Carodnia Vieirai NT

''Carodnia'' is an extinct genus of South American ungulate known from the Early Eocene of Brazil, Argentina, and Peru.
''Carodnia'' is placed in the order ''Xenungulata'' together with ''Etayoa'' and '' Notoetayoa''.

''Carodnia'' is the largest mammal known from the Eocene of South America. It was heavily built and had large canines and cheek teeth with a crested pattern like the uintatheres to which it can be related. In life, it would have been a tapir-sized animal. It bore strong resemblances to dinoceratans, although without tusks or ossicones.

Description

Simpson noted that ''Carodnia'' resembles the primitive uintathere '' Probathyopsis''. Although Paula Couto also made the same favorable comparison, he placed ''Carodnia'' in the new order Xenungulata. concluded that ''Probathyopsis'' shares several dental characteristics with ''Carodnia'', but that in the latter the anterior dentition of is more reduced, the second lower and upper premolars are enlarged and pointed, and that the first and second molars are more lophodont. Gingerich thought the differences could justify a separate family for ''Carodnia'' but proposed that it should be included in ''Probathyopsis'', grouped ''Carodnia'' with Pyrotheria but later concluded that this was a mistake.

''Carodnia'' is characterized by bilophodontA loph is a crest on the crown of a tooth. A bilophodont tooth has two parallel lophs running transversally across the tooth. first and second molars and more complex lophate third molars, which suggests possible links to pyrotheres, uintatheres, and even arctocyonids. The bones of the foot are short and robust and the digits terminate in broad, flat, and unfissured hoof-like unguals, unlike any other known meridiungulate.

''C. feruglioi'' and ''C. cabrerai'', from the Riochican in the SALMA classification of Patagonia, are known from only a few dental remains. ''C. vieirai'' (from the Itaboraian SALMA of Itaborai) is known from much more complete dental, cranial, and postcranial remains including an almost complete mandible, many vertebrae, and several partial leg bones.

When first described ''Carodnia'' and ''Ctalecarodnia'', the former was known only from a left lower molar which was lacking in the latter, making a comparison very difficult. , based on considerably more complete remains, concluded that the molars and premolars of both are indistinguishable and therefore reduced ''Ctalecarodnia'' to a synonym. Paula Couto also noted that the dentition of ''C. cabrerai'' and ''C. feruglioi'' are similar except in size, and that ''C. feruglioi'' can be a juvenile ''C. cabrerai'', but nevertheless left them as two distinct species.

Distribution

Fossils of ''Carodnia'' have been found in:''Carodnia''
at Fossilworks.org
* Peñas Coloradas Formation, Argentina
* Itaboraí Formation, Brazil
* Mogollón Formation, Peru

Itaboraian correlations

Notes

References

Bibliography

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q3311285

Meridiungulata
Eocene mammals of South America
Casamayoran
Riochican
Itaboraian
Paleogene Argentina
Paleogene Brazil
Paleogene Peru
Fossils of Argentina
Fossils of Brazil
Fossils of Peru
Fossil taxa described in 1935
Taxa named by George Gaylord Simpson
Prehistoric placental genera
Itaboraí Formation