Akodon

Akodon is a genus consisting of South American grass mice. They mostly occur south of the Amazon Basin and along the Andes north to Venezuela, but are absent from much of the basin itself, the far south of the continent, and the lowlands west of the Andes. Akodon is one of the most species-rich genera of Neotropical rodents. Species of Akodon are known to inhabit a variety of habitats from tropical and tropical moist forests to altiplano and desert. Fossils are known from the late Pliocene onwards.^[2]

Akodon Temporal range: Late Pliocene - Recent
Akodon azarae
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Cricetidae
Subfamily:	Sigmodontinae
Tribe:	Akodontini
Genus:	Akodon Meyen, 1833
Type species
Akodon boliviensis Meyen, 1833
Species
See text
Synonyms[1]
Acodon Agassiz, 1846 Axodon Giebel, 1855 Chalcomys Thomas, 1916 Hypsimys Thomas, 1918 Microxus Thomas, 1909 Plectomys Borchert and Hansen, 1983 (nomen nudum)

Taxonomy

Akodon is the largest genus in the tribe Akodontini. Three of its synonyms—Chalcomys, Hypsimys, and particularly Microxus—have sometimes been regarded as distinct genera. Neomicroxus was separated in 2013. Previously associated with Akodon, the genera Abrothrix, Deltamys, Necromys, Thalpomys, and Thaptomys are currently recognized as distinct. Some species of the tribe Abrotrichini are called akodons.

The genus contains the following species:^[3]

• Akodon aerosus
• Akodon affinis
• Akodon albiventer
• Akodon azarae
• Akodon boliviensis
• Akodon budini
• Akodon caenosus^{[fn 1]}
• Akodon cursor
• Akodon dayi
• Akodon dolores^{[fn 2]}
• Akodon fumeus
• Akodon glaucinus^{[fn 3]}
• Akodon iniscatus
• Akodon juninensis
• Akodon kofordi
• Akodon lindberghi
• Akodon lutescens
• Akodon mimus
• Akodon molinae
• Akodon mollis
• Akodon montensis
• Akodon mystax
• Akodon neocenus
• Akodon orophilus
• Akodon paranaensis
• Akodon pervalens
• Akodon philipmyersi^{[fn 4]}
• Akodon polopi^{[fn 5]}
• Akodon reigi
• Akodon sanctipaulensis
• Akodon serrensis
• Akodon siberiae
• Akodon simulator
• Akodon spegazzinii^{[fn 6]}
• Akodon subfuscus
• Akodon surdus
• Akodon sylvanus
• Akodon tartareus^{[fn 3]}
• Akodon toba
• Akodon torques
• Akodon varius

Footnotes

1. In 2010, this species was split from A. lutescens to include the formerly recognized A. aliquantulus.^[4]
2. This species includes the formerly recognized A. molinae.^[5]
3. This species was split from A. simulator in 2008.^[5]
4. Newly described in 2005.^[6]
5. Newly described in 2010.^[4] This species includes Akodon viridescens,^[7] another new species described in 2010.^[8]
6. This species includes the previously recognized A. leucolimnaeus^[4] and A. oenos.^[9]