Epoicotheriidae

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 .[1] 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.[2]

Epoicotheriidae
Temporal range: 55.8–30.9 Ma early Eocene - early Oligocene
skull of Epoicotherium unicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Palaeanodonta
Family: †Epoicotheriidae
Simpson, 1927
Genera[1]
  • †Alocodontulum
  • †Auroratherium
  • †Dipassalus
  • †Pentapassalus
  • †Tubulodon
  • Subfamily: †Epoicotheriinae
    • †Epoicotherium
    • †Molaetherium
    • †Tetrapassalus
    • †Xenocranium

Classification and phylogeny

Taxonomy

Epoicotheriidae was named by Simpson in 1927. It was assigned to the Palaeanodonta by Rose (1978)[3] and Carroll (1988).

Classification
  • Family: †Epoicotheriidae (Simpson, 1927)
    • Genus: †Alocodontulum (Rose, 1978)
      • †Alocodontulum atopum (Rose, 1977)
    • Genus: †Auroratherium (Tong & Wang, 1997)
      • †Auroratherium sinense (Tong & Wang, 1997)
    • Genus: †Dipassalus (Rose, 1991)
      • †Dipassalus oryctes (Rose, 1991)
    • Genus: †Pentapassalus (Gazin, 1952)
      • †Pentapassalus pearcei (Gazin, 1952)
      • †Pentapassalus woodi (Guthrie, 1967)
    • Genus: †Tubulodon (Jepsen, 1932)
      • †Tubulodon taylori (Jepsen, 1932)
    • Subfamily: †Epoicotheriinae (Simpson, 1927)
      • Genus: †Epoicotherium (Simpson, 1927)
        • †Epoicotherium unicum (Douglass, 1905)
      • Genus: †Molaetherium (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
        • †Molaetherium heissigi (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
      • Genus: †Tetrapassalus (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:[4][5][6]

 Pholidotamorpha 
 

Pholidota (sensu stricto)

 
 †Palaeanodonta 
 

†Escavadodontidae

 
 
 ? 

†Amelotabes

 
 ? 

†Melaniella

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

†Ernanodonta

 
 

†Metacheiromys

 
 
 

†Palaeanodon

 †Metacheiromyinae
 
 
 

†Brachianodon

 
 
 

†Mylanodon

 
 
 

†Propalaeanodontinae

 

†Metacheiromyidae

 
 ? 

†Arcticanodon

 
 †Epoicotheriidae 
 †Pentapassalus 
 

†Pentapassalus pearcei

 
 

†Pentapassalus woodi

 
 
 †Tubulodon 
 

†Tubulodon taylori

 
 

†Tubulodon sp. (CP 20BB)

 
 
 †Alocodontulum 

†Alocodontulum atopum

 
 †Auroratherium 

†Auroratherium sinense

 
 
 †Dipassalus 

†Dipassalus oryctes

 
 †Epoicotheriinae 
 †Tetrapassalus 
 

†Tetrapassalus mckennai

 
 

†Tetrapassalus proius

 
 

†Tetrapassalus sp.

 
 
 
 †Xenocranium 

†Xenocranium pileorivale

 
 †Epoicotherium 
 †Molaetherium 

†Molaetherium heissigi

 
 †Epoicotherium 
 

†Epoicotherium unicum

 
 

†Epoicotherium sp.

 
 sensu stricto 
 sensu lato 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (Pholidota sensu lato) 

References
  1. "Classification of the family Epoicotheriidae". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  2. Kenneth D. Rose, Robert J. Emry (1983) "Extraordinary fossorial adaptations in the oligocene palaeanodonts Epoicotherium and Xenocranium (Mammalia)" Journal of Morphology 175(1):33 - 56
  3. Rose, Kenneth D. (1978). "A New Paleocene Epoicotheriid (Mammalia), with Comments on the Palaeanodonta". Journal of Paleontology. 52 (3): 658–674. JSTOR 1303970.
  4. Kenneth D. Rose (2008). "Palaeanodonta and Pholidota". In Janis, Christine M; Gunnell, Gregg F; Uhen, Mark D (eds.). 9 - Palaeanodonta and Pholidota. pp. 135–146. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511541438.010. ISBN 9780511541438.
  5. Gaudin, Timothy (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis" (PDF). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science+Business Media. 16 (4): 235–305. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9. S2CID 1773698.
  6. Kondrashov, Peter; Agadjanian, Alexandre K. (2012). "A nearly complete skeleton of Ernanodon (Mammalia, Palaeanodonta) from Mongolia: morphofunctional analysis". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 983–1001. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. ISSN 0272-4634. S2CID 86059673.
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