Mylagaulidae
The Mylagaulidae or mylagaulids are a prehistoric family of sciuromorph rodents. They are known from the Neogene of North America and China.[1] The oldest member is the Late Oligocene Trilaccogaulus montanensis from living some 29 million years ago (Mya), and the youngest was Ceratogaulus hatcheri—formerly in Epigaulus—which was found barely into the Pliocene, some 5 Mya.[2]
| Mylagaulidae | |
|---|---|
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| Reconstruction of Ceratogaulus hatcheri | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Family: | †Mylagaulidae Cope, 1881 |
| Subfamilies | |
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See text | |
Systematics
Three subfamilies are recognized. The taxonomy of Galbreathia is not resolved; it might belong in Mylagaulinae, but lacks the characteristic apomorphies.[2]
Promylagaulinae
- Genus Crucimys
- Genus Promylagaulus
- Genus Trilaccogaulus
- Genus Simpligaulus
Mesogaulinae
- Genus Mesogaulus - includes Mylagaulodon
Mylagaulinae
- Genus Alphagaulus (paraphyletic[2])
- Genus Ceratogaulus - includes Epigaulus
- Genus Hesperogaulus
- Genus Mylagaulus
- Genus Pterogaulus
- Genus Umbogaulus
- Genus Galbreathia - basal in Mylagaulinae?
Footnotes
- McKenna & Bell (1997)
- Hopkins (2005)
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mylagaulidae. |
- Hopkins, Samantha S.B. (2005): The evolution of fossoriality and the adaptive role of horns in the Mylagaulidae (Mammalia: Rodentia). Proc. R. Soc. B 272(1573): 1705–1713. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3171 PDF fulltext
- McKenna, M. C, and S. K. Bell (1997): Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11012-X
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