List of echimyids

Echimyidae is a family of mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Caviomorpha parvorder. Members of this family are called echimyids or Neotropical spiny rats, and include spiny rats, tree-rats, and cave rats. They are found in South America and Central America, though the nutria has been introduced to the United States, Europe, and Japan. They live primarily in forests, savannas, and grasslands, though some species can be found in shrublands, wetlands, and rocky areas. They range in size from the Sao Lourenço punaré, at 12 cm (5 in) plus a 13 cm (5 in) tail, to the nutria, at 57 cm (22 in) plus a 40 cm (16 in) tail. Echimyids primarily eat a wide variety of vegetation, though some species also eat insects. Almost no echimyids have population estimates, but six species—the painted tree-rat, giant Atlantic tree-rat, Lund's Atlantic tree-rat, orange-brown Atlantic tree-rat, Moojen's Atlantic spiny rat, and Yonenaga's Atlantic spiny rat—are categorized as an endangered species, and three—the Mantiqueira Atlantic tree-rat, short-furred Atlantic tree-rat, and red-crested tree-rat—are categorized as critically endangered, while six species of Caribbean cave rat, comprising the three genera of the subfamily Heteropsomyinae, were made extinct since 1500 due to the European colonization of the Americas and introduction of non-native rats, with some species surviving until the 1900s.^[1]

From top-left, clockwise: Nutria (Myocastor coypus), Ferreira's spiny tree-rat (Mesomys hispidus), Atlantic spiny rat (Trinomys mirapitanga), and Desmarest's hutia (Capromys pilorides), which is considered for inclusion in the family

The 88 extant species of Echimyidae are divided into three subfamilies: Caterodontinae, containing a single species; Echimyinae, containing 75 species in 18 genera, and Euryzygomatomyinae, containing 12 species in 3 genera. The family Capromyidae, or the hutias, has been proposed to be merged into Echimyidae as the subfamily Capromyinae, but the proposal is not yet universally accepted.^[2] A few extinct prehistoric echimyid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed.^[3]

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories

Conservation status
EX	Extinct (6 species)
EW	Extinct in the wild (0 species)
CR	Critically endangered (3 species)
EN	Endangered (6 species)
VU	Vulnerable (0 species)
NT	Near threatened (2 species)
LC	Least concern (48 species)
Other categories
DD	Data deficient (29 species)
NE	Not evaluated (0 species)

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the echimyid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species, subspecies, or genera listed alongside extant species went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol: "†".

Classification

Echimyidae is a family consisting of 88 extant species in 22 genera. These species are divided into three subfamilies: Caterodontinae, containing a single species; Echimyinae, containing 75 species in 18 genera, and Euryzygomatomyinae, containing 12 species in 3 genera. Additionally, the subfamily Heteropsomyinae, containing 6 species in 3 genera, was made extinct since 1500.

• Family Echimyidae
  • Subfamily Caterodontinae
    • Genus Carterodon (Owl's spiny rat): one species
  • Subfamily Echimyinae
    • Genus Callistomys (painted tree-rat): one species
    • Genus Dactylomys (bamboo rats): three species
    • Genus Diplomys (soft-furred spiny rats): two species
    • Genus Echimys (spiny tree-rats): three species
    • Genus Hoplomys (armored rat): one species
    • Genus Isothrix (brush-tailed rats): six species
    • Genus Kannabateomys (Atlantic bamboo rat): one species
    • Genus Lonchothrix (tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat): one species
    • Genus Makalata (armored tree-rats): three species
    • Genus Mesomys (spiny tree-rats): four species
    • Genus Myocastor (nutria): one species
    • Genus Olallamys (olalla rats): two species
    • Genus Pattonomys (speckled tree-rats): five species
    • Genus Phyllomys (Atlantic tree-rats): thirteen species
    • Genus Proechimys (spiny rats): twenty-two species
    • Genus Santamartamys (red-crested tree-rat): one species
    • Genus Thrichomys (punarés): four species
    • Genus Toromys (giant tree-rats): two species
  • Subfamily Euryzygomatomyinae
    • Genus Clyomys (broad-headed spiny rat): one species
    • Genus Euryzygomatomys (Fischer's guiara): one species
    • Genus Trinomys (Atlantic spiny rats): ten species
  • Subfamily Heteropsomyinae †
    • Genus Boromys † (Cuban cave rats): two species
    • Genus Brotomys † (edible rats): two species
    • Genus Heteropsomys † (Puerto Rican cave rats): two species

