Palaeotheriidae

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Palaeotheriidae
Temporal range: 55–28 
Ma
 Early Eocene to early Oligocene
Palaeotherium magnum skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Suborder:
Hippomorpha
Family: †Palaeotheriidae
Bonaparte, 1850
Genera
Synonyms

Pachynolophidae Pavlow, 1888

Palaeotheriidae is an

perissodactyl mammals that inhabited Europe, with less abundant remains also known from Asia,[3] from the mid-Eocene to the early Oligocene. They are classified in Equoidea, along with the living family Equidae (which includes zebras, horses and asses).[4]

Morphology

Plagiolophus annectens jaw

Palaeothere sizes ranged from 20 to 75 cm (8 to 30 in) at the shoulder, and weighed an estimated 10–30 kg (20–70 lb).

distally to the canine, above the postcanine diastema" and two unambiguous character state changes "an average metaconule on [the fourth premolar]" and "an oblique metastyle on [the first and second molars]".[7]

Taxonomy

Paleotheriidae is generally divided into the subfamilies Palaeotheriinae and ‘Pachynolophinae'. The two groups are distinguished by the morphology of their upper molars, with mesostyles being at least moderately developed in those Palaeotheriinae, but generally weakly developed or absent in those of 'Pachylophinae'. 'Pachylophinae' is controversial with regards to its definition and phylogenetic placement.

paraphyletic group that is ancestral to Palaeotheriinae.[7][3]

Ecology

Early members of the family are suggested to have been frugivores, with later, larger members suggested to be browsers.[6]

Extinction

Evidence suggests that palaeotheriids went extinct in

Ma
.

Fossil distribution

See also

References

  1. S2CID 258663753
    .
  2. doi:10.18563/pv.40.2.e1
    .
  3. ^
    ISSN 0031-0239
    .
  4. ISSN 0272-4634
    .
  5. ^ S. Legendre. 1988. Les communautes de mammiferes du Paleogene (Eocene superieur et Oligocene) d'Europe occidentale: structure, milieux et evolution. Ph.D. thesis, Universite des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France. 2 volumes. 1-265
  6. ^
    ISSN 1867-1594
    .
  7. ^
    ISSN 0272-4634
    .


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