Capromys pilorides
Creators: name: Don E. Wilson
name: Thomas E. Lacher, Jr
name: Russell A. Mittermeier
Publisher: name: Lynx Edicions
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Rodentia
Capromyidae
Capromys
Capromys pilorides

description: 4.
Desmarest’s Hutia
Capromys pilorides
French: Hutia pilori / German: Hutiaconga / Spanish: Jutia de Desmarest
Other common names: Cuban Hutia
Taxonomy. Isodon pilorides Say, 1822,
“South America or one of the West Indian islands.”
Capromys piloridesincludesfourniere, acevedo, and intermedius as synonyms. Subspecies gundlachianus was erroneously elevated to species status, based on sequence divergence of a specimen from Cayo Ballenato del Medio, but this specimen was from a locality outside the known distribution of C. pilorides. Five subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
C.p.piloridesSay,1822—Cubamainland.
C.p.ciprianoiBorroto,Camacho&Ramos,1992—SIsladelaJuventud(offSWCuba).
C.p.doceleguasVarona,1980—JardinesdelaReinaArchipelago(offSCCuba).
C.p.gundlachianusVarona,1983—SabanaArchipelago(offNCCuba).
C. p. relictus G. M. Allen, 1911 — N Isla de la Juventud (off SW Cuba).
Descriptive notes. Head—body 305-625 mm,tail 131-315 mm; weight up to 7 kg. Pelage of Desmarest’s Hutia ranges from white to dark grayish. Back part of rump and proximal part oftail are paler than remaining parts of dorsum, with grayish or yellowish pale colors. Guard hairs are long and soft. Dorsal pelage is also often brownish gray, with mixture of yellowish or golden guard hairs. Underfur is usually paler, with short soft hairs. Some populations, such as subspecies gundlachianus, have significantly darker pelt. Venter might be whitish or grayish. Head is usually gray or with paler hair around muzzle, cheeks, and area between eyes. Color of front and top of head are similar to dorsum. Tail is ¢.50% of head-body length and is covered by thin and short scale hairs, colored similar to rump, that extend toward end oftail. Tail is robust, wide, and uniformly colored, with buff to rusty brown sometimes with darker colors. Slightly divided ears are large, with long extending hairs rising from outer and inner surfaces. Dark footpads are not well developed and are nearly smooth. Head and outer surfaces of hindlegs range from blackish to pale buff or from black and deep rusty. Five toes are narrow and long, with hallux well separated from other four digits. On hands, pollex is reduced with tiny pads and nail well discriminated by four fingers that are slightly enlarged distally due to broad plantar pads. Palmar and plantar surfaces are very distinct, being blackish compared with whitish parts of all other Cuban hutias. Skull is broad and robust, having broad postorbital process and stocky rostrum. Zygomatic arch is very robust, which makes temporal fossa smaller than in other genera of hutias. Paroccipital processes are broad and more elongated than other species of hutias and extend well below tympanic bullae (but not as pronounced as hutias from Hispaniola). Angular and ascending condylar processes are broader and more robust than other Cuban hutias. Cheekteeth converge less anteriorly than in other genera of hutias, but they are similarly shaped with quadratic outline and characteristic epsilon molar loph pattern. Chromosomal complement is 2n = 40 and FN = 64.
Habitat. Nearly all Cuban habitats, including cultivated areas, secondary and primary habitats, montane forests, arid coastal semi-deserts, semideciduous forests, low marshy areas, and some mangroves forest, particularly red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle, Rhizophoraceae). This wide trophic habitat spectrum makes Desmarest’s Hutia s one of the most adaptable echimyids. Some populations have specializations for red mangrove habitats, where they become nearly arboreal compared with their terrestrial and scansorial counterparts in other Cuban habitats. Usually, Desmarest’s Hutias favor limestone cliffs or karst systems where they can find suitable resting sites. In forest habitats, they most commonly use tree cavities as shelters, but they also build nests in vines or liana tangles among branches.
