Carodnia | |
---|---|
Carodnia vieirai | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | † Xenungulata |
Family: | † Carodniidae |
Genus: | † Carodnia Simpson 1935 [1] |
Species | |
| |
Synonyms | |
Ctalecarodnia Simpson 1935 |
Carodnia is an extinct genus of South American ungulate known from the Early Eocene of Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. [4] Carodnia is placed in the order Xenungulata together with Etayoa and Notoetayoa . [5]
Carodnia is the largest mammal known from the Eocene of South America. It was heavily built and had large canines and cheek teeth with a crested pattern like the uintatheres to which it can be related. [4] In life, it would have been a tapir-sized animal. It bore strong resemblances to dinoceratans, although without tusks or ossicones. When George Simpson first described Carodnia, he cited the genus name as being derived from the Tehuelche word for thunder "carodn". [6]
Simpson noted that Carodnia resembles the primitive uintathere Probathyopsis . Although Paula Couto also made the same favorable comparison, he placed Carodnia in the new order Xenungulata. Gingerich 1985 concluded that Probathyopsis shares several dental characteristics with Carodnia, but that in the latter the anterior dentition of is more reduced, the second lower and upper premolars are enlarged and pointed, and that the first and second molars are more lophodont. Gingerich thought the differences could justify a separate family for Carodnia but proposed that it should be included in Probathyopsis,Cifelli 1983 grouped Carodnia with Pyrotheria but later concluded that this was a mistake. [7]
Carodnia is characterized by bilophodont [explain 1] first and second molars and more complex lophate [explain 1] third molars, which suggests possible links to pyrotheres, uintatheres, and even arctocyonids. The bones of the foot are short and robust and the digits terminate in broad, flat, and unfissured hoof-like unguals, unlike any other known meridiungulate. [8]
C. feruglioi and C. cabrerai, from the Riochican in the SALMA classification of Patagonia, [7] are known from only a few dental remains. C. vieirai (from the Itaboraian SALMA of Itaborai) [7] is known from much more complete dental, cranial, and postcranial remains including an almost complete mandible, many vertebrae, and several partial leg bones. [9]
When Simpson 1935 first described Carodnia and Ctalecarodnia, the former was known only from a left lower molar which was lacking in the latter, making a comparison very difficult. Paula Couto 1952, based on considerably more complete remains, concluded that the molars and premolars of both are indistinguishable and therefore reduced Ctalecarodnia to a synonym. Paula Couto also noted that the dentition of C. cabrerai and C. feruglioi are similar except in size, and that C. feruglioi can be a juvenile C. cabrerai, but nevertheless left them as two distinct species. [10]
Fossils of Carodnia have been found in: [11]
Formation | Itaboraí | Las Flores | Koluel Kaike | Maíz Gordo | Muñani | Mogollón | Bogotá | Cerrejón | Ypresian (IUCS) • Wasatchian (NALMA) Bumbanian (ALMA) • Mangaorapan (NZ) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Basin | Itaboraí | Golfo San Jorge | Salta | Altiplano Basin | Talara & Tumbes | Altiplano Cundiboyacense | Cesar-Ranchería | ||
Country | Brazil | Argentina | Peru | Colombia | |||||
Carodnia | |||||||||
Gashternia | |||||||||
Henricosbornia | |||||||||
Victorlemoinea | |||||||||
Polydolopimorphia | |||||||||
Birds | |||||||||
Reptiles | |||||||||
Fish | |||||||||
Flora | |||||||||
Environments | Alluvial-lacustrine | Alluvial-fluvial | Fluvio-lacustrine | Lacustrine | Fluvial | Fluvio-deltaic | |||
Volcanic | Yes | ||||||||
Pyrotheria is an order of extinct meridiungulate mammals. These elephant-like ungulates include the genera Baguatherium, Carolozittelia, Colombitherium, Griphodon, Propyrotherium, Proticia, and Pyrotherium.
