Zapus princeps J. A. Allen 1893
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Dipodidae
Zapus
Zapus princeps

description: 4.
Western Jumping Mouse
Zapus princeps
French: Zapode de I'Ouest / German: Westliche Hipfmaus / Spanish: Raton saltador occidental
Other common names: Pacific Jumping Mouse
Taxonomy. Zapus princeps J. A. Allen, 1893,
“ Florida, La Plata Co., Colorado.”
Zapus rinkeri from Kansas is the oldest known North American Zapus and forms a successive series with Z. burti and Z. hudsonius. Zapus sandersi is from the Great Plains, and Z. burt: is from Kansas. Zapus burti may have been ancestral to Z. trinotatus and Z. princeps, and both may have arisen from the Z. hudsonius line. Eleven subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
Z.p.princepsJ.A.Allen,1893—WCUSA(SEMontana,EWyoming,WColorado,andextremeNCNewMexico).
Z.p.chrysogenysLee&Durrant,1960—SCUSA(extremeECUtah).
Z.p.cinereusHall,1931—WCUSA(SEIdahoandextremeNWUtah).
Z.p.curtatusHall,1931—WUSA(extremeNWNevada).
Z.p.idahoensisDavis,1934—SWCanada(extremeSEBritishColumbiaandextremeSWAlberta)andWCUSA(NIdaho,WMontana,andNWWyoming).
Z.p.kootenayensisR.M.Anderson,1932—SWCanada(SBritishColumbia)andNWUSA(NEWashingtonandextremeNIdaho).
Z.p.minorPreble,1899—SCCanada(SAlberta,SSaskatchewan,andSWManitoba)andNCUSA(NEMontana,N&ENorthDakota,andextremeNESouthDakota).
Z.p.oregonusPreble,1899—WUSA(extremeSEWashington,EOregon,SWIdaho,andNENevada).
Z.p.pacificusMerriam,1897—WUSA(SWOregon,ECCalifornia,andWCNevada).
Z.p.saltatorJ.A.Allen,1899—WCanada(SYukon,mostofBritishColumbia,andWCAlberta).
Z. p. utahensis Hall, 1934 — WC USA (SE Idaho, SW Wyoming, and much of Utah).
Descriptive notes. Head-body 87-98 mm, tail 118-160 mm, hindfoot 25-35 mm; weight 17-40 g. The Western Jumping Mouse is medium-sized, with a very long tail, longer than head-body length. Hindlegs and feet are enlarged making long jumps possible. Sides are yellowish and interspersed with dark guard hairs. Dark brownish band runs down middle of back. Underparts are typically white but sometimes have yellowish tinge. Tail is dark on top and light below. Males and females are similar in size and other physical characteristics. Infraorbital foramen is large and oval. Zygomatic plate is nearly horizontal rather than oblique and is narrower than, and completely beneath, infraorbital foramen. Nasal bones project considerably beyond incisors. Incisive foramina of rostrum are long, measuring more than 4-7 mm. Incisors are orange or yellow, and upper incisors contain deep grooves on anterior surfaces. There are four upper molariform teeth, and fourth premolar and toothrow, which averages 3-8 mm, are reduced. First molariform tooth measures 0-55 mm x 0-50 mm. Molars are rooted and flat-crowned and have complicated pattern of re-entrant folds, islands, and valleys. Dental formulais11/1,C0/0,P1/0,M 3/3 (x2) = 18.
Habitat. Mountainous and damp meadows, riparian areas, and forests of alder (Al nus, Betulaceae), aspen (Populus, Salicaceae), or willow (Salix, Salicaceae). Along with grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae), Western Jumping Mice are commonly associated with fleabane (Erigeron), tickseed (Coreopsis), and coneflower (Echinacea), all Asteraceae; lupine (Lupinus, Fabaceae); and cinquefoil (Potentilla) and blackberries (Rubus), both Rosaceae. They are very common in dense herbaceous vegetation near freshwater.
