Puneet Varma (Editor)

Herpetotheriidae

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Mammalia

Phylum
  
Chordata

Infraclass
  
Metatheria

Herpetotheriidae

Family
  
Herpetotheriidae Trouessart, 1879

Herpetotheriidae is an extinct family of metatherians. Although sometimes placed in the living opossum family (Didelphidae, as a subfamily Herpetotheriinae), they may form the sister clade to all living marsupials. Species of this family are generally reconstructed as terrestrial. Fossils of herpetotheriids come from North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and perhaps South America. The oldest representative is Maastrichtidelphys from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of the Netherlands and the youngest member is Amphiperatherium from the Middle Miocene of Europe.

The family includes the following genera:

  • Amphiperatherium (Early Eocene to Middle Miocene, Europe; synonyms: Oxygomphius, Microtarsioides, Ceciliolemur)
  • Asiadidelphis (Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, Kazakhstan and Pakistan)
  • Copedelphys (Late Eocene to Early Oligocene, North America)
  • Entomacodon (Middle Eocene, North America; synonym: Centracodon)
  • Golerdelphys (Late Paleocene, North America)
  • Herpetotherium (Early Eocene to Middle Miocene, North America)
  • Maastrichtidelphys (Maastrichtian, Europe)
  • Nortedelphys (Lancian, North America)
  • Peratherium (Early Eocene to Early Miocene, Europe; Early Oligocene, Africa; synonyms: Alacodon, Qatranitherium)
  • Swaindelphys (Early Paleocene, North America)

    • The following genera have been placed in the family, but their placement is disputed or obsolete:

  • Garatherium (Early Eocene of Algeria) – possibly an adapisoriculid eutherian
  • Indodelphis (Early Eocene of India) – originally referred to Peradectidae
  • Jaegeria (Early Eocene of India) – a bat
  • Rumiodon (Paleogene of Peru) – placement uncertain

    • References

    Herpetotheriidae Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA