''Heteromys'' is a genus of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

s in the family

Heteromyidae Heteromyidae is a family of rodents consisting of kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice and spiny pocket mice. Most heteromyids live in complex burrows within the deserts and grasslands of western North America, though species within th ...

, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It is the only extant genus in the subfamily

Heteromyinae Heteromyinae is a subfamily of rodents in the family Heteromyidae, commonly known as spiny pocket mice. It contains a single extant genus, ''Heteromys'', as well as the extinct genera ''Diprionomys'' and ''Metaliomys''. ''Heteromys'' was recentl ...

which also includes the extinct genera ''

Diprionomys ''Diprionomys'' is an extinct genus of Heteromyidae that existed in the United States during the Late Miocene period. References

Heteromyidae Miocene rodents Neogene mammals of North America Fossil taxa described in 1910 {{Heteromyida ...

'' and ''

Metaliomys ''Metaliomys'' is an extinct genus of Heteromyidae that existed in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North Ame ...

''. ''Heteromys'' was recently enlarged by inclusion of the members of formerly recognized heteromyine genus ''Liomys'', which was found to be

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

Distribution

Heteromyines are distributed from southern

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, and include all but one of the

castorimorph Castorimorpha is the suborder of rodents containing the beavers and the kangaroo rats. A 2017 study using retroposon markers indicated that they are most closely related to the Anomaluromorpha (the scaly-tailed squirrels and the springhare) and ...

species of South America. Like all of South America's other non-

caviomorph Caviomorpha is the rodent infraorder or parvorder that unites all New World hystricognaths. It is supported by both fossil and molecular evidence. The Caviomorpha was for a time considered to be a separate order outside the Rodentia, but is now ...

rodents, they arrived in the continent relatively recently as part of the

Great American Interchange The Great American Biotic Interchange (commonly abbreviated as GABI), also known as the Great American Interchange and the Great American Faunal Interchange, was an important late Cenozoic paleozoogeographic biotic interchange event in which lan ...

. 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 The Panamanian spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys adspersus''), also known as Peter's spiny pocket mouse, is a species of Heteromyidae, heteromyid rodent endemic to Panama. It is very closely related to Salvin's spiny pocket mouse, and has been plac ...

(''H. adspersus'') * Trinidad spiny pocket mouse (''H. anomalus'') *

Southern spiny pocket mouse The southern spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys australis'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, Rep ...

(''H. australis'') *

Overlook spiny pocket mouse A scenic viewpoint – also called an observation point, viewpoint, viewing point, vista point, lookout, scenic overlook,These terms are more commonly used in North America. etc. – is an elevated location where people can view scenery (often w ...

('' H. catopterius'') *

Desmarest's spiny pocket mouse Desmarest's spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys desmarestianus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama Panama ( , ; es, link ...

(''H. desmarestianus'') *

Gaumer's spiny pocket mouse Gaumer's spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys gaumeri'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae.Schmidt, Cheryl A., Mark D. Engstrom, and Hugh H. Genoways.Heteromys gaumeri" (1989). It ranges over northern Belize and Guatemala and the Yucat ...

(''H. gaumeri'') *

Goldman's spiny pocket mouse Goldman's spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys goldmani'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It has been reported to be a subspecies of ''Heteromys desmarestianus''. It is found in Guatemala and Mexico Mexico (Spanish language ...

(''H. goldmani'') *

Mexican spiny pocket mouse The Mexican spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys irroratus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is native to Mexico and Texas in the United States where it is found in dry, scrubby habitats. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "le ...

(''H. irroratus'') *

Nelson's spiny pocket mouse Nelson's spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys nelsoni'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss ...

(''H. nelsoni'') * Cloud-dwelling spiny pocket mouse ('' H. nubicolens'') * Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse (''H. oasicus'') *

Mountain spiny pocket mouse The mountain spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys oresterus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is endemic to Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República ...

(''H. oresterus'') *

Painted spiny pocket mouse The painted spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys pictus'') is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Mexico and the northern tip of Guatemala. It was formerly placed in the genus ''Liomys'', which is now recognized to be paraph ...

(''H. pictus'') * Salvin's spiny pocket mouse (''H. salvini'') *

Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse (''Heteromys spectabilis'') is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Mexico. The specific name ''spectabilis'' means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed ...

(''H. spectabilis'') * Ecuadoran spiny pocket mouse (''H. teleus'')

References

Rodent genera Taxa named by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest Mammals described in 1817 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Heteromyidae-stub