NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Eastern Woodrat
Neotoma (Neotoma) floridana (Ord, 1818)
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 eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana), also known as the Florida woodrat or bush rat, is a pack rat native to the central and Eastern United States. It constructs large dens that may serve as nests for many generations and stores food in outlying caches for the winter. While widespread and not uncommon, it has declined or disappeared in several areas.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern woodrat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:26:20.461861+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neotoma (Neotoma) floridana (Ord, 1818)
- Name authority
- (Ord, 1818)
- Common name
- Eastern Woodrat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Neotoma
- 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
- suborderMyomorpha Brandt, 1855
- superfamilyMuroidea Illiger, 1811
- familyCricetidae Fischer, 1817
- subfamilyNeotominae Merriam, 1894
- genusNeotoma Say & Ord, 1825
- subgenusNeotoma Say & Ord, 1825
- speciesNeotoma (Neotoma) floridana (Ord, 1818)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Neotoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bushy-tailed WoodratNeotoma (Teonoma) cinerea (Ord, 1815) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arizona WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) devia Goldman, 1927 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky-footed WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) fuscipes Baird, 1857 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Goldman's WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) goldmani Merriam, 1903 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-toothed WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) leucodon Merriam, 1894 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Allegheny WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) magister Baird, 1857 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Turner Island woodratNeotoma (Neotoma) varia Burt, 1932 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sonoran WoodratNeotoma (Teanopus) phenax (Merriam, 1903) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) albigula Hartley, 1894 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tamaulipan WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) angustapalata Baker, 1951 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bryant's WoodratNeotoma (Neotoma) bryanti Merriam, 1887 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bunker's Wood RatNeotoma (Neotoma) bunkeri Burt, 1932 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Neotoma attwateri Mearns, 1897 Mearns, 1897 | synonym |
| Neotoma campestris J. A. Allen, 1894 J. A. Allen, 1894 | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana floridana (Ord, 1818) (Ord, 1818) | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana haematoreia A. H. Howell, 1934 A. H. Howell, 1934 | synonym |
| Neotoma baileyi Merriam, 1894 Merriam, 1894 | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana illinoensis A. H. Howell, 1910 A. H. Howell, 1910 | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana osagensis Blair, 1939 Blair, 1939 | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana rubida Bangs, 1898 Bangs, 1898 | synonym |
| Neotoma floridana smalli Sherman, 1955 Sherman, 1955 | 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=180372 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:46VCG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.