NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Ashaninka Arboreal Chinchilla Rat
Cuscomys ashaninka Emmons, 1999
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Cuscomys ashaninka Map
Ubs6u!d-pongsakorn · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat (Cuscomys ashaninka) is a large species of chinchilla rats from the Andes of far northern Cusco in Peru. It was first scientifically described in 1999.
The first specimen of this species was discovered by Louise Emmons, a researcher of the Smithsonian Institution from Washington, D.C., who found it by chance while climbing in the Vilcabamba Mountains near Machu Picchu. Emmons named the genus after the city of Cusco, and she named the species for the Asháninka people who live in Peru.
Wikipedia contributors, Asháninka arboreal chinchilla rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T13:08:54.735082+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cuscomys ashaninka Emmons, 1999
- Name authority
- Emmons, 1999
- Common name
- Ashaninka Arboreal Chinchilla Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Abrocomidae
- Genus
- Cuscomys
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderHystricomorpha Brandt, 1855
- infraorderHystricognathi Brandt, 1855
- familyAbrocomidae Miller & Gidley, 1918
- genusCuscomys Emmons, 1999
- speciesCuscomys ashaninka Emmons, 1999
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cuscomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Machu Picchu Arboreal Chinchilla RatCuscomys oblativa (Eaton, 1916) | AbrocomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=825342 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:32LKM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.