Merriam’s Pocket Mouse vs Speckled Tar Spot

Perognathus merriami compared with Rhytisma punctatum

Key Differences

• Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern while Speckled Tar Spot is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Speckled Tar Spot
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Leotiomycetes (Leotiomycetes)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rhytismatales (Rhytismatales)
Family	Heteromyidae	Rhytismataceae
Genus	Perognathus	Rhytisma
Species	Perognathus merriami	Rhytisma punctatum

Conservation Status

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Speckled Tar Spot

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse	Speckled Tar Spot
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Speckled Tar Spot

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.