Aegialomys

Taxobox | name = "Aegialomys"
fossil_range = Recent
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
familia = Cricetidae
subfamilia = Sigmodontinae
tribus = Oryzomyini
genus = "Aegialomys"
genus_authority = Weksler et al., 2006
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text

"Aegialomys" is a genus of oryzomyine rodents from the lowlands and mountains of western Peru and Ecuador, including the Galápagos Islands. The species in this genus have historically been placed in "Oryzomys", but according to cladistic research, the genus is more closely related to a group containing, among others, "Nectomys" and "Sigmodontomys", than to "Oryzomys". The generic name "Aegialomys" means "coastal mouse" in Ancient Greek (polytonic|αιγιαλός "coast" and polytonic|μῦς "mouse") and references the mostly coastal occurrence of the species in the genus.

"Aegialomys" species have a greyish to buff dorsal pelage which is divided sharply from the white to light yellow ventral pelage. They have relatively short ears. There are crowns of hair at the bases of the toes. The tail is equal to or longer than the body and is darker above than below.

There are two commonly recognized and described species in the genus, the mainland Yellowish Rice Rat ("A. xanthaeolus"), the type species, and the Galapagos Rice Rat ("A. galapagoensis"). There is however a third, undescribed species occurring on the Ecuadorean coast and the status of the two junior synonyms of "A. xanthaeolus", "ica" Osgood, 1944 and "baroni" J.A. Allen, 1897, is currently unresolved. Also, the subspecies "A. galapagoensis bauri" is sometimes considered a separate species.

The genus currently comprises the following species:
*Galapagos Rice Rat (Galápagos Islands)
*Yellowish Rice Rat (western Ecuador and western Peru)

References

*Weksler, M., A. R. Percequillo, and R.S. Voss. 2006. Ten new genera of oryzomyine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae). American Museum Novitates 3537:1-29.