Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Ordo: Rodentia
Suborder: Hystricomorpha
Infraorder: Hystricognathi
Infraordo: Caviomorpha
Familia: Dasyproctidae
Genus: Dasyprocta - Myoprocta
Name
Dasyproctidae Gray, 1825
References
* Dasyproctidae on Mammal species of the World.
* Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2 Volume Set edited by Don E. Wilson, DeeAnn M. Reeder
The Dasyproctidae are a family of large South American rodents, comprising the agoutis and acouchis. Their fur is a reddish or dark colour above, with a paler underside. They are herbivorous, often feeding on ripe fruit that falls from trees. They live in burrows, and, like squirrels, will bury some of their food for later use[1].
Classification
Fossil taxa follow McKenna and Bell (1997), with modifications following Kramarz (2005).
* Family Dasyproctidae
o Genus †Alloiomys
o Genus †Australoprocta
o Genus †Branisamys
o Genus †Incamys
o Genus †Neoreomys
o Genus †Megastus
o Genus †Palmiramys
o Genus Dasyprocta
+ Azara's Agouti, Dasyprocta azarae
+ Coiban Agouti, Dasyprocta coibae
+ Crested Agouti, Dasyprocta cristata
+ Black Agouti, Dasyprocta fuliginosa
+ Orinoco Agouti, Dasyprocta guamara
+ Kalinowski Agouti, Dasyprocta kalinowskii
+ Brazilian Agouti, Dasyprocta leporina
+ Mexican Agouti, Dasyprocta mexicana
+ Black-rumped Agouti, Dasyprocta prymnolopha
+ Central American Agouti, Dasyprocta punctata
+ Ruatan Island Agouti, Dasyprocta ruatanica
o Genus Myoprocta
+ Green Acouchi, Myoprocta pratti
+ Red Acouchi, Myoprocta acouchy
The pacas (genus Cuniculus) are placed by some authorities (Woods, 1993;McKenna and Bell, 1997) in the Dasyproctidae, but molecular studies have demonstrated that they do not form a monophyletic group (Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002).
References
1. ^ Bishop, Ian (1984). Macdonald, D.. ed. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts on File. p. 701. ISBN 0-87196-871-1.
* Kramarz, A.G. 2005. A primitive cephalomyid hystricognath rodent from the early Miocene of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50(2):249-258. PDF fulltext
* McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8
* 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.
* Woods, C. A. 1993. Hystricognathi. In Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
* Woods, C. A. and C. W. Kilpatrick. 2005. Hystricognathi. Pp 1538–1600 in Mammal Species of the World a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder eds. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.
