RODENT-HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS IN A CHIHUAHUAN DESERT GRASSLAND COMMUNITY IN TRANS-PECOS TEXAS

Four 100 by 100 m grids were removal-trapped in a desert grassland com munity in Hudspeth County, Texas during seven trapping sessions from O ctober 1992 through August 1993. Two grids were placed on a sandy loam range site and two grids on a loamy range site. The more densely vege tated sandy loam site supported scattered longleaf yucca (Yucca elata) , Mormon tea (Ephedra trifurca), black grama (Bouteloua eriopoda), san d dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus) and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis ). The loamy site was characterized by winterfat (Ceratoides lanata), Torrey yucca (Yucca torreyi), longleaf yucca, mesquite (Prosopis gland ulosa), burrograss (Scleropogon brevifolius) and blue grama. Nine rode nt species (227 specimens) were trapped during 6,400 trap-nights. A to tal of 142 specimens (62.6%) were trapped on the sandy loam site and 8 5 specimens (37.4%) on the loamy site. The three most commonly trapped species were Onychomys arenicola (29.5%), Peromyscus leucopus (18.9%) and Perognathus flavus (14.5%). Neotoma micropus and Peromyscus manic ulatus accounted for 19.8% of all specimens. Body weights of P. flavus , P. leucopus and O. arenicola were greater for individuals on the san dy loam site.