Phiomorpha
| Phiomorphs Temporal range: Oligocene - Recent
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Naked mole-rat | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Infraorder: | Hystricognathi |
| Parvorder: | Phiomorpha Lavocat, 1962 |
| Families | |
| |
The
extinct families found wholly or largely in Africa. Along with Anomaluromorpha and perhaps the extinct Zegdoumyidae, it represents one of the few early colonizations of Africa
by rodents.
During the
southern continents were much more isolated leading to the unique faunas of Australia, South America
, and to a lesser degree Africa.
Although the
entodacryan ancestor in Asia, they migrated to Africa soon after. Phiomorpha represents the clade that evolved as a result. Although once diverse, this infraorder is now restricted to the Old World porcupines, the cane rats, the dassie rat, the naked mole-rat, and the blesmols
.
Families
The makeup of this infraorder is controversial. At its core lie the extant families
Bathyergidae and their extinct relatives. The Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) are sometimes included in Phiomorpha,[1] but many authorities consider them either basal to all hystricognaths or basal to all hystricognaths except the Laotian rock rat (family Diatomyidae); also, more recent evidence not supports them belonging in Phiomorpha. Molecular results suggest that the Diatomyidae is a part of the Ctenodactylomorphi,[2]
but this is in contrast to morphological results which place the animal at a basal position to all hystricognaths.
- Infraorder Phiomorpha
- Family †Diamantomyidae
- Family Hystricidae - Old World porcupines
- Family †Kenyamyidae
- Family †Myophiomyidae
- Family Petromuridae - the dassie rat
- Family †Phiomyidae
- Family Thryonomyidae - cane rats and their extinct relatives
- Parvorder Bathyergomorpha
- †Paracryptomys - incertae sedis
- Family Bathyergidae- blesmols
- Family †Bathyergoididae
- Family Heterocephalidae - naked mole-rats
See also
References
- Huchon, D. E. J. P. Douzery. 2001. From the Old World to the New World: A molecular chronicle of the phylogeny and biogeography of hystricognath rodents. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 20:238-251.
- Marivaux, L. M. Vianey-Liaud, and J.-J. Jaeger. 2004. High-level phylogeny of early Tertiary rodents: dental evidence. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 142:105-134.
- McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8