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Ungulate phylogeny in today’s LRT

Friday, November 13, 2026 8:09

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Recent changes to the mammal subset
of the large reptile tree (LRT, 2340 taxa) recovered the following subset of the ungulates (sans artiodactyls). Distinct from many clades, this one begins with extinct large taxa and terminates with extant petite and giant taxa.

In short: the biggest Madagascar adapted primates
left the trees, became terrestrial and turned claws into hooves. Then some became notoungulates. Then others became phenacodontids (including chalicotheres and elephants).

On another phylogenetic branch
some terrestrial oreodonts became aquatic. Some of these became hippos. Some of these became anthracobunids. Some of these became desmostylians. Some of these became mysticetes = baleen whales.

The rest of the ungulates (pigs, deer, horses, etc) stayed on land.
Some of these became giant giraffes and paraceratheres = three-toed horses.
Others became tiny chevrotains = fanged deer.

Figure 1. Ungulates sans artiodactyls + perissodactyls in the LRT 11.13.26. Note the separation of the two Agriochoerus species (yellow green). See figures 2 and 3 for skull images. Note the step-by-step evolution of desmostylians linking anthracobunids to mysticetes.

Viewed side-by-side
the interrelationships of terrestrial and aquatic oreodonts should be readily apparent (Fig 2), despite the modifications to the retracted nares and cranial crest in Merychyus, convergent with odontocetes, mysticetes and tapirs.

Figure 1. Aquatic oreodonts evolving toward aquatic hippos and anthracobunids. Note: in Merychus has a postorbital bar, like Merycoidodon, and a retracted naris. Compare to Brachycurus in figure 2.

The two species
of the obscure genus Agriochoerus (Figs 1, 2) are here split far apart. The ‘artiodactyl with thumbs’, A latifrons (Fig 2), nests at the base of this ungulate clade (Fig 1) with the giant adapid primate, Megaladapis (Fig 1).

The species without fangs, A. antiquus (Fig 1), is transitional to desmonstylians.

Figure 1. Agriochoerus latifrons as preserved. In frame two a broken postfrontal is replaced to its invivo position. — Figure 2. Agriochoerus latifrons as preserved. In frame two a broken ?postfrontal is replaced to its invivo position.

We can all wish there was a competing analysis
with a similar taxon list that tested traits = phenonmics.

If one becomes available, please bring it to my attention.

PS… still no SVP abstracts available online.

References

wiki/Ungulate

Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2026/11/13/ungulate-phylogeny-in-todays-lrt/

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