Paucituberculata Explained

Paucituberculata is an order of South American marsupials. Although currently represented only by the seven living species of shrew opossums, this order was formerly much more diverse, with more than 60 extinct species named from the fossil record, particularly from the late Oligocene to early Miocene epochs.^[1] The earliest paucituberculatans date to the late Paleocene (Itaboraian South American land mammal age).^[2] The group went through a pronounced decline in the middle Miocene epoch, which resulted in the extinction of all families of this order except for the living shrew opossums (Caenolestidae). Extinct families of Paucituberculatans include Pichipilidae, Palaeothentidae, and Abderitidae.

Classification

It is one of two clades of Ameridelphia, a paraphyletic group; genetic studies have shown these animals to be a sister group to Australidelphia (i.e., Didelphimorphia branched off first).^{[3] [4]}

The Paucituberculata were once considered to be closely related to South American polydolopimorph metatherians, however phylogenetic analyses have found this is not true.^[2]

Subdivision

The order is subdivided into:^{[5] [6]}

• †Bardalestes ^[2]
• †Evolestes
• †Fieratherium
• †Riolestes ^[2]
• Superfamily Caenolestoidea
  • • • • Family Caenolestidae Caenolestes
    • †Caenolestoides
    • †Gaimanlestes
    • Lestoros
    • †Pliolestes
    • †Pseudhalmarhiphus
    • Rhyncholestes
    • †Stilotherium
• Superfamily †Palaeothentoidea ^[7]
  • †Perulestes
  • †Pilchenia
  • †Sasawatsu
    • • • Family †Pichipilidae †Phonocdromus
    • †Pichipilus
    • †Quirogalestes
      • • Family †Abderitidae †Abderites
    • †Parabderites
    • †Pitheculites
      • • Family †Palaeothentidae †Chimeralestes ^[8]
    • †Hondathentes ^[9]
    • Subfamily †Palaeothentinae ^[10]
      • †Antawallathentes ^[11]
      • †Carlothentes
      • †Palaeothentes
      • †Palaepanorthus
      • †Propalaeothentes
    • Subfamily †Acdestinae
      • †Acdestis
      • †Acdestoides
      • †Acdestodon
      • †Titanothentes
      • †Trelewthentes

See also

• List of mammal genera
• List of prehistoric mammals

References

Bibliography

• Abello . María Alejandra . 2007 . Sistemática y bioestratigrafía de los Paucituberculata (Mammalia, Marsupialia) del Cenozoico de América del Sur . PhD thesis . . 1–438 . 2017-10-20.

Notes and References

1. Abello . María A. . Analysis of dental homologies and phylogeny of Paucituberculata (Mammalia: Marsupialia) . Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . 109 . 2 . 441–465 . 10.1111/bij.12048 . 2013 . free . 11336/13571 . free .
2. Goin . Francisco J. . Candela . Adriana M. . Abello . M. Alejandra . Oliveira . Edison V. . Earliest South American paucituberculatans and their significance in the understanding of 'pseudodiprotodont' marsupial radiations . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 2009 . 155 . 4 . 867–884 . 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00471.x . free .
3. Web site: Schiewe . Jessie . Australia's marsupials originated in what is now South America, study says . . 2010-07-28 . 2010-08-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20100801001045/http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-marsupial-20100728,0,5549873.story. 1 August 2010 . live.
4. Nilsson . M. A. . Churakov, G.. Sommer, M.. Van Tran, N.. Zemann, A.. Brosius, J.. Schmitz, J. . Tracking Marsupial Evolution Using Archaic Genomic Retroposon Insertions . . 8 . 7 . e1000436 . 2010-07-27 . 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000436 . 20668664 . 2910653 . free .
5. Abello, 2007, p.410
6. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=147534 Paucituberculata
7. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=246326 Palaeothentoidea
8. Engelman . Russell K. . Anaya . Federico . Croft . Darin A. . New palaeothentid marsupials (Paucituberculata) from the middle Miocene of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia and their implications for the palaeoecology, decline, and extinction of the Palaeothentoidea . Journal of Systematic Palaeontology . 15 . 10 . 787–820 . 10.1080/14772019.2016.1240112 . 2017 . 88758358 .
9. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=268562 Hondathenthes
10. http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=268563 Paleothentidae
11. Rincón . Ascanio D. . Shockey . Bruce J. . Anaya . Federico . Solórzano . André . Palaeothentid Marsupials of the Salla Beds of Bolivia (Late Oligocene): Two New Species and Insights into the Post-Eocene Radiation of Palaeothentoids . Journal of Mammalian Evolution . 22 . 4 . 455–471 . 10.1007/s10914-015-9295-8 . 2015 . 2940122 .