View source for Hutia

{{Short description|Rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{Fossilrange|Early Miocene|Recent}}
| image = Capromys pilorides.jpg
| image_caption = [[Desmarest's hutia]] (''Capromys pilorides'')
| taxon = Capromyinae
| authority = [[Charles Hamilton Smith|Smith]], 1842
| type_genus = ''[[Capromys]]''
| type_genus_authority = [[Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest|Desmarest]], 1822
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = Tribe [[Capromyini]]
*''[[Capromys]]''
*''[[Geocapromys]]''
*''[[Mesocapromys]]''
*''[[Mysateles]]''
Tribe [[Plagiodontini]]
*''[[Plagiodontia]]''
* †''[[Hyperplagiodontia]]''
* †''[[Rhizoplagiodontia]]''
†Tribe [[Hexolobodontini]]<br />
* †''[[Hexolobodon]]''
†Tribe [[Isolobodontini]]<br />
* †''[[Isolobodon]]''
}}

'''Hutias''' (known in [[Caribbean Spanish|Spanish]] as '''jutía'''<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-48021656|title = Cuba's government mocked by stampede of ostrich memes|work = BBC News|date = 23 April 2019}}</ref>) are moderately large [[Caviinae|cavy]]-like [[rodent]]s of the subfamily '''Capromyinae''' that inhabit the [[List of Caribbean islands|Caribbean islands]]. Most species are restricted to [[Cuba]], but species are known from all of the [[Greater Antilles]], as well as [[The Bahamas]] and (formerly) [[Swan Islands, Honduras|Little Swan Island]] off of [[Honduras]]. 

Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but at least half are [[Extinction|extinct]]. Only [[Desmarest's hutia]] and the [[prehensile-tailed hutia]] remain common and widespread; all other [[Extant taxon|extant]] species are considered [[Threatened species|threatened]] by the [[IUCN]]. 

The extinct [[giant hutia]]s of the family [[Giant hutia|Heptaxodontidae]] also inhabited the Caribbean, but are not thought to be closely related, with the giant hutias belonging in the superfamily [[Caviomorpha|Chinchilloidea]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fabre|first1=Pierre-Henri|last2=Vilstrup|first2=Julia T.|last3=Raghavan|first3=Maanasa|last4=Der Sarkissian|first4=Clio|last5=Willerslev|first5=Eske|last6=Douzery|first6=Emmanuel J. P.|last7=Orlando|first7=Ludovic|date=July 2014|title=Rodents of the Caribbean: origin and diversification of hutias unravelled by next-generation museomics|journal=Biology Letters|volume=10|issue=7|doi=10.1098/rsbl.2014.0266|issn=1744-9561|pmc=4126619|pmid=25115033}}</ref>

== Description ==
Most species have a head-and-body length that ranges from {{convert|21|to|46|cm|abbr=on}} and weigh less than {{convert|2|kg|abbr=on}}, but [[Desmarest's hutia]] has a head-and-body length of {{convert|31|to|60|cm|abbr=on}} and weighs {{convert|2.8|-|8.5|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref>Nowak, R. M. (1999). ''Walker's Mammals of the World.'' Vol. 2. 6th edition. pp. 1703–1710. {{ISBN|0-8018-5789-9}}.</ref> They resemble the [[coypu]] in some respects. Tails are present, varying from vestiges to [[Prehensility|prehensile]]. They have stout bodies and large heads. Most species are [[Herbivore|herbivorous]], 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''.<ref name=SailorsVolunteer2008-09-23>{{Cite web
  | last = Larson
  | first = Vaughn
  | title = Sailor Volunteers to Help Base Environment
  | publisher = Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
  | date = 23 September 2008
  | url = http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=39765
  | access-date = 24 September 2011}}</ref>
Banana rats are not named for their dietary preference, but because their feces look like small versions of the fruit. They are known to come out at night.

== Phylogeny ==
Molecular studies of phylogeny indicate that hutias nest within the Neotropical spiny rats ([[Echimyidae]]).<ref name="Fabre2014">{{cite journal|last1=Fabre |first1=Pierre-Henri |last2=Vilstrup |first2=Julia T. |last3=Raghavan |first3=Maanasa |last4=Der Sarkissian |first4=Clio |last5=Willerslev |first5=Eske |last6=Douzery |first6=Emmanuel J. P. |last7=Orlando |first7=Ludovic |title= Rodents of the Caribbean: origin and diversification of hutias unravelled by next-generation museomics|journal= Biology Letters|volume= 10|issue= 7|date=2014-07-01|pages= 20140266|doi= 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0266|pmid=25115033 |pmc=4126619}}</ref> Indeed, the hutia subfamily, Capromyinae, is the sister group to Owl's spiny rat ''[[Owl's spiny rat|Carterodon]]''.<ref name="Fabre2017"/> In turn, this clade shares phylogenetic affinities with a subfamily of spiny rats, the [[Euryzygomatomyinae]].<ref name="Fabre2017"/>

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.

