Didymoconidae

Didymoconidae is an extinct family of eutherian mammals that first appeared during the Paleocene epoch and survived into the latest Oligocene epoch. Its classification has been the subject of controversy, and the family has been placed in various orders since it was erected in 1943, sometimes being placed in its own order Didymoconida.^[1]

Didymoconidae Temporal range: Paleocene–Late Oligocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull of Didymoconus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Subclass:	Theria
Clade:	Eutheria
Family:	†Didymoconidae Kretzoi, 1943
Genera
See text

Taxonomic history

Due to an array of similarities and differences to various mammalian groups, Didymoconidae has been placed in various orders. The type genus, Didymoconus, was considered to belong in the family Oxyaenidae when it was initially described in 1924.^[2] The family Didymoconidae was only erected in 1943 by Kretzoi, who thought it was a carnivoran and placed it in Caniformia. Other authors have assigned the family to the abandoned order Insectivora, Mesonychia, Arctocyonia, Palaeoryctoidea, Leptictida or even placed it in its own order Didymoconida.^[1]

Classification

• Subfamily Ardynictinae
  • Archaeoryctes
  • Ardynictis
  • Hunanictis
  • Jiajianictis
  • Mongoloryctes
  • Wanolestes
  • Zeuctherium
• Subfamily Didymoconinae
  • Archaeomangus
  • Didymoconus
  • Ergilictis
  • Tshotgoria
• Subfamily Kennatheriinae
  • Erlikotherium
  • Kennatherium
  • Khaichinula

The following cladogram follows Missiaen et al. (2013):^[3]

	Didymoconidae Archaeoryctes Zeuctherium Ardynictinae Wanolestes Ardynictis Jiajianictis Kennatheriinae Erlikotherium Kennatherium Khaichinula Didymoconinae Ergilictis Didymoconus Archaeomangus Tshotgoria

References

1. Morlo, Michael; Nagel, Doris (2002-01-18). "New Didymoconidae (Mammalia) from the Oligocene of Central Mongolia and first information on the tooth eruption sequence of the family". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 223 (1): 123–144. doi:10.1127/njgpa/223/2002/123. ISSN 0077-7749.
2. Matthew, William Diller; Granger, Walter (1924). "New Carnivora from the Tertiary of Mongolia". American Museum Novitates (104).
3. Missiaen, P.; Solé, F.; Bast, Eric de; Yang, Jian; Li, Cheng-Sen; Smith, T. (2013-10-10). "A new species of Archaeoryctes from the Middle Paleocene of China and the phylogenetic diversification of Didymoconidae". Geologica Belgica. 16 (4): 245–253.