Anthracobunodon, Cainotherium, Sus and Aumelasia

Aumelasia gabineaudi (Sudre 1979 (1980) Middle Eocene, 51–43mya, 42cm long (juvenile), skull 9.2cm long) was orginally described as a basal artiodactyl (Dichobunidae) based on its dention. Here it nests as a basal artiodactyl close to Cainotherium.

The tail is quite long with 24 vertebrae. The mandible was massive. The incisors were spatulate. The lower canine was small. Five fingers and four toes were present with longer metatarsals than metacarpals. The hind limb was longer than the fore limb. Three complete skeletons from the Messel Pit are known, plus other scraps from other localities. Aumelasia ate leaves, seeds and fruit.

Cainotherium renggeri (Bravard 1828, 1835; 30cm in length; Eocene to Early Miocene) was considered a rabbit-sized artiodactyl. Here it nests at the base of all tested artiodactyls and thus not far from the odd-toed ungulates. Note that Ancodus (below) has five fingers.

Anthracobunodon weigelti (Erfurt 2000, 1835; 70cm in length; Eocene) nests basal to pigs in the LR, closer to Aumelasia and Cainotherium. The tail is about 20 cm long and has 25% of the body length, which is unknown in recent artiodactyls. Data is largely from x-ray graphics.

Sus scrofa (Linneaus 1758; extant; 1-2m in length) is a pig, nesting between Tapirus and Ancodus in the large reptile tree. Medial digit 1 of both the manus and pes is absent. This primitive omnivore is basal to Micromeryx and Giraffa. The cranium is very tall.

Bravard A 1828. Monographie de la montagne de Perrier pres d'lssoire (Puy-de-Dome) et de deux especes du genre Felis, decouvert dans l'une de ces couches d'alluvion; Paris; 1–47.

Bravard A 1835. Monographie du Cainotherium, nouveau genre fossile des Pachydermes, trouve dans les terrain tertiaires d'eau douce du department du Puy-de-Dome; Levrault, Paris, 1835.

Erfurt J 2000. Rekonstruktion des Skelettes und der Biologie von Anthracobunodon weigelti (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) aus dem Eozän des Geiseltales (Reconstruction of the skeleton and biology of Anthracobunodon weigelti (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the Eocene of the Geiseltal (Germany). Hallesches Jahrb. Geowiss. Reihe B 12:57–141. in German.

Heizmann EPJ 1999. Family Cainotheriidae, in : Rössner G.E., Heis- sig K. (éds), The Miocene Land Mammals of Europe, Pfeil, 1999, pp. 217–220.

Lihoreau F and Ducrocq S 2007. Family Anthracotheriidae. 89-105. in Prothero, D. R. & Foss, S. E., (eds.) 2007: The evolution of artiodactyls. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2007, xii-367 online here.

Linnaeus C 1758. Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata.

Sudre J 1980. Aumelasia gabineaudi n.g. n.sp. nouveau Dichobunidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) du gisement d'Aumelas (Hérault) d'âge Lutétien terminal. Palaeovertebrata, Mémoire Jubilaire R. Lavocat 9:197–211.

wiki/Anthracotherium
wiki/Cainotherium
wiki/Sus
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