Food and Feeding. Desmarest’s Hutias usually forage on tender leaves,leaving leaf petioles on trees and primarily focusing on limbs. They also consume marine crustaceans, mollusks, and algae. They were reported to hunt and eat small Anolis lizards (A. porcatus and A. sagrei), human leftovers, and different food items encountered on their home ranges. Desmarest’s Hutias that live in red mangroves are strictly arboreal and specialize on red mangrove leaves. Several populations occur on small keys, where they are often seen swimming or foraging near the water. R. Borroto and C. A. Woods in 2012 followed populations of the different subspecies, recording detailed records of their foraging behaviors and proportions of plant items consumed. In southern Isla de la Juventud, subspecies ciprianoiforaged on 14 plant families, including 14 species, preferring species in the subclass Rosidae (65%). In coastal and sub-coastal vegetation communities in the Cabo Corrientes Natural Reserve, subspecies pilorides foraged on 15 families, including 20 species, also preferring Rosidae (45%) but also eating substantial proportions of Arecidae (20%) and Dilleniidae (15%). In secondary habitats in Sierra del Chorillo, pilorides foraged on 35 species, including 22 shrubs, with Rosidae (50-8%) and Asteridae (21%) being the most common food items. Coprophagy also appears to be common.
Breeding. Gestation of Desmarest’s Hutia lasts 75-153 days, with an interbirth interval of c.16 days. Three litters per year can occur if conditions are good and food is not limited, but two litters were common in several studies. Litter sizes are 1-3 young, with rare cases of 4-6 embryos; near-term young weigh up to 250 g. Uterine scares typically numbered two, but three were reported in one case. Young nursed for c.153 days and become sexually mature at about ten months old. Desmarest’s Hutias have no special reproductive seasons, and females become pregnant throughout the year. Sexual maturity of females was correlated to body size; individuals weighing more than 2-1 kg had marked corpora lutea and perforated vagina. Ovaries from female Desmarest’s Hutias have high numbers of corpora lutea on very small ovaries that were three times smaller than those of Bushy-tailed Hutias (Mesocapromys melanurus): 0-8-2-5 mm for Desmarest’s Hutia vs. 2-7-1 mm in Bushy-tailed Hutias.
Activity patterns. Desmarest’s Hutia is essentially nocturnal, with some crepuscular activity. Individuals are occasionally seen moving about during the day, especially in captivity. In some areas, individuals are arboreal and diurnal, staying at the sun and foraging on leaves on the ground. The activity patterns vary depending on habitats occupied.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Movements of Desmarest’s Hutia have not been studied in detail, but some individuals were reported to move long distances. It is the most abundant species of hutias in the Greater Antilles. Several cases of overpopulation were reported on Cuba and small islands where humans have introduced Desmarest’s Hutias. Densities range from 17-20 ind/ha in the Sabana Archipelago and 47-50 ind/ha on the Cuba mainland to as high as 92-130 ind/ha inJardines de la Reina Archipelago. In places with several feral or invasive species, or in highly fragmented habitats, densities are considerably lower, reaching only 1-7 ind/ha. Desmarest’s Hutia is reportedly social, living in gregarious family groups where grooming behavior is common and communication between individuals is maintained while foraging.
Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. This classification of Desmarest’s Hutia results from its relatively large distribution that includes some protected areas and its ability to maintain high densities. Nevertheless, status of some subspecies is poorly known and requires additional investigations for accurate conservation assessment and, if necessary, action. Desmarest’s Hutias are important in the lives of Cuban people, serving as a significant source of meat for local people; they are often kept as pets. Impacts of local hunting or use as pets are unknown, and populations in the most disturbed areas should be surveyed to determine appropriate conservation measures for Desmarest’s Hutia.
Bibliography. Abreu & Manojina (1989), Allen (1891), Angulo & Alvarez (1948), Angulo & Roque (1948), Arredondo (1958), Berovides & Comas (1991, 1993, 1997a, 1997b), Berovides & Sanchez (1987), Berovides, Alfonso & Camacho (1990), Berovides, Camacho et al. (1990), Borroto (2002), Borroto & Woods (2012a), Borroto, Camacho & Ramos (1992), Borroto, Mancina et al. (2012), Bouza et al. (1990), Bucher (1937), Chapman (1901), Comas & Berovides (1990), Cornide etal. (1989), Desmarest (1822), Garrido (1971), Gonzalez & Manojina (1990), Gundlach (1877), Kilpatrick et al. (2012), Kratochvil et al. (1978, 1980), Lora (1895), Manojina (1987a, 1987b), Manojina, Gonzalez & Abreu (1989), Manojina, Gonzalez & Hernandez (1989), Mohr (1939), Rysavy (1967), Say (1822), Smith, C.H. (1842), Smith, R. & Berovides (1984), Taylor (1970), Varona (1970, 1979, 1980a, 1980b), Woods (1989), Woods & Howland (1979), Woods et al. (2001).
description: Published as part of Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, pp. 552-604 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on pages 555-556, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.6623649