The Laotian rock rat or kha-nyou, sometimes called the "rat-squirrel", is a species of rodent found in the Khammouan region of Laos. The species was first described in a 2005 article by Paulina Jenkins and coauthors, who considered the animal to be so distinct from all living rodents, they placed it in a new family, Laonastidae. It is in the monotypic genus Laonastes.
Euryoryzomys emmonsae, also known as Emmons' rice rat or Emmons' oryzomys, is a rodent from the Amazon rainforest of Brazil in the genus Euryoryzomys of the family Cricetidae. Initially misidentified as E. macconnelli or E. nitidus, it was formally described in 1998. A rainforest species, it may be scansorial, climbing but also spending time on the ground. It lives only in a limited area south of the Amazon River in the state of Pará, a distribution that is apparently unique among the muroid rodents of the region.
Hylaeamys laticeps, also known as the Atlantic Forest oryzomys or the large-headed rice rat, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
Cerradomys marinhus, also known as Marinho's rice rat, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was formerly known as Oryzomys marinhus, but was transferred to the new genus Cerradomys in 2006.
Cerradomys subflavus, also known as the terraced rice rat or flavescent oryzomys, is a rodent species from South America in the genus Cerradomys. It is found in the states of Goiás, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais, Brazil. Populations in Bolivia, Paraguay, and elsewhere in Brazil that were previously placed in this species are now classified as various other species of Cerradomys.
Hylaeamys yunganus, also known as the Amazonian oryzomys or Yungas rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Hylaeamys of family Cricetidae. It is found in lowland tropical rainforest throughout Amazonia, in northeastern Bolivia, eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, southeastern Colombia, southern Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil. A closely related species, Hylaeamys tatei, occurs only in a small area in eastern Ecuador. Both were previously placed in Oryzomys.
Handleyomys alfaroi, also known as Alfaro's rice rat or Alfaro's oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It was previously included in Oryzomys as Oryzomys alfaroi. Its natural habitats are subtropical and tropical lowland or montane dry forests at elevations ranging from sea level to 2500 m.
Oreoryzomys balneator, also known as the Peruvian rice rat or Ecuadoran oryzomys, is a species of rodent in the tribe Oryzomyini of family Cricetidae. It is found in Ecuador and northern Peru in cloud forest at elevations from 1500 to 1800 m. It is the only species in the genus Oreoryzomys, which was included in Oryzomys until 2006. The genus name Oreoryzomys is a combination of ορος the Greek word for "mountain" with the old genus name Oryzomys and refers to the mountainous habitat of O. balneator. Recent research suggests that O. balneator is not closely related to Oryzomys, but instead is probably related to Microryzomys within a clade also including Neacomys and Oligoryzomys.
Oryzomys dimidiatus, also known as the Nicaraguan oryzomys, Thomas's rice rat, or the Nicaraguan rice rat, is a rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is known from only three specimens, all collected in southeastern Nicaragua since 1904. Placed in Nectomys upon its discovery, it was later classified in its own subgenus of Oryzomys and finally recognized as closely related to other species now placed in Oryzomys, including the marsh rice rat and Coues' rice rat, which occurs in the same region.
Euryoryzomys legatus, also known as the Tarija oryzomys or big-headed rice rat, is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It now belongs to the genus Euryoryzomys, having previously been placed in Oryzomys. It is found in the eastern Andes of northwestern Argentina and southern Bolivia.
Hylaeamys megacephalus, also known as Azara's broad-headed oryzomys or the large-headed rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Hylaeamys of family Cricetidae, of which it is the type species. It is found mainly in lowland tropical rainforest from its type locality in Paraguay north through central Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela onto Trinidad and Tobago. To its west and east, other closely related species of Hylaeamys are found: H. perenensis in western Amazonia, H. acritus in Bolivia, and H. laticeps and H. oniscus in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil.
Handleyomys rhabdops, also known as the highland oryzomys or striped rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is nocturnal and is found in Guatemala and Mexico in montane forest at elevations from 1250 to 3250 m.
Handleyomys rostratus, also known as the long-nosed oryzomys, long-nosed rice rat, or rusty rice rat is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua. It is nocturnal and is found in forests at elevations above sea level to 1200 meters. The Handleyomys rostratus attains its highest level of development in south and Central America. High rates of deforestation and habitat destruction are the biggest threat to the Handleyomys rostratus.
Handleyomys saturatior, also known as the cloud forest oryzomys or cloud forest rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Handleyomys of family Cricetidae. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua in cloud forest at elevations from 750 to 2500 m. It was previously placed in the genus Oryzomys.
Cerradomys maracajuensis, also known as the Maracaju oryzomys, is a rodent species from South America. It is terrestrial and is found in gallery forests in Bolivia, Paraguay and nearby Brazil and Peru. It was first discovered near the Brazilian city of Maracaju.
Hylaeamys acritus, formerly Oryzomys acritus, is an oryzomyine rodent of the family Cricetidae. The name is derived from the Greek word ακριτος 'confused, doubtful', because it could easily be confused with species such as H. megacephalus and Euryoryzomys nitidus. It is known only from northeastern Bolivia; its type locality is within Noel Kempff Mercado National Park. The rodent is terrestrial and is found in moist lowland semideciduous forest and savanna. It has olive brown coloration on its back; the cheeks and flanks are amber, and the top of the head is dark. The coat is 9 mm long at the center of the torso. Chest fur between the front legs is thick and 3 to 4 mm long. Abdominal hairs are gray at the base and white at the top.
In anatomy, posterolateral palatal pits are gaps at the sides of the back of the bony palate, near the last molars. Posterolateral palatal pits are present, in various degrees of development, in several members of the rodent family Cricetidae. Many members of the family lack them or have only simple pits, but Arvicolinae and Oryzomyini have more highly developed posterolateral palatal pits. Posterolateral palatal pits are also present in some other rodents, including Glis, Jaculus, Hystrix, Abrocoma, Ctenomys, Chinchilla, and Lagidium.
The Phou Hin Poun National Biodiversity Conservation Area, formerly known as the Khammouane Limestone National Biodiversity Conservation Area, is one of 21 National Biodiversity Conservation Areas of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Located in a limestone tower karst region of the Annamite Range in Khammouane Province, it is home to a number of rare or newly discovered species. National Biodiversity Conservation Areas are not protected by the government of Laos in any meaningful way; the budget for each is about $500. The human population of the NBCA is 29,603.
Daovantien’s limestone rat is a genus of Muridae rodent native to northeastern Vietnam. It was first discovered in a forested talus habitat in the Huu Lien Nature Reserve, Lang Son Province. It is the only known species in the genus Tonkinomys.
Louise H. Emmons is an American zoologist who studies tropical rainforest mammals, especially rodents. She has conducted fieldwork in Gabon, Sabah (Borneo), Peru, and Bolivia. Her best known work is the field guide, Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide, first published in 1990, with a second edition in 1997.
