''Olallamys'' is a genus of

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the List of mountain ranges#Mountain ranges by length, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range i ...

soft-furred spiny rat that range from

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

through

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

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 ...

to northern

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 ...

. These species are typically found at elevations above .

Systematics

''Olallamys'' is a taxonomic patronym honoring the Ecuadorian birds and mammals collector Carlos Olalla. The genus ''Olallamys'' contains two species: * '' Olallamys albicauda'' (White-tailed olalla rat) * ''

Olallamys edax The greedy olalla rat (''Olallamys edax'') is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. The species name '' edax'' is a Latin ...

'' (Greedy olalla rat)

Phylogeny

''Olallamys'' is a member of the

Echimyini Echimyini is a tribe of echimyid rodents, proposed in 2016, and containing 13 extant genera: all of the tree rats ''Echimys'', ''Phyllomys'', '' Makalata'', ''Pattonomys'', '' Toromys'', ''Diplomys'', ''Santamartamys'', and ''Isothrix'', the long ...

clade of

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

Echimyidae rodents. The closest relative of ''Olallamys'' is ''Dactylomys'', and then ''Kannabateomys''. These South American bamboo rats share unique features and are grouped under the informal clade name of "Dactylomyines". The dactylomyines are the sister genera to ''Diplomys'' and ''Santamartamys''. All these taxa are closely related to the genera ''Echimys'', ''Phyllomys'', ''Makalata'', ''Pattonomys'', and ''Toromys''. In turn, these genera share phylogenetic affinities with the clade containing ''Lonchothrix'' and ''Mesomys'', and with ''Isothrix''.

References

Echimyidae Rodent families {{Echimyidae-stub