Echimyidae[4] Caterodontinae   Carterodon Euryzygomatomyinae   Trinomys Clyomys Euryzygomatomys Echimyinae   Thrichomys Myocastor Callistomys Hoplomys Proechimys Isothrix Lonchothrix Mesomys Diplomys Santamartamys Olallamys Dactylomys Kannabateomys Pattonomys Toromys Makalata Echimys Phyllomys

Echimyids

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.^[5]

Subfamily Caterodontinae

Main article: Caterodontinae

Genus Carterodon – Waterhouse, 1848 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Owl's spiny rat	C. sulcidens (Lund, 1841)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 13–25 cm (5–10 in) long, plus 6–10 cm (2–4 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest and savanna[7] Diet: Vegetation[8]	DD  Unknown [7]

Subfamily Echimyinae

Main article: Echimyinae

Genus Callistomys – Emmons & Vucetich, 1998 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Painted tree-rat	C. pictus (Pictet, 1841)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 25–29 cm (10–11 in) long, plus 27–32 cm (11–13 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[10] Diet: Vegetation[11]	EN  Unknown [10]

Genus Dactylomys – Geoffroy, 1838 – three species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Amazon bamboo rat	D. dactylinus (Desmarest, 1817) Three subspecies D. d. canescens D. d. dactylinus D. d. modestus	Northern South America	Size: About 31 cm (12 in) long, plus about 39 cm (15 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[13] Diet: Bamboo and other plants[14]	LC  Unknown [13]
Bolivian bamboo rat	D. boliviensis Anthony, 1920	Western South America	Size: 27–29 cm (11 in) long, plus about 41 cm (16 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[15] Diet: Bamboo and other plants[14]	LC  Unknown [15]
Montane bamboo rat	D. peruanus Allen, 1900	Bolivia and Peru	Size: About 24 cm (9 in) long, plus 32 cm (13 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[16] Diet: Bamboo and other plants[14]	DD  Unknown [16]

Genus Diplomys – Thomas, 1916 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Colombian soft-furred spiny rat	D. caniceps (Günther, 1877)	Northern Colombia	Size: 21–39 cm (8–15 in) long, plus 17–27 cm (7–11 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[17] Diet: Seeds and fruit[11]	DD  Unknown [17]
Rufous soft-furred spiny rat	D. labilis (Bangs, 1901)	Northwestern South America and Panama	Size: About 34 cm (13 in) long, plus 20 cm (8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[18] Diet: Seeds and fruit[11]	LC  Unknown [18]

Genus Echimys – F. Cuvier, 1809 – three species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Dark spiny tree-rat	E. saturnus Thomas, 1928	Ecuador and Peru	Size: 28–33 cm (11–13 in) long, plus 29–38 cm (11–15 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[19] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [19]
Vieira's tree-rat	E. vieirai Iack-Ximenes, Vivo, & Percequillo, 2005	Northern Brazil	Size: About 24 cm (9 in) long, plus about 34 cm (13 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[20] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [20]
White-faced spiny tree-rat	E. chrysurus (Zimmermann, 1780)	Northern South America	Size: 24–33 cm (9–13 in) long, plus 25–39 cm (10–15 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[21] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [21]

Genus Hoplomys – J. A. Allen, 1908 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Armored rat	H. gymnurus (Thomas, 1897)	Central America and northwestern South America	Size: 21–32 cm (8–13 in) long, plus 11–24 cm (4–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[22] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation, as well as insects[23]	LC  Unknown [22]

Genus Isothrix – Wagner, 1845 – six species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Barbara Brown's brush-tailed rat	I. barbarabrownae Patterson & Velazco, 2006	Southern Peru	Size: Unknown[24] Habitat: Forest[25] Diet: Vegetation[26]	DD  Unknown [25]
Orinoco brush-tailed rat	I. orinoci Thomas, 1899	Northern South America	Size: 21–26 cm (8–10 in) long, plus 16–28 cm (6–11 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[27] Diet: Vegetation[26]	DD  Unknown [27]
Plain brush-tailed rat	I. pagurus Wagner, 1845	Northern Brazil	Size: 17–23 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 17–23 cm (7–9 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[28] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [28]
Rio Negro brush-tailed rat	I. negrensis Thomas, 1920	Northwestern Brazil	Size: 20–29 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 18–27 cm (7–11 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[29] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [29]
Sinnamary brush-tailed rat	I. sinnamariensis Vié, Volobouev, Patton, & Granjon, 1996	Northern South America	Size: About 21 cm (8 in) long, plus about 26 cm (10 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[30] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [30]
Yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat	I. bistriata Wagner, 1845	Western South America	Size: 21–27 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 21–27 cm (8–11 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest and grassland[31] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [31]

