The Samaná hutia (Plagiodontia ipnaeum) is an extinct species of rodent in the subfamily Capromyinae. It was endemic to Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Its natural habitat was subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Samaná hutia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Echimyidae
Tribe: Plagiodontini
Genus: Plagiodontia
Species:
P. ipnaeum
Binomial name
Plagiodontia ipnaeum
Johnson, 1948
Synonyms

Plagiodontia velozi Rimoli, 1976

History

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The remains were found in association with those from rats of the genus Rattus, which suggests that the imposter hutia survived until the time of European colonization of the island, and may have gone extinct due to predation from introduced rodents.[2] It is possible that the Samaná hutia represents the quemi, an animal purported to inhabit Hispaniola by Spanish colonist Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés from 1536 to 1546; it could also represent an animal called comadreja, which allegedly survived into the 20th century.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Turvey, S.T.; Helgen, K. (2018). "Plagiodontia ipnaeum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T17462A22187847. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T17462A22187847.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. ^ Piper, Ross (2009). Extinct animals : an encyclopedia of species that have disappeared during human history. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-34987-4. OCLC 268789581.