{{Short description|Species of mammal}} {{speciesbox | name = Desmarest's hutia | image = Demarest's hutia.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn">{{cite iucn |author=Turvey, S.T. |author2=Kennerley, R. |year=2024 |title=''Capromys pilorides'' |article-number=e.T3842A22187031 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T3842A22187031.en}}</ref> | display_parents = 3 | genus = Capromys | species = pilorides | authority = Say, 1822 | subdivision_ranks = Subspecies | subdivision = *''C. p. pilorides'' *''C. p. ciprianoi'' *''C. p. doceleguas'' *''C. p. gundlachianus'' <small>(Varona, 1983)</small> *''C. p. relictus'' *{{extinct}}''C. p. lewisi'' <small>Morgan, MacPhee, R. Woods, & Turvey, 2019</small> | range_map = Capromys Map.jpg }}
'''Desmarest's hutia''' or the '''Cuban hutia''' ('''''Capromys pilorides''''') is a stout, furry, rat-like mammal found only on Cuba and nearby islands. Growing to about {{cvt|60|cm|ft|0}}, it normally lives in pairs and feeds on leaves, fruit, bark and sometimes small animals. It is the largest living hutia (subfamily Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct. Desmarest's hutia remains widespread throughout its range, though one subspecies (''C. p. lewisi'') native to the nearby Cayman Islands went extinct shortly after European colonization in the 1500s.<ref name = MSW3>{{MSW3 Hystricognathi | id = 13400566 | page = 1594 | heading = Species ''Capromys pilorides''}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Turvey|first1=Sam|last2=Woods|first2=Roseina|last3=MacPhee|first3=R. D. E.|last4=Morgan|first4=Gary S.|date=2019-03-04|title=Late Quaternary fossil mammals from the Cayman Islands, West Indies|journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History|volume=428 |hdl=2246/6928 |url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/6928|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Description== The Desmarest's hutia has a head-and-body length of {{convert|31|-|60|cm|abbr=on}}, a tail that is {{convert|14|-|29|cm|abbr=on}} long, and weigh {{convert|2.8|-|8.5|kg|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Walker>{{cite book|author=Nowak, R. M. |year=1999|title=Walker's Mammals of the World|volume= 2|edition=6th |page=1706 |isbn=0-8018-5789-9}}</ref> It has thick, coarse fur which extends to the tip of the tail. The colour of the body fur varies from black to brown, with a light sand colour and red also seen. The body is stocky and the legs short. It moves with a slow, waddling gait, but can perform a quick hop when pursued. The feet have five toes with large claws which assist the animal in climbing. The stomach is divided into three compartments by constrictions in the gut and is among the most complex of any rodent.<ref name=Walker/>
Its karyotype has 2n = 40 and FN = 64.<ref name = MSW3/>
==Habitat and distribution== The Desmarest's hutia is found in a wide range of habitats. In northern Cuba, populations tend to be centred on areas where there are abundant mangroves, while southern populations tend to favour a more terrestrial habitat. They are abundant in Guantánamo Province, particularly around the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. In the mountainous areas of eastern Cuba, numbers of Desmarest's hutia are decreasing.
thumb|left|229px|Desmarest's hutia shelters in thick mangroves The Desmarest's hutia is found only in Cuba, but is widespread throughout its range. They are found on the main island, Isla de la Juventud, the Sabana archipelago, the Doce Lagunas archipelago and many of the other islands and cays of the Cuban archipelago. An extinct subspecies, ''C. p. lewisi'', formerly lived in the Cayman Islands before it was wiped out shortly after European colonization.<ref name=":0" /> This subspecies may have been the subject of a report by Francis Drake when he visited the islands, in which he spoke of "little beast-like cats" and "coneys" throughout the area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mammal-species-new-cayman-islands-crocodile-zsl-fossils-extinction-a8808166.html|title=Three new mammal species discovered in Cayman Islands after bones found inside crocodiles|date=2019-03-05|website=The Independent|language=en|access-date=2019-03-06}}</ref>
==Behaviour and reproduction== Desmarest's hutias normally live in pairs, but can be found individually or in small groups. They are diurnal and do not burrow, so during the night they rest in hollows in rocks or trees. They are omnivorous but eat mostly bark, leaves and fruit. Occasionally they will take small vertebrates such as lizards. Both males and females scent mark their territory with urine. They breed throughout the year with a gestation period of between 110 and 140 days (normally around 120 to 126 days), although peak breeding season is in June/July. They normally produce between one and three young, weighing an average of {{cvt|230|g|oz}}. The young are precocial, with fur, fully open eyes and the ability to walk. They are weaned at around five months and reach sexual maturity at around ten months. In captivity they live for eight to eleven years.
==Interaction with humans== thumb|left|229px|Desmarest's hutia in zoo Hutias were traditionally hunted for food in Cuba as their flesh was agreeable and their size meant they provided a substantial meal.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Capromys_pilorides/#economic_importance_positive | title=Capromys pilorides (Desmarest's hutia)| website=Animal Diversity Web}}</ref> The Wild Animals Protection Act of 1968 made it illegal to hunt or kill hutias without a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. In some areas they are so abundant that they cause damage to crops and are viewed as a pest.
==Taxonomy== The genus name ''Capromys'' derives from the two ancient greek words {{wikt-lang|grc|κάπρος}} ({{grc-transl|κάπρος}}), meaning "pig, boar", and {{wikt-lang|grc|μῦς}} ({{grc-transl|μῦς}}), meaning "mouse, rat".<ref>{{Cite book |title=Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français|last=Bailly|first=Anatole |date=1981-01-01 |publisher=Hachette |isbn=978-2-01-003528-9 |location=Paris |oclc=461974285}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tabularium.be/bailly/ |title=Greek-french dictionary online |last=Bailly |first=Anatole|website=www.tabularium.be|access-date=2017-10-15}}</ref>
First described by Pallas in 1788 as ''Mys pilorides'', it was later noted that Desmarest's hutia did not belong in that genus, and it was placed in the genus ''Capromys'' by Tate in 1935. Five extant subspecies are recorded: ''ciprianoi'', ''doceleguas'', ''gundlachianus'', ''pilorides'', and ''relictus''. Studies have so far shown no genetic differences between the two subspecies ''ciprianoi'' and ''relictus'' found on Isla de la Juventud, but a 5% sequence deviation by ''gundlachianus'' found on Cayo Fragoso.<ref name = MSW3/> The common name, Desmarest's hutia, is for Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest who described the species in 1822 with the synonym ''fourniere''.
The extinct subspecies ''C. p. lewisi'' from the Cayman Islands is known from abundant subfossil material. It is close to the common Cuban ''Capromys pilorides'', but smaller. The earliest radiocarbon records are latest Pleistocene and the latest are from around 1600 CE.<ref name="Morgan1994">{{cite book |title=The Cayman Islands: natural history and biogeography |last1=Morgan |first1=G. S.|publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |year=1994 |editor-last1=Brunt |editor-first1=M. A. |editor-last2=Davies|editor-first2=J. E. |pages=489–491 |chapter=Late Quaternary fossil vertebrates from the Cayman Islands}}</ref><ref name=":0"/>
==Phylogeny== Within Capromyidae, the closest relatives of ''Capromys'' are the genera ''Mesocapromys'' and ''Mysateles''. The three genera are the sister group to ''Geocapromys'', and these four taxa belong to the tribe Capromyini. In turn, this clade is the sister group to Plagiodontia.
{{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">{{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=2014-07-01 |title=Rodents of the Caribbean: origin and diversification of hutias unravelled by next-generation museomics |journal=Biology Letters |language=en |volume=10 |issue=7 |article-number=20140266 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2014.0266 |pmid=25115033 |issn=1744-9561|pmc=4126619 }}</ref><ref name="Upham2015">{{Cite book|title=Biology of caviomorph rodents: diversity and evolution|last1=Upham|first1=Nathan S.|last2=Patterson|first2=Bruce D. |publisher=SAREM Series A, Mammalogical Research — Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos |year=2015 |editor-last1=Vassallo |editor-first1=Aldo Ivan|location=Buenos Aires |pages=63–120 |chapter=Evolution of Caviomorph rodents: a complete phylogeny and timetree for living genera|editor-last2=Antenucci |editor-first2=Daniel}}</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 |pmid=28025278 |issn=0737-4038|doi-access=free }}</ref> |align=center |clades={{Cladogram of Euryzygomatomyinae + Carterodon + Capromyidae genera}} }}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Commons category|Capromys_pilorides}} {{Portal|Cuba}} {{refbegin}} *{{cite book |title=Microlivestock: Little-Known Small Animals with a Promising Economic Future |author=Panel on Microlivestock, National Research Council |year=1991 |publisher=National Academies Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/microlivestockli0000nati/page/472 472] |isbn=978-0-309-04295-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/microlivestockli0000nati/page/472 }} *{{cite web |url=http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Capromys_pilorides.html |title=Capromys pilorides |author=Brianna Reis |publisher=University of Michigan Museum of Zoology |access-date=27 March 2007}} {{refend}}
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Category:Hutias Category:Mammals of Cuba Hutia, Desmarest's Category:Mammals described in 1822 Category:Endemic fauna of Cuba Category:Taxa named by Thomas Say