Pedetidae Explained

The Pedetidae are a family of mammals from the rodent order.^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]} The two living species, the springhares, are distributed throughout much of southern Africa and also around Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.^[7] Fossils have been found as far north as Turkey.^[8] Together with the anomalures and zenkerella, Pedetidae forms the suborder Anomaluromorpha. The fossil genus Parapedetes is also related.^[8]

Taxonomy

The family includes one living genus and four extinct genera. The Asian fossil Diatomys was previously included,^[8] but is now classified in the family Diatomyidae with the Laotian rock rat.

• Family Pedetidae
  • Genus Pedetes^[9]
    • South African springhare, P. capensis
    • †Pedetes gracilis
    • †Pedetes hagenstadti
    • East African springhare, P. surdaster
  • Genus †Megapedetes^[9]
    • †Megapedetes aegaeus
    • †Megapedetes gariepensis
    • †Megapedetes pentadactylus
  • Genus †Oldrichpedetes^[9]
    • †Oldrichpedetes brigitteae
    • †Oldrichpedetes fejfari
    • †Oldrichpedetes pickfordi
    • †Oldrichpedetes praecursor
  • Genus †Propedetes
    • †Propedetes efeldensis
    • †Propedetes laetoliensis
  • Genus †Rusingapedetes
    • †Rusingapedetes tsujikawai

Further reading

• Incisor enamel microstructure and phylogenetic interrelationships of Pedetidae and Ctenodactyloidea (Rodentia).
• Einiges zur Haltung und Zucht Hornchenartiger (Sciuromorpha) im Zoologischen Garten.
• Postcranial morphology and springing adaptations in Pedetidae from Arrisdrift, Middle Miocene (Namibia).
• Pelvic shape in gliding rodents: implications for the launch.
• Tracking genome organization in rodents by Zoo-FISH.
• Feldhamer, G. A., L. C. Drickamer, S. H. Vessey, and J. F. Merritt. 1999. Mammalogy. Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. WCB McGraw-Hill, Boston. xii+563pp.
• McLaughlin, C. A. 1984. Protrogomorph, sciuromorph, castorimorph, myomorph (geomyoid, anomaluroid, pedetoid, and ctenodactyloid) rodents. pp. 267–288 in Anderson, S. and J. K. Jones, Jr. (eds). Orders and Families of Recent Mammals of the World. John Wiley and Sons, N.Y. xii+686 pp.
• Paradiso, J. L. 1975. Walker's Mammals of the World, Third Edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
• Savage, R. J. G. and M. R. Long. 1986. Mammal Evolution, an Illustrated Guide. Facts of File Publications, New York. 259 pp.
• Vaughan, T. A. 1986. Mammalogy. Third Edition. Saunders College Publishing, Fort Worth. vii+576 pp.
• Vaughan, T. A., J. M. Ryan, N. J. Czaplewski. 2000. Mammalogy. Fourth Edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia. vii+565pp.
• Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder. 1993. Mammal Species of the World, A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 2nd edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. xviii+1206 pp.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Namebank Record Detail.
2. Web site: Catalogue of Life - 2010 Annual Checklist :: Taxonomic tree.
3. Web site: Micro*scope - version 6.0 - March, 2006 . 2010-04-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110718090141/http://starcentral.mbl.edu/microscope/portal.php?pagetitle=classification&BLCHID=69-1873 . 2011-07-18 . dead .
4. Web site: ION: Index to Organism Names.
5. Web site: Pedetidae (Springhare).
6. Web site: Springhares - Encyclopedia of Life.
7. Web site: Search.
8. McKenna, M.C. and Bell, S.K. 1997. Classification of Mammals: Above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press, 631 pp. (p. 185)
9. M. Pickford and P. Mein . 2011 . New Pedetidae (Rodentia: Mammalia) from the Mio-Pliocene of Africa . 10.3989/egeol.40714.202 . Estudios Geológicos . 67 . 2 . 455–469 . free .