NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Tomes's Rice Rat
Nephelomys albigularis (Tomes, 1860)
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
Nephelomys albigularis, also known as the white-throated oryzomys or Tomes's rice rat, is a species of rodent in the genus Nephelomys of family Cricetidae. Described in 1860, it was the first Nephelomys species to be discovered. It was originally described in the defunct genus Hesperomys as Hesperomys albigularis and considered related to the much smaller H. longicaudatus (currently Oligoryzomys longicaudatus). By 1894, it was placed in Oryzomys, as Oryzomys albigularis, and associated with what is now Nephelomys meridensis. In the early 1960s, the scope of the species was considerably expanded to include most of the species that are now in Nephelomys, as well as a single name, boliviae, that is currently a synonym of Euryoryzomys nitidus. From 1976 on, several of these were reinstated as separate species. In 2006, a phylogenetic analysis by Marcelo Weksler of the oryzomyine tribe, in which both Oryzomys and Nephelomys are classified, provided strong evidence that Oryzomys as recognized then was a polyphyletic genus. O. albigularis and one of its former synonyms, O.
Wikipedia contributors, Nephelomys albigularis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:06:50.545061+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nephelomys albigularis (Tomes, 1860)
- Name authority
- (Tomes, 1860)
- Common name
- Tomes's Rice Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Nephelomys
- 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
- genusNephelomys Weksler, Percequillo & Voss, 2006
- speciesNephelomys albigularis (Tomes, 1860)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nephelomys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Light-footed Rice RatNephelomys levipes (Thomas, 1902) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ecuadorean Rice RatNephelomys auriventer (Thomas, 1899) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Costa Central OryzomysNephelomys caracolus (Thomas, 1914) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nephelomys pectoralis (J. A. Allen, 1912) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nephelomys childi (Thomas, 1895) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Boquete Rice RatNephelomys devius (Bangs, 1902) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Oryzomys albigularis (Tomes, 1860) (Tomes, 1860) | 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=972493 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:6S8Z9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.