Heliscomyidae

Heliscomyidae
Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Early Miocene
Fossil
Scientific classification
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.

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).

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)






References

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