Coast Indigo vs Olive-gray Thomasomys

Indigofera miniata compared with Thomasomys cinereus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coast Indigo	Olive-gray Thomasomys
Kingdom	Plantae (식물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class	Magnoliopsida (목련강)	Mammalia (포유류)
Order	Fabales (콩목)	Rodentia (설치류)
Family	Fabaceae	Cricetidae
Genus	Indigofera	Thomasomys
Species	Indigofera miniata	Thomasomys cinereus

Conservation Status

Coast Indigo

LC — Least Concern

Olive-gray Thomasomys

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coast Indigo	Olive-gray Thomasomys
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coast Indigo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Olive-gray Thomasomys

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador.

Coast Indigo

Coast indigo (Indigofera miniata) is a perennial herb or subshrub in the family Fabaceae, native to the coastal scrub, pine barrens, and sandy grasslands of Cuba and the broader Caribbean region. Like other members of the genus Indigofera, it produces compound pinnate leaves and racemes of small, pea-type flowers, though in this species the flowers are notably small and pinkish to reddish. The genus Indigofera is best known for Indigofera tinctoria, the source of natural indigo dye, but most species including Indigofera miniata have not been commercially exploited for dye production. Coast indigo grows in open, sunny, often disturbed habitats including sandy coastal plains, roadsides, and degraded scrubland, benefiting from its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria—a common trait in the legume family. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting its ability to persist in disturbed and marginal coastal habitats across the Caribbean. Regional populations are affected by coastal development and vegetation clearance but are not considered globally threatened.