Felipe's Rock Deermouse was treated for decades as a mere mountain population of the widespread Southern Rock Deermouse, until a 2022 review based on genetic and morphological data concluded it deserved full species status.
It lives in a very specific mountain area of Mexico. Its history well summarises what is happening in much of current Mexican mammalogy: as more genetic data accumulates, what once seemed a single widespread species fragments into several species with much smaller ranges.
Felipe's Rock Deermouse is a medium-sized mouse, with the greyish-brown colouring and long tail typical of the Peromyscus difficilis complex. It lacks external features that allow reliable differentiation from its close relatives without genetic or craniometric comparison.
There are no published descriptions of its tracks or droppings that allow Felipe's Rock Deermouse to be distinguished in the field from other species in the Peromyscus difficilis complex. Given its membership in that group, it is expected to shelter in rock crevices and outcrops, consistent with its close relatives.
It lives in rocky mountain areas of a specific region of Mexico, within the general range of the Peromyscus difficilis complex.
Not evaluated by the IUCN as an independent species. Recognised as a distinct species only in 2022, there is no published information on its current population trend.
The conversion of mountain slopes to agricultural use is the most probable general pressure, consistent with that affecting other species of the Peromyscus difficilis complex.
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