Caviinae is a subfamily uniting all living members of the family Caviidae

Caviidae

The cavy family is a family of rodents native to South America, and including the domestic guinea pig, wild cavies, and the capybara, among other animals...

 with the exception of the maras

Mara (mammal)

The maras are a genus of the cavy family. They are the sole representatives of the subfamily Dolichotinae. These large relatives of guinea pigs are common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina but live in other areas of South America as well such as Paraguay...

, capybara

Capybara

The capybara , also known as capivara in Portuguese, and capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish, is the largest living rodent in the world. Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs...

s and Kerodon

Kerodon

The genus Kerodon contains two species of South American rock cavies related to capybaras.-Characteristics:Adults weigh about 800 grams. Gestation period is 76–77 days with 1-3 young born to females. Metabolic rate is 0.45 ml-O2/...

. The subfamily traditionally contained the guinea pig

Guinea pig

The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...

-like forms along with the cursorially (running) adapted Kerodon

Kerodon

The genus Kerodon contains two species of South American rock cavies related to capybaras.-Characteristics:Adults weigh about 800 grams. Gestation period is 76–77 days with 1-3 young born to females. Metabolic rate is 0.45 ml-O2/...

. Molecular

Molecular phylogeny

Molecular phylogenetics is the analysis of hereditary molecular differences, mainly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. The result of a molecular phylogenetic analysis is expressed in a phylogenetic tree...

 results suggest that the Caviinae as so defined would be paraphyletic and that Kerodon is more closely related to maras and capybaras than to other caviines (Rowe and Honeycutt, 2002). This led Woods and Kilpatrick (2005) to unite Kerodon and capybaras into the subfamily Hydrochoerinae within the Caviidae. These studies also suggest that Microcavia

Microcavia

Microcavia is a rodent genus in the family Caviidae.It contains the following species:* Southern Mountain Cavy, Microcavia australis* Andean Mountain Cavy, Microcavia niata...

and Cavia

Cavia

Cavia is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, an important meat animal in South America and a common household pet in the West.-Taxonomic controversy:Cavia are...

are more closely related to one another than either is to Galea

Galea (genus)

Galea is a genus of South American rodents of the family Caviidae. Four species are known, found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Brazil. They are as follows:* Brandt's Yellow-toothed Cavy...

.

Genera and species

• Subfamily Caviinae
  • †Neoprocavia
  • †Allocavia
  • †Palaeocavia
  • †Neocavia
  • †Dolicavia
  • †Macrocavia
  • †Caviops
  • †Pascualia
  • Galea
    Galea (genus)
    Galea is a genus of South American rodents of the family Caviidae. Four species are known, found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Brazil. They are as follows:* Brandt's Yellow-toothed Cavy...
    
    - yellow-toothed cavies
    • Galea flavidens - Brandt's Yellow-toothed Cavy (may be an invalid species)
    • Galea monasteriensis - Muenster Yellow-toothed Cavy
    • Galea musteloides - Common Yellow-toothed Cavy
    • Galea spixii - Spix's Yellow-toothed Cavy
  • Microcavia
    Microcavia
    Microcavia is a rodent genus in the family Caviidae.It contains the following species:* Southern Mountain Cavy, Microcavia australis* Andean Mountain Cavy, Microcavia niata...
    
    - mountain cavies
    • Microcavia australis - Southern Mountain Cavy
    • Microcavia niata - Andean Mountain Cavy
    • Microcavia shiptoni - Shipton's Mountain Cavy
  • Cavia
    Cavia
    Cavia is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, Cavia porcellus, an important meat animal in South America and a common household pet in the West.-Taxonomic controversy:Cavia are...
    
    - guinea pigs
    • Cavia aperea - Brazilian Guinea Pig
    • Cavia fulgida - Shiny Guinea Pig
    • Cavia intermedia - Intermediate Guinea Pig
    • Cavia magna - Greater Guinea Pig
    • Cavia porcellus - Domestic Guinea Pig
    • Cavia tschudii - Montane Guinea Pig