Tag Archives: Echimyidae

Dicolpomys fossor Winge

Digging Spiny Rat (Dicolpomys fossor)

This species was described in 1887 on the basis of fossils that were found in Pleistocene deposits in Brazil; additional material was later also found in deposits that could be dated to the Early Holocene.

The same species, however, was recently recorded based on subfossil remains from the Late Holocene of Argentinia, thus it appears to have survived there and was then extirpated by humans, maybe even after the arrival of the first European settlers in the 15th century. [1]

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References:

[1] Diego H. Verzi; A. Itarí Olivares; Patricia Hadler; Juan C. Castro; Eduardo P. Tonni: Occurrence of Dicolpomys (Echimyidae) in the late Holocene of Argentinia: The most recently extinct South American caviomorph genus. Quaternary International 490: 123-131. 2018

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edited: 19.08.2022

Brotomys voratus Miller

Hispaniolan Edible Rat (Brotomys voratus)

The Hispaniolan Edible Rat was described in 1916 based on subfossil remains.

Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, a Spanish colonialist, historian, and writer gave some brief descriptions of several mammal species that lived on the island of Hispaniola in the early 16th century; most are second-hand accounts of animals he himself had not seen; there is also one account that can be attributed to the Edible Rat.:

The mohuy is an animal somewhat smaller than the hutia: its color is paler and likewise gray. This was the food most valued and esteemed by the caciques and chiefs of this island; and the character of the animal was much like the hutia except that the hair was denser and coarser (and more stiff), and very pointed and standing erect or straight above. I have not seen this animal, but there are many who declared it to be as aforesaid; and in this island there are many persons who have seen it and eaten it, and who praise this meat as better than all the others we have spoken about.” [1]

The species died out shortly after the arrival of the first European settlers in the Caribbean, who brought with them mice and rats, which very likely were the main reason for the extinction of most smaller endemic mammal species.

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References:

[1] Gerrit S. Miller: Mammals eaten by Indians, Owls, and Spaniards in the coast region of the Dominican Republic. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 82(5): 1-16. 1929

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Photo from: ‘Gerrit S. Miller: Mammals eaten by Indians, Owls, and Spaniards in the coast region of the Dominican Republic. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 82(5): 1-16. 1929’

(public domain)

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edited: 06.05.2022

Boromys torrei Allen

Torre’s Cave Rat (Boromys torrei)  

Torre’s Cave Rat was described in the year 1917.  

Just like its next relative, the Oriente Cave Rat (Boromys offella Miller), this smaller spiny rat species is known only from subfossil bone remains, that had been found in several caves on the island of Cuba and on the Isla de la Juventud.  

The reasons for its extinction are exactly the same as for its larger relative. [1]  

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References:  

[1] A. van der Geer; G. Lyras; J. de Vos; M. Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010  

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Photo from: ‘G. M. Allen: Fossil Mammals from Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 62: 131-148. 1918’  

(not in copyright)

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edited: 17.02.2020

Boromys offela Miller

Oriente Cave Rat (Boromys offela)  

This species was described in the year 1916 from subfossil bones that had been found on the island of Cuba and on the Isla de la Juventud.  

The Oriente Cave Rat seems to have survived long enough to see the arrival of the first Europeans on the American double continent, because its bones were found in deposits that also contained bones of rats, which again reached Cuba for the first time together with the European discoverers.  

These rats then again obviously played a big role in the extinction of this endemic rodent species. [1]  

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References:  

[1] A. van der Geer; G. Lyras; J. de Vos; M. Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010  

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Photo from: ‘G. M. Allen: Fossil Mammals from Cuba. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 62: 131-148. 1918’  

(not in copyright)

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edited: 17.02.2020

Capromyidae gen. & sp. ‘Hispaniola’

Indeterminate Hutia (Capromyidae gen. & sp. ‘Hispaniola’)  

The subfossil remains of this form, whose closest relative seems to be the Imposter Hutia (Hexolobodon phenax (Miller)), known only in a subfossil state as well, were found in 1989 (?) on the island of Hispaniola.  

The bones have an age of about 3600 to 4700 years. [1] 

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References: 

[1] Samuel T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009

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edited: 03.09.2020

Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. irrectus Lawrence

Crooked Island Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. irrectus)

The Bahaman Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami (J. A. Allen)) is a species of middle-sized rodent that is endemic to the Bahamas, or at least to the islands that are part of the so-called Great Bahama Bank.

The species was believed to be extinct, but a very small population was rediscovered in 1966 on a likewise very small island named East Plana Cay, this was assigned to the nominate form and in 1973, some of these animals were released on two additional islands, Little Wax Cay and Warderick Wells. 

