NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Montane Guinea Pig
Cavia tschudii Fitzinger, 1857
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The montane guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) is a species of caviid rodent found in the Andes in South America. The montane guinea pig is the likely main ancestor of Cavia porcellus, the domestic guinea pig or domestic cavy, which appears to be a hybrid that includes lesser genetic contributions from other Cavia species.
Wikipedia contributors, Montane guinea pig; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:12:15.104145+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Cavia tschudii Fitzinger, 1857
- Name authority
- Fitzinger, 1857
- Common name
- Montane Guinea Pig
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Caviidae
- Genus
- Cavia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classMammalia Linnaeus, 1758
- subclassTheria Parker & Haswell, 1897
- infraclassEutheria Gill, 1872
- orderRodentia Bowdich, 1821
- suborderHystricomorpha Brandt, 1855
- infraorderHystricognathi Brandt, 1855
- familyCaviidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- subfamilyCaviinae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
- genusCavia Pallas, 1766
- speciesCavia tschudii Fitzinger, 1857
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Cavia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Guinea PigCavia aperea Erxleben, 1777 | CaviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Moleques do Sul Guinea PigCavia intermedia Cherem, Olimpio & Ximenez, 1999 | CaviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Domestic Guinea PigCavia porcellus (Linnaeus, 1758) | CaviidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=584714 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5XGR3. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.