The White-eared Pocket Mouse was described in 1894; the species, which is split into two subspecies, is apparently restricted to the San Bernardino- and Tehachapi Mountains in California, USA.

The species, together with two additional closely related ones, is considered a Pleistocene relict.

The nominate race was restricted to a small area of around 4 km²  at Strawberry Peak and Squirrel Inn in the San Bernardino Mountains, where it was recorded between 1920 and 1933; it was not found since and is thus believed to be extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Philip V. Brylski: White-eared Pocket Mouse, Perognathus alticola alticola. Terrestrial Mammal Species of Special Concern in California, Bolster, B. C., Ed., 1998. 102-104

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edited: 09.11.2021