NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red Acouchi
Myoprocta acouchy (Erxleben, 1777)
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.
Location taken: Bronx Zoo, Bronx, NY USA. Names: Myoprocta acouchy (Erxleben, 1777), Akouchi ruz, Akuči zelený, Akuczi rudy, Cutias de Rabo, Green Acouchi, Greenish Acuchy, Groene acouchy, Grünes Acouchi, Red Acouch Classification: Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Rodentia > Agoutidae > Myoprocta > Myoprocta acouchy.
Photo by David J. Stang · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The red acouchi (Myoprocta acouchy), is a species of rodent in the acouchi genus, part of the family Dasyproctidae. It is found in the Guyanese subregion of the Amazon biome, including Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and Brazil, east of the Rio Branco and mainly north of the Amazon, with a few records from south of the Amazon. In the past, some authors have applied the name M. acouchy to the green acouchi instead and used M. exilis for the red acouchi, but this is now obsolete.
It not only hoards seeds, but also chews off the protruding sprouts to prevent germination.
Wikipedia contributors, Red acouchi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:14:47.267063+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Myoprocta acouchy (Erxleben, 1777)
- Name authority
- (Erxleben, 1777)
- Common name
- Red Acouchi
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Dasyproctidae
- Genus
- Myoprocta
- 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
- familyDasyproctidae Bonaparte, 1838
- genusMyoprocta Thomas, 1903
- speciesMyoprocta acouchy (Erxleben, 1777)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Myoprocta. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Green AcouchiMyoprocta pratti Pocock, 1913 | DasyproctidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Myoprocta exilis (Wagler, 1831) (Wagler, 1831) | synonym |
| Cavia acouchy Erxleben, 1777 Erxleben, 1777 | synonym |
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=584736 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:455G4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.