Biology:Triconodontidae

From HandWiki
Short description: Extinct family of mammals

Triconodontidae
Temporal range: Middle Jurassic - Late Cretaceous, 190–70 Ma
Triconodon Owen.jpg
Triconodon mordax jaw, Richard Owen 1861
Scientific classification e
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Eutriconodonta
Family: Triconodontidae
Marsh, 1887
Subgroups

Triconodontidae is an extinct family of small, carnivorous mammals belonging to the order Eutriconodonta, endemic to what would become Asia, Europe, North America and probably also Africa and South America[1][2] during the Jurassic through Cretaceous periods at least from 190–70.6 mya.[3]

Triconodontids can be distinguished from other eutriconodonts by the shape of their molars, which bore three main cusps of roughly equal size. During occlusion, the upper and lower molars interlocked tightly, producing a self-sharpening cutting edge. Historically, the triconodontids were thought to have a different occlusion pattern than other eutriconodonts, with the middle cusp of the lower molar (cusp a) fitting between the middle cusp (cusp A) and the front cusp (cusp B) of the upper molar, as in the basal mammaliaform Morganucodon.[3] However, a 2020 study on Priacodon suggests that triconodontids occluded their molars in the same manner as other eutriconodonts (so-called "embrasure occlusion"), with the middle cusp (cusp A/a) fitting between two opposing molars.[4]

Taxonomy

Triconodontidae was named by Marsh (1887). It was assigned to Polyprotodontia by Cope (1889); to Triconodonta by Rasmussen and Callison (1981), Bonaparte (1986), Carroll (1988) and Engelmann and Callison (1998); and to Mammalia by Marsh (1887) and Luo et al. (2001).[5]

Sometimes Volaticotheria is recovered as a part of this group.[1] However, other phylogenetic studies group it outside of Triconodontidae.[6][7]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Gaetano & Rougier, 2011:[1]

Triconodontidae

Priacodon

Triconodon

Trioracodon

Alticonodontinae

Arundelconodon

Meiconodon

Astroconodon

Alticonodon

Corviconodon

Jugulator

Volaticotherini

Ichthyoconodon

Argentoconodon

Volaticotherium

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Gaetano, L. C.; Rougier, G. W. (2011). "New materials of Argentoconodon fariasorum (Mammaliaformes, Triconodontidae) from the Jurassic of Argentina and its bearing on triconodont phylogeny". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 31 (4): 829–843. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.589877. Bibcode2011JVPal..31..829G. 
  2. Gaetano, L. C.; Rougier, G. W. (2012). "First Amphilestid from South America: A Molariform from the Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation, Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Mammalian Evolution 19 (4): 235–248. doi:10.1007/s10914-012-9194-1. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Butler, P. M.; Sigogneau-Russell, D. (2016). "Diversity of triconodonts in the Middle Jurassic of Great Britain". Palaeontologia Polonica 67: 35–65. doi:10.4202/pp.2016.67_035. http://www.palaeontologia.pan.pl/PP67/Butler.pdf. 
  4. Jäger, K. R. K.; Cifelli, R. L.; Martin, T. (2020). "Molar occlusion and jaw roll in early crown mammals". Scientific Reports 10 (1): 22378. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79159-4. PMID 33361774. Bibcode2020NatSR..1022378J. 
  5. Luo, Z.-X.; Crompton, A. W.; Sun, A.-L. (2001). "A new mammaliaform from the Early Jurassic and evolution of mammalian characteristics". Science 292 (5521): 1535–1540. doi:10.1126/science.1058476. PMID 11375489. Bibcode2001Sci...292.1535L. 
  6. Martin, T.; Marugán-Lobón, J.; Vullo, R.; Martín-Abad, H.; Luo, Z.-X.; Buscalioni, A. D. (2015). "A Cretaceous eutriconodont and integument evolution in early mammals". Nature 526 (7573): 380–384. doi:10.1038/nature14905. PMID 26469049. Bibcode2015Natur.526..380M. 
  7. Averianov, A. O.; Lopatin, A. V. (2011). "Phylogeny of triconodonts and symmetrodonts and the origin of extant mammals". Doklady Biological Sciences 436 (1): 32–35. doi:10.1134/s0012496611010042. PMID 21374009. 

Wikidata ☰ Q1501530 entry