Echimys
| Echimys Temporal range: Pleistocene to Recent | |
|---|---|
| Echimys chrysurus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Echimyidae |
| Subfamily: | Echimyinae |
| Tribe: | Echimyini |
| Genus: | Echimys F. Cuvier, 1809 |
| Type species | |
| Myoxus chrysurus Zimmermann, 1780 | |
| Species | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Echinomys Wagner, 1840 | |
Echimys is a genus of the spiny rats family, the Echimyidae. Members of this genus are collectively called spiny tree-rats.
The genus name Echimys, and also its synonym Echinomys, derive from the two Ancient Greek words ἐχῖνος (ekhînos), meaning "hedgehog", and μῦς (mûs), meaning "mouse, rat".