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Hydrochoerus (capybara)

Mammalia - Rodentia - Caviidae

Taxonomy
Hydrochoerus was named by Brisson (1762) [conserved in ICZN Opinion 1894; see also ICZN Opinion 1998 correct spelling is Hydrochoerus (see Opinion 1894) and misspelling Hydrochaeris stems from Brünnich 1772 see ICZN opinion 1894, 1998 misspelling Hydrochaeris stems from Brünnich 1772 see ICZN opinion 1894, 1998 misspelling Hydrochaeris stems from Brünnich 1772 see ICZN opinion 1894, 1998 misspelling Hydrochaeris stems from Brünnich 1772]. It is extant. Its type is Sus hydrochaeris. It is the type genus of Hydrochaeridae.

It was assigned to Belluae by Erxleben (1777); to Subungulata by Illiger (1811); to Hydrocharina by Gray (1825); to Rodentia by Leidy (1860); to Cavina by Ameghino (1885); to Caviidae by Ameghino (1902) and Hay (1902); to Hydrochoeridae by Brisson (1762), Kurten and Anderson (1980) and McKenna and Bell (1997); to Hydrochoerinae by Mones and Ojasti (1986) and Prado et al. (1998); and to Hydrochaeridae by Salles et al. (2006).

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1762Hydrochoerus Brisson
1777Hydrochaerus Erxleben p. 45
1811Hydrochoerus Illiger p. 94
1825Hydrocharus Gray p. 341
1860Hydrochoerus Leidy p. 112
1872Capiguara Liais p. 545
1885Hydrochoerus Ameghino p. 41
1902Hydrochoerus Ameghino
1902Hydrochoerus Hay p. 734
1934Xenohydrochoerus Rusconi p. 21
1980Hydrochoerus Kurten and Anderson p. 274
1986Hydrochoerus Mones and Ojasti p. 1
1997Hydrochoerus McKenna and Bell
1998Hydrochoerus Prado et al. p. 796
2006Hydrochaeris Salles et al. p. 9

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—EuarchontogliresMurphy et al. 2001
—GliriformesWyss and Meng 1996
—Glires()
—Simplicidentata()
orderRodentiaBowdich 1821
—CtenohystricaHuchon et al. 2000
infraorderHystricognathi(Tullberg 1899)
—Caviomorpha(Wood and Patterson 1955)
superfamilyCavioideaFischer de Waldheim 1817
familyCaviidae
subfamilyHydrochoerinae(Gill 1872)
genusHydrochoerus

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

G. Hydrochoerus Brisson 1762 [capybara]
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†Hydrochoerus gaylordi MacPhee et al. 2000
†Hydrochoerus hesperotiganites White et al. 2022 [capybara]
Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris Linnaeus 1766 [capybara]
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Invalid names: Capiguara americana Liais 1872 [synonym], Cavia capybara Pallas 1766 [synonym], Hydrochoerus cololoi Berro 1968 [synonym], Hydrochoerus irroratus Ameghino 1889 [synonym], Hydrochoerus uruguayensis Ameghino and Rovereto 1914 [synonym]
Hydrochoerus isthmius Goldman 1912
†Hydrochoerus perturbidus Ameghino 1889
†Hydrochoerus tarijensis Ameghino 1902
Invalid names: Capiguara Liais 1872 [synonym], Xenohydrochoerus Rusconi 1934 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Body mass estimates
estimateequationreference
 49.7 kg Mammalia femur diameterGingerich 1990
 63.4 kg Mammalia humerus diameterGingerich 1990
 48.2 kg Mammalia tibia diameterGingerich 1990
mean: 53.4 kg
Measurements
partNmean
Dentary, Maximum height of the body of dentary, at the level of p.r. s. a. height139.5
femur diameter121.0
humerus diameter124.2
radius diameter113.0
tibia diameter120.0

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: amphibiousg
Diet: herbivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2012-04-17 11:22:28
Modified: 2012-04-16 20:22:28
Source: g = genus, f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Lillegraven 1979, Gingerich 2003

Age range

Maximum range based only on fossils: base of the Montehermosan to the top of the Holocene or 5.00000 to 0.00000 Ma
Minimum age of oldest fossil (stem group age): 4.9 Ma

Collections (40 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Hemphillian10.3 - 4.9USA (Florida) Hydrochoerus sp. (18578)
Montehermosan5.0 - 3.8Argentina (Buenos Aires) Hydrochoerus sp. (13503)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.588Argentina (Buenos Aires) Xenohydrochoerus ballesterensis (53926 213138)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene3.6 - 0.781Grenada (Lance aux E´ pines peninsula) Hydrochoerus gaylordi (167764)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Bolivia (Tarija ) Hydrochoerus capybara, Hydrochoerus tarijensis (70673)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Bolivia Hydrochoerus capybara (142016)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Hydrochoerus sp. (227368)
Pleistocene (glacial)2.588 - 0.0117Brazil (Minas Gerais) Hydrochoerus capivara (140474)
Ensenadan1.75 - 0.4Bolivia Hydrochoerus sp. (71322)
Lujanian0.781 - 0.012Argentina (Entre Ríos) Hydrochoerus sp. (203955)
Lujanian0.781 - 0.012Uruguay Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (71325) Hydrochoerus sp. (71274)
Lujanian0.781 - 0.012Colombia Hydrochoerus sp. (71291)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Bolivia (Chuquisaca) Hydrochoerus hydrochoeris (70704)
Rancholabrean0.3 - 0.012Mexico (Sonora) Hydrochoerus sp. (20495)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Argentina (Buenos Aires) Hydrochoerus sp. (71316)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (28519 124717 147598)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Hydrochaerus pinckneyi (154771)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (137179 137180 137181)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Guatemala (Peten) Hydrochoerus sp. (71312)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (California) Hydrochoerus hesperotiganites (236635)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Honduras Hydrochoerus sp. (190753)
Late/Upper Pleistocene (glacial)0.129 - 0.0117Brazil (Bahia) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (136498)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (Florida) Hydrochoerus sp. (74292)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0Brazil (Bahia) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (212449)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Venezuela (Guarico) Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (21686)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Argentina (Entre Ríos) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (212781)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil (São Paulo) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (148397)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil (Pará) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (211490)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Peru Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (21689)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Bolivia Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (71324)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Panama Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (21691)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil (Sao Paulo) Hydrochoerus hydrochoeris (71269)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Brazil (Santa Catarina) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (211635)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Bolivia (Chuquisaca) Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (70705)