Tiny Barinya and giant Andrewsarchus now nest together in the LRT
Today’s taxa are so different in size
and yet…
The LRT now nests the tiny traditional dasyurid, Barinya, with larger Harpagolestes macrocephlaus and much larger Andrewsarchus (Fig 1).
Figure 1. Giant Andrewsarchus compared to smaller Harpagolestes macrocephalus and tiny Barinya. These three share a long list of traits despite their size difference.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg?w=98″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg?w=334″ class=”size-full wp-image-91087″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Giant Andrewsarchus compared to smaller Harpagolestes macrocephalus and tiny Barinya. These three share a long list of traits despite their size difference.” width=”584″ height=”1793″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg?w=584&h=1793 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg?w=49&h=150 49w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg?w=98&h=300 98w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/andrewsarchus.barinya588-2.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Giant Andrewsarchus compared to smaller Harpagolestes macrocephalus and tiny Barinya. These three share a long list of traits despite their size difference.
The anterodorsal nares
of Barinya and Andrewsarchus first caught my attention. Few other related taxa have this trait. Also note the elevation of the cranium.
Barinya is a traditional dasyurid
(= taxa related to the quolls, carnvorous marsupials Dasyurus, Phascogale, Dasycercus and Dasyuroides). These taxa are closer to didelphids and monodelphids in the LRT.
These taxa nest as part of a larger clade
within the Carnivoraformes = Carnivoramorpha, a clade derived from Vulpavus and including Mesonychidae, Hyaenodontidae and among living taxa, Sarcophilus, the Tasmanian Devil and Thylacinus, the recently extinct Tasmanian wolf. So this clade of taxa reproduced as marsupials.
Wikipedia considered Carnivoraformes, like Vulpavus, to be placentals due to the prescence of carnassial teeth, a trait otherwise found in Carnivora.
For the present, carnassials appear to be present in both by convergence.
This appears to be a novel hypothesis of interrelationships.
If not, please provide a citation so I can promote it here.
References
Geisler J and McKenna MC 2007. A new species of mesonychian mammal from the lower Eocene of Mongolia and its phylogenetic relationships. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52, 189-212.
Osborn HF 1924. Andrewsarchus, giant mesonychid of Mongolia. American Museum Noviattes 146: 1-5.
Simons EL and Bown TM 1995. Ptolemaiida, a new order of Mammalia–with description of the cranium of Ptolemaia grangeri. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. 92 (8): 3269–73.
Spaulding M, O’Leary MA, Gatesy J 2009. Relationships of Cetacea (Artiodactyla) Among Mammals: Increased Taxon Sampling Alters Interpretations of Key Fossils and Character Evolution. PLoS ONE 4(9): e7062. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0007062
Wortman JL 1901. Studies of Eocene Mammalia in the Marsh Collection, Peabody Museum. The American Journal of Science, series 4 12(70):281-296.
Wroe S 1999. The geologocially oldest dasyurid, from the Miocene of Riversleigh, North-West Queensland. Paeontology 42(3):501–527.
wiki/Andrewsarchus
wiki/Harpagolestes
wiki/Barinya
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/tiny-barinya-and-giant-andrewsarchus-now-nest-together-in-the-lrt/
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