{{cladogram
   |title=Genus-level cladogram of the Capromyidae<br> with their relationship to ''Carterodon'' and Euryzygomatomyinae.
   |caption=The cladogram has been reconstructed from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA characters.<ref name="Galewski2005">{{Cite journal |last1=Galewski |first1=Thomas |last2=Mauffrey |first2=Jean-François |last3=Leite |first3=Yuri L. R. |last4=Patton |first4=James L. |last5=Douzery |first5=Emmanuel J. P. |year=2005 |title=Ecomorphological diversification among South American spiny rats (Rodentia; Echimyidae): a phylogenetic and chronological approach |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=601–615 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2004.11.015|pmid=15683932 |bibcode=2005MolPE..34..601G }}</ref><ref name="Upham2012">{{Cite journal |last1=Upham |first1=Nathan S. |last2=Patterson |first2=Bruce D. |year=2012 |title=Diversification and biogeography of the Neotropical caviomorph lineage Octodontoidea (Rodentia: Hystricognathi) |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=63 |issue=2 |pages=417–429 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.020|pmid=22327013 |bibcode=2012MolPE..63..417U }}</ref><ref name="Fabre2013">{{Cite journal |last1=Fabre |first1=Pierre-Henri |last2=Galewski |first2=Thomas |last3=Tilak |first3=Marie-ka |last4=Douzery |first4=Emmanuel J. P. |date=2013-03-01 |title=Diversification of South American spiny rats (Echimyidae): a multigene phylogenetic approach |journal=Zoologica Scripta |language=en |volume=42 |issue=2 |pages=117–134 |doi=10.1111/j.1463-6409.2012.00572.x |s2cid=83639441 |issn=1463-6409}}</ref><ref name="Fabre2014"/><ref name="Upham2015">{{Cite book| last1=Upham| first1=Nathan S.| last2=Patterson| first2=Bruce D.| editor-last1=Vassallo| editor-first1=Aldo Ivan| editor-last2=Antenucci| editor-first2=Daniel| title=Biology of caviomorph rodents: diversity and evolution| publisher=SAREM Series A, Mammalogical Research — Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos| year=2015| pages=63–120| chapter=Evolution of Caviomorph rodents: a complete phylogeny and timetree for living genera| location=Buenos Aires}}</ref><ref name="Fabre2017">{{Cite journal|last1=Fabre|first1=Pierre-Henri|last2=Upham|first2=Nathan S.|last3=Emmons|first3=Louise H.|last4=Justy|first4=Fabienne|last5=Leite|first5=Yuri L. R.|last6=Loss|first6=Ana Carolina |last7=Orlando|first7=Ludovic|last8=Tilak|first8=Marie-Ka|last9=Patterson|first9=Bruce D.|last10=Douzery|first10=Emmanuel J. P.|date=2017-03-01|title=Mitogenomic Phylogeny, Diversification, and Biogeography of South American Spiny Rats|journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution|volume=34|issue=3|pages=613–633|doi=10.1093/molbev/msw261|issn=0737-4038|pmid=28025278|doi-access=free}}</ref>
   |align=center
   |clades={{Cladogram of Euryzygomatomyinae + Carterodon + Capromyidae genera}}
}}

Hutias colonized the islands of the Caribbean as far as the [[Bahamas]] by [[Oceanic dispersal]] from South America,<ref name="Hedges1996">{{cite journal|last1=Hedges|first1=S. Blair|title=Historical biogeography of West Indian vertebrates|journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics|volume=27|issue=1|date= November 1996|pages= 163–196|doi= 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.27.1.163|bibcode=1996AnRES..27..163H }}</ref><ref name = "Hedges2006">{{Cite journal | last = Hedges | first = S. Blair  | title = Paleogrography of the Antilles and Origin of West Indian Terrestrial Vertebrates | journal = Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden | volume = 93 | issue = 2 | pages = 231–244| date = 2006-08-23 | doi = 10.3417/0026-6493(2006)93[231:POTAAO]2.0.CO;2| s2cid = 198149958 | url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/390680 }}</ref> reaching the Greater Antilles by the early [[Oligocene]].<ref name="Vélez-Juarbe2014">{{cite journal|last1= Vélez-Juarbe|first1= J.|last2=Martin|first2= T.|last3= Macphee|first3=R. D. E.|last4=Ortega-Ariza|first4=D.|title=The earliest Caribbean rodents: Oligocene caviomorphs from Puerto Rico|journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology|volume=34|issue=1|date= January 2014|pages= 157–163|doi= 10.1080/02724634.2013.789039|bibcode= 2014JVPal..34..157V|s2cid= 140178414}}</ref> This was facilitated by the direction of prevailing currents.

== Systematics ==
[[Image:Capromys prehensilis (Harvard University).JPG|thumb|[[Prehensile-tailed hutia]] (''Mysateles prehensilis'')]]

The systematics of the 10 extant and 11 [[extinct]] recognized species of Capromyidae is as follows.<ref name = "MSW3_Capromyidae">{{MSW3 Hystricognathi | id = 13400562 | pages = 1575–1592 | heading = Family Capromyidae}}</ref><ref name="Fabre2016">{{Cite book|title=Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol 6. Lagomorphs and Rodents I|last1=Fabre|first1=Pierre-Henri|last2=Patton|first2=James L.|last3=Leite|first3=Yuri L. R.|year=2016|isbn=978-84-941892-3-4|editor-last1=Wilson|editor-first1=Don E.|editor-last2=Lacher|editor-first2=Thomas E. Jr|editor-last3=Mittermeier|editor-first3=Russell A.|publisher=Lynx Edicions|location=Barcelona|pages=552–641|chapter=Family Echimyidae (hutias, South American spiny-rats and coypu)|title-link=Handbook of the Mammals of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Database|first=Mammal Diversity|title=Mammal Diversity Database|date=2021-08-10|doi=10.5281/zenodo.5175993|url=https://zenodo.org/record/5175993|access-date=2021-09-27}}</ref> 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'')

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Hutia}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100603035643/http://www.thelastsurvivors.org/ The last survivors conservation project] (archived 3 June 2010)

{{Rodents}}
{{Capromyidae nav}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q651787}}

[[Category:Hutias| ]]
[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Mammal subfamilies]]