''Myocastor'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of rodent that contains the living

nutria The nutria () or coypu () (''Myocastor coypus'') is a herbivore, herbivorous, semiaquatic rodent from South America. Classified for a long time as the only member of the family Myocastoridae, ''Myocastor'' has since been included within Echimy ...

(or coypu), as well as several fossil species.

Taxonomy

Due to similar cranial morphology, the nutria was once considered a close relative of the Caribbean

hutias Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands. Most species are restricted to Cuba, but species are known from all of the Greater Antilles, as well as ...

and placed together with them in the family Capromyidae. Later, it was more accepted to place it in its own family, the Myocastoridae. Recent molecular studies place them in the family

Echimyidae Echimyidae is the family of neotropical spiny rats and their fossil relatives. This is the most species-rich family of hystricognath rodents. It is probably also the most ecologically diverse, with members ranging from fully arboreal to terr ...

, in the tribe

Myocastorini Myocastorini is a tribe of echimyid rodents, proposed in 2017, and containing the five extant genera '' Callistomys'', '' Hoplomys'', '' Myocastor'', ''Proechimys ''Proechimys'' is a genus of South American South America is a contine ...

Fossil record

Kerber et al. (2013) recognize the following species as valid: *'' Myocastor columnaris'' (Middle Pleistocene) *'' Myocastor obesus'' (Late Miocene) *'' Myocastor paranensis'' (Late Miocene) Other species described but no longer considered valid include ''Myocastor minor'', ''Myocastor perditus'', and ''Myocastor priscus''.

References

{{Authority control Rodent genera Mammal genera with one living species Taxa named by Robert Kerr (writer) Myocastorini