''Echimys vieirai'' is a spiny rat species from South America, described in 2005. It is found in Brazil. The species name ''vieirai'' is a patronym for the Brazilian mammalogist Carlos Octaviano da Cunha Vieira, curator of the Mammal Collection at the

Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo The Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo ( pt, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, abbreviated MZUSP) is a public natural history museum located in the historic Ipiranga district of São Paulo, Brazil. The MZUSP is an e ...

(MZUSP), from the early 1940s to 1958. The main diagnostic trait of this ''

Echimys ''Echimys'' is a genus of the spiny rats family, the Echimyidae. Members of this genus are collectively called spiny tree-rats. The genus name ''Echimys'', and also its synonym ''Echinomys'', derive from the two Ancient Greek words (), meani ...

'' species is the presence of a dorsal median dark maroon stripe on the head. As compared to ''

Echimys chrysurus The white-faced spiny tree-rat (''Echimys chrysurus'') is a spiny rat species from South America. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana and Suriname. The etymology of the species name derives from the two ancient greek Ancien ...

'', ''E. vieirai'' also possesses a darker dorsum. In addition, ''E. vieirai'' can be distinguished from '' Echimys saturnus'' by its head clearly darker than the dorsum and a uniformly grayish brown venter, while the dorsal parts of head and body are mostly black and the venter spotted with white in the latter species.

References

Echimys Mammals described in 2005 Taxa named by Alexandre Reis Percequillo {{Echimyidae-stub