| Oryzomys nelsoni | |
|---|---|
| |
| Skull of Oryzomys nelsoni, seen from above.[1] | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | Oryzomys |
| Species: | †O. nelsoni
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Oryzomys nelsoni Merriam, 1898
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| Distribution of Oryzomys nelsoni (orange) and other western Mexican Oryzomys. | |
| Synonyms[5] | |
Oryzomys nelsoni, also known as the Nelson’s Rice Rat, is an extinct rodent of María Madre Island, Nayarit, Mexico. Within the genus Oryzomys of the family Cricetidae, it may have been most closely related to the mainland species O. albiventer. Since its first description in 1898, most authors have regarded it as a distinct species, but it has also been classified as a mere subspecies of the marsh rice rat (O. palustris).
After its discovery in 1897, it has never been recorded again and it is now considered extinct; the presence of introduced black rats on María Madre may have contributed to its extinction. Oryzomys nelsoni was a large species, distinguished in particular by its long tail, robust skull, and large incisors. It was reddish to yellowish above and mostly white below. Its diet may have included plant material and small animals.
- ^ Goldman, 1918, plate II, fig. 1
- ^ Timm, R., Álvarez-Castañeda, S.T. & Lacher, T. 2017. Oryzomys nelsoni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T15583A22388135. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T15583A22388135.en. Downloaded on 11 March 2021.
- ^ Merriam, 1898, p. 15
- ^ Hershkovitz, 1971, p. 704
- ^ Carleton and Arroyo-Cabrales, 2009, p. 122