Heliscomyidae

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Heliscomyidae
Fossil range: Middle Eocene to Early Miocene

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Castorimorpha
Superfamily:	Geomyoidea
Family:	†Heliscomyidae Korth, Wahlert, and Emry, 1991

Genera

†Apletotomeus
†Heliscomys
†Passaliscomys
†Tylionomys

Heliscomyidae is a family of extinct rodents from the mid-Tertiary of North America related to pocket gophers (family Geomyidae) and kangaroo rats and their relatives (family Heteromyidae). The family contains four genera, †Apletotomeus, †Heliscomys, †Passaliscomys, and †Tylionomys (Korth et al., 1991; Korth and Eaton, 2004; Korth and Branciforte, 2007). McKenna and Bell (1997) placed the first two genera in synonymy, with Heliscomys the senior synonym.

[edit] Characteristics

Heliscomyids are distinguished from other geomyoid rodents by several characteristics of the skull including fusion of three cranial foramina, elongation of the incisive foramina, and an unusual position of the mental foramen (Korth et al., 1991).

[edit] Taxonomy

Heliscomyidae is a member of the clade Geomyoidea, a group of rodents that also includes the families †Eomyidae, †Florentiamyidae, Heteromyidae, and Geomyidae. The following cladogram showing interrelationships among geomyoid families follows Korth et al. (1991):

Geomyoidea

†Eomyidae

†Heliscomyidae

†Florentiamyidae

	Geomyidae (pocket gophers)

	Heteromyidae (kangaroo rats and mice, pocket mice)

[edit] References

Korth, W.W. and C. Branciforte, 2007. Geomyoid rodents (Mammalia) from the Ridgeview Local Fauna, early-early Arikareean (late Oligocene) of western Nebraska. Annals of Carnegie Museum 76(3):177-201.
Korth, W.W. and J.G. Eaton, 2004. Rodents and a marsupial (Mammalia) from the Duchesnean (Eocene) Turtle Basin Local Fauna, Sevier Plateau, Utah. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 36(1):109-119.
Korth, W.W., J.H. Wahlert, and R.J. Emry, 1991. A new species of Heliscomys and recognition of the family Heliscomyidae (Geomyoidea: Rodentia) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 11(2):247-256.
McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. ISBN 0-231-11013-8

v • d • e Rodent Families

Sciuromorpha	†Allomyidae · Aplodontiidae · †Mylagaulidae · †Reithroparamyidae · Sciuridae · Gliridae

Castorimorpha	†Eutypomyidae · Castoridae · †Rhizospalacidae · †Eomyidae · †Florentiamyidae · †Heliscomyidae · Heteromyidae · Geomyidae

Myomorpha	†Armintomyidae · Dipodidae · †Anomalomyidae · †Simimyidae · Platacanthomyidae · Spalacidae · Calomyscidae · Nesomyidae · Cricetidae · Muridae

Anomaluromorpha	Anomaluridae · †Parapedetidae · Pedetidae

Hystricomorpha	†Tamquammyidae · †Gobiomyidae · Ctenodactylidae · Diatomyidae · †Yuomyidae · †Chapattimyidae · †Tsaganomyidae · †"Baluchimyinae" · †Bathyergoididae · Bathyergidae · Hystricidae · †Myophiomyidae · †Diamantomyidae · †Phiomyidae · †Kenyamyidae · Petromuridae · Thryonomyidae · Erethizontidae · Chinchillidae · Dinomyidae · †Cephalomyidae · Caviidae · Dasyproctidae · †Eocardiidae · Cuniculidae · Ctenomyidae · Octodontidae · †Neoepiblemidae · Abrocomidae · Echimyidae · Myocastoridae · Capromyidae · †Heptaxodontidae

Prehistoric rodents (incertae sedis)	†Eurymylidae · †Alagomyidae · †Archetypomyidae · †Cocomyidae · †Ivanantoniidae · †Laredomyidae · †Ischyromyidae · †Theridomyidae · †Protoptychidae · †Zegdoumyidae · †Sciuravidae · †Cylindrodontidae · †Zelomyidae

† indicates extinct taxa