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Structured Inquiry Search — preview

• Home
• Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata
• Subphylum Vertebrata
• Superclass Gnathostomata
• Class Sarcopterygii
• Class Mammalia
• Subclass Theria
• Infraclass Metatheria
• Order Dasyuromorphia

• Information
• Pictures
• Specimens
• Classification

By Phil Myers

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Dasyuromorphia

Members of this Order

This order contains three recent families, Dasyuridae (dasyurids, including an amazing array of mouse- to dog-sized insectivorous or carnivorous species, Myrmecobiidae (containing just the numbat or marsupial anteater), and Thylacinidae (restricted the the probably-extinct thylacine or Tasmanian wolf). Dasyuromorphs are said to be modern representatives of a sort of basal stock of australodelphian marsupials, from which other Australian families arose. They are not syndactylous, and they have 4/3 incisors ( polyprotodont).

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Literature and references cited

Aplin, K. P., and M. Archer. 1987. Recent advances in marsupial systematics with a new syncretic classification. Pp. xv-lxxii in Archer, M. (ed.), Possums and Opossums: Studies in Evolution, Vol. I. Surrey Beatty and Sons PTY Limited, Chipping Norton. lxxii+400 pp.

Feldhamer, G. A., L. C. Drickamer, S. H. Vessey, and J. F. Merritt. 1999. Mammalogy. Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. WCB McGraw-Hill, Boston. xii+563pp.

Vaughan, T. A., J. M. Ryan, N. J. Czaplewski. 2000. Mammalogy. Fourth Edition. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia. vii+565pp.

Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder. 1993. Mammal Species of the World, A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. 2nd edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington. xviii+1206 pp.

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Click on a family below to learn more:

Dasyuridae

Myrmecobiidae

Thylacinidae

For More Information

Find Dasyuromorphia information at

• Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Phil Myers (author), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan.

To cite this page: Myers, P. 2001. "Dasyuromorphia" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 12, 2012 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dasyuromorphia.html

Disclaimer: The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. ADW doesn't cover all species in the world, nor does it include all the latest scientific information about organisms we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

Sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
the Homeland Foundation and the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants DUE-0633095 and DRL-0628151.
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