Genus Kannabateomys – Jentink, 1891 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Atlantic bamboo rat	K. amblyonyx Wagner, 1845 Two subspecies K. a. amblyonyx K. a. pallidior	Eastern South America	Size: 23–35 cm (9–14 in) long, plus 30–42 cm (12–17 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[32] Diet: Bamboo[33]	LC  Unknown [32]

Genus Lonchothrix – Thomas, 1920 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Tuft-tailed spiny tree-rat	L. emiliae Thomas, 1920	Northern Brazil	Size: 15–22 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest and grassland[34] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [34]

Genus Makalata – Husson, 1978 – three species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Brazilian spiny tree-rat	M. didelphoides (Desmarest, 1817)	Northern South America	Size: 15–25 cm (6–10 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[35] Diet: Fruit and seeds[14]	LC  Unknown [35]
Dusky spiny tree-rat	M. obscura (Wagner, 1840)	Brazil	Size: Unknown[12] Habitat: Unknown[36] Diet: Fruit and seeds[14]	DD  Unknown [36]
Long-tailed armored tree-rat	M. macrura (Wagner, 1842)	Northwestern South America	Size: 21–28 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 17–24 cm (7–9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[37] Diet: Fruit and seeds[14]	LC  Unknown [37]

Genus Mesomys – Wagner, 1845 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Ferreira's spiny tree-rat	M. hispidus (Desmarest, 1817)	Northern South America	Size: 17–19 cm (7 in) long, plus 16–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[38] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [38]
Pará spiny tree-rat	M. stimulax Thomas, 1911	Northern Brazil	Size: 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[39] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [39]
Tufted-tailed spiny tree-rat	M. occultus Patton, Silva, & Malcolm, 2000	Northwestern Brazil	Size: About 17 cm (7 in) long, plus about 18 cm (7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[40] Diet: Vegetation[26]	LC  Unknown [40]
Woolly-headed spiny tree-rat	M. leniceps Thomas & St. Leger, 1926	Western Peru	Size: About 18 cm (7 in) long, plus about 21 cm (8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[41] Diet: Vegetation[26]	DD  Unknown [41]

Genus Myocastor – Kerr, 1792 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Nutria	M. coypus (Molina, 1782)	Southern South America, and introduced in United States, Europe, and Japan	Size: 47–57 cm (19–22 in) long, plus 34–40 cm (13–16 in) tail[9] Habitat: Inland wetlands[42] Diet: Roots and aquatic plants[43]	LC  Unknown [42]

Genus Olallamys – Emmons, 1988 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Greedy olalla rat	O. edax (Thomas, 1916)	Western Venezuela	Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus about 34 cm (13 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[44] Diet: Vegetation[33]	DD  Unknown [44]
White-tailed olalla rat	O. albicauda (Günther, 1879)	Colombia	Size: 15–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 25–26 cm (10 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[45] Diet: Vegetation[33]	DD  Unknown [45]

Genus Pattonomys – Emmons, 2005 – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Bare-tailed armored tree-rat	P. occasius (Thomas, 1921)	Ecuador	Size: About 2 cm (1 in) long, plus about 22 cm (9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[46] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [46]
Carriker's speckled tree-rat	P. carrikeri (J. A. Allen, 1911)	Northern Venezuela	Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus about 22 cm (9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest and savanna[47] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [47]
Orinocoan speckled tree-rat	P. punctatus Thomas, 1899	Venezuela	Size: About 27 cm (11 in) long, plus about 23 cm (9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[48] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [48]
Speckled spiny tree-rat	P. semivillosus (Geoffroy, 1838)	Colombia	Size: 20–27 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 21–26 cm (8–10 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest and savanna[49] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [49]
Yellow speckled tree-rat	P. flavidus Hollister, 1914	Northern Venezuela	Size: About 25 cm (10 in) long, plus about 25 cm (10 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[50] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [50]

