Microcosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from the Lower Paleocene of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The family is part of the

suborder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

Cimolodonta. Other than that, their systematic relationships are hard to define. These microcosmodontids were rather small and had a "large lower incisor with a restricted enamel band, (Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum 2001, p.417). This grouping has also be seen as Microcosmodontinae Holtzman & Wolberg, 1977, within

Eucosmodontidae Eucosmodontidae is a poorly preserved family of fossil mammals within the extinct order Multituberculata. Representatives are known from strata dating from the Upper Cretaceous through the Lower Eocene of North America, as well as the Paleocene ...

. However, "Microcosmodontidae (new rank assigned by Fox to the subfamily Microcosmodontinae)," (Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001).

References

* Holtzman & Wolberg (1977), "The Microcosmodontinae and ''

Microcosmodon ''Microcosmodon'' is a mammal genus from the Paleocene of North America. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata, and lies within the suborder Cimolodonta and family Microcosmodontidae. The genus ''Microcosmodon'' was named by G.L. ...

woodi'', new multituberculate taxa (Mammalia) from the Late Paleocene of North America". ''Sci. Publi. of the Sci. Museum of Minnesota'', New Series, r, p. 1-13. * Fox (1999), "The monophyly of the Taeniolabidoidea (Mammalia: Multituberculata)", p. 26 in Leanza (ed.). Abstracts, VII International Symposium on Mesozoic Terrestrial Ecosystems, Buenos Aires, pp. 64. * Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), "Phylogeny and Systematics of Multituberculate Mammals". ''Paleontology'' 44, p. 389-429. * Much of this information has been derived fro

MESOZOIC MAMMALS;

, Microcosmodontidae and Taeniolabidoidea, an Internet directory. {{Taxonbar, from=Q6839401 Cimolodonts Late Cretaceous first appearances Paleocene extinctions Prehistoric mammal families