Garrido's hutia (Capromys garridoi) is a small, critically endangered, rat-like mammal found in coastal mangrove forests on Cuba and nearby islands. It is rarely seen and may be extinct.[2] It is a member of the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae), a group of rodents native to the Caribbean that are mostly endangered or extinct. The only other species in its genus, the Desmarest's hutia (Capromys pilorides), is also found only on Cuba.
Taxonomy
It was formerly classified in the genus Mysateles, but phylogenetic analysis supports it belonging to the genus Capromys, of which the only other member is the Desmarest's hutia (C. pilorides).[3] It is not known if the species is truly distinct from C. pilorides; some authors have interpreted it as a misidentified specimen of it, but others consider it a distinct species based on cranial morphometric analysis. The American Society of Mammalogists tentatively recognizes it as a distinct species.[3][4][5]
