Geocapromys brownii, Chapman, 1901

Don E. Wilson, Thomas E. Lacher, Jr & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2016, Echimyidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 6 Lagomorphs and Rodents I, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 552-604 : 554-555

2.

Jamaican Hutia

Geocapromys brownii

French: Hutia de Jamaique / German: Jamaika-Ferkelratte / Spanish: Jutia de Jamaica

Other common names: Brown's Hutia, Indian Coney, Jamaican Coney

Taxonomy. Capromys brownii Fischer, 1830 ,

“Jamaica.”

Geocapromys brownii includes brachyurus as a synonym. Monotypic.

Distribution. W, E & S Jamaica, Cockpit Country (SW Trelawny, extreme N Sain Elizabeth, and extreme E Saint James parishes), John Crow and Blue Mts (Portland Parish), Mount Diablo and Croft’s Hill (Saint Thomas Parish), and Harris Savanna and Brazilletto Mts (Clarendon Parish).

Descriptive notes. Head-body 372-448 mm, tail 40-64 mm; weight up to 2 kg. The Jamaican Hutia is robust, with large head, short ears, and tail. Dorsum and rump are blackish brown to reddish brown. Venter and lower parts are uniformly dusky brown. Fur is coarse and dense with short hairs (20-25 mm) and few longer guard hairs sparsely distributed on body. Ears are black and tipped with ring of golden brown or bright gray hairs. Two tufts of longer hairs are present behind and above auditory meatus on inner dorsal margins of pinna; otherwise, ears are densely covered with short and fine hairs. Tapering tail is stiff and ¢.84% of head-body length, with tail scale harboring short and bristly hairs. Tail is bicolored black above and grayish brown below. Feet are covered with stiff and short black hairs; soles are also blackish with rasp-like warts. Hallux is set far back and well differentiated from other toes. Multiple tubercles cover plantar and palmar pads. On the hand, pollex is a vestigial tubercle with a blunt nail. There are two pairs of mammae midway on each side of thorax. Skulls of all Geocapromys have anteriorly converging cheekteeth; roots of lower incisors anterior to dP, alveoli; broad vertically or posteriorly oriented superior zygomatic roots of maxilla; labial inclination of occlusal jugal teeth surfaces; anteroflexid with more inclined angles compared with other mesoand posteroflexids, with a large chewing surface on labial side; and presence of anteroflexid with small third re-entrant angle on surface of dP,. Skull is 15-20% larger than skulls of other species of Geocapromys . Zygomatic arch is broad anteriorly, with arch placed well below orbit and overlapping in lateral view with upper molar row. Frontal apophyse of infraorbital foramen is wide. Jugal spine is huge, and jugal fossa is wide (especially anterior part of the zygomatic arch). Zygomatic root of zygomatic arch is also broad, with slight posterior extension. On the antero-medial part of orbit, parietal bone is inflated, making an inflated structure likely due to a sinus in this region. As a result, anterior part of frontal is wider than posterior part. Indeed, frontal bone is reduced posteriorly due to constriction near their fronto-parietal suture. Sagittal crest can be more or less developed for insertion of temporalis muscles. Paraoccipital process has a well-developed lambdoid crest. Tympanic bullae are not inflated, without nares constriction. Upper tooth rows are slightly converging anteriorly. Jaw is strong, with deep mandibular symphysis. Masseteric ridge is well developed and starts below the first lower molar, continues toward end of the spinous angular process, and ends with slight outer lateral deflection. A triangular coronoid process expands anteriorly above M, or M,; condyle process is lower than occlusal plane of lower molar in other species of Geocapromys . Incisors are fronted with orange enamel and are recumbently curved. Cheekteeth are hypsodont and rootless and have flat occlusal plane inclined labially at 30° angle. Upper cheekteeth have trilophodont occlusal pattern, as in several arboreal echimyids, and with more squarish molar shape. Upper molars have two labial and one lingual flexi; lower molars have one labial and one lingual fold, with dP, having and extra small anterolingual flexid. Baculum has distinct dimensions compared with all hutias from Cuba and Hispaniola, with its width 2-3 times greater than that of the larger Desmarest’s Hutia ( Capromys pilorides ). Chromosomal complement is 2n = 88 and FN = 136.

