromyscus
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californicus group
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eremicus group
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Cactus mouse – P. eremicus
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Burt's deer mouse– P. caniceps
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Dickey's deer mouse – P. dickeyi
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Eva's desert mouse – P. eva
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Northern Baja deer mouse– P. fraterculus
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Angel Island mouse – P. guardia – possibly extinct
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P. g. guardia – last seen 1991
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P. g. mejiae – extinct (1973)
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P. g. harbisoni – extinct (1963)
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P. guardia subsp. indet. from Estanque Island – extinct (1998)
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San Lorenzo mouse – P. interparietalis
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Mesquite mouse – P. merriami
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Pemberton's deer mouse – P. pembertoni – extinct (1931)
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False canyon mouse – P. pseudocrinitus
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hooperi group
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Hooper's mouse – P. hooperi
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crinitus group
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maniculatus group
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Eastern deer mouse − P. maniculatus
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Yukon deer mouse – P. sp.
[
]
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Gambel's deer mouse – P. gambelii
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Northwestern deer mouse – P. keeni
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Southern deer mouse – P. labecula
[
]
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Black-eared mouse – P. melanotis
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†Giant island deer mouse – P. nesodytes – extinct
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Oldfield mouse – P. polionotus
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P. p. allophrys
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P. p. ammobates
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Pallid beach mouse P. p. decoloratus – extinct (1959)
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P. p. leucocephalus
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P. p. niveiventris
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P. p. peninsularis
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Anastasia Island beach mouse P. p. phasma
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P. p. trissyllepsis
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Santa Cruz mouse – P. sejugis
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Slevin's mouse – P. slevini
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Western deer mouse – P. sonoriensis
[
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leucopus group
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White-footed mouse – P. leucopus
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Cotton mouse – P. gossypinus
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Key Largo cotton mouse P. g. allapaticola
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†Chadwick Beach cotton mouse P. g. restrictus – extinct (1938)
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aztecus group
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Aztec mouse – P. aztecus
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Transvolcanic deer mouse – P. hylocetes
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Oaxacan deer mouse – P. oaxacensis
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Gleaning mouse – P. spicilegus
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Winkelmann's mouse – P. winkelmanni
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boylii group
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Brush mouse – P. boylii
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Orizaba deer mouse – P. beatae
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Carleton's deer mouse – P. carletoni
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Ensink's deer mouse – P. ensinki
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Greenbaum's deer mouse – P. greenbaumi
[
]
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Kilpatrick's deer mouse – P. kilpatricki
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Nimble-footed mouse – P. levipes
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Tres Marías Island mouse – P. madrensis
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Chihuahuan mouse – P. polius
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Peromyscus sagax – P. sagax
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Schmidly's deer mouse – P. schmidlyi
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Nayarit mouse – P. simulus
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San Esteban Island mouse – P. stephani
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truei group
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Pinyon mouse – P. truei
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Texas mouse – P. attwateri
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Perote mouse - P. bullatus
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Zacatecan deer mouse or southern rock mouse – P. difficilis
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Osgood's mouse – P. gratus
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Northern white-ankled mouse – P. laceianus
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Northern rock mouse – P. nasutus
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El Carrizo deer mouse – P. ochraventer
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Southern white-ankled mouse – P. pectoralis
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melanophrys group
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Plateau mouse – P. melanophrys
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Puebla deer mouse – P. mekisturus – possibly extinct
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Tawny deer mouse – P. perfulvus
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furvus group
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Blackish deer mouse – P. furvus
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Wide-rostrum deer mouse – P. latirostris
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megalops group
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Brown deer mouse – P. megalops
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Black-wristed deer mouse – P. melanocarpus - assignment to the species group tentative
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Black-tailed mouse – P. melanurus
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mexicanus group
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Mexican deer mouse – P. mexicanus
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Baker's deer mouse – P. bakeri
[
]
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Carol Patton's deer mouse – P. carolpattonae
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Gardner's deer mouse – P. gardneri
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Big deer mouse – P. grandis
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Guatemalan deer mouse – P. guatemalensis
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Naked-eared deer mouse – P. gymnotis
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Maya mouse – P. mayensis
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Talamancan deer mouse – P. nudipes
[
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Nicaraguan deer mouse – P. nicaraguae
[
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Salvadoran deer mouse – P. salvadorensis
[
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Stirton's deer mouse – P. stirtoni
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Chimoxan deer mouse – P. tropicalis
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Yucatán deer mouse – P. yucatanicus
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Chiapan deer mouse – P. zarhynchus
External links
