Teratodontidae

Teratodontidae Temporal range: 49.3–8.8  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Middle Eocene - Late Miocene
Comparison of various Early to Middle Miocene hyaenodonts, including the hyainailurids Hyainailouros sulzeri (top) and Megistotherium osteothlastes (center), and teratodontid Dissopsalis carnifex
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	† Hyaenodonta
Superfamily:	† Hyainailouroidea
Family:	† Teratodontidae Savage, 1965 [1]
Subfamily:	† Teratodontinae Savage, 1965
Type genus
† Teratodon Savage, 1965
Genera
[see text]

Teratodontidae ("monstrous teeth") is a family of extinct predatory mammals from extinct paraphyletic superfamily Hyainailouroidea within extinct order Hyaenodonta. Fossil remains of these mammals are known from Middle Eocene to Late Miocene deposits in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Asia. ^[2]

Etymology

The name of the family and subfamily translates as "monstrous teeth" (from Ancient Greek τέρας (téras) 'monster', from Ancient Greek ὀδών (odon) 'tooth' and taxonomic suffixes "-idae" and "-inae".

Classification and phylogeny

Taxonomy

• Family: †Teratodontidae(Savage, 1965)
  • Subfamily: †Teratodontinae(Savage, 1965)
    • Genus: † Anasinopa (Savage, 1965)
      • †Anasinopa haasi(Tchernov, 1987)
      • †Anasinopa leakeyi(Savage, 1965)
      • †Anasinopa libyca(Morales, Brewer & Pickford, 2010)
      • †Anasinopa napaki(Savage 1965)
    • Genus: † Brychotherium (Borths, 2016)
      • †Brychotherium atrox(Holroyd, 1994)
      • †Brychotherium ephalmos(Borths, 2016)
    • Genus: † Ekweeconfractus (Flink, 2021) ^[3]
      • †Ekweeconfractus amorui(Flink, 2021)
    • Genus: † Furodon (Solé, 2013)
      • †Furodon crocheti(Solé, 2013)
    • Genus: † Masrasector (Simons & Gingerich, 1974)
      • †Masrasector aegypticum(Simons & Gingerich, 1974)
      • †Masrasector ligabuei(Crochet, 1990)
      • †Masrasector nananubis(Borths & Seiffert, 2017)
      • †Masrasector pithecodacos(Holroyd, 1994)
    • Genus: † Metasinopa (Osborn, 1909)
      • †Metasinopa ethiopica(Andrews, 1906)
      • †Metasinopa fraasii(Osborn, 1909)
      • †Metasinopa osborni(Holroyd, 1994)
      • †Metasinopa sp. [DPC 4544 & DPC 10199] (Matthew, 2017)
    • Genus: † Paratritemnodon (Ranga Rao, 1973)
      • †Paratritemnodon indicus(Ranga Rao, 1973)
      • †Paratritemnodon jandewalensis(Thewissen, 2001)
    • (unranked): †Kyawdawia clade
      • Genus: † Kyawdawia (Egi, 2005)
        • †Kyawdawia lupina(Egi, 2005)
    • Tribe: † Dissopsalini (Morales & Pickford, 2017)
      • Genus: † Buhakia (Morlo, 2007)
        • †Buhakia hyaenoides(Morales, 2003)
        • †Buhakia moghraensis(Morlo, 2007)
        • †Buhakia sp. I [Karungu, Kenya] (Savage, 1965)
        • †Buhakia sp. II [GSN GT VI 22’17] (Morales & Pickford, 2017)
      • Genus: † Dissopsalis (Pilgrim, 1910)
        • †Dissopsalis carnifex(Pilgrim, 1910)
        • †Dissopsalis pyroclasticus(Savage, 1965)
    • Tribe: † Teratodontini (Savage, 1965)
      • Genus: † Teratodon (Savage, 1965)
        • †Teratodon enigmae(Savage, 1965)
        • †Teratodon spekei(Savage, 1965)
        • †Teratodon sp. [DPC 8999] (Morlo, 2007)
    • Incertae sedis :
      • †Teratodontinae sp. (BC 2’08) (Pickford, 2008)
      • †Teratodontinae sp. (CBI-1-614) (Solé, 2016)
      • †Teratodontinae sp. [Locality BQ-2, Fayum, Egypt] (Al-Ashqar, 2023)

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of family Teratodontidae are shown in the following cladogram: ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

