Subspecies
The three widely accepted subspecies are increasingly treated as distinct species:
- Mus musculus castaneus (southern and southeastern Asia)
- Mus musculus domesticus (western Europe, southwestern Asia, Americas, Africa, and Oceania)
- Mus musculus musculus (eastern Europe and northern Asia)
Two additional subspecies have been recognized more recently:
- Mus musculus bactrianus (central Asia)
- Mus musculus gentilulus (Arabian Peninsula; Madagascar)
Many more names have been given to house mice, but are now regarded as synonyms of other subspecies. Some populations are hybrids of different subspecies, including the Japanese house mouse (M. m. molossinus).
Read more about this topic: House Mouse