Arsinoitheriidae

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Arsinoitheriidae
Temporal range: Late Eocene–Early Oligocene
Arsinoitherium zitteli.jpg
Skeleton of Arsinoitherium zitteli
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order:† Embrithopoda
Family:† Arsinoitheriidae
Andrews, 1904
Genera

Arsinoitheriidae is a family of mammals belonging to the extinct order Embrithopoda. [1] Remains have been found in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Romania. Arsinotheriids were closely related to hyraxes, elephants, sirenians, and possibly desmostylians (as part of the superorder Afrotheria). [2] The name of the clade honors the wife of Ptolemy II, Queen Arsinoe II of Egypt, as the first fossils of Arsinoitherium were found near the ruins of her palace. [3]

Contents

Description

Reconstruction of an undetermined Arsinoitherium species Arsinoitherium hharder.png
Reconstruction of an undetermined Arsinoitherium species

Arsinoitheriids are easily recognized by their prominent nose horns, which, in life, were likely covered in keratin. [4] The horns are derived from the nasal bones. [5] They are also characterized by pseudolophodont molars. [6] They also had small incisors, which may have asked as some form of tusk. [3]

Fossil record

Based on the less derived traits of Namatherium , it is assumed that Arsinoitheriidae underwent a divergent evolution sometime during the Lutetian. [7] The latest living genus, Arsinoitherium , was first recovered from the Latest Eocene of the Fayum [8] ; it disappears from the fossil record altogether before the end of the Early Oligocene. [8]

References

  1. ↑ Sanders, William J.; Nemec, Wojciech; Aldinucci, Mauro; Janbu, Nils E.; Ghinassi, Massimiliano (2014-07-29). "Latest evidence of Palaeoamasia (Mammalia, Embrithopoda) in Turkish Anatolia" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 34 (5): 1155–1164. doi:10.1080/02724634.2014.850430. ISSN   0272-4634.
  2. ↑ Gheerbrant, Emmanuel; Schmitt, Arnaud; Kocsis, László (2018-07-09). "Early African Fossils Elucidate the Origin of Embrithopod Mammals". Current Biology. 28 (13): 2167–2173.e2. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.032. ISSN   0960-9822.
  3. 1 2 Beadnell, H. J. L.; Beadnell, H. J. L.; Egypt (1902). A preliminary note on Arsinoitherium zitteli, Beadn., from the Upper Eocene strata of Egypt. Cairo: National Printing Department.
  4. ↑ Von, Koenigswald W. (2013). "Unique differentiation of radial enamel in Arsinoitherium (Embrithopoda, Tethytheria)". Historical Biology. 25 (2): 183–192. ISSN   0891-2963.
  5. ↑ Kampouridis, Panagiotis; Hartung, Josephina; Augustin, Felix J. (2023), Hamimi, Zakaria; Khozyem, Hassan; Adatte, Thierry; Nader, Fadi H. (eds.), "The Eocene–Oligocene Vertebrate Assemblages of the Fayum Depression, Egypt", The Phanerozoic Geology and Natural Resources of Egypt, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 373–405, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-95637-0_14, ISBN   978-3-030-95637-0 , retrieved 2025-10-01
  6. ↑ "New data on the earliest known arsinoitheriid embrithopod (Mammalia, Paenungulata), Namatherium Pickford, Senut, Morales, Mein & Sanchez, 2008 from the middle Eocene of Namibia". Geodiversitas. 47 (8): 343–368. 2025.
  7. ↑ "New data on the earliest known arsinoitheriid embrithopod (Mammalia, Paenungulata), Namatherium Pickford, Senut, Morales, Mein & Sanchez, 2008 from the middle Eocene of Namibia". Geodiversitas. 47 (8): 343–368. 2025.
  8. 1 2 Vialle, Nicolas; Merzeraud, Gilles; Delmer, Cyrille; Feist, Monique; Jiquel, Suzanne; Marivaux, Laurent; Ramdarshan, Anusha; Vianey-Liaud, Monique; Essid, El Mabrouk; Marzougui, Wissem; Ammar, Hayet Khayati; Tabuce, Rodolphe (2013-11-01). "Discovery of an embrithopod mammal (Arsinoitherium?) in the late Eocene of Tunisia". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 87: 86–92. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2013.07.010. ISSN   1464-343X.
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