Peromyscus hylocetes Merriam 1898

Peromyscus hylocetes Merriam 1898, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash., 12: 124.

Type Locality: México, Michoacán, Patzcuaro, 7000 ft (2134 m).

Vernacular Names: Transvolcanic Deermouse.

Distribution: Endemic to the Cordillera Transvolcanica, 1980-3085 m, from WC Jalisco eastwards to Distrito Federal and N Morelos, México.

Discussion: P. aztecus species group. Described and early maintained as a species (Merriam, 1898; Osgood, 1909), suggested as conspecific with oaxacensis (Hooper, 1968), and subsequently synonymized as one of five montane subspecies of P. aztecus, including oaxacensis (Carleton, 1979) . Cladistic interpretation of cytochrome b sequence data indicates the earlier separation of a hylocetes lineage relative to other populations of P. aztecus (Sullivan and Kilpatrick, 1991; Sullivan et al., 1997, 2000), and genetic divergence levels favor its reinstatement as a species.