Mylagaulidae

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Mylagaulidae Fossil range: Late Oligocene - Early Pliocene
Reconstruction of Ceratogaulus hatcheri
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Superorder: Euarchontoglires Order: Rodentia Suborder: Sciuromorpha Superfamily: Aplodontoidea Family: †Mylagaulidae Cope, 1881
Subfamilies
Mesogaulinae Mylagaulinae Promylagaulinae and see text

The Mylagaulidae or mylagaulids are a prehistoric family of sciuromorph rodents. They are known from the Neogene of North America and China^[1]. The oldest member is the Late Oligocene Trilaccogaulus montanensis from living some 29 mya (million years ago), and the youngest was Ceratogaulus hatcheri - formerly in Epigaulus - which was found barely into the Pliocene, some 5 mya^[2].

[edit] Systematics

Three subfamilies are recognized. The taxonomy of Galbreathia is not resolved; it might belong into the Mylagaulinae but lacks the characteristic apomorphies^[2].

Promylagaulinae

• Genus Crucimys
• Genus Promylagaulus
• Genus Trilaccogaulus

Mesogaulinae

• Genus Mesogaulus - includes Mylagaulodon

Mylagaulinae

• Genus Alphagaulus (paraphyletic^[2])
• Genus Ceratogaulus - includes Epigaulus
• Genus Hesperogaulus
• Genus Mylagaulus - includes
• Genus Pterogaulus
• Genus Umbogaulus

incertae sedis

• Genus Galbreathia - basal in Mylagaulinae?

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mylagaulidae

• Hopkins, Samantha S.B. (2005): The evolution of fossoriality and the adaptive role of horns in the Mylagaulidae (Mammalia: Rodentia). Proc. R. Soc. B 272(1573): 1705-1713. doi:10.1098/rspb.2005.3171 PDF fulltext
• McKenna, M. C, and S. K. Bell (1997): Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. ISBN 023111012X

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