Interatheriidae

{{Short description|Extinct family of mammals}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Interatherium FMNH.jpg | image_caption = Skeleton of ''Interatherium rodens'' in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago | fossil_range = Middle Eocene-Early Pleistocene<br>(Mustersan-Uquian)<br>~{{Fossil range|48|1.8}} | taxon = Interatheriidae | authority = Ameghino 1887 | subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera | subdivision = * †''Antepithecus'' * †''Antofagastia'' * †''Guilielmoscottia'' * †''Johnbell'' * †''Munizia'' * †''Punapithecus'' * †''Transpithecus'' *†Interatheriinae }}

'''Interatheriidae''' is an extinct family of notoungulate mammals from South America. Interatheriids are known from the Middle Eocene (Mustersan) to the Early Pleistocene (Uquian).<ref name=McKenna1997>McKenna & Bell, 1997</ref><ref name=Linares2004>Linares, 2004</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carrillo-Briceño |first1=J. |last2=Sánchez |first2=R |date=23 April 2021 |title=A Pliocene–Pleistocene continental biota from Venezuela |journal= Swiss Journal of Palaeontology|volume=140 |issue=1 |page=9 |doi=10.1186/s13358-020-00216-6 |pmid=34721281 |pmc=8550326 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These animals were principally small-sized, occupying a habitat like hares, marmots and viscachas. The majority were very small, like rodents.

Interatheriidae is one of the mammal groups that best represent the fauna from the Santa Cruz Formation. Particularly ''Protypotherium'' with three species is characteristic of the formation: ''P. australe'', ''P. praerutilum'' and ''P. attenuatum''. Another well-known genus is ''Interatherium'', particularly well represented by ''I. robustum''.

== References == {{reflist}}

=== Bibliography === * {{cite journal |last=Linares |first=Omar J |year=2004 |title=Bioestratigrafía de la fauna de mamíferos de las formaciones Socorro, Urumaco y Codore (Mioceno Medio-Plioceno Temprano) de la región de Urumaco, Falcón, Venezuela |url=http://www.paleobio.labb.usb.ve/Paleobio01.pdf |journal=Paleobiología Neotropical |volume=1 |pages=1–26 |accessdate=2017-08-15 |archive-date=2017-07-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170722021100/http://www.paleobio.labb.usb.ve/Paleobio01.pdf |url-status=dead }} * McKenna, Malcolm C., and Bell, Susan K. 1997. ''Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level.'' Columbia University Press, New York, 631 pp. {{ISBN|0-231-11013-8}}

== Further reading == * C. Villarroel and L. G. Marshall. 1989. A new fossil land mammal locality of late Miocene (Huayquerian) age from Muyu Huasi, southcentral Bolivia. Boletin del Servicio Geológico de Bolivia, Serie A IV(1):27-40

Category:Typotheres Category:Ypresian first appearances Category:Pleistocene extinctions Category:Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino Category:Prehistoric mammal families