Jaliscan Spiny Pocket Mouse

Open encyclopedia reference

The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys spectabilis) is a species of heteromyid rodent endemic to Mexico. The specific name spectabilis means "striking", and refers to the animal's relatively bright coloration. It was formerly placed in the genus Liomys, which is now recognized to be paraphyletic and has been subsumed into Heteromys. The Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse is a relatively large member of its genus, measuring 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) in head-body length, with a tail about the same length again. Adult males weigh about 68 g (2.4 oz) on average, while females are significantly smaller, weighing 51 g (1.8 oz) on average. The fur is reddish brown over the back and flanks, and consists of fine soft hair beneath, and almost entirely hidden by, a dense coat of stiff spines. The flanks are also marked with a bright ochre stripe running lengthways down the body, while the underparts are white. The mouse is found only in southeast Jalisco in Mexico.

Wikipedia contributors, Jaliscan 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 2026-10-05T12:44:01.252752+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Heteromys spectabilis (Genoways, 1971)

Name authority

(Genoways, 1971)

Common name

Jaliscan 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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
9. subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
10. infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
11. orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
12. suborderCastorimorpha A. E. Wood, 1955
13. familyHeteromyidae Gray, 1868
14. subfamilyHeteromyinae Gray, 1868
15. genusHeteromys Desmarest, 1817
16. speciesHeteromys spectabilis (Genoways, 1971)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Heteromys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 52 records assigned to Heteromyidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1280365 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:P8LN3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.