Mysateles melanurus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Use and Trade

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	MAMMALIA	RODENTIA	CAPROMYIDAE

Scientific Name:

Mysateles melanurus

Species Authority:

(Poey, 1865)

Common Name(s):

English

–

Black-tailed Hutia, Bushy-tailed Hutia

Synonym(s):

Capromys melanurus Poey, 1865

Mesocapromys melanurus (Poey, 1865)

Taxonomic Notes:

Based on the work of Woods et al. (2001), Woods and Kilpatrick (2005, p. 1596) argued that "Mysateles was paraphyletic and that the affinities of melanurus are with taxa of the genus Mesocapromys rather than with Mysateles". This designation is not widely accepted (e.g., Silva Taboada et al. 2007), hence this species is treated here under Mysateles.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Vulnerable A2cd ver 3.1

Year Published:

2008

Date Assessed:

2008-06-30

Assessor(s):

Soy, J. & Silva, G.

Reviewer(s):

McKnight, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) & Amori, G. (Small Nonvolant Mammal Red List Authority)

Justification:
This species is considered Vulnerable due to a population reduction of greater than 30% over the past 30 years (3 generations) due to habitat destruction and illegal hunting.

History:

1994	–	Rare (Groombridge 1994)
1990	–	Rare (IUCN 1990)
1988	–	Indeterminate (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
1986	–	Indeterminate (IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
1982	–	Indeterminate (Thornback and Jenkins 1982)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known from the far eastern provinces of Cuba (Woods and Kilpatrick 2005).
Countries:	Native: Cuba
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Populations are extremely fragmented and the species is not abundant anywhere within its range.
Population Trend:	Decreasing

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species is found only in primarly and secondary forest habitats.
Systems:	Terrestrial

Use and Trade [top]

Use and Trade:	This species is hunted. It is not known whether it is traded at a national or international scale.

Use and Trade:

This species is hunted. It is not known whether it is traded at a national or international scale.

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Habitat destruction, illegal hunting, and fragmentation all pose serious threats to this species. The species has been in decline for the last 30 years (Soy pers. comm.)

Major Threat(s):

Habitat destruction, illegal hunting, and fragmentation all pose serious threats to this species. The species has been in decline for the last 30 years (Soy pers. comm.)

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species occurs in several protected areas (PN Pico Cristal, PN La Mensura, PN Alejandro de Humbolt, PN Turquino, PN Desembarco del Granma, PN Sierra Maestra).

Conservation Actions:

This species occurs in several protected areas (PN Pico Cristal, PN La Mensura, PN Alejandro de Humbolt, PN Turquino, PN Desembarco del Granma, PN Sierra Maestra).

Citation:	Soy, J. & Silva, G. 2008. Mysateles melanurus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 27 July 2014.
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