''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 ''Leopoldamys'' is a genus of rodents in the family Muridae The Muridae, or murids, are either the largest or second-largest family of rodents and of mammals, containing approximately 870 species, including many species of mice, rats, and gerb ...

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

List of species

Genus ''Maxomys'' - rajah rats: *

Mountain spiny rat The mountain spiny rat (''Maxomys alticola'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it i ...

, ''Maxomys alticola'' Thomas, 1888, Borneo * Small spiny rat, ''Maxomys baeodon'' Thomas, 1894, Borneo *

Bartels's spiny rat Bartels's spiny rat (''Maxomys bartelsii'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, ...

, ''Maxomys bartelsii'' Jentink, 1910, Java *

Dollman's spiny rat Dollman's spiny rat or Dollman's Sulawesi Maxomys (''Maxomys dollmani'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Su ...

, ''Maxomys dollmani'' Ellerman, 1941, Sulawesi *

Hellwald's spiny rat Hellwald's spiny rat (''Maxomys hellwaldii'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only on Sulawesi in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the ...

, ''Maxomys hellwaldii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi *

Sumatran spiny rat The Sumatran spiny rat (''Maxomys hylomyoides'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is only found on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Ocea ...

, ''Maxomys hylomyoides'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra *

Malayan mountain spiny rat The Malayan mountain spiny rat (''Maxomys inas'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, ...

, ''Maxomys inas'' Bonhote, 1906, Malayan Peninsula *

Fat-nosed spiny rat The fat-nosed spiny rat (''Maxomys inflatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Oce ...

, ''Maxomys inflatus'' Robinson and Kloss, 1916, Sumatra * Mo's spiny rat, ''Maxomys moi'' Robinson and Kloss, 1922, Vietnam, Laos *

Musschenbroek's spiny rat Musschenbroek's spiny rat (''Maxomys musschenbroekii'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the In ...

, ''Maxomys musschenbroekii'' Jentink, 1878, Sulawesi *

Chestnut-bellied spiny rat The chestnut-bellied spiny rat (''Maxomys ochraceiventer'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of co ...

, ''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 The Rajah spiny rat (''Maxomys rajah'') also known as the brown spiny rat is endemic to Thailand and Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, and adjacent islands (Payne'' et al.'', 1985). Distribution and ecology Corbet and Hill (1992) mention that ''Maxomys ...

, ''Maxomys rajah'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo *

Red spiny rat The red spiny rat (''Maxomys surifer''), also known as the Indomalayan maxomys, is a rodent species in the family Muridae that inhabits forests in Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and on the islands of Java, Borneo and Sumatra ...

, ''Maxomys surifer'' Miller, 1900, Sumatra, Java, Borneo *''

Maxomys tajuddinii ''Maxomys tajuddinii'' is a species of rodent in the genus ''Maxomys''. It is found in Indonesia and Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federat ...

'' Achmadi, Maryanto & Maharadatunkamsi, 2012, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo *

Watts's spiny rat Watts's spiny rat (''Maxomys wattsi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocea ...

, ''Maxomys wattsi'' Musser, 1991, Sulawesi *

Whitehead's spiny rat Whitehead's spiny rat (''Maxomys whiteheadi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name u ...

, ''Maxomys whiteheadi'' Thomas, 1894, Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo

List of species

References

Further reading