Food and Feeding. Major foods for the Western Jumping Mouse are grass and other seeds, fungi (mainly Endogonaceae), salmonberry (Rubus, Rosaceae), blueberries (Vaccinium, Ericaceae), and other fruits, caterpillars, june bugs (Phyllophaga), and other insects. It will cut off the stalk of a grass stem as high as it can reach and pull the stem down until the head is reached. Pieces of stems are found in little stacks on the ground with rachis on tops of piles. Bacterium Pasteurella tularensis was found in one of 18 Western Jumping Mice from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was the principle host for the protozoan Trypanosoma zapi in a study done in California. Mites, other than chiggers, include species of Glycyphagidae, Glycyphagus hypudae, G. newyorkensis, G. zapus, Orycteroxenus soricis, and Xenoryctes latiporus; Laelapidae, Androlaelapsfahrenholzi, Echinonyssus isabellinus, Haemogamasus ambulans, H. liponyssoides, H. occidentalis, and H. reidi; Listrophoridae, Listrophorus mexicanus; Macrochelidae, Macrocheles mesochthonius and M. praedafimetorum; Macronyssidae, Ornithonyssus bacot, Myobiidae, Radfordia ewingi; and Myocoptidae, Gliricoptes zapus. Chiggers include Euschongastia radfordi, Neotrombicula californica, N. harperi, N. microti, and N. subsignata. Ticks include Ixodes angustus, I. muris, and Dermacentor andersoni. Fleas include Callatagia decipiens, Corrodopsyla curvata, Epitedia wenmanni, Hystrichopsylla dipper, Megabothris abantis, Monopsyllus eumolpr, M. wagneri, and Stenopomia americana. Two botflies (Cuterebra) have been in Western Jumping Mice. Known predators include Bobcats (Lynx rufus), skunks (Mephitidae), weasels (Mustela), Northern Raccoons (Procyon lotor), snakes, and birds of prey.
Breeding. The Western Jumping Mouse reproduces in early spring and produces one litter per year of 4-8 young. Females can live for three years and produce three litters during their lifetime. As in other species of Zapus, many young produced late in the year do not survive becuase they cannot accumulate sufficientfat reserves for hibernation. Females can breed within a week of emergence from hibernation and typically breed only once per year. Gestation is c.18 days. Pregnant females can be found from late May to mid-July, and lactating females until late August. In seven laboratory reared litters from Utah, lactation lasted 33-5 days. Ear canals of neonates opened at 20 days, and eyes opened at 25 days. Young remain in the nest for ¢.30 days after birth and are on their own after c.35 days. Males werefirst caught after hibernation on 17 May. Pregnant females were first on 16June. First young of the year was caught on 9 August. Last adult in autumn was captured on 7 September, and last young-of-the-year in autumn was on 14 September. Average litter size of all breeding females (n = 22) observed was 4-5 young. Mortality rate was 69% among young-of-the-year and was lowest among old animals.
Activity patterns. Western Jumping Mice typically walk or crawl through the vegetation, with interspersed short hops. They are capable of leaping ¢.72 cm along the ground and c.30 cm into the air. When startled, they move quickly making a rapid series of long jumps, followed by an attempt to hide by remaining motionless under groundcover. They are nocturnal, only active during summer, and they hibernate 8-10 months. Western Jumping Mice and other zapodids depend on body fat forenergy to survive hibernation; they do not store food. Entry into hibernation is likely weather dependent, and reportedly they enter hibernacula following the first snowfall and emerge from hibernation after the ground reaches temperatures of 8-9-5°C. Twenty-six hibernacula were found in Utah, eleven in autumn and 15 in spring. Mean depth of chamber was 60 cm, and mean diameter was 14-5 cm. First 15-27 cm of entrances were packed with earth. Mean time awake from hibernation in Utah was 87 days (range 81-89). In Utah, adult mortality was ¢.25%, and juvenile mortalitywas 40-70%. Surface activity ceases about 1 September but 17 September at lower elevations. Males at lower elevations are active for c.4 months, females for 3-5 months; at 3200 m, males are active for 2-5 months and females for 2-2 months. Near Salt Lake City, adults entered hibernation at mean weight of 36-2 g. In one winter, 70% ofjuveniles and only 28% of adults died; during the next winter, 41% of juveniles and 24% of adults died. Juveniles entered hibernation at significantly lower weights than adults.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Western Jumping Mice are often common, with densities of 4:9-39-5 ind/ha in Wyoming. Home ranges in Colorado were 1740-3076 m? for eleven males and 1052-2347 m? for eleven females. In Utah, home ranges were 1794-6115 m®. Species associated with Western Jumping Mice in Utah were ground squirrels and western chipmunks (Sciuridae), deermice (Peromyscus, Cricetidae), and pocket gophers (Thomomys, Geomyidae).
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Population trends are stable.
Bibliography. Allred & Beck (1966), Augustson (1941), Brennan & Beck (1955), Brown (1967a, 1967b, 1967c, 1970), Cranford (1977a, 1978, 1983), Crowe (1943), Davis (1952), Fain & Whitaker (1973), Fain et al. (1985), Falk & Millar (1987), Hafner et al. (1981), Hibbard (1941a, 1951, 1956), Jones & Jones (1985), Jones & Thomas (1982), Jones & Whitaker (1976), Jones et al. (1978), Kardos (1954), Krantz & Whitaker (1988), Krutzsch (1954), Martin (1989), Myers (1969), Nakamura (1950), Ritzi & Whitaker (2003), Timm (1975), Whitaker (1979, 1991), Whitaker et al. (1975), Williams & Finney (1964).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier & Thomas E. Lacher, Jr, 2017, Zapodidae, pp. 50-61 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 7 Rodents II, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 50-61, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6609503