Museomics and the holotype of a critically endangered cricetid rodent provide key evidence of an undescribed genus

We analyzed the holotype and the only other known specimen of P. mekisturus and museum samples from other peromyscine rodents to test the monophyly of the species. Our results confirm the monophyly of P. mekisturus and the hypothesis that this species is an undescribed genus of cricetid rodents that is sister to the genus Reithrodontomys.

本研究对P. mekisturus的正模标本（holotype）及仅存的另一件已知标本，结合其他鹿鼠亚科（peromyscine rodents）啮齿动物的馆藏样本展开分析，以验证该物种的单系性（monophyly）。研究结果证实了P. mekisturus的单系性，同时验证了"该物种隶属于一个未被正式描述的仓鼠科（Cricetidae）啮齿动物属，且该属与Reithrodontomys属互为姊妹群"的假说。