Notopithecidae

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Notopithecidae
Temporal range: Paleocene–Oligocene
Notopithecus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Notoungulata
Suborder: †Typotheria
Family: †Notopithecidae
Ameghino, 1897
Species

Notopithecidae is a family of typotherine notoungulates known from Paleogene deposits of the San Juan Formation, Argentina.[1] The name of the clade derives from an error, Florentino Ameghino assumed the namesake of the family, Notopithecus, was a primate.[2]

Description

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Notopithecids had low crowned teeth and relatively underived dentition when compared to later typotheres. They had brachyodont molars. [3] They most likely walked plantigrade, indicated by an astragalar foramen and a shallow and asymmetric trochela.[4]

Classification

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Notopithecidae has had some debate as to whether it is even a valid family, occasionally being placed within Interatheriidae.[5] However, most literature supports Notopithecidae being its own family. [1][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Scott, William Berryman; Scott, William Berryman (1913). A history of land mammals in the Western Hemisphere; illustrated with 32 plates and more than 100 drawings. New York: Macmillan.
  2. ^ Hitz, Ralph B.; Hitz, Ralph B.; Flynn, John J.; Wyss, André R. (2006). New basal Interatheriidae (Typotheria, Notoungulata, Mammalia) from the Paleogene of central Chile. New York, NY: American Museum of Natural History.
  3. ^ a b Scarano, Alejo C.; Vera, Bárbara (2018). "Geometric morphometric analysis as a proxy to evaluate age-related change in molar shape variation of low-crowned Notoungulata (Mammalia)". Journal of Morphology. 279 (2): 216–227. doi:10.1002/jmor.20766. hdl:11336/42192. ISSN 1097-4687.
  4. ^ Vera, Bárbara (2012). "Postcranial Morphology of Notopithecus Ameghino, 1897 (notoungulata, Interatheriidae) from the Middle Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 1135–1148. ISSN 0272-4634.
  5. ^ "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2025-09-05.