Osborn's key mouse

Osborn's key mouse[1] Temporal range: Pleistocene
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	†Heptaxodontidae
Genus:	†Clidomys Anthony, 1920
Species:	†C. osborni
Binomial name
†Clidomys osborni Anthony, 1920
Synonyms
Clidomys cundalli (Anthony, 1920) Clidomys jamaicensis (Anthony, 1920) Clidomys major (Anthony, 1920) Clidomys parvus (Anthony, 1920)

Osborn's key mouse (Clidomys osborni), also known as the larger Jamaican giant hutia, is an extinct species of large rodent in the family Heptaxodontidae.^[3] It was endemic to the island of Jamaica and likely became extinct before the end of the Pleistocene.^[2] Osborn's key mouse has only been found in six caves: Wallingford Roadside Cave, Sheep Pen Cave, Molton Fissure, Worthy Park Cave 1, Luidas Vale Cave, and Slue's Cave.^[2]

Taxonomy

Clidomys parvus was thought to be a smaller and separate species from C. osborni but later investigation has shown that they may belong to the same species. The distinction is thought to have originated from the examination of juvenile specimens of C. osborni. This was concluded by examination of the teeth. In conclusion, it is very likely that C. osborni is the only valid species of Clidomys.^[2]

References

1. Woods, C.A.; Kilpatrick, C.W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 1599. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
2. Morgan, Gary S.; Wilkins, Laurie (2003). "The Extinct Rodent Clidomys (Heptaxodontidae) From a Late Quaternary Cave Deposit in Jamaica" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 39 (1): 34–41. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
3. "Clidomys osborni". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2008-04-15.