''Makalata'' 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

Echimyidae Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to terres ...

Systematics

The

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

of this genus name derives from a combination of letters inspired by the

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

native name ''Maka-alata'' for spiny rats. This genus contains the following species: * Brazilian spiny tree-rat ('' Makalata didelphoides'') * Long-tailed armored tree-rat ('' Makalata macrura'') * Dusky spiny tree-rat ('' Makalata obscura'') * Peruvian tree-rat ('' Makalata rhipidura'')

Phylogeny

''Makalata'' is the sister genus to ''Echimys'' and ''Phyllomys''. These taxa are closely related to the genera ''Pattonomys'' and ''Toromys'', reflecting the fact ''

Pattonomys occasius The bare-tailed armored tree-rat (''Pattonomys occasius'') is a species of arboreal rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in lowland tropical rainforest east of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.s ...

'' and ''

Toromys grandis The giant tree-rat (''Toromys grandis'') is a species in the family Echimyidae, the spiny rats. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Toromys''. It is endemic to Brazil, where it occurs in the flooded forest along the banks of the Amazo ...

'' have been placed in ''Makalata'' by some authorities. In turn, these five genera share phylogenetic affinities with a clade containing the bamboo rats ''Dactylomys'', ''Olallamys'', ''Kannabateomys'' together with ''Diplomys'' and ''Santamartamys''.

References

Rodent genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Echimyidae-stub