Caviidae is a family of mammals in the order Rodentia and part of the Caviomorpha parvorder. Members of this family are called caviids and include guinea pigs, cavies, maras, and capybaras. They are found in South America and the southeast tip of Central America, primarily in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and savannas, though some species can be found in wetlands or rocky areas. They range in size from Shipton's mountain cavy, at , to the capybara, at plus a tail. Caviids are herbivores and eat a wide variety of vegetation, primarily grass and leaves. Almost no caviids have population estimates, though the Santa Catarina's guinea pig is categorized as critically endangered with a population of fewer than sixty mature adults, and the domesticated guinea pig has a population of over 36 million, not including a large worldwide population as pets.
The twenty-one extant species of Caviidae are divided into three subfamilies: Caviinae, containing fifteen species of guinea pigs and cavies in three genera; Dolichotinae, containing a single genus of two mara species; and Hydrochoerinae, containing four capybara and cavy species in two genera. A few extinct prehistoric caviid species have been discovered, though due to ongoing research and discoveries, the exact number and categorization is not fixed.
Conventions
The author citation for the species or genus is given after the scientific name; parentheses around the author citation indicate that this was not the original taxonomic placement. Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the caviid's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted.
Classification
Caviidae is a family consisting of twenty-one extant species in six genera. These genera are divided between three subfamilies: Caviinae, containing guinea pigs and cavies; Dolichotinae, or the maras; and Hydrochoerinae, containing capybara and cavy species.
Family Caviidae Subfamily Caviinae Genus Cavia (guinea pigs): seven species Genus Galea (yellow-toothed cavies): five species Genus Microcavia (mountain cavies): three species Subfamily Dolichotinae Genus Dolichotis (maras): two species Subfamily Hydrochoerinae Genus Hydrochoerus (capybaras): two species Genus Kerodon (rock cavies): two species
Caviids The following classification is based on the taxonomy described by the reference work Mammal Species of the World (2005), with augmentation by generally accepted proposals made since using molecular phylogenetic analysis, as supported by both the IUCN and the American Society of Mammalogists.
Subfamily Caviinae
Subfamily Dolichotinae
Subfamily Hydrochoerinae
References Honeycutt, pp. 61–81 Wilson, Reeder, pp. 1552–1555
Nowak, p. 1665 Nowak, p. 1667 Nowak, p. 1669 Nowak, p. 1670 Nowak, p. 1673
Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 355 Chernasky; Motis; Burgin, p. 356
Wagner; Manning, pp. 31–32
Sources