Several revision part 3
As housekeeping continues on the
mammal subset of the large reptile tree (LRT, 2340 taxa) previously overlooked interrelationships are becoming known.
Pholidocercus
(Figs 1, 2) was originally nested with hedgehogs near Erinaceus (MacPhee, Novak and Storch 1988). Then with Glyptodon when it first entered the LRT. Now it’s a better match for another armored placental, Holmesina (Fig 1), an extinct armadillo (unrelated to sloths + glyptodons).
Figure 1. Tiny pholidocercus is a traditonal extinct hedgehog relative. Earlier it nested with Glyptodon. Now it nests with Holmesina, a large extinct armadillo with an inflexible carapace.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg?w=252″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-93909″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Tiny pholidocercus is a traditonal extinct hedgehog relative. Earlier it nested with Glyptodon. Now it nests with Holmesina, a large extinct armadillo with an inflexible carapace. ” width=”584″ height=”696″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg?w=584&h=696 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg?w=126&h=150 126w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg?w=252&h=300 252w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/pholidocercus-insitu588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Tiny pholidocercus is a traditonal extinct hedgehog relative. Earlier it nested with Glyptodon. Now it nests with Holmesina, a large extinct armadillo with an inflexible carapace.
Armadillos are omnivores
grading to insectivores in their anteater, aardvark and pangolin descendants.
By contrast, sloths and glyptodons are/were herbivores.
Figure 2. Holmesina and its ancestors including Pholidocercus and Anagale.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg?w=131″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg?w=446″ class=”size-full wp-image-93919″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Holmesina and its ancestors including Pholidocercus and Anagale.” width=”584″ height=”1341″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg?w=584&h=1341 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg?w=65&h=150 65w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg?w=131&h=300 131w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/holmesina_skull_anagale.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Holmesina and its ancestors including Pholidocercus and Anagale.
Radinskya
was originally considered a basal perissodactyl (Holbrook 2014). Earlier it nested in the LRT with pre-manatee, post beaver taxa, like Moeritherium. Now small Radinskya with tiny eyes nests with a similar, much larger taxon also with tiny eyes, Tillodon (Fig 3).
Figure 2. Radinskya compared to the much larger Tillodon. The small orbit is rarely to never seen outside these two taxa.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg?w=296″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-93912″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Radinskya compared to the much larger Tillodon. The small orbit is rarely to never seen outside these two taxa. ” width=”584″ height=”592″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg?w=584&h=592 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg?w=148&h=150 148w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg?w=296&h=300 296w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/radinskya-tillodon588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Radinskya compared to the much larger Tillodon. The small orbit is rarely to never seen outside these two taxa. Not sure why these mammals have such tiny eyes. Nocturnal? Cave-dwelling? Burrowing?
Cambaytherium and Anthracobune
(Fig 4) were traditionally considered to be a sister group to the perissodactyls = rhinos, tapirs and horses. Based on skull shape and a lateral appearance of the upper canine alveolus (if correctly identified), middle Eocene Cambaytherium and Anthracobune are small pigs, sisters to larger Sus and Babyrousa (Fig 4), the odd pig, babirusa, with canines emerging from the dorsal rostrum.
If correctly identified in Cambaytherium and Anthracobune (Fig 4), the laterally oriented canine alveolus appears midway between the plesiomorphic ventral emergence from the palate in virtually all tetrapods and the unique dorsal emergence from the rostrum in Babyrousa (Fig 4). All three taxa are restricted to SE Asia.
Figure 4. Anthracobune and Cambaytherium to scale with skulls of Babyrousa, the babirusa, and Sus, the pig.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg?w=144″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg?w=490″ class=”size-full wp-image-94177″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg” alt=”Figure 4. Anthracobune and Cambaytherium to scale with skulls of Babyrousa, the babirusa, and Sus, the pig.” width=”584″ height=”1221″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg?w=584&h=1221 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg?w=72&h=150 72w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg?w=144&h=300 144w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/anthracobune2025-588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 4. Anthracobune and Cambaytherium to scale with skulls of Babyrousa, the babirusa, and Sus, the pig. Orange arrows point to upper canines or their root.
Furthermore
“They [Anthracobunidae] were originally considered to be a paraphyletic family of primitive proboscideans possibly ancestral to the Moeritheriidae and the desmostylians. The family has also thought to be ancestral to the Sirenia.”
Other than Moeritheriidae and Sirenia none of these clades are related to one another in the LRT where pigs and other non-hippo artiodactyls nest basal to perissodactyls.
References
Holbrook LT 2014. On the skull of Radinskya (Mammalia) and its phylogenetic position, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34:5, 1203-1215. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.854249
MacPhee RDE, Novacek M and Storch G 1988. Basicranial morphology of early Tertiary Erinaceomorphs and the Origin of Primates. American Museum Novitates 2921:1–42.
von Koenigswald W and Storch Gh 1983. Pholidocercus hassiacus, ein Amphilermuride aus dem Eozan der “Grube Messel” bei Darmstadt (Mammalia: Lipotyphla). Senchenberg Lethaia 64:447–459.
wiki/Pholidocercus
wiki/Cambaytherium
wiki/Anthracobunidae
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/several-revision-part-3/
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