Taxonomic Status and Relationships of Peromyscus boylii from El Salvador

Abstract

The status and affinities of Permoyscus boylii cordillerae and P. b. sacarensis, both described from El Salvador, are evaluated using principal components analysis. Representative examples of P. aztecus, P. boylii levipes, P. evides, P. hylocetes, P. oaxacensis, and P. spicilegus are included for comparative purposes. It is concluded that sacarensis is a subspecies of P. boylii, while cordillerae is related to aztecus, evides, hylocetes, and oaxacensis. Because many traits that separate the latter five taxa vary significantly with elevation, it is hypothesized that they represent segments of a once continuous montane species.