Caviinae is a subfamily uniting all living members of the family
Caviidae with the exception of the
maras,
capybaras, and ''
Kerodon''. The subfamily traditionally contained the guinea pig or cavy-like forms along with the cursorially adapted (running) ''Kerodon''.
Molecular results suggest the Caviinae as so defined would be
paraphyletic
Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...
and ''Kerodon'' is more closely related to maras and capybaras than to other caviines.
[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.] This led Woods and Kilpatrick (2005) to unite ''Kerodon'' and capybaras into the subfamily
Hydrochoerinae within the Caviidae. These studies also suggest ''
Microcavia'' and ''
Cavia
''Cavia'' is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as the guinea pigs or cavies. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, ''Cavia porcellus'', a meat animal in South America and a com ...
'' are more closely related to one another than either is to ''
Galea''.
Genera and species
*Subfamily Caviinae
**†''
Cardiomys''
**†''
Allocavia''
**†''
Palaeocavia''
**†''
Neocavia''
**†''
Dolicavia''
**†''
Macrocavia''
**†''
Caviops''
**†''
Pascualia''
**''
Galea'' - yellow-toothed cavies
***''
Galea flavidens'' - Brandt's yellow-toothed cavy (may be an invalid species)
***''
Galea monasteriensis'' - Muenster yellow-toothed cavy
***''
Galea musteloides'' - common yellow-toothed cavy
***''
Galea spixii'' - Spix's yellow-toothed cavy
**''
Microcavia'' - mountain cavies
***''
Microcavia australis'' - southern mountain cavy
***''
Microcavia niata'' - Andean mountain cavy
***''
Microcavia shiptoni'' - Shipton's mountain cavy
**''
Cavia
''Cavia'' is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as the guinea pigs or cavies. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, ''Cavia porcellus'', a meat animal in South America and a com ...
'' - guinea pigs
***''
Cavia aperea'' - Brazilian guinea pig
***''
Cavia fulgida'' - shiny guinea pig
***''
Cavia intermedia
Santa Catarina's guinea pig (''Cavia intermedia'') or Moleques do Sul cavy is a rare guinea pig species of southeastern South America.
Distribution
The small mammal is endemic to the , located in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil ...
'' - intermediate guinea pig
***''
Cavia magna
''Cavia magna'', commonly known as the greater guinea pig, is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae, native to South America. It is found primarily in the coastal regions of southern Brazil and Uruguay, inhabiting grasslands, marshes, and o ...
'' - greater guinea pig
***''
Cavia porcellus
The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...
'' - domestic guinea pig
***''
Cavia tschudii
The montane guinea pig (''Cavia tschudii'') is a species of caviid rodent found in the Andes in South America. The montane guinea pig is the likely main ancestor of ''Cavia porcellus'', the domestic guinea pig or domestic cavy, which appears to ...
'' - montane guinea pig
References
Further reading
*Duff, A. and A. Lawson. 2004. Mammals of the World A Checklist. New Haven, Yale University Press.
*McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. ''Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level.'' Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp.
*
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q914293
Cavies
Taxa named by Gotthelf Fischer von Waldheim
Mammal subfamilies