Dasyproctidae

Dasyproctidae Fossil range: Late Oligocene–Recent PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Brazilian Agouti, Dasyprocta leporina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Rodentia Suborder: Hystricomorpha Infraorder: Hystricognathi Parvorder: Caviomorpha Superfamily: Cavioidea Family: Dasyproctidae Gray, 1825
Genera
†Alloiomys †Australoprocta †Branisamys †Incamys †Neoreomys †Megastus †Palmiramys Dasyprocta Myoprocta

The Dasyproctidae are a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees. They live in burrows, and, like squirrels, will bury some of their food for later use^[1].

Classification

Fossil taxa follow McKenna and Bell (1997), with modifications following Kramarz (2005).

• Family Dasyproctidae
  • Genus †Alloiomys
  • Genus †Australoprocta
  • Genus †Branisamys
  • Genus †Incamys
  • Genus †Neoreomys
  • Genus †Megastus
  • Genus †Palmiramys
  • Genus Dasyprocta
    • Azara's Agouti, Dasyprocta azarae
    • Coiban Agouti, Dasyprocta coibae
    • Crested Agouti, Dasyprocta cristata
    • Black Agouti, Dasyprocta fuliginosa
    • Orinoco Agouti, Dasyprocta guamara
    • Kalinowski Agouti, Dasyprocta kalinowskii
    • Brazilian Agouti, Dasyprocta leporina
    • Mexican Agouti, Dasyprocta mexicana
    • Black-rumped Agouti, Dasyprocta prymnolopha
    • Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata
    • Ruatan Island Agouti, Dasyprocta ruatanica
  • Genus Myoprocta
    • Green Acouchi, Myoprocta pratti
    • Red Acouchi, Myoprocta acouchy

The pacas (genus Cuniculus) are placed by some authorities (Woods, 1993;McKenna and Bell, 1997) in the Dasyproctidae, but molecular studies have demonstrated that they do not form a monophyletic group (Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002).

References

• Kramarz, A.G. 2005. A primitive cephalomyid hystricognath rodent from the early Miocene of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50(2):249-258. PDF fulltext
• McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
• Rowe, D. L. and R. L. Honeycutt. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships, ecological correlates, and molecular evolution within the Cavioidea (Mammalia, Rodentia). Molecular Biology and Evolution, 19:263-277.
• Woods, C. A. 1993. Hystricognathi. In Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
• Woods, C. A. and C. W. Kilpatrick. 2005. Hystricognathi. Pp 1538–1600 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.