Genus Phyllomys – Lund, 1839 – thirteen species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Black-spined Atlantic tree-rat	P. nigrispinus (Wagner, 1842)	Southern Brazil	Size: 19–26 cm (7–10 in) long, plus 19–26 cm (7–10 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[52] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [52]
Drab Atlantic tree-rat	P. dasythrix Hensel, 1872	Southern Brazil	Size: 18–20 cm (7–8 in) long, plus 20–22 cm (8–9 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[53] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [53]
Giant Atlantic tree-rat	P. thomasi (H. von Ihering, 1897)	Southern Brazil	Size: 27–30 cm (11–12 in) long, plus 27–34 cm (11–13 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[54] Diet: Vegetation[11]	EN  Unknown [54]
Golden Atlantic tree-rat	P. blainvillii (Jourdan, 1837)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 17–22 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 19–27 cm (7–11 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[55] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [55]
Kerr's Atlantic tree-rat	P. kerri (Oliveira, 1950)	Southern Brazil	Size: 19–23 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 20–22 cm (8–9 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[56] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [56]
Long-furred Atlantic tree-rat	P. medius (Thomas, 1909)	Southern Brazil	Size: 22–23 cm (9 in) long, plus 22–26 cm (9–10 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[57] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [57]
Lund's Atlantic tree-rat	P. lundi Leite, 2003	Southern Brazil	Size: 18–21 cm (7–8 in) long, plus about 20 cm (8 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[58] Diet: Vegetation[11]	EN  Unknown [58]
Mantiqueira Atlantic tree-rat	P. mantiqueirensis Leite, 2003	Southern Brazil	Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus about 22 cm (9 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[59] Diet: Vegetation[11]	CR  Unknown [59]
Orange-brown Atlantic tree-rat	P. brasiliensis Lund, 1840	Southern Brazil	Size: About 21 cm (8 in) long, plus about 17 cm (7 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[60] Diet: Vegetation[11]	EN  Unknown [60]
Pallid Atlantic tree-rat	P. lamarum (Thomas, 1916)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 18–23 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 18–23 cm (7–9 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[61] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [61]
Rusty-sided Atlantic tree-rat	P. pattoni Emmons, Leite, Kock, Costa, 2002	Eastern Brazil	Size: 21–24 cm (8–9 in) long, plus 19–22 cm (7–9 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[62] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [62]
Short-furred Atlantic tree-rat	P. unicolor (Wagner, 1842)	Eastern Brazil	Size: About 28 cm (11 in) long, plus about 20 cm (8 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[63] Diet: Vegetation[11]	CR  Unknown [63]
Southern Atlantic tree-rat	P. sulinus Leite, Christoff, & Fagundes, 2008	Southern Brazil	Size: 20–21 cm (8 in) long, plus 16–25 cm (6–10 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest[64] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [64]

