''Bandicota'' is a genus of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are n ...

s from

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

known as the bandicoot rats. Their common name and genus name are derived from the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fam ...

word ''pandikokku'' (పందికొక్కు). DNA studies have found the group to be a monophyletic clade sister to the radiation of

Molucca The Maluku Islands (; Indonesian: ''Kepulauan Maluku'') or the Moluccas () are an archipelago in the east of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located ...

and Australian ''

Rattus ''Rattus'' is a genus of muroid rodents, all typically called rats. However, the term rat can also be applied to rodent species outside of this genus. Species and description The best-known ''Rattus'' species are the black rat (''R. rattus'') ...

'' species as part of the paraphyletic ''Rattus'' ''sensu lato''.

Species

Greater bandicoot rat The greater bandicoot rat or Indian bandicoot rat (''Bandicota indica'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae found in Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam akist ...

(''B. indica'') Bechstein, 1800 *

Lesser bandicoot rat The lesser bandicoot rat, Sindhi rice rat, bengal rat or Indian mole-rat (''Bandicota bengalensis'') is a giant rat of South Asia, Southern Asia, not related to the true bandicoots which are marsupials. They can be up to 40 cm long (includin ...

(''B. bengalensis'') Gray and Hardwicke, 1833 * Savile's bandicoot rat (''B. savilei'') Thomas, 1916

References

Rodent genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray {{Murinae-stub