List of heteromyids


is a family of small mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Castorimorpha suborder. Members of this family are called heteromyids and include kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, and spiny pocket mice. They are found in North America, Central America, and the northwest tip of South America, primarily in forests, shrublands, and deserts, though some species can be found in grasslands or rocky areas. They range in size from Merriam's pocket mouse, at plus a tail, to Nelson's spiny pocket mouse, at plus a tail. Heteromyids are omnivores and primarily eat seeds, leaves, and other vegetation, as well as grain and insects. Almost no heteromyids have population estimates, though four species—the giant kangaroo rat, Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse, Nelson's spiny pocket mouse, and Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse—are categorized as endangered species, while the San Quintin kangaroo rat is categorized as critically endangered with a population of fewer than fifty mature adults.
The sixty-three extant species of Heteromyidae are divided into three subfamilies: Dipodomyinae, containing twenty–two species of kangaroo rats and kangaroo mice in two genera; Heteromyinae, containing a single genus of fourteen spiny pocket mouse species; and Perognathinae, containing twenty-seven pocket mouse species in two genera. A few extinct prehistoric heteromyid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed.

Conventions

The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the heteromyid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.

Classification

is a family consisting of sixty-three species in five genera. These genera are divided between three subfamilies: Dipodomyinae, containing the kangaroo rats and kangaroo mice; Heteromyinae, or the spiny pocket mice; and Perognathinae, or the pocket mice.
Family Heteromyidae
  • Subfamily Dipodomyinae
  • * Genus Dipodomys : twenty species
  • * Genus Microdipodops : two species
  • Subfamily Heteromyinae
  • * Genus Heteromys : fourteen species
  • Subfamily Perognathinae
  • * Genus Chaetodipus : eighteen species
  • * Genus Perognathus : nine species

    Heteromyids

The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World, with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.

Subfamily Dipodomyinae

Subfamily Heteromyinae

Subfamily Perognathinae