Genus Proechimys – Allen, 1899 – 22 species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Boyacá spiny rat	P. chrysaeolus (Thomas, 1898)	Colombia	Size: 21–22 cm (8–9 in) long, plus 14–16 cm (6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[65] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [65]
Colombian spiny rat	P. canicollis (Allen, 1899)	Colombia and Venezuela	Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus about 17 cm (7 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[67] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [67]
Cuvier's spiny rat	P. cuvieri Petter, 1978	Northern South America	Size: 21–23 cm (8–9 in) long, plus 14–17 cm (6–7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[68] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [68]
Gardner's spiny rat	P. gardneri Silva, 1998	Bolivia and western Brazil	Size: 15–21 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 8–16 cm (3–6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[69] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [69]
Goeldi's spiny rat	P. goeldii Thomas, 1905	Central Brazil	Size: 18–27 cm (7–11 in) long, plus 10–18 cm (4–7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[70] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [70]
Guaira spiny rat	P. guairae Thomas, 1901	Colombia and Venezuela	Size: 21–24 cm (8–9 in) long, plus 17–20 cm (7–8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[71] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [71]
Guyanan spiny-rat	P. hoplomyoides Tate, 1939	Northern South America	Size: About 21 cm (8 in) long, plus about 15 cm (6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[72] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [72]
Guyenne spiny rat	P. guyannensis (Geoffroy, 1803) Six subspecies P. g. arabupu P. g. arescens P. g. cherriei P. g. guyannensis P. g. riparum P. g. vacillator	Northern South America	Size: 18–23 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 11–19 cm (4–7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[73] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [73]
Kulina spiny rat	P. kulinae Silva, 1998	Peru and western Brazil	Size: 14–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 9–14 cm (4–6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[74] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [74]
Long-tailed spiny rat	P. longicaudatus (Rengger, 1830)	Central South America	Size: 22–25 cm (9–10 in) long, plus 13–15 cm (5–6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[75] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [75]
Minca spiny rat	P. mincae (Allen, 1899)	Northern Colombia	Size: 22–23 cm (9 in) long, plus 20–21 cm (8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[76] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [76]
Napo spiny rat	P. quadruplicatus Hershkovitz, 1948	Northern South America	Size: 21–29 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 12–20 cm (5–8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[77] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [77]
O'Connell's spiny rat	P. oconnelli Allen, 1913	Colombia	Size: About 25 cm (10 in) long, plus 18 cm (7 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[78] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [78]
Pacific spiny rat	P. decumanus (Thomas, 1899)	Ecuador and Peru	Size: 26–30 cm (10–12 in) long, plus about 20 cm (8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[79] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	NT  Unknown [79]
Patton's spiny rat	P. pattoni Silva, 1998	Peru and western Brazil	Size: 14–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[80] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [80]
Robert's spiny rat	P. roberti Thomas, 1901	Central Brazil	Size: 20–23 cm (8–9 in) long, plus about 16 cm (6 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest and savanna[81] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [81]
Short-tailed spiny rat	P. brevicauda (Günther, 1877)	Western South America	Size: 18–25 cm (7–10 in) long, plus 13–17 cm (5–7 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[82] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [82]
Simons's spiny rat	P. simonsi Thomas, 1900	Western South America	Size: 16–27 cm (6–11 in) long, plus 11–23 cm (4–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[83] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [83]
Steere's spiny rat	P. steerei Goldman, 1911	Western South America	Size: 21–29 cm (8–11 in) long, plus 12–21 cm (5–8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[84] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [84]
Stiff-spine spiny rat	P. echinothrix Silva, 1998	Western Brazil	Size: 14–24 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 10–21 cm (4–8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[85] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [85]
Tome's spiny rat	P. semispinosus (Tomes, 1860) Ten subspecies P. s. burrus P. s. calidior P. s. centralis P. s. colombianus P. s. goldmani P. s. ignotus P. s. panamensis P. s. rosa P. s. rubellus P. s. semispinosus	Central America and northwestern South America	Size: About 29 cm (11 in) long, plus about 24 cm (9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[86] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [86]
Trinidad spiny rat	P. trinitatus (Allen & Chapman, 1893)	Northern Venezuela	Size: 26–27 cm (10–11 in) long, plus 20–21 cm (8–8 in) tail[24] Habitat: Forest[87] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [87]

Genus Santamartamys – Emmons, 2005 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Red-crested tree-rat	S. rufodorsalis (Allen, 1899)	Northern Colombia	Size: About 19 cm (7 in) long, plus about 27 cm (11 in) tail[12] Habitat: Unknown[88] Diet: Seeds and fruit[11]	CR  1–50 [88]

Genus Thrichomys – Trouessart, 1880 – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Common punaré	T. apereoides (Lund, 1839)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 19–21 cm (7–8 in) long, plus 16–18 cm (6–7 in) tail[9] Habitat: Savanna and shrubland[89] Diet: Seeds, fruit, cacti, and insects[8]	LC  Unknown [89]
Highlands punaré	T. inermis Pictet, 1841	Eastern Brazil	Size: 18–22 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 11–20 cm (4–8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest, savanna, and rocky areas[90] Diet: Seeds, fruit, cacti, and insects[8]	LC  Unknown [90]
Paraguayan punaré	T. pachyurus (Wagner, 1845)	Southern Brazil	Size: Unknown[9] Habitat: Forest and savanna[91] Diet: Seeds, fruit, cacti, and insects[8]	LC  Unknown [91]
Sao Lourenço punaré	T. laurentius Thomas, 1904	Eastern Brazil	Size: 12–24 cm (5–9 in) long, plus 13–21 cm (5–8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[92] Diet: Seeds, fruit, cacti, and insects[8]	DD  Unknown [92]

