Epoicotheriidae

Epoicotheriidae Temporal range: 55.8–30.9 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N early Eocene - early Oligocene
reconstruction of the species Xenocranium pileorivale
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Palaeanodonta
Family:	†Epoicotheriidae Simpson, 1927[1]
Type genus
† Simpson, 1927
Genera[2]
† † † † † Subfamily: † † † † †Xenocranium

Epoicotheriidae ("strange beasts") is an extinct family of pangolin-like insectivorous mammals which were endemic to North America from the early Eocene to the early Oligocene 55.8—30.9 Ma existing for approximately 24.9 million years.^[2] Epoicotheriids were highly specialized animals that were convergent with the golden moles of Africa in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.^[3]

Classification and phylogeny[]

Taxonomy[]

Epoicotheriidae was named by Simpson in 1927. It was assigned to the Palaeanodonta by Rose (1978)^[4] and Carroll (1988).

Classification[]

• Family: †Epoicotheriidae (Simpson, 1927)
  • Genus: † (Rose, 1978)
    • †Alocodontulum atopum (Rose, 1977)
  • Genus: † (Tong & Wang, 1997)
    • †Auroratherium sinense (Tong & Wang, 1997)
  • Genus: † (Rose, 1991)
    • †Dipassalus oryctes (Rose, 1991)
  • Genus: † (Gazin, 1952)
    • †Pentapassalus pearcei (Gazin, 1952)
    • †Pentapassalus woodi (Guthrie, 1967)
  • Genus: † (Jepsen, 1932)
    • †Tubulodon taylori (Jepsen, 1932)
  • Subfamily: † (Simpson, 1927)
    • Genus: † (Simpson, 1927)
      • †Epoicotherium unicum (Douglass, 1905)
    • Genus: † (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
      • †Molaetherium heissigi (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
    • Genus: † (Simpson, 1959)
      • †Tetrapassalus mckennai (Simpson, 1959)
      • †Tetrapassalus proius (West, 1973)
    • Genus: †Xenocranium (Colbert, 1942)
      • †Xenocranium pileorivale (Colbert, 1942)

Phylogenetic tree[]

The phylogenetic relationships of Epoicotheriidae are shown in the following cladogram:^[5][6][7]

References[]