NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
Heteromys irroratus Gray, 1868
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 Mexican spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys irroratus) is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is native to Mexico and Texas in the United States where it is found in dry, scrubby habitats. The IUCN has assessed it as being of "least concern". It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys.
Wikipedia contributors, Mexican spiny pocket mouse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:43:05.035321+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Heteromys irroratus Gray, 1868
- Name authority
- Gray, 1868
- Common name
- Mexican Spiny Pocket Mouse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Heteromyidae
- Genus
- Heteromys
- 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
- suborderCastorimorpha A. E. Wood, 1955
- familyHeteromyidae Gray, 1868
- subfamilyHeteromyinae Gray, 1868
- genusHeteromys Desmarest, 1817
- speciesHeteromys irroratus Gray, 1868
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Heteromys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Paraguaná Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys oasicus Anderson, 2003 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ecuadoran Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys teleus Anderson & Jarrín-Valladares, 2002 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Gaumer's Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys gaumeri J. A. Allen & Chapman, 1897 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Nelson's Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys nelsoni Merriam, 1902 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Painted Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys pictus Thomas, 1893 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Salvin's Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys salvini Thomas, 1893 | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Jaliscan Spiny Pocket MouseHeteromys spectabilis (Genoways, 1971) | HeteromyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Liomys irroratus (Gray, 1868) (Gray, 1868) | 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=1280364 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:P8LJY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.