Genus Toromys – Iack-Ximenes & Vivo & Percequillo, 2005 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Giant tree-rat	T. grandis (Wagner, 1845)	Northern Brazil	Size: About 30 cm (12 in) long, plus about 28 cm (11 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[93] Diet: Vegetation[11]	LC  Unknown [93]
Peruvian toro	T. rhipidura (Thomas, 1928)	Peru	Size: 21–26 cm (8–10 in) long, plus 18–21 cm (7–8 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest[94] Diet: Vegetation[11]	DD  Unknown [94]

Subfamily Euryzygomatomyinae

Main article: Euryzygomatomyinae

Genus Clyomys – Thomas, 1916 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Broad-headed spiny rat	C. laticeps Thomas, 1909	Paraguay and southern Brazil	Size: 15–29 cm (6–11 in) long, plus 4–9 cm (2–4 in) tail[6] Habitat: Savanna[95] Diet: Vegetation[8]	LC  Unknown [95]

Genus Euryzygomatomys – Goeldi, 1901 – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Fischer's guiara	E. spinosus (G. von Waldheim, 1814)	Southern Brazil and northeastern Argentina	Size: 16–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 6–7 cm (2–3 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest and grassland[96] Diet: Vegetation[23]	LC  Unknown [96]

Genus Trinomys – Thomas, 1921 – ten species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Dark-caped Atlantic spiny rat	T. mirapitanga Lara, Patton, & Hingst-Zaher, 2002	Eastern Brazil	Size: About 22 cm (9 in) long, plus 18–20 cm (7–8 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[97] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [97]
Elias's Atlantic spiny rat	T. eliasi Pessoa & dos Reis, 1993	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 17–24 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 15–22 cm (6–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[98] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	NT  Unknown [98]
Gracile Atlantic spiny rat	T. gratiosus (Oliveira, 1948) Two subspecies T. g. bonafidei T. g. gratiosus	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 16–23 cm (6–9 in) long, plus 15–22 cm (6–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[99] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [99]
Hairy Atlantic spiny rat	T. setosus (Desmarest, 1817) Three subspecies T. s. denigratus T. s. elegans T. s. setosus	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 18–23 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 16–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest and savanna[100] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [100]
Ihering's Atlantic spiny rat	T. iheringi (Thomas, 1911)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 18–22 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 17–22 cm (7–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[101] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [101]
Moojen's Atlantic spiny rat	T. moojeni Pessôa, Oliveira, & Reis, 1992	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 15–18 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 14–18 cm (6–7 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest and savanna[102] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	EN  Unknown [102]
Soft-spined Atlantic spiny rat	T. dimidiatus (Günther, 1877)	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 17–24 cm (7–9 in) long, plus 15–22 cm (6–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Shrubland[103] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [103]
Spiked Atlantic spiny rat	T. paratus Oliveira, 1948	Southeastern Brazil	Size: 18–27 cm (7–11 in) long, plus 17–23 cm (7–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Forest[104] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	DD  Unknown [104]
White-spined Atlantic spiny rat	T. albispinus (Geoffroy, 1838) Three subspecies T. a. albispinus T. a. minor T. a. serotinus	Eastern Brazil	Size: 15–19 cm (6–7 in) long, plus 14–18 cm (6–7 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and rocky areas[105] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	LC  Unknown [105]
Yonenaga's Atlantic spiny rat	T. yonenagae (Rocha, 1995)	Eastern Brazil	Size: 14–20 cm (6–8 in) long, plus 16–22 cm (6–9 in) tail[9] Habitat: Savanna[106] Diet: Wide variety of vegetation[66]	EN  Unknown [106]

Subfamily Heteropsomyinae

Main article: Heteropsomyinae

Genus Boromys † – Miller, 1916 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Oriente cave rat †	B. offella Miller, 1916	Cuba	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown[108] Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0 [108]
Torre's cave rat †	B. torrei Allen, 1917	Cuba	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown[109] Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0 [109]

Genus Brotomys † – Miller, 1916 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Haitian edible rat †	B. contractus Miller, 1916	Haiti	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0
Hispaniolan edible rat †	B. voratus Miller, 1916	Dominican Republic	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown[110] Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0 [110]

Genus Heteropsomys † – Anthony, 1916 – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Antillean cave rat †	H. antillensis Anthony, 1916	Puerto Rico	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0
Insular cave rat †	H. insulans Anthony, 1916	Puerto Rico	Size: Unknown[107] Habitat: Unknown[111] Diet: Unknown[1]	EX  0 [111]