Carnivoramorpha
Clade of carnivores
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carnivoramorpha ("carnivoran-like forms") is a clade of placental mammals within the larger clade Pan-Carnivora from the mirorder Ferae, that includes the modern order Carnivora as well as extinct stem-group relatives that are more closely related to carnivorans proper than to "creodonts".[4][5] However, recent analyses suggest carnivoramorphans was polyphyletic with Viverravidae being basal to the clade containing hyaenodonts, oxyaenids and carnivoraforms.[6][7][8]
| Carnivoramorpha | |
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| Diversity of Carnivoramorpha | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Mirorder: | Ferae |
| Clade: | Pan-Carnivora |
| Clade: | Carnivoramorpha Wyss & Flynn, 1993[1] |
| Subgroups | |
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[see classification] | |
| Synonyms | |
General characteristics
The common feature for members of this clade is the presence of the carnassial teeth. The carnassial teeth of the Carnivoramorpha are upper premolar P4 and lower molar m1.[9]
Classification and phylogeny
Traditional classification
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Revised classification
Recent phylogenetic studies indicate that the superfamily Miacoidea and family Miacidae are paraphyletic, with "miacids" being more closely related to carnivorans than to viverravids. In 2010 Flynn, Finarelli & Spaulding named a new clade Carnivoraformes within Carnivoramorpha, containing carnivorans and "miacids" but not viverravids.[10] The authors defined Carnivoraformes as the clade containing Carnivora and all taxa that are more closely related to Carnivora (represented by Canis lupus) than to viverravids (represented by Viverravus gracilis). More recent analysis have questioned the relation of viverravids to carnivoraforms, suggesting carnivoramorphans wasn't a monophyletic group.[6][7][8]
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