Plagiodontia aedium, F. Cuvier, 1836

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 552-604 : 554

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Hispaniolan Hutia

Plagiodontia aedium

French: Hutia de Saint-Domingue / German: Zaguti / Spanish: Jutia de la Espanola

Other common names: Cuvier’s Hutia, Hispanolan Hutia

Taxonomy. Plagiodontia aedium F. Cuvier, 1836 ,

“Saint-Dominguie.”

Three subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P. a. aedium F. Cuvier, 1836 — SW Haiti (Massif de la Hotte).

P.a.bondiTurveyetal.,2015 — SE Hait (Massif de la Selle), and SW Dominican Republic (Sierra de Baoruco).

P. a. hylaeum Miller, 1927 — N Dominican Republic.

Descriptive notes. Head—body 312-405 mm,tail 125-153 mm; weight up to 1-8 kg. Dorsum of the Hispaniolan Hutia is dark brown and contrasts with slightly paler venter. Hand and footpads are dark, as on Desmarest’s Hutia ( Capromys pilorides ), either fuscous or light orange brown. Albinistic individuals are known, with pinkish eyes and unpigmented feet, hands, and tail. Tail is ¢.50% of head-body length, nearly naked, and dark chocolate. Ears are short (c.15 mm). Dorsum of forefeet and hindfeet are covered with short, dark chocolate hairs; plantar and palmar surfaces are dark pinkish. All digits bear long, slender claws. Skull is very distinct, wide, robust, and massive. Paraoccipital process is wide and large, not typically of echimyid-like rodents. Rostrum is wide, and palatal roof of rostrum is not flat but has a distinct 15° slope. In lateral view, cheekteeth are also inclined with the dP* placed in a lower position compared with M’. Tympanic bullae are not inflated. Mesoperygoid fossa is not wide, and pterygoid region is quite reduced compared with molar size. Post-orbital processes are well developed. Cheekteeth have a typical oblique hypselodont pattern.Jaw also massive, with large condyle and short angular process. Coronoid processis situated well behind M, and more dorsal compared with all other hutias. Cranially, the Hispaniolan Hutia is one of the most distinct hutias due to its sigmoid upper cheekteeth and low mandibular foramen. Cheekteeth are notflat and do not converge anteriorly. There is no hook on dorso-medial side of zygomatic arch dorsal part. The dP4 are replaced laterally. Hypselodont teeth have thin layer of cement. Incisors are procumbent. Pterygoid fossa is medial to M”. There is no supraorbital ridge.

Habitat. Rocky places, usually sheltering near the ground, but may occur either on the ground in disturbed habitats or in trees in primary montane habitats. The Hispaniolan Hutia favors crevices and tree holes as resting sites. It is reportedly more common near tree holes and large root system oftrees such as Didymopanax tremulus ( Araliaceae ). In the Dominican Republic, it has been reported to build nests in strangler figs ( Ficus , Moraceae ).

Food and Feeding. The Hispaniolan Hutia primarily feeds on plants, including cultivars, and has been reported to cause damage to farms. Its natural diet includes bark of twigs and branches on upper parts of trees. In Haiti, individuals favor avocados (e.g. Persea anomala, Lauraceae ) and also feed on its bark, leaves, buds, and fruit. Robust cranial structure, gut morphology, and jaw muscles suggest that it specializes on bark consumption. It was reported to forage on 20 species of plants in Haiti. Opportunistically, captive individuals also ate lizards (Anolis sp.).

Breeding. The Hispaniolan Hutia breeds only once a year. Pregnant females were only caught in January-February. A lactating female was collected in September. Neonatal weights were 200-350 g, with young primarily recorded in November—January from camera traps. Larger juveniles were collected in May and September, suggesting that parturition might occur in autumn. Gestation was reported to be 119 days and litter size was typically one young, rarely two.

Activity patterns. Hispaniolan Hutias are strictly nocturnal, emerging from their crevices or tree holes at night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Little is known about the social behavior of Hispaniolan Hutias. Recent studies with camera traps revealed groups of individuals resting and foraging together, with grooming and amicable behaviors.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Endangered on The IUCN Red List. Compared with Desmarest’s Hutia, the limited reproductive cycle of the Hispaniolan Hutia might hamperits ability to adapt to human activities and environmental changes. It is extremely susceptible to habitat degradation, hunting, and competition with or predation by invasive species. Nevertheless, the Hispaniolan Hutia occurs in a wide variety of habitats, including highly disturbed habitats and human settlements. Ecological studies are required to clarify its status and better delineate taxonomic units in need of conservation.

Bibliography. Anderson (1965), Borroto & Woods (2012a), Cuvier (1836), Johnson (1948), Mohr (1939), Turvey et al. (2015), Woods (1981, 1989), Woods & Howland (1979), Woods et al. (2001).

Figures

1. Hispaniolan Hutia (Plagiodontia aedium), 2. Jamaican Hutia (Geocapromys brownu), 3. Ingraham’s Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami), 4. Desmarest’s Hutia (Capromys pilorides), 5. Cabrera’s Hutia (Mesocapromys angelcabrerai), 6. Eared Hutia (Mesocapromys auritus), 7. Black-tailed Hutia (Mesocapromys melanurus), 8. Dwarf Hutia (Mesocapromys nanus), 9. Prehensile-tailed Hutia (Mysateles prehensilis), 10. Garrido Tree Hutia (Mysateles garridoi), 11. Groove-toothed Spiny-rat (Carterodon sulcidens)

Subspecies and Distribution. P. a. aedium F. Cuvier, 1836 — SW Haiti (Massif de la Hotte). P.a.bondiTurveyetal.,2015 — SE Hait (Massif de la Selle), and SW Dominican Republic (Sierra de Baoruco). P. a. hylaeum Miller, 1927 — N Dominican Republic.