MythscribeMundus
THE NATURAL & IMAGINED WORLDAn illustrated compendium
mythscribe.cloudSearch/
NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Western Harvest Mouse

Reithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) megalotis (Baird, 1857)

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.

Reithrodontomys megalotis.

Reithrodontomys megalotis.

C. Michael Hogan · Public domain · Image source

Provider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.

Open encyclopedia reference

The western harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis) is a small neotomine mouse native to most of the western United States. Many authorities consider the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse to be a subspecies, but the two are now usually treated separately.

Wikipedia contributors, Western harvest mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:19:29.951856+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Reithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) megalotis (Baird, 1857)
Name authority
(Baird, 1857)
Common name
Western Harvest Mouse
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Rodentia
Family
Cricetidae
Genus
Reithrodontomys
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.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
  9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
  10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
  11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
  12. suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
  13. superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
  14. familyCricetidae Fischer, 1817
  15. subfamilyNeotominae Merriam, 1894
  16. genusReithrodontomys Giglioli, 1874
  17. subgenusReithrodontomys Giglioli, 1874
  18. speciesReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) megalotis (Baird, 1857)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Reithrodontomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Darien Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) darienensis Pearson, 1939CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Slender Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) gracilis J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1897CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Plains Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) montanus (Baird, 1855)CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Rodriguez's Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) rodriguezi Goodwin, 1943CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Narrow-nosed Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) tenuirostris Merriam, 1901CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Zacatecan Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) zacatecae Merriam, 1901CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Nicaraguan Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) paradoxus Jones & Genoways, 1970CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Volcano Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) chrysopsis Merriam, 1900CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Short-nosed Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) brevirostris Goodwin, 1943CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Chiriqui harvest mouseReithrodontomys (Aporodon) creper Bangs, 1902CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Fulvous Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) fulvescens J. A. Allen, 1894CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Eastern Harvest MouseReithrodontomys (Reithrodontomys) humulis (Audubon & Bachman, 1841)CricetidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 593 records assigned to Cricetidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Reithrodontomys amoles A. H. Howell, 1914 A. H. Howell, 1914synonym
Reithrodontomys arizonensis J. A. Allen, 1895 J. A. Allen, 1895synonym
Reithrodontomys aztecus J. A. Allen, 1893 J. A. Allen, 1893synonym
Reithrodontomys dychei J. A. Allen, 1895 J. A. Allen, 1895synonym
Rhithrodontomys catalinae Elliot, 1904 Elliot, 1904synonym
Rhithrodontomys peninsulae Elliot, 1903 Elliot, 1903synonym
Reithrodontomys megalotis arizonensis J. A. Allen, 1895 J. A. Allen, 1895synonym
Reithrodontomys dychei nebrascensis J. A. Allen, 1895 J. A. Allen, 1895synonym
Reithrodontomys megalotis distichlis von Bloeker, 1937 von Bloeker, 1937synonym
Reithrodontomys megalotis limicola von Bloeker, 1932 von Bloeker, 1932synonym
Reithrodontomys megalotis ravus Goldman, 1939 Goldman, 1939synonym
Reithrodontomys megalotis santacruzae Pearson, 1951 Pearson, 1951synonym
Reithrodontomys saturatus alticolus Merriam, 1901 Merriam, 1901synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Middle America

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.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=180343 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:4RQVK. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.