Pseudoryzomys

Pseudoryzomys simplex
From top to bottom: side view of skull with mandible, missing much of the posterior part; text "1. Hesperomys simplex"; and views of the same skull from above and below.
Lectotype skull as illustrated by Winge in 1888
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Pseudoryzomys
Hershkovitz, 1962[fn 1]
Species:
P. simplex
Binomial name
Pseudoryzomys simplex
(Winge, 1888)
Map of South America, with a contiguous red area extending over northeastern Argentina, much of Paraguay, and eastern Bolivia, east into northeastern Brazil; and a small blue area in eastern Argentina
Distribution of Pseudoryzomys in South America (in red); fossil record from Cueva Tixi, eastern Argentina, in blue
Synonyms
  • Hesperomys simplex Winge, 1888
  • Oryzomys simplex: Trouessart, 1898
  • Oryzomys wavrini Thomas, 1921
  • Pseudoryzomys wavrini: Hershkovitz, 1959
  • Pseudoryzomys wavrini reigi Pine and Wetzel, 1975
  • Pseudoryzomys simplex: Massoia, 1980

Pseudoryzomys simplex, also known as the Brazilian false rice rat[1] or false oryzomys,[3] is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae from south-central South America. It is found in lowland palm savanna and thorn scrub habitats. It is a medium-sized species, weighing about 50 grams (1.8 oz), with gray–brown fur, long and narrow hindfeet, and a tail that is about as long as the head and body. The IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern, although almost nothing is known about its diet or reproduction.

The only species in the genus Pseudoryzomys, its closest living relatives are the large rats Holochilus and Lundomys, which are semiaquatic, spending much of their time in the water. The three genera share several characters, including specializations towards a semiaquatic lifestyle, such as the presence of membranes between the digits (interdigital webbing), and a reduction in the complexity of the molar crowns, both of which are at incipient stages in Pseudoryzomys. Together, they form a unique assemblage within the oryzomyine tribe, a very diverse group including over one hundred species, mainly in South America. This tribe is part of the subfamily Sigmodontinae and family Cricetidae, which include many more species, mainly from Eurasia and the Americas. Pseudoryzomys simplex was independently described in 1888 on the basis of subfossil cave specimens from Brazil (as Hesperomys simplex); and in 1921 on the basis of a live specimen from Paraguay (as Oryzomys wavrini). This was confirmed in 1991 that both names pertained to the same species.

  1. ^ a b Percequillo et al., 2016
  2. ^ Voss and Myers, 1991, p. 418
  3. ^ Musser and Carleton, 2005, p. 1164


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