Peromyscus Gloger, 1841 . Gemein Hand.-Hilfsbuch. Nat., 1:95.

TYPE SPECIES: Peromyscus arboreus Gloger, 1841 (= Mus leucopus Rafinesque, 1818).

SYNONYMS: Haplomylomys, Sitomys, Vesperimus, Trinodontomys .

COMMENTS: The Drosophila of North American mammalogy, the alpha-level classification of the genus has been revised three times (Osgood, 1909; Hooper, 1968b; Carleton, 1989) and its biology and evolution have been twice monographed (King, 1968; Kirkland and Layne, 1989). Multispecies surveys have broadly sampled the morphology of the genus (Carleton, 1973, 1980; Hooper, 1957, 1958; Hooper and Musser, 1964b; Linzey and Layne, 1969, 1974), its karyology (Robbins and Baker, 1981; L. W. Robbins et al., 1983; Rogers et al., 1984; Stangl and Baker, 1984b), biochemical variation (Avise et al., 1974a, b, 1979; Brownell, 1983; Fuller et al., 1984; J. C. Patton et al., 1981; Rogers and Engstrom, 1992; Schmidly et al., 1985; Zimmerman et al., 1978), and geographical ecology (Glazier, 1980).

Major subdivisions of Peromyscus have received added revisionary attention, especially the eremicus (Avise et al., 1974b; Lawlor, 1971a, b), maniculatus (Allard et al., 1987; Gunn and Greenbaum, 1986), boylii (Avise et al., 1974a; Bradley and Schmidly, 1987; Bradley et al„ 1989; Carleton, 1977, 1979; Schmidly, 1973a; Schmidly et al., 1988; Smith, 1990), truei (Janecek, 1990; Modi and Lee, 1984; Schmidly, 1973b; Zimmerman et al., 1975), and mexicanus (Huckaby, 1980; Musser, 1971a; Rogers and Engstrom, 1992; Smith et al., 1986) species groups.

Greater emphasis on phylogenetic systematics has altered Osgood's (1909) original generic scope. Baiomys and Ochrotomys have been removed and ranked as separate genera (Carleton, 1980; Hooper, 1958; Hooper and Musser, 1964b). Taxa defined as subgenera by Hooper (1968b — Habromys, Isthmomys, Megadontomys, Osgoodomys, and Podomys) have been considered distinct genera by Carleton (1980) but not others (Rogers, 1983; Stangl and Baker, 1984b; Yates et al., 1979). Expansion of the generic limits of Hooper (1968b) has been advocated to encompass Neotomodon (Stangl and Baker, 1984b; Yates et al., 1979) and perhaps Onychomys (Stangl and Baker, 1984b). Nomenclatural resolution of these alternative proposals awaits further study. Haplomylomys has been used as a subgenus to contain the californicus and eremicus species groups, all others being assigned to the subgenus Peromyscus; Carleton (1989) did not employ subgeneric divisions.