Machaeroides moves again in the LRT based on better data
According to Wikipedia – Machaeroides
“Machaeroides is an extinct genus of sabre-toothed predatory placental mammals from extinct subfamily Machaeroidinae within extinct family Oxyaenidae, that lived in North America (Wyoming) from the early to middle Eocene.”
“Its position within the mammals has been in dispute. Experts have been equally divided over whether Machaeroides belongs in Oxyaenidae or Hyaenodonta, though Zack 2014 favors the former.”
Not sure if experts have ever tested Machaeroides with the taxa featured in today’s post since Machaeroides was considered a member of the Credonta, while the other two were considered members of the convergent Carnivora.
Figure 1. Machaeroides data from the Smithsonian nests Machaeroides closer to Daphoenus and Protictitherium, as shown here.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/protictitherium_skull588.jpg?w=82″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/protictitherium_skull588.jpg?w=281″ class=”size-full wp-image-89615″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/protictitherium_skull588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Machaeroides data from the Smithsonian nests Machaeroides closer to Daphoenus and Protictitherium, as shown here. ” width=”584″ height=”2128″ />
Figure 1. Machaeroides data from the Smithsonian nests Machaeroides closer to Daphoenus and Protictitherium, as shown here, distinct from the model = plaster/plastic data used earlier. Gone are the extra-long canines.
Machaeroides eothen
(Matthew 1909; Eocene, 56mya) has been difficult to nest, with some experts labeling this genus close to Oxyaena, a marsupial creodont. Here Machaeroides (Fig 1) nests with Protictitherium (Figs 1, 2) and Daphoenus (Fig 2) based on nmnhpaleobiology_338172 in the collection of the Smithsonian.
Hopefully this will be the last move for this taxon. Better data = better scoring.
Figure 1. Protictitherium compared to the basal primate, Notharctus, and the extant tree shrew, Tupaia.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/protictitherium-tupaia-588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/protictitherium-tupaia-588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-86877″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/protictitherium-tupaia-588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Protictitherium compared to the basal primate, Notharctus, and the extant tree shrew, Tupaia.” width=”584″ height=”288″ />
Figure 2. Protictitherium compared to the basal primate, Notharctus, and the extant tree shrew, Tupaia.
Protictitherium crassum
(Kretzoi 1938; Koufos and Konidaris 2011; Miocene-Pliocene) is traditionally considered a hyena-like civet. Civets are not related to hyenas in the LRT. Here Protictitherium nests with Vulpavus, a basal placental, but closer to Daphoenus and Machaeroides.
FIgure 1. Skeleton of Daphoneus.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/daphoenus_vetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/daphoenus_vetus_skeleton588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-41154″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/daphoenus_vetus_skeleton588.jpg” alt=”FIgure 1. Skeleton of Daphoneus.” width=”584″ height=”391″ />
Figure 3. Skeleton of Daphoneus. Compare to Protictitherium in figure 2. The hands and feet here are posed as if digitigrade. Descriptions consider this taxon plantigrade.
Daphoenus vetus
(Leidy 1853; Middle Eocene to Middle Miocene, 37-16mya). A traditiional bear-dog = amphicyonid, this long-legged, long abdomen, mid-sized predator dug burrows for offspring nesting and hiding sites. Here flat-footed Daphoenus nests outside the Carnivora, possibly as a pre-placental, nesting prior to Nasua (Fig 4), the coatimundi, a pre-primate in the LRT.
Note: the museum mounts shown here (Figs 2, 3) are digitigrade, not plantigrade.
Figure 1. The coatimundi (Nasua) compared to the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur).
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/coatimundi_lemur_invivo588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/coatimundi_lemur_invivo588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-53307″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/coatimundi_lemur_invivo588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. The coatimundi (Nasua) compared to the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur).” width=”584″ height=”418″ />
Figure 4. The coatimundi (Nasua) compared to the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur). Note the plantigrade manus and pes on Nasua, hidden by grass in Lemur.
Mammals continue to be a headache
to lump and split. Convergence is a hurdle. It IS rewarding when a taxon seems to finally slip into place = finding its long-lost relatives, like this.
References
Hough JR 1948. A systematic revision of Daphoenus and some allied genera. – Journal of Paleontology 22(5):573-600.
Kretzoi M 1938. Die Raubtiere von Gombaszög nebst einer Übersicht der Gesamtfauna. Annales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 31:88–157.
Leidy J 1853. Observations on a collection of fossil Mammalia and Chelonia from the Mauvaises Terres of Nebraska. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad., 6: 392–394.
Matthew WD 1909. The Carnivora and Insectivora of the Bridger Basin, middle Eocene. Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History 9:289-567.
wiki/Daphoenus
wiki/Protictitherium
wiki/Machaeroides
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2024/11/07/machaeroides-moves-again-in-the-lrt-based-on-better-data/
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