Xenungulata is an order of extinct and primitive South American hoofed mammals that lived from the Late Paleocene to Early Eocene. Fossils of the order are known from deposits in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and Colombia. The best known member of this enigmatic order is the genus Carodnia, a tapir-like and -sized animal with a gait similar to living African elephants.
Dinocerata or Uintatheria, also known as uintatheres, is an extinct order of large herbivorous hoofed mammals with horns and protuberant canine teeth, known from the Paleocene and Eocene of Asia and North America. With body masses ranging up to 4,500 kilograms (9,900 lb) they represent some of the earliest known large mammals.
Victorlemoinea is an extinct litoptern genus of the family Sparnotheriodontidae, that lived from the Early to Middle Eocene. Fossils of Victorlemoinea have been found in the Las Flores, Sarmiento and Koluel Kaike Formations of Argentina, the Itaboraí Formation of Brazil and La Meseta Formation, Antarctica.
Astrapotheria is an extinct order of South American and Antarctic hoofed mammals that existed from the late Paleocene to the Middle Miocene, 59 to 11.8 million years ago. Astrapotheres were large, rhinoceros-like animals and have been called one of the most bizarre orders of mammals with an enigmatic evolutionary history.
The Itaboraian age is a period within the Early Eocene geologic time epoch of the Paleogene, used more specifically with South American land mammal ages (SALMA). It follows the Riochican and precedes the Casamayoran age.
Apeomyoides savagei is a fossil rodent from the Miocene of the United States, the only species in the genus Apeomyoides. It is known from fragmentary jaws and isolated teeth from a site in the early Barstovian, around 15–16 million years ago, of Nevada. Together with other species from scattered localities in the United States, Japan, and Europe, Apeomyoides is classified in the subfamily Apeomyinae of the extinct rodent family Eomyidae. Apeomyines are a rare but widespread group that may have been adapted to a relatively dry habitat.
Coryphodontidae is an extinct family of pantodont mammals known from the Late Paleocene to the Middle Eocene of Eurasia and North America.
Ernestokokenia is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the Didolodontidae. It lived during the Early Eocene and the Middle Eocene, and its fossils were discovered in South America.
Lamegoia is an extinct genus of mammals, belonging to the family Didolodontidae. It contains a single species, Lamegoia conodonta, which lived during the Late Paleocene in what is now South America.
Paulogervaisia is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the family Didolodontidae. Its fossilized remains have been found in South America.
Notoetayoa is an extinct genus of mammal, from the order Xenungulata. It contains a single species, Notoetayoa gargantuai, which lived during the Middle Paleocene. Its fossilized remains were discovered in South America.
Rodcania is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the order Xenungulata. It contains a single species, Rodcania kakan, which lived during the Paleocene. Its remains were found in South America. The genus name is an anagram of Carodnia.
Propyrotherium is an extinct genus of mammals, belonging to the order Pyrotheria. It lived during the Late Eocene, in what is now South America.
Tetragonostylops is an extinct genus of mammal, related to Astrapotheria. It lived during the Late Paleocene, and its fossils were discovered in South America.
Asmithwoodwardia is an extinct genus of mammals, from the order Litopterna. It lived during the Late Paleocene and the Early Eocene, and its fossilized remains were found in South America.
Protolipterna is an extinct genus of mammal, belonging to the order Litopterna. It lived during the Late Paleocene and the Early Eocene, in what is now South America.
Anisolambda is an extinct genus of litoptern. It lived from the Late Paleocene to the Middle Eocene in what is now Argentina.
Henricosbornia is an extinct genus of henricosborniid notoungulate that lived from the Late Paleocene to the Middle Eocene of what is now Argentina and Brazil.
Colbertia is an extinct genus of oldfieldthomasiid notoungulate. It lived from the Early to the Middle Eocene, and its fossilized remains were discovered in Argentina and Brazil.
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