[Taxacom] Class MAMMALIA (1994 ---> 2007)

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,
    Oh what fun.  :-)  Less than two days after I update my classification 
of Mammalia, a major paper (Wible et al., 2007) is published in Nature on 
the phylogeny of Eutheria.  We obviously agree that Eomaia, Bobolestes, and 
Kennalestiformes (asioryctitherians) split off before crown group 
placentals.  Even excluding Leptictiformes would only shift them down to 
splitting  off before Xenarthriformes, rather than just after them (as I 
did).

     The major difference is the placement of Cimolestifomes, which I place 
at base of clade Ferae (as did McKenna et al., 1997, and studies previous to 
that), well within crown group placentals.  Thank goodness I didn't place 
the extant Pholidotiformes (pangolins) in Cimolestiformes, like McKenna and 
others have done.  That would have forced Cimolestiformes into the crown 
group placentals.

     Anyway, it looks as though I might have to move Order Cimolestiformes 
back down to the base of Epitheria (which is where I placed it in 1994) or 
even down one clade from there so that it splits off before Xenarthriformes. 
  No big deal since Cimolestiforms have alway been problematic, and I don't 
have a lot of faith in McKenna's "cladifications" anyway.

     In a cladisto-eclectic classification, it would simply be a matter of 
shifting one Order back down in the phylogeny and recoding.  Or perhaps 
Cimolestiformes will end up somewhere in between, such as at the base of the 
Laurasiatheria clade.  Frankly, Wible et al.'s best tree isn't all that more 
likely than a lot of these other possible phylogenies.  Not a good basis for 
a strict "cladification" given the different phylogenetic topologies that 
keep coming out (even just those from different workers within the American 
Museum).  Take each new phylogeny with a grain of salt.
       ------Ken Kinman

**********************************
>From: "Ken Kinman" <kinman at hotmail.com>
>To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
>Subject: [Taxacom] Class MAMMALIA (1994 ---> 2007)
>Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:42:45 +0000
>
>Dear All,
>      I've been wanting to update my ordinal classification of Class 
>Mammalia (of 1994), but it has been a frustrating process (especially 
>placing the various extinct Orders of Eutheria).  Still don't have all the 
>literature I would like, but lately have had more people asking about my 
>mammal classification, so here's how it presently looks.  Coding of the 
>eutherian Orders in particular has changed quite a bit due to all of the 
>molecular data that has come out in the past 13 years.  Adding the three 
>subclass divisions also makes it easier to use and more informative.
>
>     There are obviously some new fossil taxa, and the paraphyletic Order 
>Symmetrodontiformes has been split.  Also some consolidation (lumping), 
>such as Order Meridiunguliformes (instead of several separate extinct 
>Orders), and also one Order Cetiformes instead of three separate Orders for 
>whales.  However, I will NOT lump the whales into the mother taxon 
>Artiodactyliformes---any more than I would lump Aves into Reptilia---as it 
>would destroy perfectly good anagenetic (divergence) information, not to 
>mention utility, stability, and overall practicality.   The placement of 
>bats (Chiropteriformes) is still controversial, but placement at the base 
>of a Pegasoferae clade presently seems the best bet.  However, if bats are 
>actually basal Scrotifera, then Pegasoferae collapses as a clade.  As 
>always comments and suggestions are welcomed.
>   ----Ken Kinman
>
>           CLASS MAMMALIA
>
>PROTOTHERIA%
>       1  Plesion Adelobasileus
>       2  Sinoconodontiformes
>       3  Morganucodontiformes
>       4  Docodontiformes
>       5  Pl. Hadrocodium
>       ?  Volaticotheriiformes
>       ?  Pl. Fruitafossor
>       6  Triconodontiformes
>       ?  Multituberculiformes
>       7  Kuehneotheriiformes
>       8  Spalacotheriiformes
>       9  Shuotheriiformes
>       B  Monotremiformes (only extant prototherian Order)
>      10  Dryolestiformes
>      11  Peramuriformes
>      12  {{Theria}} (= Metatheria + Eutheria) (boreosphenidans)
>
>METATHERIA% (marsupials and stem forms)
>       1  Aegialodontiformes
>       2  Pappotheriiformes
>       3  {{Eutheria}}
>       4  Pl. Sinodelphys
>       ?  Pl. Holoclemensia
>       5  Deltatheroidiformes
>       6  Asiadelphiformes
>       7  Borhyaeniformes (sparassodonts)
>       8  Stagodontiformes
>       9  Peradectiformes
>      10  Didelphiformes
>       B  Paucituberculiformes
>      11  Microbiotheriiformes
>      12  Dasyuriformes
>      13  Notoryctiformes
>      14  Perameliformes
>      15  Diprotodontiformes
>
>EUTHERIA (placentals)
>       1  Plesion Eomaia
>       ?  Pl. Bobolestes
>       2  Kennalestiformes (asioryctitherians)
>       3  Xenarthriformes (edentates)
>       ?  Palaeanodontiformes
>       ?  Meridiunguliformes (or related to Perissodactyliformes?)
>       4  Leptictiformes
>       5  Hyopsodontiformes%
>      _1_  Macroscelidiformes
>       b  Afrosoriciformes
>       c  Tubulidentiformes
>       B  Hyraciformes
>       C  Desmostyliformes
>       D  Probosciformes
>       E  Embrithopodiformes
>       F  Sireniformes
>       2  Anagaliformes
>       ?  Arctostylopiformes
>       ?  Dinoceratiformes
>       B  Rodentiformes%
>      _a_  Lagomorphiformes
>       C  Scandentiformes
>       D  Dermopteriformes
>       E  Primatiformes
>       3  Lipotyphliformes
>       4  Arctocyoniformes
>       B  Mesonychiformes
>       C  Artiodactyliformes%
>      _a_  Cetiformes
>       5  Chiropteriformes
>       6  Perissodactyliformes
>       ?  Phenacodontiformes (possibly afrotherians??)
>       7  Cimolestiformes
h>       8  Pholidotiformes
>       9  Creodontiformes
>      10  Carnivoriformes
>
>***********************************
>  NOTES: Order Symmetrodontiformes split into Kuehneotheriiformes, 
>Spalacotheriiformes, and Shuotheriiformes.  Shuotheriiformes may or may not 
>clade with Monotremiformes (as Yinotheria sensu lato?).
>
>      Major Eutherian Clades:
>  Crown group Eutheria = Xenarthriformes, etc.
>  Epitheria = Leptictiformes, etc.
>  Boreoeutheria = Anagaliformes, etc.
>  Laurasiatheria = Lipotyphliformes, etc.
>  Scrotifera = Arctocyoniformes, etc.
>  Pegasoferae = Chiropteriformes, etc.
>  Zoomata = Perissodactyliformes, etc.
>
>     Eutherian Subclades:
>  Afrotheria = Macroscelidiformes to Sireniformes
>  Euarchontoglires = Anagaliformes to Primatiformes
>  Eparctocyona (s.s.) = Arctocyoniformes to Cetiformes
>  Ferae = Cimolestiformes to Carnivoriformes
>
>_________________________________________________________________

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