Kingdom Animalia Class Mammalia Family Cuniculidae Rank Species | Phylum Chordata Order Rodentia Genus Cuniculus | |
Similar Mountain paca, Muenster yellow‑toothed cavy, Paca, Pacarana, Spiny tree‑rat | ||
Cuniculus hernandezi is a species of paca that is endemic to the Central Andes in Colombia. Individuals may weigh over 14 pounds (6.4 kg), making C. hernandezi the third-largest rodent species worldwide. The species is very similar to the mountain paca, Cuniculus taczanowskii, but analysis of its mitochondrial DNA revealed that it is a distinct species. The specific epithet honors Colombian biologist Dr. Jorge Hernández Camacho. Héctor Ramírez-Chaves and Sergio Solari, in 2014, considered that the species is not an available name (nomen nudum) according to the rules of the current International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN).
References
Cuniculus hernandezi Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA