Cimolestes
| Cimolestes Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Paleocene, 75–56Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Cimolesta |
| Family: | †Cimolestidae Marsh, 1889 |
| Genus: | †Cimolestes Marsh, 1889 |
| Type species | |
| †Cimolestes incisus Marsh, 1889 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Nyssodon Simpson, 1927 | |
Cimolestes ("Bug Thief") is a genus of basal, non-placental eutherians. Fossils have been found in North America, where they first appeared during the Late Cretaceous; they died out during the Paleocene.[1]
They were once considered to be marsupials, then primitive placental mammals, but now are considered to be members of the order Cimolesta (which was named after the genus), outside of placental mammals proper.[2] Before they were determined to be non-placental eutherians, the cimolestids were once considered the common ancestral group of the clades Carnivora and the extinct Creodonta.
References
- ↑ McKenna, M. C, and S. K. Bell (1997). Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11012-X.
- ↑ Rook, D.L.; Hunter, J.P. (2013). "Rooting Around the Eutherian Family Tree: the Origin and Relations of the Taeniodonta". Journal of Mammalian Evolution: 1–17. doi:10.1007/s10914-013-9230-9. Retrieved May 2013.