Petromuridae
Temporal range: Oligocene - Recent
23.7–0 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Parvorder: Phiomorpha
Family: Petromuridae
Tullberg, 1899
Genera

Petromuridae is a family of hystricognath rodents that contains the dassie rat (Petromus typicus) of southwestern Africa, the only extant member of this group.

The genus Petromus contains a couple of extinct species,[1] and additionally there are fossil genera formerly of the family Thryonomyidae that were found to belong to this family instead; Apodecter, Tufamys and two species of Paraphiomys (australis and roessneri) which have yet to be placed in their own genus.[2]

References

  1. ^ Sénégas, F. (2004). "A New Species of Petromus (Rodentia, Hystricognatha, Petromuridae) from the Early Pliocene of South Africa and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 24 (3): 757–763. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0757:ANSOPR]2.0.CO;2. JSTOR 4524764. S2CID 129787889.
  2. ^ Sallam, H.M.; Seiffert, E.R. (2019). "Revision of Oligocene 'Paraphiomys' and an origin for crown Thryonomyoidea (Rodentia: Hystricognathi: Phiomorpha) near the Oligocene–Miocene boundary in Africa". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 190 (1): 352–371. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz148.


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