NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Dark Spiny Tree-rat
Echimys saturnus Thomas, 1928
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The dark spiny tree-rat (Echimys saturnus) is a species of rodent in the family Echimyidae. It is a rarely encountered and nocturnal species, found in eastern Ecuador and central Peru.
Compared to Echimys chrysurus, the main diagnostic character state of this Echimys species is the mostly black dorsal part of the head and body. In addition, E. saturnus can be distinguished from Echimys vieirai by possessing a venter spotted with white while it is uniformly grayish brown in the latter species.
Wikipedia contributors, Dark spiny tree-rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:16:31.104712+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Echimys saturnus Thomas, 1928
- Name authority
- Thomas, 1928
- Common name
- Dark Spiny Tree-rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Echimyidae
- Genus
- Echimys
- 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
- familyEchimyidae Gray, 1825
- subfamilyEchimyinae Gray, 1825
- tribeEchimyini Gray, 1825
- genusEchimys G. Cuvier, 1809
- speciesEchimys saturnus Thomas, 1928
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Echimys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| White-faced Spiny Tree-ratEchimys chrysurus (Zimmermann, 1780) | EchimyidaeChordata | 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=584810 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:38FMZ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.