Palaeanodonta

Palaeanodonta is an extinct clade of stem-pangolins. They were insectivorous, possibly fossorial, and lived from the Early Paleocene to Early Oligocene in North America, Europe and eastern Asia.[1][2][3]

Palaeanodonts Temporal range: 63.3–30.9 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Early Paleocene - Early Oligocene
Reconstruction of Metacheiromys marshi
Reconstruction of Ernanodon antelios
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Pholidotamorpha
Order:	Palaeanodonta Matthew, 1918
Genera and Families
Genus: †Brachianodon Genus: †Metacheiromys Genus: †Mylanodon Genus: †Palaeanodon Genus: †Propalaeanodon Family: †Epoicotheriidae Family: †Escavadodontidae Suborder: †Ernanodonta Family: †Ernanodontidae Incertae sedis: Genus: †Amelotabes Genus: †Arcticanodon Genus: †Melaniella

Classification and phylogeny

Traditional classification

• Order: †Palaeanodonta (stem-pangolins)[1]
  • Family: †Epoicotheriidae
  • Family: †Escavadodontidae
  • Family: †Metacheiromyidae
  • Incertae sedis:
    • Genus: †Amelotabes
    • Genus: †Arcticanodon
    • Genus: †Melaniella

Revised classification

• Order: †Palaeanodonta (stem-pangolins)[3]
  • Genus: †Brachianodon
  • Genus: †Metacheiromys
  • Genus: †Mylanodon
  • Genus: †Palaeanodon
  • Genus: †Propalaeanodon
  • Family: †Epoicotheriidae
  • Family: †Escavadodontidae
  • Suborder: †Ernanodonta
    • Family: †Ernanodontidae
  • Incertae sedis:
    • Genus: †Amelotabes
    • Genus: †Arcticanodon
    • Genus: †Melaniella

Phylogenetic tree

The phylogenetic relationships of Palaeanodonta are shown in the following cladogram:[1][2][3]

Pholidotamorpha	Pholidota (sensu stricto)    †Palaeanodonta    †Escavadodontidae      ?  †Amelotabes    ?  †Melaniella       †Epoicotheriidae    ?  †Arcticanodon       †Propalaeanodon       †Mylanodon       †Brachianodon       †Palaeanodon       †Metacheiromys    †Ernanodonta  †Ernanodontidae         †Metacheiromyidae
(Pholidota sensu lato)

References

1. Kenneth D. Rose (2008). "9 - Palaeanodonta and Pholidota". doi:10.1111/brv.12242. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
2. Gaudin, Timothy (2009). "The Phylogeny of Living and Extinct Pangolins (Mammalia, Pholidota) and Associated Taxa: A Morphology Based Analysis" (PDF). Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer Science+Business Media. 16 (4): 235–305. doi:10.1007/s10914-009-9119-9.
3. Kondrashov, Peter; Agadjanian, Alexandre K. (2012). "A nearly complete skeleton of Ernanodon (Mammalia, Palaeanodonta) from Mongolia: morphofunctional analysis". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32 (5): 983–1001. doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694319. ISSN 0272-4634.