''Maxomys'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of rodents, widespread in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. They are mid-sized rodents, similar to rats, that live on the ground of

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equator ...

s. There they build nests, padded with fallen leaves from trees. They feed on roots, fallen fruit, and other plants, as well as insects. All species are shy and avoid food from humans. The genus ''Maxomys'' was originally considered a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between ...

of ''Rattus'', the rat genus. When it became established as its own genus in the 1960s, ''Maxomys'' was often combined with the genera ''

Niviventer ''Niviventer'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species: * Anderson's white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer andersoni'' * Brahma white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer brahma'' * '' Niviventer b ...

'' and ''

Leopoldamys ''Leopoldamys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species: * Sundaic mountain long-tailed giant rat (''Leopoldamys ciliatus'') * '' Leopoldamys diwangkarai'' * Edwards's long-tailed ...

''. In the currently accepted taxonomy, Musser, Marshall, and Boeadi established ''Maxomys'' in 1979.

List of species

Genus ''Maxomys'' - rajah rats: * Mountain spiny rat, ''Maxomys alticola'' Thomas, 1888, Borneo * Small spiny rat, ''Maxomys baeodon'' Thomas, 1894, Borneo * Bartels's spiny rat, ''Maxomys bartelsii'' Jentink, 1910, Java * Dollman's spiny rat, ''Maxomys dollmani'' Ellerman, 1941, Sulawesi * Hellwald's spiny rat, ''Maxomys hellwaldii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi * Sumatran spiny rat, ''Maxomys hylomyoides'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra * Malayan mountain spiny rat, ''Maxomys inas'' Bonhote, 1906, Malayan Peninsula * Fat-nosed spiny rat, ''Maxomys inflatus'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra * Mo's spiny rat, ''Maxomys moi'' Robinson and Kloss, 1922, Vietnam, Laos * Musschenbroek's spiny rat, ''Maxomys musschenbroekii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi * Chestnut-bellied spiny rat, ''Maxomys ochraceiventer'' Thomas, 1894, Borneo * Pagai spiny rat, ''Maxomys pagensis'' Miller, 1903, Mentawai Islands * Palawan spiny rat, ''Maxomys panglima'' Robinson, 1921, Palawan and neighboring islands * Rajah spiny rat, ''Maxomys rajah'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo * Red spiny rat, ''Maxomys surifer'' Miller, 1900, Sumatra, Java, Borneo *'' Maxomys tajuddinii'' Achmadi, Maryanto & Maharadatunkamsi, 2012, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo * Watts's spiny rat, ''Maxomys wattsi'' Musser, 1991, Sulawesi * Whitehead's spiny rat, ''Maxomys whiteheadi'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo

List of species

References

Further reading