Euphractinae is an armadillo subfamily in the family Chlamyphoridae. Euphractinae are known for having a well developed osteoderm that has large cavities filled with adipose tissue, and more hair follicles with well developed sebaceous glands in comparison to the Dasypodidae sub family. These are believed to be evolutionary adaptations in the Euphractinae to support it in the cooler climate that it usually lives in. __TOC__

Taxonomy

It contains the following genera: *'' Chaetophractus'', hairy armadillos *'' Euphractus'', six-banded armadillos *'' Zaedyus'', pichis Extinct genera include: * '' Paleuphractus'' * '' Parutaetus'' * '' Doellotatus'' * '' Proeuphractus'' * ''

Macroeuphractus ''Macroeuphractus'' is a genus of extinct armadillos from the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene of South America. The genus is noted for its large size, with ''Macroeuphractus outesi'' being the largest non- pampathere or glyptodont armadillo discove ...

Phylogeny

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the D ...

investigation has concluded that Euphractinae is the

sister group In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

of a clade consisting of Chlamyphorinae (fairy armadillos) and

Tolypeutinae Tolypeutinae is a subfamily of armadillos in the family Chlamyphoridae, consisting of the giant, three-banded and naked-tailed armadillos. __TOC__ Taxonomy It contains the following genera: *'' Cabassous'' *'' Kuntinaru'' *'' Priodontes'' *' ...

(giant, three-banded and naked-tailed armadillos) along with extinct

glyptodont Glyptodonts are an extinct clade of large, heavily armoured armadillos, reaching up to in height, and maximum body masses of around 2 tonnes. They had short, deep skulls, a fused vertebral column, and a large bony carapace made up of hundreds o ...

s, as shown below.

References

Armadillos Mammal subfamilies Eocene xenarthrans Oligocene xenarthrans Miocene xenarthrans Pliocene xenarthrans Pleistocene xenarthrans Extant Eocene first appearances Taxa named by Herluf Winge {{mammal-stub