Habitat. Restricted to karst areas, nesting in caves, crevices, and tunnels. Density of the Jamaican Hutia appears to be higher in remote hills and mountainous regions with these karst geologic formations.

Food and Feeding. Jamaican Hutias forage on bark, shoots, and fruits and den in rock crevices, exposed roots, and foliage of a variety of plant species. They eat parts of at least 57 different plants but also opportunistically feed on human leftovers and freeliving arthropods. Captive Jamaican Hutias drink freshwater more often than species of other genera like Capromys or Plagiodontia .

Breeding. Captive Jamaican Hutias reportedly had 1-2 young at a time, rarely three. Litter size averaged 1-5 neonates at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Gestation is ¢.123 days, and interbirth interval is c.168 days. Females first gave birth at approximately one year old, with males reaching sexual maturity later. Neonates appear capable of adult movement and eat plant materials only 30 hours after birth. Hunters and other local people report a similarlitter size and non-seasonal breeding in the wild.

Activity patterns. Jamaican Hutias are strictly nocturnal and hid during the day in burrows, tunnels, or limestone crevices. They are secretive and very difficult to see at night.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The Jamaican Hutia uses a semiplantigrade waddling gait, with terrestrial locomotion and abilities to jump between rocks and over crevices of karst habitats. Jamaican Hutias live in groups of 2-10 individuals. These groups are usually familial units that live communally in cavities or crevices; size of resting site 1s one factor determining group size. Most harvested individuals are singletons or pairs, probably dispersers from natal family groups and likely using nesting sites more accessible to hunters. Jamaican Hutias do not build or dig nests and resting sites; they use natural cavities or crevices. Familial groups always stay in contact during the day and come back to the same site each night. Social behaviors include cohesive contact during foraging, continuous vocalization among individuals, playing, and affiliative grooming.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. Despite being protected, Jamaican Hutias are hunted in many areas in Jamaica, but habitat loss due to agricultural expansion is the most important conservation threat, with direct threats to resting sites in limestone areas. Jamaican Hutias are known to occur at only 16 sites, and although they can be fairly abundant in some areas, habitat loss has severely fragmented their distribution resulting in very small and threatened populations. Introduced species like Roof Rats (Rattus rattus), domestic dogs, and mongoose also represent major threats to this species. Its population trend and distribution has been severely reduced to small density populations. Additional ecological studies are required to confirm the current conservation status of this species.

Bibliography. Allen, G.M. (1917), Allen, J.A. (1891), Anderson et al. (1983), Borroto (2002), Borroto & Woods (2012a), Borroto et al. (1992), Chapman (1901), Clough (1972), George & Weir (1972a), Hall (1981), Hill (1851), Kilpatrick et al. (2012), Koopman & Williams (1951), Lawrence (1934), Mittermeier (1972), Mohr (1939), Oliver (1982), Pocock (1926), True (1889b), Varona (1974), Williams (1952), Woods (1982), Woods & Howland (1979), Woods et al. (2001).

Figures

1. Hispaniolan Hutia (Plagiodontia aedium), 2. Jamaican Hutia (Geocapromys brownu), 3. Ingraham’s Hutia (Geocapromys ingrahami), 4. Desmarest’s Hutia (Capromys pilorides), 5. Cabrera’s Hutia (Mesocapromys angelcabrerai), 6. Eared Hutia (Mesocapromys auritus), 7. Black-tailed Hutia (Mesocapromys melanurus), 8. Dwarf Hutia (Mesocapromys nanus), 9. Prehensile-tailed Hutia (Mysateles prehensilis), 10. Garrido Tree Hutia (Mysateles garridoi), 11. Groove-toothed Spiny-rat (Carterodon sulcidens)

Distribution. W, E & S Jamaica, Cockpit Country (SW Trelawny, extreme N Sain Elizabeth, and extreme E Saint James parishes), John Crow and Blue Mts (Portland Parish), Mount Diablo and Croft’s Hill (Saint Thomas Parish), and Harris Savanna and Brazilletto Mts (Clarendon Parish).