Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 26, 2026

Sooretamys

Sooretamys angouya, also known as the rat-headed rice rat, and Paraguayan rice rat, is a rodent species from South America. It is found in northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay in forested areas within the Atlantic Forest and cerrado. Since 2006, it has been classified as the only species in the genus Sooretamys; previously, it was included in the genus Oryzomys. Its taxonomic history has been complex, with the names Oryzomys angouya, Oryzomys buccinatus, and Oryzomys ratticeps in use for various parts of the species at different times. Some variation in its karyotype has been reported, with 2n = 80 to 82 and FN = 88 to 90.

Last revised
Jun 26, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
277 w
Citations
7
Source
Sooretamys
Bone of rice rat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Sigmodontinae
Genus: Sooretamys
Weksler et al. 2006
Species:
S. angouya
Binomial name
Sooretamys angouya
(Fischer, 1814)
Synonyms
  • Oryzomys angouya (Fischer, 1814)
  • Oryzomys angouya (Desmarest, 1819)
  • Oryzomys buccinatus (Olfers, 1818)
  • Oryzomys ratticeps (Hensel, 1872)
  • [Sooretamys] angouya: Weksler et al., 2006

Sooretamys angouya, also known as the rat-headed rice rat,2 and Paraguayan rice rat,2 is a rodent species from South America.3 It is found in northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil and Paraguay in forested areas within the Atlantic Forest and cerrado.1 Since 2006, it has been classified as the only species in the genus Sooretamys; previously, it was included in the genus Oryzomys. Its taxonomic history has been complex, with the names Oryzomys angouya, Oryzomys buccinatus, and Oryzomys ratticeps in use for various parts of the species at different times.3 Some variation in its karyotype has been reported, with 2n = 80 to 82 and FN = 88 to 90.3

References

References

  1. Percequillo et al., 2008
  2. Duff and Lawson, 2004
  3. Musser and Carleton, 2005

Literature cited