Tytthaena

Tytthaena
Temporal range: 58.9–55.4 Ma
late Paleocene - early Eocene[1]
part of left maxilla of Tytthaena parrisi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Clade: Pan-Carnivora
Order: Oxyaenodonta
Family: Oxyaenidae
Subfamily: Tytthaeninae
Gunnell & Gingerich, 1991[3]
Genus: Tytthaena
Gingerich, 1980[2]
Type species
Tytthaena parrisi
Gingerich, 1980
Species
  • T. lichna (Rose, 1981)[4]
  • T. parrisi (Gingerich, 1980)[2]
Synonyms
synonyms of subfamily:
  • Tyttaeninae (Lavrov, 1999)[5]
synonyms of genus:
  • Tyttaena (Lavrov, 1999)
synonyms of species:
  • T. lichna:
    • Oxyaena lichna (Rose, 1981)

Tytthaena ("little hyena") is an extinct genus of placental mammals from extinct subfamily Tytthaeninae within extinct family Oxyaenidae, that lived in North America from the late Paleocene to early Eocene.[1]

Description

[edit]

Tytthaena is the smallest oxyaenid known. Morphologically, it resembles Oxyaena. It can be distinguished from other oxyaenids by its size and dentition. Its molars were narrow, with elongate talonids.[2][4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Tytthaena". Fossilworks.
  2. ^ a b c P. D. Gingerich. (1980.) "Tytthaena parrisi, Oldest Known Oxyaenid (Mammalia, Creodonta) from the Late Paleocene of Western North America." Journal of Paleontology 54(3):570-576
  3. ^ Gunnel, Gregg F.; Gingerich, Philip D. (1991). "Systematics and evolution of late Paleocene and early Eocene Oxyaenidae (Mammalia, Creodonta) in the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 28 (7). The University of Michigan: 141–180.
  4. ^ a b K. D. Rose. (1981.) "The Clarkforkian Land-Mammal Age and Mammalian Faunal Composition Across the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary." University of Michigan Papers on Paleontology 26:1-197
  5. ^ A. V. Lavrov (1999.) "Adaptive Radiation of Hyaenodontinae (Creodonta, Hyaenodontidae) of Asia." in 6th Congress of the Theriological Society, Moscow, April 13–16, p. 138 [in Russian].