Epoicotheriinae

Epoicotheriinae ("strange beasts") is an extinct paraphyletic subfamily of insectivorous placental mammals within extinct paraphyletic family Epoicotheriidae in extinct order Palaeanodonta, that lived in North America and Europe from the early Eocene to early Oligocene. Epoicotheriins were fossorial mammals. Late Eocene/early Oligocene genera were highly specialized animals that were convergent with the talpids, golden moles and marsupial mole in the structure of their skulls and forelimbs, and would have had a similar lifestyle as subterranean burrowers.

Epoicotheriinae Temporal range: early Eocene - early Oligocene
Artist reconstruction of Xenocranium pileorivale compared to the size of a human hand.
skull of Pentapassalus pearcei
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Palaeanodonta
Family:	†Epoicotheriidae
Subfamily:	†Epoicotheriinae Simpson, 1927
Type genus
†Epoicotherium Simpson, 1927
Genera
[see classification]

Classification and phylogeny

Classification

• Subfamily: †Epoicotheriinae ^{(paraphyletic subfamily)} (Simpson, 1927)
  • Genus: †Pentapassalus (Gazin, 1952)
    • †Pentapassalus pearcei (Gazin, 1952)
    • †Pentapassalus woodi (Guthrie, 1967)
  • Genus: †Tetrapassalus (Simpson, 1959)
    • †Tetrapassalus mckennai (Simpson, 1959)
    • †Tetrapassalus proius (West, 1973)
    • †Tetrapassalus sp. A [AMNH 10215] (Rose, 1978)
    • †Tetrapassalus sp. B (Robinson, 1963)
  • (unranked): †Epoicotherium/Xenocranium clade
    • Genus: †Epoicotherium (Simpson, 1927)
      • †Epoicotherium unicum (Douglass, 1905)
    • Genus: †Molaetherium (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
      • †Molaetherium heissigi (Storch & Rummel, 1999)
    • Genus: †Xenocranium (Colbert, 1942)
      • †Xenocranium pileorivale (Colbert, 1942)

Phylogenetic tree

The phylogenetic relationships of subfamily Epoicotheriinae are shown in the following cladogram:

Ferae	Pan-Carnivora  Pholidotamorpha  Pholidota (sensu stricto)  †Palaeanodonta  †Escavadodontidae  ?  †Melaniella †Ernanodontidae †Metacheiromys †Metacheiromyinae  †Palaeanodon †Brachianodon †Mylanodon †Propalaeanodontinae  ?  †Arcticanodon  †Pentapassalus  †Pentapassalus pearcei †Pentapassalus woodi †Alocodontulum †Auroratherium †Tubulodon †Dipassalus †Epoicotheriinae  †Tetrapassalus  †Tetrapassalus mckennai †Tetrapassalus proius †Tetrapassalus sp. A (AMNH 10215) †Tetrapassalus sp. B  †Xenocranium  †Xenocranium pileorivale  †Epoicotherium  †Epoicotherium unicum  †Molaetherium  †Molaetherium heissigi †Epoicotheriidae †Amelotabes  (Pholidota [sensu lato])	†Metacheiromyidae †Epoicotherium/Xenocranium clade

See also

• Mammal classification
• Epoicotheriidae