Metacheiromys

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Metacheiromys
Temporal range: 50.0–46.2  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
early to middle Eocene
Metacheiromys.jpg
Skeleton of Metacheiromys marshi
Metacheiromys NT.jpg
Reconstruction of
Metacheiromys marshi
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Palaeanodonta
Family: Metacheiromyidae
Subfamily: Metacheiromyinae
Genus: Metacheiromys
Wortman, 1903
Type species
Metacheiromys marshi
Wortman, 1903
Species
  • M. dasypus(Osborn, 1904) [1]
  • M. marshi(Wortman, 1903) [2]
Synonyms
synonyms of species:
  • M. dasypus:
    • Metacheiromys osborni(Simpson, 1931) [3]
  • M. marshi:
    • Metacheiromys tatusia(Osborn, 1904)

Metacheiromys ("next to Cheiromys") is an extinct genus of placental mammals from extinct paraphyletic subfamily Metacheiromyinae within extinct paraphyletic family Metacheiromyidae in extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America (what is now Wyoming) from the early to middle Eocene.

Contents

Etymology

The generic name means "next to Cheiromys" because the scientist who saw the bones mistakenly thought that the animal was a primate with hands like those of the lemurs from genus Daubentonia , whose synonym is Cheiromys.

Characteristics of taxa

Metacheiromys was a small creature, and measured around 45 centimetres (18 in) long. It had long claws and a narrow head similar in shape to that of an armadillo or an anteater (though it was actually related to the modern pangolins). The shape of its claws suggests that it probably dug through the soil in search of food, most likely small invertebrates. Unlike modern anteaters or pangolins, it had powerful canine teeth, but only a very few cheek teeth, instead using horny pads in its mouth to crush its food. [4]

Metacheiromys and its relatives, including the enigmatic Ernanodon , constitute the order Palaeanodonta, thought to be the sister taxon of pangolins. [5]

Phylogenetic tree

The phylogenetic relationships of genus Metacheiromys is shown in the following cladogram: [6] [7] [5]

  Ferae  

Pan-Carnivora Dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes (Plate XI).jpg

  Pholidotamorpha  

Pholidota(sensu stricto) Pangolin Hardwicke (white background).jpg

  Palaeanodonta  

Escavadodontidae

 ? 

Melaniella

Amelotabes

Epoicotheriidae

Epoicotherium

Molaetherium

Xenocranium

Epoicotheriinae

Tetrapassalus

Dipassalus

Alocodontulum

Auroratherium

Pentapassalus

Tubulodon

 ? 

Arcticanodon

Propalaeanodontinae

Mylanodon

Brachianodon  

Palaeanodon

Metacheiromyinae

 Metacheiromys 

Metacheiromys dasypus

Metacheiromys marshi

Ernanodontidae

 (Pholidotasensu lato) 
Epoicotherium/Xenocranium clade

See also

Related Research Articles

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<i>Eurotamandua</i> Extinct genus of pangolins

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<i>Necromanis</i> Extinct genus of mammals

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<i>Ernanodon</i> Extinct genus of mammal

Ernanodon is an extinct genus of placental mammal from extinct family Ernanodontidae within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived from the middle to late Paleocene in China and Mongolia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epoicotheriidae</span> Extinct family of mammals

Epoicotheriidae is an extinct paraphyletic family of insectivorous placental mammals within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America, Asia and Europe from the late Paleocene to early Oligocene. Epoicotheriids were fossorial mammals. Late Eocene/early Oligocene genera were highly specialized animals that were convergent with the talpids, golden moles and marsupial mole in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.

