''Mesocapromys'' is a genus of

rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal species are rodents. They are na ...

in the subfamily

Capromyinae Hutias (known in Spanish as jutía) are moderately large cavy-like rodents of the subfamily Capromyinae that inhabit the Caribbean islands, with most species restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola. Twenty species of hutia have been identified, but a ...

. The genus is restricted to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and associated islands.

Systematics

''Mesocapromys'' contains the five following species: * Cabrera's hutia ('' Mesocapromys angelcabrerai'') * Eared hutia ('' Mesocapromys auritus'') * Black-tailed hutia ('' Mesocapromys melanurus'') * Dwarf hutia ('' Mesocapromys nana'') * San Felipe hutia ('' Mesocapromys sanfelipensis'')

Phylogeny

Within Capromyidae, the closest relative of ''Mesocapromys'' is the genus ''Mysateles''. Both genera are the sister group to ''Capromys'', and then ''Geocapromys'' is a more distant genus. In turn, these four genera belong to the tribe Capromyini, and are the sister group to ''Plagiodontia''.

References

Hutias Rodent genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{rodent-stub