Orycteropodidae

Orycteropodidae
Orycteropodidae
Temporal range: 20–0 Ma
Early Miocene to Recent[1]
Orycteropus afer - Aardvark
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Superorder: Afrotheria
Order: Tubulidentata
Family: Orycteropodidae
Genera

Orycteropus
†Amphiorycteropus
†Leptorycteropus
†Myorycteropus[1]

Orycteropodidae is a family of afrotherian mammals. Although there are many fossil species, the only species surviving today is the aardvark, Orycteropus afer. Orycteropodidae is recognized as the only family within the order Tubulidentata, so the two are effectively synonyms.[1][2]

The family arose in Africa in the Early Miocene Epoch, and spread to Eurasia later in the Miocene. Most of the family's diversity had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene.[1]

Contents

Characters

A few anatomical characters unite the Orycteropodidae and Tubulidentata.

  • the occipital region has extensive mastoid exposure
  • the teeth have a distinctive structure called tubulidentate microstructure
  • the femur has a pectineal tubercle
  • the diaphysis of the tibia is curved mediolaterally

Classification

This classification follows Lehmann 2009.[1]

  • Genus Amphiorycteropus Lehmann 2009
    • † Amphiorycteropus gaudryi (Major, 1888) - type species
    • † Amphiorycteropus abundulafus (Lehmann et al., 2005) [3]
    • † Amphiorycteropus browni (Colbert, 1933) (= Orycteropus pilgrimi Colbert, 1933)
    • † Amphiorycteropus depereti (Helbing, 1933)
    • † Amphiorycteropus mauritanicus (Arambourg, 1959)
  • † affinis (resembling) Amphiorycteropus
    • † aff. Amphiorycteropus pottieri (Ozansoy, 1965)
    • † aff. Amphiorycteropus seni (Tekkaya, 1993)
  • Genus †Leptorycteropus Patterson, 1975
    • †Leptorycteropus guilielmi Patterson, 1975 - type species
  • Genus † Myorycteropus MacInnes, 1956
    • † Myorycteropus africanus MacInnes, 1956 - type species
  • † affinis (resembling) Myorycteropus
    • † aff. Myorycteropus chemeldoi (Pickford, 1975)
    • † aff. Myorycteropus minutus (Pickford, 1975)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Lehmann, Thomas (2009). "Phylogeny and systematics of the Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 155: 649–702. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00460.x. 
  2. ^ Schlitter, Duane A. (16 November 2005). "Order Tubulidentata (p. 86)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?id=11300002. 
  3. ^ Lehmann, Thomas; Vignaud, Patrick; Likius, Andossa; Brunet, Michel (2005). "A new species of Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Mio-Pliocene of northern Chad". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143 (1): 109–131. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00143.x. 

Further reading

  • "A sub-complete fossil aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) from the Upper Miocene of Chad". doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2005.12.016
  • MacInnes D. G. (1956). Fossil Tubulidentata from East Africa. British Museum (Natural History), London. Fossil mammals of Africa series; no. 10. 46 pp.


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