Clyomys
Genus of mammals belonging to the spiny rat family of rodents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clyomys is a South American rodent genus in the family Echimyidae. It contains two species, found in tropical savannas and grasslands from circa 100 m (300 ft) to 1,100 m (3,600 ft) elevation in central Brazil and eastern Paraguay.[1]
| Clyomys | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Echimyidae |
| Subfamily: | Euryzygomatomyinae |
| Genus: | Clyomys Thomas, 1916 |
| Type species | |
| Echimys laticeps Thomas, 1909 | |
| Species | |
The term Clyomys derives from the two ancient Greek words κλύω (klúō, or clyo), meaning "to listen, to prick up one's ears", and μῦς (mûs), meaning "mouse, rat".[2][3]
The Clyomys species are:
- Broad-headed spiny rat (C. laticeps)
- †C. riograndensis [4]
Phylogeny
Clyomys is the sister genus to Euryzygomatomys. Both taxa are closely related to the genus Trinomys. In turn, these three genera — forming the clade of Euryzygomatomyinae — share phylogenetic affinities with a clade containing Carterodon and members of the family Capromyidae.[5]
Analyses of craniodental characters proposed that Clyomys — and also Euryzygomatomys — may be associated with Carterodon.[6][7] However, molecular data suggest the polyphyly of this assemblage of fossorial genera.[5]
| Genus-level cladogram of the Euryzygomatomyinae with their relationship to Carterodon and Capromyidae. | ||
|
| ||
| The cladogram has been reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA characters.[8][9][10][11][12][5] According to this phylogenetic tree, the fossorial genera Euryzygomatomys, Clyomys, and Carterodon constitute a polyphyletic assemblage (red bar). |