Hydrochoerinaeとは 意味・読み方・使い方

Hydrochoerinae is a subfamily of Caviidae, consisting of two living genera, Hydrochoerus, the capybaras, and Kerodon, the rock cavies. In addition, a number of extinct genera related to capybaras should also be placed in this subfamily. The taxonomy of Hydrochoerinae is confused by the fact that, until recently living capybaras and their extinct relatives were placed in their own family, Hydrochoeridae (e.g. McKenna and Bell, 1997). Recent molecular phylogenetic studies recognize a close relationship between Hydrochoerus and Kerodon (Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002), supporting placement of both genera in a subfamily of Caviidae (Woods and Kilpatrick, 2005). Paleontological classifications have yet to incorporate this new taxonomy, and continue to use Hydrochoeridae for all capybaras, while using Hydrochoerinae for the living genus and its closest fossil relatives such as Neochoerus (Vucetich et al., 2005; Deschamps et al., 2007). The taxonomy of fossil hydrochoerines is also in a state of flux. In recent years, the diversity of fossil hydrochoerines has been substantially reduced (Prado et al., 1998; Vucetich et al., 2005; Deschamps et al., 2007). This is largely due to the recognition that capybara molar teeth show strong variation in shape over the life of an individual (Vucetich et al., 2005). In one instance, material once referred to four genera and seven species on the basis of differences in molar shape is now though to represent differently aged individuals of a single species, Cardiatherium paranense (Vucetich et al., 2005).