Heteromys
Genus of rodents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heteromys is a genus of rodents in the family Heteromyidae,[1] commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It is the only extant genus in the subfamily Heteromyinae which also includes the extinct genera Diprionomys and Metaliomys.[2] Heteromys was recently enlarged by inclusion of the members of formerly recognized heteromyine genus Liomys, which was found to be paraphyletic.[3]
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| Heteromys | |
|---|---|
| |
| Heteromys desmarestianus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Heteromyidae |
| Subfamily: | Heteromyinae |
| Genus: | Heteromys Desmarest, 1817 |
| Type species | |
| Mus anomalus Thompson, 1815 | |
Distribution
Heteromyines are distributed from southern Texas to Ecuador and Venezuela, and include all but one of the castorimorph species of South America. Like all of South America's other non-caviomorph rodents, they arrived in the continent relatively recently as part of the Great American Interchange. They inhabit mainly forests; some are also found in scrubland.
Taxonomy
The genus Heteromys comprises the following species of spiny pocket mice:
- Panamanian spiny pocket mouse (H. adspersus)
- Trinidad spiny pocket mouse (H. anomalus)
- Southern spiny pocket mouse (H. australis)
- Overlook spiny pocket mouse (H. catopterius)[4]
- Desmarest's spiny pocket mouse (H. desmarestianus)
- Gaumer's spiny pocket mouse (H. gaumeri)
- Goldman's spiny pocket mouse (H. goldmani)
- Mexican spiny pocket mouse (H. irroratus)
- Nelson's spiny pocket mouse (H. nelsoni)
- Cloud-dwelling spiny pocket mouse (H. nubicolens)[5]
- Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse (H. oasicus)
- Mountain spiny pocket mouse (H. oresterus)
- Painted spiny pocket mouse (H. pictus)
- Salvin's spiny pocket mouse (H. salvini)
- Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse (H. spectabilis)
- Ecuadoran spiny pocket mouse (H. teleus)
