Re: "Neomammals" (arising out of Neoaves discussion)

[David Marjanovic <david.marjanovic@gmx.at>]

> "We'll probably have a complete *Toxodon* mitochondrial
> genome before we'll have the first serious-sized
> morphological placental analysis in history."
> Is this just general speculation, or is there a project afoot to sequence 
> Toxodon material (some of which is comparable in date to the Neandertal 
> stuff Svante P[ää]bo gets in the news for doing).

No, no, that's just general speculation.

> I certainly  hope such a project is carried out.

You are taking the words right out of my mouth!

> Since the split between the Placental superorders seems to
> have  taken place before there was much morphological
> differentiation, it seems to be difficult to place primitive types:

We don't know that. Nobody has seriously tried. There is no morphological 
analysis that spans all of Placentalia.

> While we are at it-- since "Lipotyphla" seems to be polyphyletic,
> some Afrotheres and some Laurasiatheres-- has anyone done molecular
> studies on Solenodon?  Or on the remains of Nesophontids?

Yes. *Solenodon* usually comes out at the base of Eulipotyphla (quite 
similar to morphological hypotheses) thus forming the sister-group to... 
Eueulipotyphla. I kid you not.