Caviomorpha

Sierra del Tontal chinchilla rat Abrocoma schistacea, photographed by Ana Julia Sandoval.

Belongs within: Hystricognathiformes.
Contains: Chinchillidae, Octodontidae, Ctenomys, Echimyidae, Capromys, Erethizontidae, Cavioidea.

The Caviomorpha are a clade uniting the Neotropical hystricomorph rodents, supported by molecular analysis (e.g. Meredith et al. 2011). They are mostly restricted to South America and the Caribbean islands, with only a single species, the porcupine Erethizon dorsatum, found in North America. Molecular data support a division between the porcupines (Erethizontidae) and Cavioidea on one side, and the Chinchilloidea and Octodontoidea on the other (Meredith et al. 2011). The position of the Abrocomidae, chinchilla rats, within the latter clade has been the subject of some debate: whereas molecular data support a more traditional position for them with the Octodontoidea, Glanz & Anderson (1990) noted a number of morphological features such as a narrowed rostrum suggesting a more direct relationship to the Chinchillidae.

<==Caviomorpha GA90
    |  i. s.: Elasmodontomys [Heptaxodontidae] GA90
    |           `--E. obliquus FS01
    |         Eobranisamys romeropittmanae SS09
    |         Branisamys luribayensis SS09
    |--+--Chinchilloidea MJ11
    |  |    |--Chinchillidae MJ11
    |  |    `--Dinomyidae MJ11
    |  |         |--Dinomys branickii IT07
    |  |         |--Olenopsis MJ11
    |  |         `--Scleromys MJ11
    |  `--Octodontoidea MJ11
    |       |--Abrocomidae [Abrocominae] MJ11
    |       |    |--Protabrocoma Kraglievich 1927 GA90
    |       |    |--Cuscomys ashaninka Emmons 1999 N10
    |       |    `--Abrocoma Waterhouse 1837 [=Habrocoma Wagner 1842] GA90
    |       |         |--*A. bennettii GA90
    |       |         |    |--A. b. bennetti GA90
    |       |         |    `--A. b. murrayi GA90
    |       |         |--A. antiqua GA90
    |       |         |--A. boliviensis Glanz & Anderson 1990 GA90
    |       |         |--A. budini N10
    |       |         |--A. cinerea GA90
    |       |         |--A. famatina N10
    |       |         |--A. oblativa GA90 [=Cuscomys oblativus N10]
    |       |         |--A. schistacea N10
    |       |         |--A. uspallata Braun & Mares 2002 N10
    |       |         `--A. vaccarum N10
    |       `--+--+--Octodontidae MJ11
    |          |  `--Ctenomyidae [Ctenomyinae] MJ11
    |          |       |--Ctenomys MJ11
    |          |       |--Xenodontomys MJ11
    |          |       `--Palaeoctodon MJ11
    |          `--+--+--Echimyidae MJ11
    |             |  `--Myocastor MHL03 [Myocastoridae MJ11]
    |             |       `--M. coypus (Molina 1782) [=Mus coypus] B75
    |             `--Capromyidae MJ11
    |                  |--Capromys GA90
    |                  |--Isolobodon IT07
    |                  |    |--I. montanus FS01
    |                  |    `--I. portoricensis IT07
    |                  |--Geocapromys GA90
    |                  |    |--G. brownii IT07
    |                  |    |--G. columbianus FS01
    |                  |    |--G. ingrahami IT07
    |                  |    |--G. megas AC98
    |                  |    |--G. pleistoceniscus AC98
    |                  |    `--G. thoracatus FS01
    |                  |--Mesocapromys IT07
    |                  |    |--M. angelcabrerai IT07
    |                  |    |--M. auritus IT07
    |                  |    |--M. barbouri Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. beatrizae Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. delicatus Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. gracilis Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. kraglievichi Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. minimus Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |    |--M. nanus IT07
    |                  |    |--M. sanfelipensis IT07
    |                  |    `--M. silvai Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                  |--Plagiodontia GA90
    |                  |    |--P. aedium IT07
    |                  |    |--P. araeum FS01
    |                  |    |--P. hylaeum BP87
    |                  |    |--P. ipnaeum FS01
    |                  |    `--P. velozi FS01
    |                  `--Mysateles IT07
    |                       |--M. garridoi IT07
    |                       |--M. gundlachi IT07
    |                       |--M. jaumei Varona & Arredondo 1979 AC98
    |                       |--M. melanurus IT07
    |                       |--M. meridionalis IT07
    |                       `--M. prehensilis IT07
    `--+--+--+--Incamys MHL03
       |  |  `--Neoreomys MHL03
       |  `--+--Protosteiromys B74
       |     `--Erethizontidae MJ11
       `--Cavioidea MHL03

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[AC98] Alcover, J. A., X. Campillo, M. Macias & A. Sans. 1998. Mammal species of the world: additional data on insular mammals. American Museum Novitates 3248: 1–29.

[B75] Bowles, J. B. 1975. Distribution and biogeography of mammals of Iowa. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University 9: 1–184.

[B74] Bugge, J. 1974. The cephalic arterial system in insectivores, primates, rodents and lagomorphs, with special reference to the systematic classification. Acta Anatomica 87 (Suppl 62): 1–160.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[FS01] Flannery, T. & P. Schouten. 2001. A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World’s Extinct Animals. Text Publishing: Melbourne.

[GA90] Glanz, W. E., & S. Anderson. 1990. Notes on Bolivian mammals. 7. A new species of Abrocoma (Rodentia) and relationships of the Abrocomidae. American Museum Novitates 2991: 1–32.

[IT07] Isaac, N. J. B., S. T. Turvey, B. Collen, C. Waterman & J. E. M. Baillie. 2007. Mammals on the EDGE: conservation priorities based on threat and phylogeny. PloS One 2 (3): e296.

[MHL03] Meng, J., Y. Hu & C. Li. 2003. The osteology of Rhombomylus (Mammalia, Glires): Implications for phylogeny and evolution of Glires. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 275: 1–247.

[MJ11] Meredith, R. W., J. E. Janečka, J. Gatesy, O. A. Ryder, C. A. Fisher, E. C. Teeling, A. Goodbla, E. Eizirik, T. L. L. Simão, T. Stadler, D. L. Rabosky, R. L. Honeycutt, J. J. Flynn, C. M. Ingram, C. Steiner, T. L. Williams, T. J. Robinson, A. Burk-Herrick, M. Westerman, N. A. Ayoub, M. S. Springer & W. J. Murphy. 2011. Impacts of the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution and KPg extinction on mammal diversification. Science 334: 521–524.

[N10] Naish, D. 2010. Tetrapod Zoology: Book One. CFZ Press: Bideford (UK).