Astrapotheriidae is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

herbivorous A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

n land

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s that lived from the

Late Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "daw ...

(

Mustersan The Mustersan age is a period of geologic time (48.0–42.0 Ma) within the Eocene epoch of the Paleogene, used more specifically within the South American land mammal age (SALMA) classification. It follows the Casamayoran and precedes the Divisade ...

SALMA The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as a ...

) to the

Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million y ...

(

Laventan The Laventan ( es, Laventense) age is a period of geologic time (13.8 to 11.8 Ma) within the Middle Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification in South America. It follows the Colloncuran and precedes ...

SALMA) . The most

derived Derive may refer to: * Derive (computer algebra system), a commercial system made by Texas Instruments * ''Dérive'' (magazine), an Austrian science magazine on urbanism *Dérive, a psychogeographical concept See also * *Derivation (disambiguatio ...

of the

astrapotheria Astrapotheria is an extinct order of South American and Antarctic hoofed mammals that existed from the late Paleocene to the Middle Miocene, ."The uruguaytheriine Astrapotheriidae from the rich middle Miocene Honda Group of the upper Magdalena ...

ns, they were also the largest and most specialized mammals in the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

of South America. There are two sister taxa:

Eoastrapostylopidae ''Eoastrapostylops'' is an extinct genus of astrapothere that lived during the Late Paleocene in what is now Argentina. Description This animal was small in size; the skull was 9 centimeters long and the total length of the animal probably just ...

and Trigonostylopidae. Around 1900, Argentine paleontologist

Florentino Ameghino Florentino Ameghino (born Giovanni Battista Fiorino Giuseppe Ameghino September 19, 1853 – August 6, 1911) was an Argentine naturalist, paleontologist, anthropologist and zoologist, whose fossil discoveries on the Argentine Pampas, especially ...

described eight

Colhuehuapian The Colhuehuapian age is a period of geologic time (21.0–17.5 Ma) within the Early Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification in South America. It follows the Deseadan and precedes the Santacrucian ag ...

(Early Miocene) species from specimens he found south of Lake Colhué Huapi in

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and gl ...

and grouped them into three genera: '' Parastrapotherium'', ''

Astrapotherium ''Astrapotherium'' ("lightning beast") is an extinct genus of South American mammals that vaguely resembled a small elephant or large tapir. However, it was unrelated to elephants or tapirs, but was instead related to other extinct South American ...

'', and '' Astrapothericulus''. It was obvious to Ameghino that these species represented a great diversity, ranging in size from a

peccary A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North A ...

to a

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

, but his description was based entirely on fragmentary and not always comparable dental remains. Other expeditions to Patagonia have subsequently recovered considerably more complete materials.

Genera

According to , Astrapotheriidae includes two clades, Astrapotheriinae and

Uruguaytheriinae Astrapotheriidae is an extinct family of herbivorous South American land mammals that lived from the Late Eocene (Mustersan SALMA) to the Middle Miocene (Laventan SALMA) . The most derived of the astrapotherians, they were also the largest and mo ...

, and a number of early genera (Astrapotheriidae ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

''): ''Astraponotus'' (Middle Eocene), '' Maddenia'' (Early Oligocene), and ''Parastrapotherium'' (Late Oligocene-Early Miocene). Most genera have been found in Patagonia and adjacent areas in Argentina and Chile; whereas members of Uruguaytheriinae have been found further north: ''Xenastrapotherium'' (Late Oligocene-Middle Miocene of northern South America), ''Granastrapotherium'' (Middle Miocene of Colombia), ''Uruguaytherium'' (uncertain age, from Uruguay). According to , the genus ''Maddenia'' is a small, pre-

Deseadan The Deseadan ( es, Deseadense) age is a period of geologic time (29.0–21.0 Ma) within the Oligocene epoch of the Paleogene to the Early Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification of South America. It fo ...

form of later astrapotheriids. grouped ''Albertogaudrya'' together with ''Astraponotus'' in the subfamily Albertogaudryinae, synonymous with ''Albertogaudryidae'' . concluded that a comprehensive evaluation is required regarding astrapotherids. * ''

Incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' ** '' Parastrapotherium'' ** ''

Antarctodon ''Antarctodon'' is an extinct genus of mammals from the Early Eocene (late Ypresian age). It is a basal astrapotherian which lived in what is now Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, at that moment still connected to South America where most of ...

'' ** '' Astrapodon'' ** '' Comahuetherium'' ** '' Liarthrus'' ** '' Maddenia'' * Subfamily Albertogaudryinae ** ''

Albertogaudrya ''Albertogaudrya'' is an extinct genus of astrapotherian mammal that lived in present-day Salta, Argentina (, paleocoordinates ) during the Eocene (Casamayoran SALMA The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale f ...

'' ** ''

Astraponotus ''Astraponotus'' is an extinct genus of astrapotheriids. It lived during the Middle-Late Eocene (in the Mustersan and Tinguirirican of the South American land mammal ages (SALMA), 48-33.9 million years ago) and its fossil remains have been fou ...

'' * Subfamily Astrapotheriinae ** '' Astrapothericulus'' ** ''

'' ** '' Scaglia'' * Subfamily

** '' Uruguaytherium'' ** ''

Granastrapotherium ''Granastrapotherium'' is an extinct genus of ungulate mammals, described from remains found in rocks of the Honda Group in the Tatacoa Desert, in the Colombian departments of Huila and Tolima, at the Miocene fossil site La Venta. The only spe ...

'' ** ''

Xenastrapotherium ''Xenastrapotherium'' is an extinct genus of astrapothere, a type of hoofed herbivorous mammal, native to South America, which lived in the Middle to Late Miocene period, typically during the Laventan stage. It is a member of the family Astrapo ...

'' ** ''

Hilarcotherium ''Hilarcotherium'' is an extinct genus of astrapotheriid mammals that lived in South America during the Middle Miocene (Laventan). The type species is ''H. castanedaii'', found in sediments of the La Victoria Formation, part of the Honda Group i ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* Astrapotheriidae occurrences distribution map * . Retrieved 9 March 2013. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3627610 Meridiungulata Eocene first appearances Miocene extinctions Prehistoric mammal families