NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Jamaician Hutia
Geocapromys brownii (J. Fischer, 1830)
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 Jamaican coney (Geocapromys brownii), also known as the Jamaican hutia or Brown's hutia, is a small, endangered, rat-like mammal found only on the island of Jamaica. About the size of a rabbit, it lives in group nests and is active at night to feed on fruit, bark, and other plant matter. It is currently endangered by habitat loss, hunting, and non-native species; it persists only in remote mountains. The Jamaican coney belongs to the hutia subfamily (Capromyinae) and is the only surviving native mammal on Jamaica other than bats.
Wikipedia contributors, Jamaican coney; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:28:36.460336+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Geocapromys brownii (J. Fischer, 1830)
- Name authority
- (J. Fischer, 1830)
- Common name
- Jamaician Hutia
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Rodentia
- Family
- Echimyidae
- Genus
- Geocapromys
- 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
- familyEchimyidae Gray, 1825
- subfamilyCapromyinae Smith, 1842
- tribeCapromyini Smith, 1842
- genusGeocapromys Chapman, 1901
- speciesGeocapromys brownii (J. Fischer, 1830)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Geocapromys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bahamian HutiaGeocapromys ingrahami (J. A. Allen, 1891) | EchimyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Swan Island HutiaGeocapromys thoracatus (True, 1889) | EchimyidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Capromys brownii J. Fischer, 1830 J. Fischer, 1830 | synonym |
| Geocapromys brachyurus (Hill, 1851) (Hill, 1851) | synonym |
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=584878 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:6KC7X. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.