L. Forró szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 7. 1992 (Budapest, 1992)

Borroto Páez, R., Camacho Pérez, A.; Ramos García, I.: Variation in three populations of Capromys pilorides (Rodentia: Capromyidae), and the description of a new subspecies from the south of the Isle of Youth (Cuba)

Table 1. Measurements of the external morphological characters and their ratios in three populations of Capromys pilorides mean±s.d. (range) C. p. C.p. southern form pilorides relictus Character n = = 14 n= 18 n = 19 F TL 704.7 ± 59.47 693.4 ± 97.50 726.6 ± 57.82 1.75 NE LT (561.0 217.9 - 796.0) ± 19.30 (620.0 240.1 - 818.0) ± 20.92 (610.1 244.4 - 876.0) ±280.0 2.25 NS HBL (143.0 476.0 - 264.0) ± 37.74

b (205.0 447.8 - 291.0) ± 47.30° (214.0 482.3 - 280.0) ± 50.17

3 2.86 * EH (414.0 35.5 - 540.0) ± 2.64 (336.0 35.5 - 527.0) ± 3.02 (375.0 35.1 - 614.0) ± 4.91 0.07 NS LL (32.7 93.6 - 41.4) ± 5.23

b (30.0 97.8 - 40.2) ± 4.47

a (27.0 101.1 - 43.1) ± 6.53

a 7.22 * * W (83.6 3.34 - 101.4) ± 0.853

b (90.0 3.51 - 109.2) ± 0.738

b (90.0 4.86 - 116.5) ± 0.151

3 16.31 * * TB (2.12 0.49 - 5.04) ± 0.07

6 (2.16 0.54 - 4.75) ± 0.07

a (3.40 0.51 - 6.93) ± 0.58

ab 3.94 * EB (0.34 - 0.54) 0.073 ± 0.005 (0.42 0.076 - 0.66) ± 0.004 (0.42 0.073 - 0.63) ± 0.008 1.22 NS LB (0.063 0.197 - 0.084) ± 0.013

6 (0.069 0.220 - 0.109) ± 0.021

a (0.059 0.207 - 0.086) ± 0.025

a 4.97 * * W/TL

3 (0.185 0.93 - 0.229) ± 0.18

b (0.197 1.04 - 0.277) ± 0.27

b (0.150 1.23 - 0.250) ± 0.40

a 3.01 * (0.70 - 1.30) (0.70 - 1.50) (0.90 - 1.70) * P<0.05; ** P<0.01; NS - no significant difference Letters refer to significantly different groups according to Duncan's test Head and body length is much larger in the southern form, the difference being statistically significant. EH is similar in all three forms, whereas LL is similar for the two Isle of the Youth forms, but smaller in the subspecies pilorides from Cienaga de Zapata. The southern form is the heaviest, with a mean weight statistically significantly greater than those of the subspecies pilorides and relictus. Maxima in the southern form reached 6.93 kg in our sample, although otherwise we have found individuals weighing up to 8.5 kg. Such values are rarely found in other populations of conga hutias, usually not heavier than 5 kg (unpublished data). The ratios TB, EB and LB of the southern form do not differ statistically from the values for the subspecies relictus, although the southern form always has lower values since its average body length is greater. Its condition index is, however, markedly greater. Comparison of cranial characters Table 2 shows a comparison of the qualitative cranial characters of the three populations analyzed. Allen (1911), in his description of C. p. relictus, considered the postpalatal fossa to be one of the most important characters since it shows a V-shape in this subspecies as opposed to the characteristic U-shape of C. p. pilorides from the island of Cuba. We confirm Allen's findings. Nevertheless, the hutia samples from the northern and southern regions of the Isle of Youth clearly show that both the V- and the U-shapes of the postpalatal fossa are present in these po-