Escavadodon is an extinct genus of pangolin-like myrmecophagous placental mammals of extinct monotypic family Escavadodontidae within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America during the middle Paleocene. It contains a single species, Escavadodon zygus, recovered from the Nacimiento Formation of New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paratheria (mammals)</span> Former taxonomic group including xenarthran and similar mammals

Paratheria is an obsolete term for a taxonomic group including the xenarthran mammals and various groups thought to be related to them. It was proposed by Oldfield Thomas in 1887 to set apart the sloths, anteaters, armadillos, and pangolins, usually classified as placentals, from both marsupial and placental mammals, an arrangement that received little support from other workers. When teeth of the extinct gondwanathere mammals were first discovered in Argentina in the 1980s, they were thought to be related to xenarthrans, leading to renewed attention for the hypothesis that xenarthrans are not placentals. However, by the early 1990s, gondwanatheres were shown to be unrelated to xenarthrans, and xenarthrans are still considered to be placentals.

<i>Smutsia</i> Genus of mammals

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palaeanodonta</span> Extinct clade of mammals

Palaeanodonta is an extinct clade of stem-pangolins. They were insectivorous (myrmecophagous), possibly fossorial, and lived from the middle Paleocene to early Oligocene in North America, Europe and Asia. While the taxonomic grouping of Palaeanodonta has been debated, it is widely thought that they are a sister group to pangolins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriomanidae</span> Extinct family of pangolins

Patriomanidae is a extinct family of pangolins from superfamily Manoidea that includes two extinct genera Patriomanis and Cryptomanis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernanodontidae</span> Extinct family of mammals

Ernanodontidae is an extinct family of myrmecophagous placental mammals within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in Asia from the middle to late Paleocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pholidotamorpha</span> Clade of mammals

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<i>Euromanis</i> Genus of mammals

Euromanis is one of the earliest known pangolin genera. It lived during the middle Eocene in Europe. Euromanis fossils found in the Messel Pit in Germany. Unlike modern pangolins, it did not bear scales on its body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eupholidota</span> Suborder of pangolins

Eupholidota is a suborder of pangolins that includes two superfamilies: extant Manoidea and extinct Eomanoidea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manoidea</span> Superfamily of pangolins

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<i>Xenocranium</i> Genus of prehistoric burrowing mammals

Xenocranium is an extinct monotypic genus of placental mammal from extinct paraphyletic subfamily Epoicotheriinae within extinct paraphyletic family Epoicotheriidae in extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America during the late Eocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metacheiromyidae</span> Extinct family of mammals

Metacheiromyidae is an extinct paraphyletic family of myrmecophagous placental mammals within extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America and Europe from the late Paleocene to middle Eocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metacheiromyinae</span> Extinct family of mammals

Metacheiromyinae is an extinct paraphyletic subfamily of myrmecophagous placental mammals within extinct paraphyletic family Metacheiromyidae in extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America and Europe from early to middle Eocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epoicotheriinae</span> Extinct subfamily of mammals

Epoicotheriinae is an extinct paraphyletic subfamily of insectivorous placental mammals within extinct paraphyletic family Epoicotheriidae in extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America and Europe from the early Eocene to early Oligocene. Epoicotheriins were fossorial mammals. Late Eocene/early Oligocene genera were highly specialized animals that were convergent with the talpids, golden moles and marsupial mole in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.

References

  1. H. F. Osborn (1904) "An armadillo from the middle eocene (Bridger) of North America." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 20(12):163-165
  2. J. L. Wortman (1903) "Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh Collection, Peabody Museum. Part II. Primates. Suborder Cheiromyoidea." The American Journal of Science, series 4 16:345-368
  3. G. G. Simpson (1931) "Metacheiromys and the Edentata." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 59(6)
  4. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 206. ISBN   1-84028-152-9.
  5. 1 2 Kondrashov, Peter; Agadjanian, Alexandre K. (2012). "A nearly complete skeleton of Ernanodon (Mammalia, Palaeanodonta) from Mongolia: morphofunctional analysis". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 983–1001. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. S2CID   86059673.
  6. Kenneth D. Rose (2008). "Palaeanodonta and Pholidota". 9 - Palaeanodonta and Pholidota. pp. 135–146. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511541438.010. ISBN   9780521781176.
  7. Gaudin, Timothy (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis" (PDF). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science+Business Media. 16 (4): 235–305. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9. S2CID   1773698. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2020-08-28.