† Hyaenodonta	† Eoproviverra † Boualitomidae † Arfiidae † Limnocyonidae † Sinopidae † Hyaenodontoidea † Gazinocyon † Pyrocyon † Galecyon  †Afro‑Arabian clade  † Parvavorodon † Indohyaenodontidae † Glibzegdouia † Koholiidae † Tritemnodon †Teratodontidae  ••••••>  † Apterodontinae † Maocyon †Maocyon/Orienspterodon clade † Orienspterodon † Hyainailourinae † Hemipsalodon  ?  † Ischnognathus †Akhnatenavus clade † Akhnatenavus †"Pterodon" sp. (BC 15’08) †Hyainailourinae sp. (UON 84-359) †Hyainailourinae sp. C (DPC 9243 & DPC 10315) †Hyainailourinae sp. D (DPC 6545) † Kerberos † "Pterodon" syrtos †Pterodon clade † Pterodontina †Hyainailourinae sp. A (DPC 6555) † "Pterodon" africanus † Parapterodon †"Pterodon" sp. (DPC 5036) † "Pterodon" phiomensis † Hyainailourini † Paroxyaenini † Falcatodon † Sectisodon † Exiguodon † Isohyaenodon zadoki † Isohyaenodon   (†Isohyaenodontina) † Isohyaenodon andrewsi † Sivapterodon † Hyainailouros bugtiensis † Hyainailouros napakensis † Hyainailouros † Hyainailouros sulzeri †Hyainailourinae sp. (GSN AD 100’96) † Simbakubwa † Leakitheriini † Megistotherium † Mlanyama † Metapterodontini † Pakakali † Prionogalidae † Hyainailouridae	†Lahimia clade †Arfia clade †Galecyon clade †Indohyaenodon clade †Tritemnodon clade † Hyainailouroidea

†Teratodontidae	†Teratodontinae   † Furodon   †Furodon crocheti  ?  †Teratodontinae sp. (BC 2’08)  ?  †Teratodontinae sp. (CBI-1-614)  † Paratritemnodon   †Paratritemnodon indicus †Paratritemnodon jandewalensis  † Ekweeconfractus   †Ekweeconfractus amorui  † Kyawdawia   †Kyawdawia lupina  † Dissopsalini    † Buhakia   †Buhakia hyaenoides †Buhakia moghraensis †Buhakia sp. I (Karungu, Kenya) †Buhakia sp. II (GSN GT VI 22’17)  † Dissopsalis   †Dissopsalis carnifex †Dissopsalis pyroclasticus  ?  †Teratodontinae sp. (Locality BQ-2, Fayum, Egypt)  † Brychotherium   †Brychotherium atrox †Brychotherium ephalmos  † Metasinopa   †Metasinopa ethiopica †Metasinopa fraasii †Metasinopa osborni †Metasinopa sp. (DPC 4544 & DPC 10199) † Masrasector nananubis  ?  † Masrasector pithecodacos † Masrasector aegypticum † Masrasector ligabuei  † Anasinopa   †Anasinopa haasi †Anasinopa leakeyi †Anasinopa libyca †Anasinopa napaki  † Teratodontini    † Teratodon   †Teratodon enigmae †Teratodon spekei †Teratodon sp. (DPC 8999)	†Kyawdawia clade  † Masrasector
••••••>

See also

• Mammal classification
• Hyainailouroidea

References

1. R. J. G. Savage (1965.) "Fossil Mammals of Africa: 19 The Miocene Carnivora of East Africa." Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Geology 10(8):241-316
2. Matthew R. Borths; Nancy J. Stevens (2017). "The first hyaenodont from the late Oligocene Nsungwe Formation of Tanzania: Paleoecological insights into the Paleogene-Neogene carnivore transition". PLOS ONE. 12 (10): e0185301. Bibcode:2017PLoSO..1285301B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185301 . PMC   5636082 . PMID   29020030.
3. Flink, T.; Cote, S.; et al. (March 2021). "The neurocranium of Ekweeconfractus amorui gen. et sp. nov. (Hyaenodonta, Mammalia) and the evolution of the brain in some hyaenodontan carnivores". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (2): e1927748. Bibcode:2021JVPal..41E7748F. doi: 10.1080/02724634.2021.1927748 . S2CID   237518007.
4. Borths, Matthew R.; Stevens, Nancy J. (2017). "Deciduous dentition and dental eruption of Hyainailouroidea (Hyaenodonta, "Creodonta," Placentalia, Mammalia)". Palaeontologia Electronica. 20 (3): 55A. doi: 10.26879/776 .
5. Matthew R. Borths; Nancy J. Stevens (2019). "Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, gen. et sp. nov. (Hyainailourinae, Hyaenodonta, 'Creodonta,' Mammalia), a gigantic carnivore from the earliest Miocene of Kenya". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (1): e1570222. Bibcode:2019JVPal..39E0222B. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1570222. S2CID   145972918.
6. Floréal Solé; Bernard Marandat; Fabrice Lihoreau (2020). "The hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the French locality of Aumelas (Hérault), with possible new representatives from the late Ypresian". Geodiversitas. 42 (13): 185–214. doi: 10.5252/geodiversitas2020v42a13 . S2CID   219585388.
7. Solé, F.; Morlo, M.; Schaal, T.; Lehmann, T. (2021). "New hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the late Ypresian locality of Prémontré (France) support a radiation of the hyaenodonts in Europe already at the end of the early Eocene". Geobios. 66–67: 119–141. Bibcode:2021Geobi..66..119S. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2021.02.004. S2CID   234848856.
8. Averianov, Alexander; Obraztsova, Ekaterina; Danilov, Igor; Jin, Jian-Hua (2023). "A new hypercarnivorous hyaenodont from the Eocene of South China". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 11. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1076819 . ISSN   2296-701X.