Notopithecidae
Extinct family of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Notopithecidae is a family of typotherine notoungulates known from Paleogene deposits of the San Juan Formation, Argentina.[1] The name of the clade derives from an error, Florentino Ameghino assumed the namesake of the family, Notopithecus, was a primate.[2]
| Notopithecidae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Notopithecus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Suborder: | †Typotheria |
| Family: | †Notopithecidae Ameghino, 1897 |
| Species | |
| |
Description
Notopithecids had low crowned teeth and relatively underived dentition when compared to later typotheres. They had brachyodont molars. [3] They most likely walked plantigrade, indicated by an astragalar foramen and a shallow and asymmetric trochela.[4]
Classification
Notopithecidae has had some debate as to whether it is even a valid family, occasionally being placed within Interatheriidae.[5] However, most literature supports Notopithecidae being its own family. [1][3]