Cavia
| Cavia Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene - Recent | |
|---|---|
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| Cavia aperea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | Caviidae |
| Subfamily: | Caviinae |
| Genus: | Cavia Pallas, 1766 |
| Species | |
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Cavia aperea | |
Cavia is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs.[1] The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, an important meat animal in South America and a common household pet outside of South America.
Taxonomic controversy
Cavia is classified in order Rodentia, although there was a minority belief in the scientific community that evidence from mitochondrial DNA and proteins suggested the Hystricognathi might belong to a different evolutionary offshoot, and therefore a different order.[2] If so, this would be an example of convergent evolution. Other scientists were critical of this hypothesis.[3] This uncertainty is largely of historical interest, as abundant molecular genetic evidence now conclusively supports classification of Cavia as rodents.[4] This evidence includes draft genome sequences of Cavia porcellus and several other rodents (available on-line [5]).
Species
- Cavia anolaimae (often considered a synonym of C. porcellus) - Colombia
- Cavia aperea – Brazilian guinea pig, widespread east of the Andes
- Cavia fulgida – shiny guinea pig, eastern Brazil
- Cavia guianae (often considered a synonym of C. porcellus) - Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil
- Cavia intermedia – intermediate guinea pig, Moleques do Sul islands, Santa Catarina, Brazil, first described in 1999
- Cavia magna – greater guinea pig, Uruguay, southeast Brazil
- Cavia nana (often considered a synonym of C. tschudii)
- Cavia porcellus – domestic guinea pig, wild ancestor unknown
- Cavia tschudii – montane guinea pig, Peru south to northern Chile and northwest Argentina
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cavia. |
- ↑ Woods, C. A.; Kilpatrick, C. W. (2005). "Infraorder Hystricognathi". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 1552–1553. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
- ↑ Stiefel, Chana Freeiman (1996). "Family feud - genetic evidence seems to show that guinea pigs are not rodents". Science World. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
- ↑ "Molecular Biology and Evolution," Vol 11, 593-604
- ↑ (and references therein)
- ↑ http://genome.ucsc.edu/cgi-bin/hgGateway?hgsid=271122373&clade=mammal&org=Guinea+pig&db=0
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