NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Chihuahuan Grasshopper Mouse
Onychomys arenicola Mearns, 1896
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Mearns's grasshopper mouse or the Chihuahuan grasshopper mouse (Onychomys arenicola) is a grasshopper mouse found in southwestern New Mexico, West Texas, and north-central Mexico. They are similar to Onychomys torridus, but differ in karyotype and size. This mouse is smaller in every regard except for the nasal length of the skull.
They are found in semiarid habitat, prairie, and scrub. They feed largely on insects and other invertebrates, including scorpions. They also feed on small muroid rodents and pocket mice.
Wikipedia contributors, Mearns's grasshopper mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:02:13.678007+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Onychomys arenicola Mearns, 1896
- Name authority
- Mearns, 1896
- Common name
- Chihuahuan Grasshopper Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Onychomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyCricetidae Fischer, 1817
- subfamilyNeotominae Merriam, 1894
- genusOnychomys Baird, 1857
- speciesOnychomys arenicola Mearns, 1896
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Onychomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Grasshopper MouseOnychomys leucogaster (Wied-Neuwied, 1841) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Grasshopper MouseOnychomys torridus (Coues, 1874) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Onychomys torridus canus Merriam, 1904 Merriam, 1904 | synonym |
| Onychomys torridus surrufus Hollister, 1914 Hollister, 1914 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180381 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:49RCV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.