Allen's Cotton Rat
Sigmodon (Sigmodon) alleni Bailey, 1902
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
Allen's cotton rat (Sigmodon alleni) is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is endemic to western Mexico, where its distribution extends from Sinaloa to Oaxaca. The formerly recognized S. planifrons and S. vulcani are now considered conspecific with S. alleni by the IUCN.
This species lives in tropical and mixed forests. It creates runways in grassy areas and constructs nests out of grass in logs, under rocks, and in clumps of vegetation. It is affected by deforestation in its native range.
Wikipedia contributors, Allen's cotton rat; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:11:40.999325+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Sigmodon (Sigmodon) alleni Bailey, 1902
- Name authority
- Bailey, 1902
- Common name
- Allen's Cotton Rat
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Cricetidae
- Genus
- Sigmodon
- 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
- genusSigmodon Say & Ord, 1825
- subgenusSigmodon Say & Ord, 1825
- speciesSigmodon (Sigmodon) alleni Bailey, 1902
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Sigmodon. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Ecuadorian Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) inopinatus Anthony, 1924 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hispid Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) hispidus Say & Ord, 1825 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-eared Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) leucotis Bailey, 1902 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) hirsutus (Burmeister, 1854) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Peruvian Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) peruanus J. A. Allen, 1897 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Toltec Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) toltecus (Saussure, 1860) | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Miahuatlán Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) planifrons Nelson & Goldman, 1933 | CricetidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny-bellied Cotton RatSigmodon (Sigmodon) fulviventer J. A. Allen, 1889 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Sigmodon guerrerensis Nelson & Goldman, 1933 Nelson & Goldman, 1933 | synonym |
| Sigmodon macrodon Goodwin, 1955 Goodwin, 1955 | synonym |
| Sigmodon alleni vulcani J. A. Allen, 1906 J. A. Allen, 1906 | synonym |
| Sigmodon macdougalli Goodwin, 1955 Goodwin, 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=633356 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:6YPDW. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.