Geographic Variation in the Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis, On the Central Great Plains And in Adjacent Regions

Geographic Variation in the Harvest Mouse, Reithrodontomys megalotis, On the Central Great Plains And in Adjacent Regions by J. Knox Jones presents a meticulous 1961 investigation into the distribution and morphological variation of the western harvest mouse across the central Great Plains and neighboring landscapes. Drawing on field specimens and regional comparisons, Jones maps the species’ affinity for tallgrass and grassy habitats, contrasts its relatively low geographic variability with other cricetid rodents, and examines subspecific interpretations that shaped mid-20th-century mammalogy. Set against the backdrop of postwar North American faunal surveys, the study synthesizes range records from Minnesota and the Midwest through the High Plains and into southwestern regions, engaging with contemporary taxonomic debates and earlier work by Hall, Kelson, Hoffmeister, and Warnock. Accessible yet scientifically grounded, the book highlights methods of morphological comparison, biogeographic patterns, and the practical challenges of defining subspecies across heterogeneous prairie ecosystems. As an audiobook, this science-focused, animals-oriented monograph is ideal for mammalogists, field biologists, graduate students, naturalists, and anyone interested in historical studies of rodent taxonomy and Great Plains ecology who wants a concise, authoritative account of Reithrodontomys megalotis.