''Clyomys'' is a South American rodent genus in the family Echimyidae. It contains two species, found in tropical savannas and grasslands from circa to elevation in central Brazil and eastern Paraguay. The term ''Clyomys'' derives from the two ancient greek words (, or ''clyo''), meaning "to listen, to prick up one's ears", and (), meaning "mouse, rat". The ''Clyomys '' species are as follows: *

Broad-headed spiny rat The broad-headed spiny rat (''Clyomys laticeps'') is a spiny rat species from South America. The etymology of the species name is the Latin word '' laticeps'' meaning "wide-headed". Description The species has a head-body length that ranges fro ...

(''Clyomys laticeps'') * † ''Clyomys riograndensis''

Phylogeny

''Clyomys'' is the sister genus to ''Euryzygomatomys''. Both taxa are closely related to the genus ''Trinomys''. In turn, these three genera — forming the clade of

Euryzygomatomyinae Euryzygomatinae is a subfamily of rodents, proposed in 2017, and containing three extant genera of spiny Echimyidae: '' Clyomys'', '' Euryzygomatomys'', and '' Trinomys''. Members of this echimyid subfamily all share an origin in the eastern pa ...

— share phylogenetic affinities with a clade containing '' Carterodon'' and members of the family Capromyidae. Analyses of craniodental characters proposed that ''Clyomys'' — and also ''Euryzygomatomys'' — may be associated with ''Carterodon''. However, molecular data suggest the

polyphyly A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of converg ...

of this assemblage of fossorial genera.

References

Echimyidae Rodent genera Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas {{Echimyidae-stub