Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía
Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at least half are Extinction. Only Desmarest's hutia and the prehensile-tailed hutia remain common and widespread; all other Extant taxon species are considered threatened by the IUCN.
The extinct of the family Giant hutia also inhabited the Caribbean, but are not thought to be closely related, with the giant hutias belonging in the superfamily Caviomorpha.
Description
Most species have a head-and-body length that ranges from and weigh less than , but Desmarest's hutia has a head-and-body length of and weighs .
[Nowak, R. M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. 2. 6th edition. pp. 1703–1710. .] They resemble the
coypu in some respects. Tails are present, varying from vestiges to
Prehensility. They have stout bodies and large heads. Most species are
Herbivore, though some consume small animals. Instead of burrowing underground, they nest in trees or rock crevices.
They are hunted for food in Cuba, where they are often cooked in a large pot with wild nuts and honey. At the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base however, there is an over population due to an abundant food source and the lack of natural predators. Desmarest's hutias are referred to by those stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as banana rats.
Phylogeny
Molecular studies of phylogeny indicate that hutias nest within the Neotropical spiny rats (
Echimyidae).
Indeed, the hutia subfamily, Capromyinae, is the sister group to Owl's spiny rat
Carterodon.
In turn, this clade shares phylogenetic affinities with a subfamily of spiny rats, the Euryzygomatomyinae.
Within Capromyidae, the deepest split involves Plagiodontia with respect to other genera, followed by the divergence of Geocapromys. The latter genus is the sister group to a clade in which Capromys branches off before the Mesocapromys and Mysateles split.
Hutias colonized the islands of the Caribbean as far as the Bahamas by oceanic dispersal from South America,
Systematics
The systematics of the 10 extant and 11
extinct recognized species of Capromyidae is as follows.
Taxa known to be extinct are marked with a dagger (†).
- Subfamily Capromyinae
- ::Tribe Capromyini
- ::: Capromys
- ::::Garrido's hutia ( Capromys garridoi) (possibly extinct)
- :::: Desmarest's hutia ( Capromys pilorides)
- ::: Geocapromys
- :::: Jamaican hutia ( Geocapromys brownii)
- :::: Bahamian hutia ( Geocapromys ingrahami)
- :::: †Cayman hutia ( Geocapromys caymanensis)
- :::: †Cuban coney ( Geocapromys columbianus)
- :::: †Little Swan Island hutia ( Geocapromys thoracatus)
- ::: Mesocapromys
- :::: Cabrera's hutia ( Mesocapromys angelcabrerai)
- :::: Eared hutia ( Mesocapromys auritus)
- :::: Black-tailed hutia ( Mesocapromys melanurus)
- :::: Dwarf hutia ( Mesocapromys nana) (possibly extinct)
- :::: San Felipe hutia ( Mesocapromys sanfelipensis) (possibly extinct)
- ::: Mysateles
- :::: Prehensile-tailed hutia ( Mysateles prehensilis)
- ::Tribe † Hexolobodontini
- ::: † Hexolobodon
- :::: †Imposter hutia ( Hexolobodon phenax)
- :: Tribe Isolobodontini
- ::: † Isolobodon
- :::: †Montane hutia ( Isolobodon montanus)
- :::: †Puerto Rican hutia ( Isolobodon portoricensis)
- :: Tribe Plagiodontini
- :::: Plagiodontia
- ::::: Hispaniolan hutia ( Plagiodontia aedium)
- ::::: †Samaná hutia ( Plagiodontia ipnaeum)
- :::::†Small Haitian hutia ( Plagiodonta spelaeum)
- :::: † Hyperplagiodontia
- ::::: †Wide-toothed hutia ( Hyperplagiodontia araeum)
- :::: † Rhizoplagiodontia
- ::::: †Lemke's hutia ( Rhizoplagiodontia lemkei)
Religious significance
In Santería, hutia powder () is used as a ritual offering, especially to
Elegua.
External links
