Regional model for identifying Peromyscus leucopus and Peromyscus maniculatus
Keywords:
deer mice, biology, biochemistry, species identificationAbstract
Distinguishing between Peromyscus leucopus (white-footed mouse) and P. maniculatus (deer mouse) with morphological characteristics is difficult, especially when the species co-occur, and biochemical markers require time and money. The objective of this study was to develop a regional discriminant model based on foot and tail lengths to categorize P. leucopus and P. maniculatus into one of three groups; those that are clearly one species or the other and those that fall in a grey area in between. Museum specimens from six contiguous counties in northeast Missouri were used to develop the model. The model was validated with set of specimens that included all outliers in which species identification was determined with mitochondria DNA markers specific for the two species. This conservative model based on foot and tail lengths was 82.8% accurate with greater accuracy for P. leucopus. Accuracy of the model is increased if the cut off value for group assignment is increased but this increases the number of specimens that fall in the grey area which require genetic identification to confirm species identity.