Re: Mesozoic mammals

["Mickey Mortimer" <Mickey_Mortimer111@msn.com>]

Dino Rampage wrote-

> 2) I need more info about the cladistics and systematics of the following
> groups: Morganucodontids, Docodonts, Multituberculates, Haramyids,
> Dryolestids, Triconodonts, Pantotheres and Symmetrodonts.

I recommend downloading http://www.paleo.pan.pl/acta/acta47/app47â001.pdf
for the most recent comprehensive cladistic analysis of basal mammals.  From
that paper-
Morganucodontids are very basal mammals, more derived than Sinoconodon, but
less than docodonts.  Multituberculates appear to be basal theriiformes,
above eutriconodonts, but below spalacotheriids.  Haramyids are probably
very basal mammaliamorphs.  Dryolestids are basal theriiformes more derived
than spalacotheriids, but less than Vincelestes.  Triconodonts consist of at
least three separately evolving taxa as well- the basal mammalian
morganucodontids and Sinoconodon, and the basal theriiform eutriconodonts
(gobiconodontids, amphilestids, Jeholodens, triconodontids).  Pantotheria
appears to simply be a paraphyletic grade of non-boreosphenid theriiformes.
Symmetrodonta has been broken up into at least three groups- kuehneotheriids
below the australosphenid-theriiform split, the basal theriiform Tinodon ,
and the more derived theriiform spalacotheriids.

> Any good cladograms besides those on the Dinosauricon?

Luo et al.'s (2002) cladogram is-

--Mammaliamorpha
  |--+--Tritylodontidae
  |  `--Haramyidae
  `--+--Trithelodontidae
     `--+--Adelobasileus
        `--Mammalia
           |--Sinoconodon ("triconodont")
           `--+--Morganucodontidae ("triconodont")
              `--+--Docodonta
                 `--+--Hadrocodium
                    `--Holotheria
                       |--Kuehneotherium ("symmetrodont")
                       `--+--+--Shuotherium
                          |  `--Australosphenida
                          `--Theriiformes
                             |--Tinodon ("symmetrodont")
                             `--+--Eutricontodonta ("triconodont")
                                `--+--Multituberculata
                                   `--Trechnotheria
                                      |--Spalacotheriidae ("symmetrodont")
                                      `--Cladotheria
                                         |--Dryolestoidea ("pantothere")
                                         `--Prototribosphenida
                                            |--Vincelestidae ("pantothere")
                                            `--Zatheria
                                               |--Peramus ("pantothere")
                                               |--Amphitheriidae
("pantothere")
                                               `--Boreosphenida

Mickey Mortimer