Rank Subclass | Phylum Chordata | |
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Infraclass †AllotheriaMarsh, 1880 Similar | ||
Allotheria how to pronounce it
Allotheria (meaning "other beasts", from the Greek αλλός, allos-other and θήριον, therion-wild animal) is an extinct branch of successful Mesozoic mammals. The most important characteristic was the presence of lower molariform teeth equipped with two longitudinal rows of cusps. Allotheria includes Multituberculata, Gondwanatheria (which may be part of Multituberculata, as the sister group to Cimolodonta), and probably Haramiyida, though some studies show them to not even be mammals and differing from true allotheres significantly.
Contents
Allotheres also had a narrow pelvis, indicating that they gave birth to tiny helpless young like marsupials do. This is a feature of all non-placental mammals.
Interpretations
When he first identified Allotheria in 1880, Othniel Marsh regarded this group as an order within Marsupialia. But in 1997, McKenna and Bell classified Allotheria as an infraclass.
