| Theridomorpha | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Infraorder: | †Theridomorpha Lavocat, 1955 |
| Families | |
Theridomorpha is an extinct clade ofPalaeogenerodents that were endemic to western Europe and lived from the earlyEocene to the lateOligocene. It is proposed to belong to the suborderIschyromyiformes, of which theGliridae is the sole surviving family, and contains the familiesEuromyidae,Masillamyidae,Theridomyidae, andPseudosciuridae.[1] Theridomorphs had wide variations in both their tooth crown heights and their surface patterns, namely bunodont, lophodont, or selenodont dentitions. Whereas Eocene species had brachyodont, or low-crowned, to slightly hypsodont (higher-crowned) dentitions, Oligocene species tended to have more semi-hypsodont dentitions. Theridomorphs ranged in size from small field mice at 50 g (1.8 oz) to muskrats at 1 kg (2.2 lb).[2]
Theridomorphs were the most diverse rodent groups in Europe by the late Eocene but experienced some extents of diversity decline by the Oligocene.[2] Despite this, theridomyids remained a diverse group in the early Oligocene, surviving until the late Oligocene.[3]
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