 In 2003, he formally described the animal as a new species, "Thomasomys ucucha", in a publication in "American Museum Novitates" in which he also reviewed the mammal fauna of Papallacta.The generic name, "Thomasomys", honors English zoologist Oldfield Thomas, who named about 2,900 taxa of mammals, and the specific name, "ucucha", is the local Quechua word for "mouse"."T.