''Zyzomys'' 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
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
s with unusually thick, long tails. Five
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of the
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 ...
are known in Australia, where they are called rock rats or thick-tailed rats. The genus was classified by
Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas
Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas (21 February 1858 – 16 June 1929) was a British zoologist.
Career
Thomas worked at the Natural History Museum on mammals, describing about 2,000 new species and subspecies for the first time. He was appointed ...
in 1909.
Taxonomy
There are five known species of rock-rat.
The central rock rat (''Zyzomys pedunculatus'') was once believed to be extinct until rediscovered in 1996.
*
Silver-tailed rock rat
The common rock rat (''Zyzomys argurus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia, where it lives in the rocky areas of woodlands, grasslands and low open forests, particularly on the talus, or scree, of cliff ...
, ''Zyzomys argurus''
*
Arnhem Land rock rat
The Arnhem Land rock rat (''Zyzomys maini'') also known as the Arnhem rock-rat and by the Indigenous Australian name of kodjperr is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in the Top End Region of the Northern Territory in Aust ...
, ''Zyzomys maini''
*
Carpentarian rock rat
The Carpentarian rock rat (''Zyzomys palatalis'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.
It is found only in Australia.
Taxonomy
The description of the species was published by Darrell Kitchener in 1989, emerging from a revision of the g ...
, ''Zyzomys palatilis''
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Central rock rat
The central rock rat (''Zyzomys pedunculatus''), also known as the central thick-tailed rock-rat, Macdonnell Range rock-rat, and Australian native mouse, is a critically endangered species of rodent in the family Muridae, endemic to Australia. ...
, ''Zyzomys pedunculatus''
*
Kimberley rock rat
The Kimberley rock rat (''Zyzomys woodwardi'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found only in Australia, specifically in the northern tropical part of the Northern Territory and adjacent Kimberley region of Western Australia, ...
, ''Zyzomys woodwardi''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q782897
Rodent genera
Taxa named by Oldfield Thomas