One of the least recorded Mexican mice in all science, only a few specimens were collected over half a century ago in the state of Puebla, and the species has not been confirmed with certainty in any field survey since. It inhabited grassland and scrubland on the central Mexican plateau, a region that has undergone intensive agricultural transformation since the mid-20th century—precisely the period when confirmed specimens ceased to be recorded. Poised between extinction and a simple lack of successful searches, it is one of the Mexican mammals with the greatest uncertainty surrounding its true conservation status. Any future confirmed record of the species would be major news for Mexican mammalogy.
A small rodent with greyish-brown fur on the back and white on the belly, like other mice in its genus. It is easily confused with other Peromyscus species from the central Mexican plateau, whose reliable separation requires genetic or cranial analysis; the near-total absence of recent reference specimens complicates any field identification.
Small track, 1.3-1.8 cm, with 4 front toes and 5 hind toes, with no recent field records documenting these tracks and signs with certainty. Small, elongated droppings, 3-5 mm, presumably left scattered along paths through grassland and scrubland vegetation, although no confirmed observations exist from recent decades.
Grassland and scrubland on the high-altitude central Mexican plateau. Historically known from a small area of Puebla state, central Mexico, with no recent confirmed records.
Omnivorous, it presumably fed on seeds, grass and invertebrates in grassland and scrubland, like other species in its genus, although no direct confirmed data exist.
Habits completely unknown given the near-total absence of field records since its description; presumably solitary and nocturnal, like other mice in its genus.
No recent records of the species have been confirmed for decades, despite some search efforts, suggesting an extremely reduced population or possibly extinction.
Historical conversion of native grassland and scrubland to agricultural land on the central plateau of Puebla, the most likely threat given the period when specimens ceased to be recorded.
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