NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Southern Plains Woodrat
Neotoma (Neotoma) micropus Baird, 1855
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.
Southern Plains Wood rat, Luna County NM, USA
Bongopete · 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 Southern Plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in northwest Mexico and in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas in the United States. The subspecies Neotoma micropus leucophaea: White Sands woodrat, is white in coloration and found only at White Sands National Park in New Mexico.
Wikipedia contributors, Southern Plains woodrat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:11:43.308088+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Neotoma (Neotoma) micropus Baird, 1855
- Name authority
- Baird, 1855
- Common name
- Southern Plains 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) micropus Baird, 1855
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 macropus surberi Elliot, 1899 Elliot, 1899 | synonym |
| Neotoma micropus canescens J. A. Allen, 1891 J. A. Allen, 1891 | synonym |
| Neotoma micropus leucophaea Goldman, 1933 Goldman, 1933 | synonym |
| Neotoma micropus littoralis Goldman, 1905 Goldman, 1905 | synonym |
| Neotoma micropus planiceps Goldman, 1905 Goldman, 1905 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
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=180376 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:46VCW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.