NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Oldfield Deermouse
Peromyscus polionotus (Wagner, 1843)
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.
Alabama Beach Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus ammobates) in the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Alabama
Jackie Isaacs/USFWS · Public domain · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The oldfield mouse, oldfield deermouse or beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) is a nocturnal species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is a species of the genus Peromyscus, a closely related group of New World mice often called "deermice", that primarily eats seeds. It lives in holes throughout the Southeastern United States in beaches and sandy fields. Predators to these mice include birds and mammals. In 2016, these mice were in the least concern category on the IUCN Red List with certain subspecies classified as extinct, critically endangered, endangered or near threatened.
Wikipedia contributors, Oldfield mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:56:19.828430+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Peromyscus polionotus (Wagner, 1843)
- Name authority
- (Wagner, 1843)
- Common name
- Oldfield Deermouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Peromyscus
- 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
- genusPeromyscus Gloger, 1841
- speciesPeromyscus polionotus (Wagner, 1843)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Peromyscus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Orizaba DeermousePeromyscus beatae Thomas, 1903 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Perote DeermousePeromyscus bullatus Osgood, 1904 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Burt's Deer MousePeromyscus caniceps Burt, 1932 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Peromyscus carletoni Bradley et al., 2014 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cactus DeermousePeromyscus eremicus (Baird, 1857) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Eva's Desert MousePeromyscus eva Thomas, 1898 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Baja DeermousePeromyscus fraterculus (Miller, 1892) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blackish Deer MousePeromyscus furvus J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1897 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cotton DeermousePeromyscus gossypinus (Le Conte, 1853) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Naked-eared Deer MousePeromyscus gymnotis Thomas, 1894 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Wood MousePeromyscus hylocetes Merriam, 1898 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| San Lorenzo DeermousePeromyscus interparietalis Burt, 1932 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
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=180290 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.
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:4F7LL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.