Based on DNA studies it is now known that the animals on East Plana Cay in fact did not constitute the last surviving wild population but one that was introduced in pre-Columbian times by the people of the Lucayan culture, the first human inhabitants of the Bahamas. [2]

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Subfossil remains of this species were found on many of the larger islands, including Abaco as well as Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island; these forms differed from the alleged nominate form by their cranial characters and thus were described as two distinct subspecies: Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. abacoensis Lawrence (from Abaco Island) and Geocapromys ingrahami ssp. irrectus (from the remaining islands); the form from Abaco Island, however, is now known to have also just been introduced in prehistoric times, thus has never been a distinct subspecies. [1]

The animals that inhabited Crooked Island, Eleuthera, Exuma and Long Island on the other hand, appear to be non-monophyletic, thus likewise do not represent a distinct subspecies but either more than one or none at all. 

The above-mentioned differences in the cranial characters may in fact just be the consequence of resource availability – animals on larger islands may have become larger because they had access to larger resources …. [2]

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The Bahamian Hutia, once believed to be extinct, then rediscovered in 1966, may never had have any subspecies after all. This question is not yet answered – I will mention this species here only fro the sake of completness and because it constitutes a very interesting case.

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References:

[1] B. N. Lawrence: Geocapromys from the Bahamas. Occasional papers of the Boston Society of Natural History 8: 189-196. 1934
[2] Jessica A. Oswald; Julie M. Allen; Michelle J. LeFebvre; Brian J. Stucky; Ryan A. Folk; Nancy A. Albury; Gary S. Morgan; Robert P. Guralnick; David W. Steadman: Ancient DNA and high-resolution chronometry reveal a long-term human role in the historical diversity and biogeography of the Bahamian hutia. Scientific Reports 10: 1373. 2020

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Depiction from: ‘Mark Catesby; George Edwards: The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands : containing the figures of birds, beasts, fishes, serpents, insects, and plants : particularly, those not hitherto described, or incorrectly figured by former authors, with their descriptions in English and French : to which is prefixed, a new and correct map of the countries, with observations on their natural state, inhabitants, and productions. London: printed for B. White 1771’

(public domain)

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edited: 04.11.2020

Brotomys contractus Miller

Haitian Edible Rat (Brotomys contractus)

The Haitian Edible Rat was described in 1929 based on subfossil remains.

In pre-European times, the native spiny rats of the Caribbean were very common and were an important part of the diet of the indigenous people.

Most of the known species – including this one – did not become extinct until a short time after the arrival of the Europeans. [1][2][3]

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References:

[1] Gerrit S. Miller: A second collection of mammals from caves near St. Michel, Haiti. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 81(9): 1-30. 1929
[2] Samuel T. Turvey: Holocene Extinctions. Oxford University Press, USA 2009
[3] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010

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Photo from: ‘Gerrit S. Miller: A second collection of mammals from caves near St. Michel, Haiti. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 81(9): 1-30. 1929’

(not in copyright)

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edited: 05.05.2022

Isolobodon portoricensis Allen

Puerto Rican Hutia (Isolobodon portoricensis 

The Puerto Rican Hutia was described on the basis of remains found in aboriginal midden remains on the island of Puerto Rico.  

The species, however, was actually native only to the island of Hispaniola, perhaps including some small offshore islands, this is known from fossil remains that were found at sites without anthropogenic relations  

The Puerto Rican Hutia was imported by the natives to other islands for nutrition purposes, and indeed all bone remains of this species found outside the island of Hispaniola were found in the litter of former natives settlements.  

The species disappeared at around 1280 to 1425 A.D..  

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References:  

[1] Storrs L. Olson: Fossil Vertebrates from the Bahamas. Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 48. 1982 
[2] Clare Flemming; R. D. E. MacPhee: Redetermination of holotype of Isolobodon portoricensis (Rodentia, Capromyidae), with notes on recent mammalian extinctions in Puerto Rico. American Museum Novitates 3278: 1-11. 1999 
[3] Donald A. McFarlane; Abel Vale; Keith Christenson; Joyce Lundberg; Gabriel Atilles; Stein-Erik Lauritzen: New specimens of Late Quaternary extinct mammals from caves in Sanchez Ramirez Province, Dominican Republic. Caribbean Journal of Science 36: 163-166. 2000  

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cranium

Photo from: ‘Gerrit S. Miller, Jr.: Bones of mammals from Indian sites in Cuba and Santo Domingo. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 66(12): 1-10. 1916’ 

(public domain)

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edited: 06.09.2019