Dinomyidae

The Dinomyidae are a family of South American hystricognath rodents: the dinomyids were once a very speciose group, but now contains only a single living species, the pacarana. Several of the extinct dinomyids were among the largest rodents known to date; these included the bison-sized Josephoartigasia monesi[1] and the smaller Josephoartigasia magna.[2] The dinomyids are thought to have occupied ecological niches associated with large grazing mammals due to their ability to compete with the native ungulates of South America. These large forms disappeared after the formation of a connection to North America. The modern pacarana is only modest in size, considerably smaller than the capybara.

Dinomyidae
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent
Josephoartigasia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Superfamily: Chinchilloidea
Family: Dinomyidae
Peters, 1873
Genera

See text

The Neoepiblemidae, an entirely extinct family, may actually be part of the Dinomyidae; both groups are undoubtedly closely related.

Genera
  • Family: Dinomyidae
    • †Agnomys incertae sedis
    • †Borikenomys - incertae sedis?
    • †Pseudodiodomus incertae sedis
    • Subfamily: Dinomyinae
    • Subfamily: †Eumegamyinae
    • Subfamily: †Potamarchinae
      • †Eusigmomys
      • †Olenopsis
      • †Potamarchus
      • †Scleromys
      • †Simplimus

References
  1. Rinderknecht, Andrés; R. Ernesto Blanco (2008-01-15). "The largest fossil rodent" (pdf). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 275 (1637): 923–8. doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1645. PMC 2599941. PMID 18198140. Retrieved 2008-01-16. Lay summary. Josephoartigasia monesi sp. nov. (family: Dinomyidae; Rodentia: Hystricognathi: Caviomorpha)
  2. Francis, J.C. and A. Mones (1966). "Artigasia magna n. g., n. sp. (Eumegamyinae), un roedor gigantesco de la época Pliocena Superior de las Barrancas de San Gregorio, Departamento de San José, República Oriental del Uruguay". Kraglievana. 3: 89–100.
  3. Mones, A. (2007). "Josephoartigasia, Nuevo nombre para Artigasia Francis & Mones, 1966 (Rodentia, Dinomyidae), non Artigasia Christie, 1934 (Nematoda, Thelastomatidae)". Comun. Paleontol. Mus. Hist. Nat. Montevideo. 36: 213–214.
  • McKenna, Malcolm C.; Bell, Susan K. (1997). Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8.
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