| Megaoryzomys curioi | |
|---|---|
| |
| Skull of M. curioi | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Cricetidae |
| Subfamily: | Sigmodontinae |
| Genus: | †Megaoryzomys Lenglet & Coppois, 1979 |
| Species: | †M. curioi
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Megaoryzomys curioi (Niethammer, 1964)
| |
Megaoryzomys curioi, also known as the Galápagos giant rat,2 is an extinct species of sigmodontine rodent, known only from Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos Islands. It likely met its demise when European settlers introduced invasive species to the island. It is the only species in the genus Megaoryzomys. Its relationships have historically been unclear; it has been placed in both Oryzomyini and Thomasomyini in the past. A 2021 study favoured placing it in the former on overall skull morphology.3
References
References
- Weksler, M.; Tirira, D.G. (2019). "Megaoryzomys curioi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T136657A22330270. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-1.RLTS.T136657A22330270.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 894–1531. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- Ronez, Christophe; Brito, Jorge; Hutterer, Rainer; Martin, Robert A.; Pardiñas, Ulyses F. J. (2021). "Tribal allocation and biogeographical significance of one of the largest sigmodontine rodent, the extinct Galápagos Megaoryzomys (Cricetidae)". Historical Biology. 33 (9): 1920–1932. Bibcode:2021HBio...33.1920R. doi:10.1080/08912963.2020.1752202. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 219054139.