Palæos:		Unit 450: Eutheria
The Vertebrates		100: Eutheria

Eutheria

MAMMALIA
|--METATHERIA
`--Eutheria
   |--Xenarthra
   `--+--Pholidota
      `--Epitheria
         |--Asioryctitheria
         `--+--Leptictida
            `--+--INSECTIVORA
               `--+--+--ANAGALIDA  
                  |  `--ARCHONTA                   
                  `--+--FERAE
                     `--UNGULATOMORPHA

Taxa on This Page

1. Asioryctitheria X

2. Epitheria

3. Eutheria

4. Leptictida X

5. Pholidota

6. Xenarthra

Descriptions

Eutheria: people > possums. Archibald et al. (2001).  Daulestes, Eomaia. 

Range: middle Cretaceous (Barremian)

Phylogeny: Theria: Metatheria + *: Xenarthra + (Pholidota + Epitheria).

Characters: dental formula dental formula, 5/4,1/1,5/5,3/3; lower canine with two roots; premolars 5/5; upper molars triangular in occlusal view; postcingulum (if present), postmetaconular crista, & postmetacrista plus metastylar lobe form three en echelon ridges from lingual to labial along posterior margin of molar; metacone & paracone of approximately equal size; all living forms placental, but placenta probably not primitively present.

Note: At the moment, we do not use Placentalia (the crown group of all living eutherians), since we have no idea where to put it.

Links: Eutheria; Placental Mammals; Basal Eutheria; EUTHERIA; Supplementary information; Earliest Known Ancestor of Placental Mammals Discovered; News at Carnegie Museum of Natural History; photos_display.asp?ID=7271; Australia's Lost Kingdoms - Tingamarra; Fossil sites of Australia - Murgon; Echte und Höhere Säuger (German); f01 Living mammals are placentals (eutheria), marsupials, and ...; Xenarth.; TAED 3.0; Link to NCBI Front Page; Eutheria (Höhere Säuger); IMGT Marie-Paule page- IMGT repertoire; Xenarth. (excellent summary); Placental mammals (Eutheria) (follows current molecular phylogenies): Eutheria (Tree of Life); Eutheria - Wikipedia (Wikipedia); EUTHERIA (Trevor Dykes); Basal Eutheria (Mikko's Phylogeny); Eutheria--Derived mammals (VPP); Placental mammals (Eutheria) (4 superordinal groupings); Xenarth. (brief, but useful lecturenotes); Outlines- Part 4 - Eutheria (prettier, but along the same lines the last).   ATW030807. 

Xenarthra: armadillos, anteaters & sloths

Range: from the Paleocene, currently restricted to South America, with minor presence in North America

Phylogeny: Eutheria: (Pholidota + Epitheria) + *.

Characters: incisors & canines absent; molars & premolars, if present, single-rooted & without enamel; tympanic bone is ring-shaped; brains small, often with long, cylindrical braincase; great variation (5-9) in cervical vertebrae; xenarthrous processes on lumbar vertebrae; clavicle present; coracoid process well-developed; forelimbs usually with five digits, with 2-3 large & bearing long, sharp, curved claws. 

Image: Dasypus novemcinctus (Nine-banded Armadillo) from the OMNH Mammal Key (former page).

Links: Order Xenarthra; Georgia Wildlife Web Site; mammals- xenarthra; Introduction to the Xenarthra; Order Xenarthra; Open Directory - Science- Biology- Flora and Fauna- Animalia- ...; Xenarthra; Forestry Images - Taxonomic; Xenarthra, Anteater Armadillo Tamandua and Sloth Skulls; Mammalia- Xenarthra - Nebengelenktiere (German); Xenarthra - Chudozubí (Czech); Order- Xenarthra; Xenarthra; Xenarthra (Armadillos, Anteaters & Sloths); Edentata or Xenarthra (Armadillos, Anteaters, and Sloths); ORDER XENARTHRA; Xenarthra (Spanish); xenarthra et alia.html.  ATW021027. 

Pholidota: pangolins. Eomanis, Manis

Range: from the Early Eocene, presently restricted to Africa & South Asia.

Phylogeny: Eutheria:: Epitheria + *.

Characters: 1.5-35 kg; skull smooth; vision poor; jugal absent; zygomatic arch incomplete; hearing weak; ears & nostrils can be sealed; palate long; tongue extremely long and muscular, based on pelvis and most posterior pair of ribs (tongue is longer than body); dentary narrow, weak & blade-like; angular & coronoid processes absent; dorsally directed conical process on anterior of mandible; teeth absent; tail long; forelimbs strong, bearing digits with long, curved unguals; all limbs with 5 digits; pyloric portion of stomach with keratinous "teeth"; gastroliths usually present; large, overlapping "scales" formed from agglutinated hair; scales absent & ordinary fur present ventrally; pyloric part of their stomach is thickened and muscular, with odd keratinous spines projecting into its interior; arboreal & terrestrial forms; tail usually broad & heavy; arboreal forms with "semi-prehensile" tails; tails & anal glands used in defense; rely largely on smell for food location; knuckle-walkers; nocturnal insectivores. 

Links: Family Manidae; Pholidota; Mammalogy Image Archives- Pholidota; Pholidota Giant Pangolin or Scaly Anteater Skull; Pholidota; China Species Information System (Chinese & English); Mammalia- Pholidota - Schuppentiere (German); Order Pholidota- Pangolins or Scaly Anteater; ordo Pholidota; Pangolins - Order Pholidota; Pholidota - Luskouni (Czech); Pholidota [incl. Palaeanodonta]; Palaeanodonta [Basal Pholidota-]; PHOLIDOTA; MANIDAE- Pangolins, or Scaly Anteaters (Walker's Mammals of the World); Mammalia- Pholidota - Schuppentiere; species of Manis; 动物搜索 (in English & a very good site); ScienceDaily Magazine- Your Source For The Latest Research News (Wikipedia article); Ящеры (Pholidota) - MavicaNET; Luskouni - Pholidota; Galerie - Savci.upol.cz  (nice collection of images).  ATW031215. 

Epitheria:  

Range: from the Late Cretaceous. 

Phylogeny: Eutheria:: Pholidota + *: Asioryctitheria + (Leptictida + (Insectivora + ((Anagalida + Archonta) + (Ferae + Ungulatomorpha)))). 

Characters: Stirrup-shaped stapes. 

Links: Basal Epitheria.

Asioryctitheria: Asioryctes, Ukhaatherium

Range: Late Cretaceous of Asia

Phylogeny: Epitheria: (Leptictida + (Insectivora + ( (Anagalida + Archonta) + (Ferae + Ungulatomorpha)))) + *.

Note: At this time, the relationships and characters of the Asioryctitheria and Leptictida are sufficiently unclear that we defer any attempt to characterize them.

Image: Asioryctes from THE FOSSIL RECORD-

Links: Re- (extinction) (long); Re- Condylarths (TINGAMARRA REVISITED); Asioryctes nemegtensis; MESOZOIC MAMMALS; 'basal' Epitheria, an internet directory; Transition from synapsid reptiles to mammals; Untitled Document.  ATW021027.

Leptictida: (= Kennalestida)

Range: Late Cretaceous to Late Oligocene

Phylogeny: Epitheria:: (Insectivora + ( (Anagalida + Archonta) + (Ferae + Ungulatomorpha))) + *.

Note: This may be the stem lineage of the Pholidota.

Links: Leptictida after McKenna & Bell, 1997; Nathis Fauna Insectivoren en creodonten (Dutch); NCRV - Leptictidium; MESOZOIC MAMMALS; 'basal' Epitheria, an internet directory.   

checked ATW051011