Metahapalodectes
Extinct genus of mesonychid mammal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metahapalodectes is an extinct mesonychid mesonychian from Late Eocene strata of Southeastern Mongolia.[1]
| Metahapalodectes Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Restoration of M. makhchinus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Mesonychia |
| Family: | †Mesonychidae |
| Genus: | †Metahapalodectes Dashzeveg, 1976 |
| Species: | †M. makhchinus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Metahapalodectes makhchinus Dashzeveg, 1976 | |
Similar to Lohoodon, Metahapalodectes was originally described as a large hapalodectid[2] on the basis of teeth and jaw fragments very similar to Hapalodectes, but suggesting an animal comparable in size to Mesonyx. In 1987, Ting & Li refer Lohoodon and Metahapalodectes to Mesonychidae due to the lower molar teeth of both genera lacking a re-entrant groove on the mesial or anterior side, a feature diagnostic of Hapalodectidae.[3][4]
