''Hystrix'' is a genus of porcupines containing most of the

Old World porcupine The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range over the south of Europe and the Levant, most of Africa, India, and Southeast Asia as far ea ...

s. Fossils belonging to the genus date back to the late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

of Africa. Hystrix (from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

ὕστριξ (hústrix, “porcupine”)) was given name by the 18th century Swedish

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

Species

* Genus ''Hystrix'' **Subgenus ''Thecurus'' ***'' Hystrix crassispinis'' - thick-spined porcupine ***''

Hystrix pumila The Philippine porcupine or Palawan porcupine (''Hystrix pumila'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) endemic to the island of Palawan in the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), ...

'' - Philippine porcupine ***'' Hystrix sumatrae'' - Sumatran porcupine **Subgenus ''Acanthion'' ***'' Hystrix brachyura'' - Malayan porcupine or Himalayan crestless porcupine ***''

Hystrix javanica The Sunda porcupine (''Hystrix javanica'') is a species of rodent in the family Hystricidae. It is endemic to Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and ...

'' - Sunda porcupine **Subgenus ''Hystrix'' ***''

Hystrix africaeaustralis The Cape porcupine (''Hystrix africaeaustralis''), Cape crested porcupine or South African porcupine, is a species of Old World porcupine native to central and southern Africa. Description left, 180px, head Cape porcupines are the second large ...

'' - Cape porcupine ***'' Hystrix cristata'' - crested porcupine ***''

Hystrix indica The Indian crested porcupine (''Hystrix indica'') is a hystricomorph rodent species native to southern Asia and the Middle East. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It belongs to the Old World porcupine family, Hystricidae. Des ...

'' - Indian crested porcupine

Fossil species

*†'' Hystrix arayanensis'' - Late Miocene *†'' Hystrix depereti'' - Pliocene *†'' Hystrix paukensis'' - Late Miocene-Pliocene *†'' Hystrix primigenia'' - Late Miocene-Pliocene *†'' Hystrix refossa'' - Pleistocene *†'' Hystrix suevica'' - Late Miocene

References

*Nowak, Ronald M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World'', 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1936 pp. * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q650703 Hystricidae Rodent genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus