Myocastor is a genus of rodent that contains the living nutria (or coypu), as well as several fossil species.
Taxonomy
Due to similar cranial morphology, the nutria was once considered a close relative of the Caribbean hutias and placed together with them in the family Capromyidae.[1] Later, it was more accepted to place it in its own family, the Myocastoridae.[2] Recent molecular studies place them in the family Echimyidae, in the tribe Myocastorini.[3][4][5]
Fossil record
Kerber et al. (2013) recognize the following species as valid:[6]
Other species described but no longer considered valid include Myocastor minor, Myocastor perditus, and Myocastor priscus.
References
^Woods, C.A.; Howland, E.B. (1979). "Adaptive Radiation of Capromyid Rodents: Anatomy of the Masticatory Apparatus". Journal of Mammalogy. 60 (1): 95–116. doi:10.2307/1379762. JSTOR1379762.
^Woods, C. A. (1982). "The history and classification of South American Hystricognath rodents: reflections on the far away and long ago". In Mares, M. A.; Genoways, H. H. (eds.). Mammalian Biology in South America. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh. pp. 377–392.
^Galewski, Thomas; Mauffrey, Jean-François; Leite, Yuri L. R.; Patton, James L.; Douzery, Emmanuel J. P. (2005). "Ecomorphological diversification among South American spiny rats (Rodentia; Echimyidae): a phylogenetic and chronological approach". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 34 (3): 601–615. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.11.015. PMID15683932.
^Upham, Nathan S.; Patterson, Bruce D. (2012). "Diversification and biogeography of the Neotropical caviomorph lineage Octodontoidea (Rodentia: Hystricognathi)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63 (2): 417–429. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.020. PMID22327013.
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