Notoungulata
Skeleton of Toxodon in the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Museum
- South America
The Notoungulata (Size: Nótos = South; ungula = hoof ) are a group of extinct mammals that belong to the South American ungulates ( Meridiungulata ). They lived during the Cenozoic in South America and died in the Pleistocene from.
Features
The Notoungulaten were the most diverse group among the now-extinct South American ungulates. Typical were her broad, flat skull and special features of the ear region. The largest representatives ( genus Toxodon ) reached the size of today's rhinos, small forms such as Pachyrukhos resembled today's rabbits.
History of development
The Notoungulata have like the other South American hoofed animals originated in South America and remained almost entirely confined to this continent. Only in the Pleistocene, shortly before the last members of the taxonomic group became extinct, they reached with Mixotoxodon the North American continent. Previously conjectured, representatives of this order had occurred in the Paleocene in North America and China, because it was expected, the family of Arctostylopidae to Notoungulaten. Today these are but in their own order.
The most primitive group of Notoungulata are the Notioprogonia that occurred from the upper Paleocene to the middle Eocene. From the Notioprogonia the three later lines of Notoungulaten developed. One of them was the Toxodonta to which the genus Toxodon counted that survived to the latest Pleistocene. A very peculiar form of Toxodonta was Homalodotherium from the Miocene of Patagonia. This large, heavily built animal possessed mighty grave claws on the forefeet and remembered probably something to the likewise extinct Chalicotherien from the order of odd-toed ungulates. More Toxodonten were Thomashuxleya, a parent form from the Eocene, and Scaritta from the Oligocene and Miocene Nesodon. Another group of Notoungulata that Typotheria, reminiscent of large rodents or Hyrax, reaching about the size of a black bear. They were distributed by the Paleocene to the Pleistocene. A final group were the Hegetotheria who were like rabbits.
Because South America was isolated in the Tertiary over a long period from the other continents, the Notoungulaten could unfold like many other South American mammal groups undisturbed and occupy numerous niches. They took a total of 13 families out of more than 100 genera. Like many other South American mammals most Notoungluaten died out but, as in the late Pliocene was a land connection between South and North America. They were no match for the invading species from North America. As one of the few genres to Toxodon showed the new immigrants equal and survived the American faunal exchange. But a few million years later, at the end of the Pleistocene, it died out also, so that the order of the Notoungulata was extinguished.
Inside systematics
The internal classification by McKenna & Bell:
- Order Notoungulata genus Acoelodus
- Genus Pleurystylops
- Genus Lophiodonticulus
- Genus Tonostylops
- Genus Isotypotherium
- Genus Epitypotherium
- Genus Carolodarwinia
- Genus Ortholophodon
- Genus Procolpodon
- Genus Senodon
- Genus Loxocoelus
- Genus Pyralophodon
- Genus Orthogeniops
- Genus Pyramidon
- Genus Archaeotypotherium
- Subordination Notioprogonia genus Satshatemnus
- Genus Seudenius
- Family Henricosborniidae genus Othnielmarshia
- Genus Peripantostylops
- Genus Henricosbornia
- Genus Simpsonotus
- Genus Homalostylops
- Genus Notostylops
- Genus Edvardotrouessartia
- Genus Boreastylops
- Genus Brandmayria
- Genus Colhuelia
- Genus Lafkenia
- Genus Colhuapia
- Genus Allalmeia
- Genus Brachystephanus
- Genus Xenostephanus
- Genus Phanotherus
- Genus Hermoseodon
- Family Isotemnidae Thomashuxleya, live reconstruction genus Isotemnus
- Genus Hedralophus
- Genus Thomashuxleya
- Genus Pampatemnus
- Genus Coelostylodon
- Genus Pleurostylodon
- Genus Anisotemnus
- Genus Periphragnis
- Genus Rhyphodon
- Genus Distylophorus
- Genus Lophocoelus
- Genus Pleurocoelodon
- Genus Martinmiguelia
- Genus Ancylocoelus
- Genus Leontinia
- Genus Scarrittia
- Genus Taubatherium
- Genus Huilatherium
- Genus Edvardocopeia
- Genus Acoelohyrax
- Genus Trimerostephanos
- Subfamily Rhynchippinae genus Pampahippus
- Genus Plexotemnus
- Genus Puelia
- Genus Eomorphippus
- Genus Morphippus
- Genus Eurygenium
- Genus Rhynchippus
- Genus Nesohippus
- Genus Stilhippus
- Genus Perhippidion
- Genus Notohippus
- Genus Argyrohippus
- Genus Purperia
- Genus Colpodon
- Subfamily Nesodontinae Skull of Adinotherium ferum genus Proadinotherium
- Genus Posnanskytherium
- Genus Palyeidodon
- Genus Adinotherium
- Genus Nesodon
- Genus Minitoxodon
- Genus Stereotoxodon
- Genus Stenotephanos
- Genus Hyperoxotodon
- Genus Nesodonopsis
- Genus Pericotoxodon
- Genus Andinotoxodon
- Genus Eutomodus
- Genus Neotoxodon
- Genus Gyrinodon
- Genus Mesenodon
- Genus Pisanodon
- Genus Neoadinotherium
- Genus Hemixotodon
- Genus Dinotoxodon
- Genus Plesiotoxodon
- Genus Chapalmalodon
- Genus Toxodon
- Genus Nonotherium
- Genus Ceratoxodon
- Genus Paratrigodon
- Genus Prototrigodon
- Genus Pachynodon
- Genus Haplodontherium
- Genus Abothrodon
- Genus Toxodontherium
- Genus Mesotoxodon
- Genus Ocnerotherium
- Genus Trigodon
- Genus Trigodonops
- Genus Mixotoxodon
- Genus Trigonolophodon
- Genus Asmodeus
- Genus Homalodotherium
- Genus Chasicotherium
- Genus Nesciotherium
- Family Archaeopithecidae genus Archaeopithecus
- Genus Acropithecus
- Genus Colbertia
- Genus Itaboraitherium
- Genus Kibenikhoria
- Genus Oldfieldthomasia
- Genus Maxschlosseria
- Genus Paginula
- Genus Ultrapithecus
- Genus Tsamnichoria
- Subfamily Notopithecinae genus Transpithecus
- Genus Antepithecus
- Genus Notopithecus
- Genus Guilielmoscottia
- Genus Archaeophylus
- Genus Cochilius
- Genus Medi Stylus
- Genus Plagiarthrus
- Genus Paracochilius
- Genus Protypotherium
- Genus Epipatriarchus
- Genus Miocochilius
- Genus Caenophilus
- Genus Interatherium
- Genus Munyizia
- Genus Campanorco
- Subfamily Trachytheriinae genus Trachytherus
- Genus Proedium
- Genus Fiandraia
- Genus Eutypotherium
- Genus Microtypotherium
- Genus Plesiotypotherium
- Genus Typotheriopsis
- Genus Pseudotypotherium
- Genus Hypsitherium
- Genus Mesotherium
- Genus Getohetherium
- Genus Tegehotherium
- Family Archaeohyracidae genus Eohyrax
- Genus Pseudhyrax
- Genus Bryanpattersonia
- Genus Archaeohyrax
- Subfamily Pachyrukhinae Skeleton of Propachyrukhos genus Propachyrucos
- Genus Prosotherium
- Genus Pachyrukhos
- Genus Paedotherium
- Genus Tremacyllus
- Genus Raulringueletia
- Genus Ethegotherium
- Genus Prohegetotherium
- Genus Hegetotherium
- Genus Pseudohegetotherium
- Genus Hemihegetotherium