Scrotifera

Scrotifera is a proposed clade of mammals within Laurasiatheria, consisting of the following orders and their common ancestors:

It is based on evidence from molecular phylogenetics.[1][2]

The name comes from the word scrotum, a pouch in which the testes permanently reside in the adult male. All members of the group have a postpenile scrotum, often prominently displayed, except for some aquatic forms and pangolin (which has the testes just below the skin). It appears to be an ancestral character for this group, yet other orders generally lack this as an ancestral feature, with the probable exception of Primates.[1]

   Laurasiatheria   

 Eulipotyphla

   Scrotifera   

 Chiroptera

   Fereuungulata   
   Ferae   

 Pholidota


 Carnivora



 Perissodactyla    


 Cetartiodactyla




See also

References

  1. ^ a b Waddell et al (1999). "Using Novel Phylogenetic Methods to Evaluate Mammalian mtDNA, Including Amino Acid-Invariant Sites-LogDet plus Site Stripping, to Detect Internal Conflicts in the Data, with Special Reference to the Positions of Hedgehog, Armadillo, and Elephant". Systematic Biology 48 (1): 31–53. doi:10.1080/106351599260427. http://sysbio.oxfordjournals.org/content/48/1/31.abstract. Retrieved 04 October 2011. 
  2. ^ Zhou, X. et al. (2011). "Phylogenomic analysis resolves the interordinal relationships and rapid diversification of the Laurasiatherian mammals". Systematic Biology. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syr089. http://sysbio.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/09/03/sysbio.syr089.abstract. Retrieved 03 October 2011.  (Advance Access; published online 07 September 2011) "Our reconstructions resolve the interordinal relationships within Laurasiatheria and corroborate the clades Scrotifera, Fereuungulata, and Cetartiodactyla."