large blue vs Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Maculinea arion compared with Perognathus merriami

Key Differences

• large blue is Near Threatened while Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	large blue	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Lycaenidae	Heteromyidae
Genus	Maculinea	Perognathus
Species	Maculinea arion	Perognathus merriami

Evolutionary Relationship

large blue and Merriam’s Pocket Mouse share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

large blue

NT — Near Threatened

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	large blue	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

large blue

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.