NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Arboreal Rice Rat
Oecomys speciosus (J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1893)
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
Oecomys speciosus, also known as the savannah oecomys, arboreal rice rat, or Venezuelan arboreal rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Oecomys of family Cricetidae. It ranges over northeastern Colombia and much of Venezuela, including the island of Trinidad. This rodent lives in tropical rainforest and tropical dry forest, including secondary forest and gallery forest, as well as in savanna habitat.
Wikipedia contributors, Oecomys speciosus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:08:18.631318+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oecomys speciosus (J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1893)
- Name authority
- (J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1893)
- Common name
- Arboreal Rice Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Oecomys
- 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
- subfamilySigmodontinae Wagner, 1843
- genusOecomys Thomas, 1906
- speciesOecomys speciosus (J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1893)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oecomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bicolored Arboreal Rice RatOecomys bicolor (Tomes, 1860) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Cleber's Arboreal Rice RatOecomys cleberi Locks, 1981 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Concolored Rice RatOecomys concolor (Wagner, 1845) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mamore Arboreal Rice RatOecomys mamorae (Thomas, 1906) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| King Arboreal Rice RatOecomys rex Thomas, 1910 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red Arboreal Rice RatOecomys rutilus Anthony, 1921 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Foothill Arboreal Rice RatOecomys superans Thomas, 1911 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Oecomys sydandersoni Carleton, Emmons & Musser, 2009 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Robert's Arboreal Rice RatOecomys roberti (Thomas, 1904) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atlantic Forest OecomysOecomys catherinae Thomas, 1909 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny OecomysOecomys flavicans (Thomas, 1894) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brazilian Arboreal Rice RatOecomys paricola (Thomas, 1904) | CricetidaeChordata | 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=633196 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:48V5C. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.