A New Subspecies of Wood Rat (neotoma Mexicana) from Colorado

A meticulous piece of mid-century mammalogy, this 1953 publication documents the discovery of a previously unnamed subspecies of wood rat in the American West. Finley presents rigorous morphological data, cranial measurements, size variations, coloration traits, distinguishing Neotoma mexicana scopulorum from its relatives like N. m. fallax and N. m. inopinata. The work reflects an era of careful field and museum-based taxonomy, with data gathered from sites across Colorado and New Mexico. What emerges is not just a specimen description but a window into postwar American natural history: patient, precise, and grounded in direct observation of ecosystems that have since changed dramatically. For mammalogists, rodent specialists, and anyone fascinated by the quiet science of naming the living world, this paper offers a compact masterclass in how subspecies are born from careful comparison.