Altungulata or Pantomesaxonia ('' sensu'' and later authors) is an invalid

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

( mirorder) of

ungulate Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Euungulata ("true ungulates"), which primarily consists of large mammals with Hoof, hooves. Once part of the clade "Ungulata" along with the clade Paenungulata, "Ungulata" has since been determined ...

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s comprising the perissodactyls, hyracoids, and tethytheres ( sirenians, proboscideans, and related extinct taxa). The name "Pantomesaxonia" was originally introduced by , a German zoologist and racial theorist. It was resurrected by by including sirenians and excluding South American ungulates, phenacodontids, and meniscotheriids from the original concept. The name "Altungulata", introduced by and revised by , was erected as an alternative because the updated concept of "Pantomesaxonia" was regarded too deviant from the original concept. Both names are still in use, and, to add to the confusion, various authors assign different ranks to the involved taxa. For example, according to , Phenacodonta (Phenacodontidae and Meniscotheriidae) and Pantomesaxonia (Sirenia, Desmostylia, Proboscidea, Hyracoidea, and Perissodactyla) are sister groups together making up the superorder Paenungulata. Altungulata is not supported by molecular evidence unless perissodactyls are excluded (thus dividing Altungulata into Laurasiatheria and Afrotheria), and the validity of the following uniting synapomorphies remain disputed: * bilophodonty, two lophs or crests running transversally across the crown of the tooth * large third molars * molarization of posterior premolars * elongated thoracic region with at least 19 vertebrae * clavicle absent * similar development of fetal membranes Recent studies on '' Abdounodus'' showcase that dental synapomorphies between both groups arose independently, further discrediting the Altungulata hypothesis.

Classification

The classification below is from . Paenungulata together with Macroscelidea, Tubulidentata, and the lipotyphlan families Tenrecidae and Chrysochloridae compose Afrotheria. With the exclusion of the better known ''Radinskya'' and ''Minchenella'' from Phenacolophidae, their affinities to Embrithropoda are suspect, and they were regarded as Altungulata ''incertae sedis'' by Mao et al. (2015).Fang-Yuan Mao, Yuan-Qing Wang, Qian Li & Xun Jin (2015): New records of archaic ungulates from the Lower Eocene of Sanshui Basin, Guangdong, China, Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology, DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2015.1034120 Altungulata Prothero and Schoch 1989 * †'' Radinskya'', * †'' Olbitherium'' * † Phenacolophidae Zhang 1978 ** †'' Ganolophus'' Zhang 1979 ** †'' Phenacolophus'' Matthew and Granger 1925 (= ''Procoryphodon'' Flerow 1957) ** †'' Sanshuilophus'' Mao et al. 2015 ** †'' Tieshanilophus'' Tong 1979 ** †'' Yuelophus'' Zhang 1978 ** †'' Zaisanolophus'' Gabunia 1998 * Order Perissodactyla ** Suborder Hippomorpha *** Superfamily Equoidea ****

Equidae Equidae (commonly known as the horse family) is the Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Family (biology), family of Wild horse, horses and related animals, including Asinus, asses, zebra, zebras, and many extinct species known only from fossils. The fa ...

**** † Palaeotheriidae ** Suborder Tapiromorpha *** † Isectolophidae *** Infraorder Ceratomorpha **** Superfamily Tapiroidea ***** † Helaletidae ***** † Deperetellidae ***** † Lophialetidae ***** Tapiridae **** Superfamily

Rhinocerotoidea Rhinocerotoidea is a superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily of Perissodactyla, perissodactyls that appeared 56 million years ago in the Paleocene. They included four extinct families, the Amynodontidae, the Hyracodontidae, the Paraceratheriidae, an ...

***** † Hyrachyidae (

Hyracodontidae The Hyracodontidae are an extinction, extinct Family (biology), family of rhinocerotoids endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia during the Eocene through early Oligocene, living from 48.6 to 26.3 million years ago (Mya), existing about . The ...

?) ***** †

***** † Amynodontidae ( Rhinocerotidae?) ***** Rhinocerotidae *** Infraorder † Ancylopoda **** † Eomoropidae **** † Chalicotheriidae **** † Lophiodontidae ( Tapiroidea?) ** Suborder † Titanotheriomorpha *** Superfamily † Brontotherioidea **** † Brontotheriidae ( equoids) **** † Anchilophidae ( palaeotheriid equoids?) * Order Paenungulata (= Uranotheria) ** Suborder Hyracoidea (sister taxon of Perissodactyla?) *** † Pliohyracidae *** Procaviidae ** Suborder Tethytheria *** Infraorder † Embrithopoda **** † Arsinoitheriidae *** Infraorder Sirenia **** † Prorastomidae **** † Protosirenidae ( Dugongidae?) **** Dugongidae **** Trichechidae *** Infraorder † Desmostylia **** † Desmostylidae ***Infraorder

Proboscidea Proboscidea (; , ) is a taxonomic order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by J. Illiger in 1811, it encompasses the elephants and their close relatives. Three l ...

**** † Anthracobunidae (tethytheres?) **** † Phosphatheriidae ( Numidotheriidae?) **** † Numidotheriidae **** † Moeritheriidae **** † Barytheriidae **** † Deinotheriidae **** † Palaeomastodontidae **** † Phiomiidae **** † Hemimastodontidae **** † Mammutidae **** †

Gomphotheriidae Gomphotheres are an extinct group of proboscideans related to modern elephants. First appearing in Africa during the Oligocene, they dispersed into Eurasia and North America during the Miocene and arrived in South America during the Pleistocene ...

****

Elephantidae Elephantidae is a family (biology), family of large, herbivorous proboscidean mammals which includes the living Elephant, elephants (belonging to the genera ''Elephas'' and ''Loxodonta''), as well as a number of extinct genera like ''Mammuthus'' ...

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q16556658 Obsolete mammal taxa

Classification

See also

Notes

References