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Eurotamandua and Palaeanodonta: convergent or related?

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Zusammenfassung

Eurotamandua aus dem Mittel-Eozän von Deutschland wird als der älteste Ameisenbär und der einzige bislang bekannte Xenarthre in der Alten Welt angesehen. Als Grund dafür werden einige abgeleitete Merkmale, dieEurotamandua mit den Myrmecophagidae bzw. den Xenarthra teilen, angeführt. Viele dieser Merkmale sind allerdings mehrdeutig. Ein Vergleich der Anatomie der Vorderextremität mit der alttertiärer Palaeanodonta ergibt einige bis ins einzelne gehende Übereinstimmungen. Daraus ergibt sich, daßEurotamandua entweder von den Palaeanodonta herzuleiten sein könnte oder ihr Schwestertaxon darstellt.

Abstract

Middle EoceneEurotamandua from Germany has been considered to be the oldest anteater and the only known Old World xenarthran, based on numerous derived features shared with living Myrmecophagidae or Xenarthra. Many of these features are ambiguous, however, and comparison with early Tertiary Palaeanodonta reveals several detailed, derived resemblances in forelimb anatomy. This suggests thatEurotamandua may be descended from, or the sister taxon of, Palaeanodonta.

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  1. Department of Cell Biology & Anatomy, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 21205, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Kenneth D. Rose

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  1. Kenneth D. Rose
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Rose, K.D. Eurotamandua and Palaeanodonta: convergent or related?. Paläontol Z 73, 395–401 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02988050

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