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New material of P alaeoamasia kansui ( E mbrithopoda, M ammalia) from the E ocene of T urkey and a phylogenetic analysis of E mbrithopoda at the species level
Author(s) -
Erdal Ozan,
Antoine PierreOlivier,
Sen Sevket
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
palaeontology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.69
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1475-4983
pISSN - 0031-0239
DOI - 10.1111/pala.12247
Subject(s) - monophyly , phylogenetic tree , biology , zoology , evolutionary biology , genetics , clade , gene
Since the discovery of the megaherbivore A rsinoitherium zitteli B eadnell (early O ligocene of E gypt), the extinct order E mbrithopoda has remained an enigmatic group, with disputed affinities among ungulates. In this study, new specimens of P alaeoamasia kansui from the early P alaeogene of T urkey are described and a synthetic dental terminology is proposed for embrithopods. Based on 130 cranial–mandibular and dental characters, the first phylogenetic analysis of embrithopods is carried out in aim to enhance the position of P alaeoamasia within embrithopods. The monophyly of E mbrithopoda is confirmed, following the topology ( P henacolophus ( N amatherium ( A rsinoitheriinae, P alaeamasiinae))). However, phylogenetic relationships between E urasian embrithopods ( P alaeoamasiinae: P alaeoamasia , C rivadiatherium and H ypsamasia ) remain unresolved. The integration of all embrithopod genera within a cladistic analysis encompassing a wider taxonomic sample ( C ondylarthra, A frotheria/ P aenungulata and L aurasiatheria) also supports E mbrithopoda as being monophyletic, but questions the position of both P henacolophus and N amatherium within E mbrithopoda. Finally, possible faunal exchange events are proposed based on three hypothesized scenarios between E urasia and A rabia– A frica during the early P alaeogene.