''Maxomys'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of rodents, widespread in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. They are mid-sized rodents, similar to

rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

s, that live on the ground of

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

s. There they build nests, padded with fallen leaves from trees. They feed on roots, fallen fruit, and other plants, as well as insects. All species are shy and avoid food from humans. The genus ''Maxomys'' was originally considered a

subgenus In biology, a subgenus ( subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the ge ...

of ''Rattus'', the rat genus. When it became established as its own genus in the 1960s, ''Maxomys'' was often combined with the genera ''

Niviventer ''Niviventer'' is a genus of rodent in the family Muridae endemic to Southeast Asia. It contains the following species: * Anderson's white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer andersoni'' * Brahma white-bellied rat, ''Niviventer brahma'' * '' Niviventer b ...

'' and '' Leopoldamys''. In the currently accepted taxonomy, Musser, Marshall, and Boeadi established ''Maxomys'' in 1979.

List of species

Genus ''Maxomys'' - rajah rats: * Mountain spiny rat, ''Maxomys alticola'' Thomas, 1888, Borneo * Small spiny rat, ''Maxomys baeodon'' Thomas, 1894, Borneo * Bartels's spiny rat, ''Maxomys bartelsii'' Jentink, 1910, Java * Dollman's spiny rat, ''Maxomys dollmani'' Ellerman, 1941, Sulawesi * Hellwald's spiny rat, ''Maxomys hellwaldii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi * Sumatran spiny rat, ''Maxomys hylomyoides'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra * Malayan mountain spiny rat, ''Maxomys inas'' Bonhote, 1906, Malayan Peninsula * Fat-nosed spiny rat, ''Maxomys inflatus'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra * Mo's spiny rat, ''Maxomys moi'' Robinson and Kloss, 1922, Vietnam, Laos * Musschenbroek's spiny rat, ''Maxomys musschenbroekii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi * Chestnut-bellied spiny rat, ''Maxomys ochraceiventer'' Thomas, 1894, Borneo * Pagai spiny rat, ''Maxomys pagensis'' Miller, 1903, Mentawai Islands * Palawan spiny rat, ''Maxomys panglima'' Robinson, 1921, Palawan and neighboring islands * Rajah spiny rat, ''Maxomys rajah'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo * Red spiny rat, ''Maxomys surifer'' Miller, 1900, Sumatra, Java, Borneo *'' Maxomys tajuddinii'' Achmadi, Maryanto & Maharadatunkamsi, 2012, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo * Watts's spiny rat, ''Maxomys wattsi'' Musser, 1991, Sulawesi * Whitehead's spiny rat, ''Maxomys whiteheadi'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo

List of species

References

Further reading