Re: Fruitafossor - new Mesozoic mammal

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jaime A. Headden wrote:

>   I do note the authors find a Xenarthra-Carnivora and a Fereeuungulata 
> (or
> whatever it's called) grouping. Dare I say clade, though the author's 
> prefer
> ranks.

Overall, the modern placentals are severely underrepresented in the matrix.  
There's a lipotyphlan, two carnivorans, one rodent, one lagomorph and six 
xenarthrans (the old "edentates").  There's no ungulates or subungulates, or 
afrotherians, or primates.  Even the aardvark (_Orycteropus_) was left out, 
despite being mentioned in the text.

To me, the most unusual feature of the cladogram is that it splits up the 
bandicoots (Peramelina), with bilbies (Thylacomyidae) coming up in a 
different part of the Marsupiala to _Perameles_.  (Unless "Thylacomyidae" is 
a typo.)


Tim