Tragulina (also known as Traguliformes) is an

infraorder 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 ...

even-toed ungulate The even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla , ) are ungulates—hoofed animals—which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing poster ...

s. Only the

chevrotain Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, the only extant members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are known only ...

s survive to the present, including the

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

Tragulus ''Tragulus'' is a genus of even-toed ungulates in the family Tragulidae that are known as mouse-deer. In Ancient Greek τράγος (''tragos'') means a male goat, while the Latin diminutive ''–ulus'' means 'tiny'. With a weight of and a len ...

'' (the mouse deer) and ''

Hyemoschus The water chevrotain (''Hyemoschus aquaticus''), also known as the fanged deer, is a small Ruminantia, ruminant found in tropical Africa. This is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Hyemoschus''. It is the largest of the 10 species o ...

'', all within the

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 ...

Tragulidae The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often v ...

Taxonomy and Classification

Tragulina is an

within the larger suborder

Ruminantia Ruminants ( suborder Ruminantia) are hoofed herbivorous grazing or browsing mammals that are able to acquire nutrients from plant-based food by fermenting it in a specialized stomach prior to digestion, principally through microbial actions. The ...

, and is the

sister A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

to the

Pecora Pecora is an infraorder of even-toed hoofed mammals with ruminant digestion. Most members of Pecora have cranial appendages projecting from their frontal bones; only two extant genera lack them, ''Hydropotes'' and ''Moschus''. The name “Pecor ...

. Tragulina contains one extant (living) family,

, as well as several

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 ...

families, although the extinct members currently classified as within Tragulina causes it to be considered

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

. Tragulina's placement within

Artiodactyla The even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla , ) are ungulates—hoofed animals—which bear weight equally on two (an even number) of their five toes: the third and fourth. The other three toes are either present, absent, vestigial, or pointing poster ...

can be represented in the following

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

:(see e.g. Fig S10) The following is the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of the group Tragulina. *Infrarorder TRAGULINA **† Praetragulidae ***'' Praetragulus'' ***'' Parvitragulus'' ***'' Simimeryx'' **† Archaeomerycidae ***'' Archaeomeryx'' ***'' Miomeryx'' ***'' Paukkaungmeryx'' **†

Gelocidae The Gelocidae are an extinct group of hornless ruminants, ruminantia that are estimated to have lived during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs, from 36 MYA (unit), MYA to 6 MYA. The family generally includes extinct hornless ruminants which do not ...

***'' Phaneromeryx'' ***'' Paragelocus'' ***'' Paragelocus'' ***'' Gelocus'' ***'' Pseudogelocus'' ***'' Prodremotherium'' ***'' Cryptomeryx'' ***'' Pseudoceras'' ***'' Gobiomeryx'' ***'' Rutitherium'' ***'' Eumeryx'' **†

Hypertragulidae Hypertragulidae is an extinct family of artiodactyl ungulates that lived in North America, Europe, and Asia from the Eocene until the Miocene, living 46.2—13.6 million years ago, existing for about 33 million years. The Hypertragulidae are ...

***''

Hypertragulus ''Hypertragulus'' is an extinct genus of hypertragulid ruminant endemic to North America. It lived from the Late Eocene to the Middle Miocene, living , existing for approximately . ''Hypertragulus'' were primitive and ancient ruminants, resemb ...

'' ***'' Nanotragulus'' *** Hypisodontinae ****'' Hypisodus'' **† Leptomerycidae ***'' Hendryomeryx'' ***''

Leptomeryx ''Leptomeryx'' is an extinct genus of ruminant of the family Leptomerycidae, endemic to North America during the Eocene through Oligocene 38–24.8 Mya, existing for approximately . It was a small deer-like ruminant with somewhat slender body. ...

'' ***'' Xinjiangmeryx'' ***'' Pseudomeryx'' ***'' Pseudoparablastomeryx'' ***'' Pronodens'' **† Lophiomerycidae ***'' Zhailimeryx'' ***'' Iberomeryx'' ***'' Lophiomeryx'' ***'' Nalameryx'' ***'' Krabimeryx'' ***''undescrsibed'' **

– chevrotains or mouse-deer ***''

'' ***''

Moschiola ''Moschiola'', the spotted chevrotains, are a genus of small even-toed ungulates in the family Tragulidae. They are found in forests in India, Sri Lanka and perhaps Nepal, and have pale-spotted or -striped upperparts unlike the other Asian member ...

'' ***†'' Stenomeryx'' **†

Protoceratidae Protoceratidae is an extinct family of herbivorous North American artiodactyls (even-toed ungulates) that lived during the Eocene through Pliocene at around 46.2—4.9 Mya, existing for about 41 million years. Classification Protoceratidae was ...

***''

Heteromeryx ''Heteromeryx'' is an extinct genus of artiodactyl, of the family Protoceratidae, endemic to North America. They lived during the Late Eocene 37.2—33.9 Ma, existing for approximately . They resembled deer, but were more closely related to cam ...

'' ***'' Leptoreodon'' ***'' Leptotragulus'' ***''

Poabromylus ''Poabromylus'' is an extinct genus of small Artiodactyla, artiodactyl, of the family Protoceratidae, endemic to North America. They lived during the Late Eocene 40.4—33.9 Annum, Ma, existing for approximately . They resembled deer but were mor ...

'' ***'' Toromeryx'' ***'' Trigenicus'' ***'' Paratoceras'' ***'' Protoceras'' ***''

Pseudoprotoceras ''Pseudoprotoceras'' is an extinct genus of Artiodactyla, of the family Protoceratidae, endemic to central North America. It lived during the Late Eocene 37.2—33.9 Annum, Ma, existing for approximately . ''Pseudoprotoceras'' resembled hornlessE ...

'' ***'' Kyptoceras'' ***'' Lambdoceras'' ***'' Prosynthetoceras'' ***''

Synthetoceras ''Synthetoceras tricornatus'' is a large, extinct protoceratid, endemic to North America ( Nebraska ) during the Late Miocene, 10.3—5.3 Ma, existing for approximately . Fossils have been recovered from Nebraska and Texas Texas (, ; S ...

'' ***'' Syndyoceras''

References

Ruminants Paraphyletic groups {{eventoedungulate-stub