Altacreodus

Extinct genus of mammals

Altacreodus Temporal range: 70.0–66.043 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Late Cretaceous
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Mirorder:	Ferae
Clade:	Pan-Carnivora (?)
Genus:	†Altacreodus Fox, 2015^[1]
Type species
†Altacreodus magnus Clemens & Russell, 1965^[2]
Synonyms
synonyms of species: A. magnus: Cimolestes magnus (Clemens & Russell, 1965)

Altacreodus ("creodont from Alberta")^[1] is an extinct genus of eutherian mammals. Fossils have been found in North America where they first appeared during the Late Cretaceous, and they died out prior to the start of the Paleocene. It is possibly one of the earliest known placental mammals in the fossil record.

The type species is "Cimolestes" magnus, which was renamed Altacreodus magnus in 2015.^[1] Recent phylogenetic analyses suggests that genus Altacreodus is a member of clade Pan-Carnivora and the closest known sister taxon to genus Tinerhodon and the order Hyaenodonta,^[3]^[4]^[5] based on anatomy of its teeth.^[1] In some studies its position as a crown-group placental has been equivocal.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Richard C. Fox (2015). "A revision of the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene eutherian mammal Cimolestes (Marsh, 1889)". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 52 (12): 1137–1149. Bibcode:2015CaJES..52.1137F. doi:10.1139/cjes-2015-0113.
^ Clemens, W. A. Jr. and Russell, L. S. (1965.) "Mammalian fossils from the upper Edmonton Formation." University of Alberta Geology Bulletin, 2: 32–40.
^ Matthew R. Borths; Patricia A. Holroyd; Erik R. Seiffert (2016). "Hyainailourine and teratodontine cranial material from the late Eocene of Egypt and the application of parsimony and Bayesian methods to the phylogeny and biogeography of Hyaenodonta (Placentalia, Mammalia)". PeerJ. 4: e2639. doi:10.7717/peerj.2639. PMC 5111901. PMID 27867761.
^ Borths, Matthew R; Stevens, Nancy J (2017). "Deciduous dentition and dental eruption of Hyainailouroidea (Hyaenodonta, "Creodonta," Placentalia, Mammalia)". Palaeontologia Electronica. 20 (3): 55A. doi:10.26879/776.
^ Andreas Lang (2023.) "Analysis of functional morphology in carnassial dentitions (Carnivora, Dasyuromorphia, Hyaenodonta)". Dissertation, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.
^ Upham, Nathan S.; Esselstyn, Jacob A.; Jetz, Walter (2021-10-11). "Molecules and fossils tell distinct yet complementary stories of mammal diversification". Current Biology. 31 (19): 4195–4206.e3. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.012. ISSN 0960-9822. PMC 9090300. PMID 34329589.

Mammals of clade Pan-Carnivora

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Clade: Scrotifera
Grandorder: Ferungulata
Mirorder: Ferae

Pan-Carnivora

Carnivoramorpha	See Carnivoramorpha below ↓
†Hyaenodonta	See Hyaenodonta below ↓
†Oxyaenodonta	See Oxyaenodonta below ↓
†Wyolestidae	†Wyolestes
†Simidectes †Altacreodus †Tinerhodon

†Hyaenodonta

†Hyaenodontoidea

†Hyaenodontidae	†Alienetherium †Boritia †Cartierodon †Consobrinus †Cynohyaenodon †Eurotherium †Hyaenodon †Leonhardtina †Matthodon †Neosinopa †Oxyaenoides †Paenoxyaenoides †Paracynohyaenodon †Praecodens †Preregidens †Prodissopsalis †Propterodon †Protoproviverra †Quercytherium

†Proviverridae

†Allopterodon
†Lesmesodon
†Minimovellentodon
†Morlodon
†Parvagula
†Proviverra

†Afro‑Arabian
clade

†Parvavorodon
†Tritemnodon
†Koholia

†Indohyaenodontidae

†Glibzegdouia
†Indohyaenodon
†Yarshea

†Hyainailouroidea

†Hyainailouridae

†Maocyon/Orienspterodon clade

†Maocyon
†Orienspterodon

†Apterodontinae

†Apterodon
†Quasiapterodon

†Hyainailourinae

†Leakitherium †Megistotherium †Mlanyama †Metapterodon †Pakakali †Paroxyaena †Simbakubwa
†Akhnatenavus clade	†Akhnatenavus †Hemipsalodon †Ischnognathus
†Hyainailourini	†Exiguodon †Falcatodon †Hyainailouros †Parapterodon †Sectisodon †Sivapterodon †Isohyaenodon †Kerberos †Pterodon

†Prionogalidae

†Namasector
†Prionogale
†Thereutherium

†Teratodontinae

†Anasinopa
†Brychotherium
†Buhakia
†Dissopsalis
†Ekweeconfractus
†Furodon
†Kyawdawia
†Masrasector
†Metasinopa
†Paratritemnodon
†Teratodon

other representatives

†Eoproviverra †Gazinocyon †Pyrocyon
†Arfia clade	†Arfia
†Galecyon clade	†Galecyon
†Lahimia clade	†Boualitomus †Lahimia
†Limnocyonidae	†Iridodon †Limnocyon †Oxyaenodon †Prolaena †Prolimnocyon †Thinocyon
†Sinopidae	†Acarictis †Prototomus †Sinopa

ichnotaxa
of Hyaenodonta

†Creodontipus
†Dischidodacylus
†Sarcotherichnus
†Zanclonychopus
†Hyaenodontipus
†Quiritipes
†Sarjeantipes

†Oxyaenodonta

†Oxyaenidae

†Machaeroidinae	†Apataelurus †Diegoaelurus †Isphanatherium †Machaeroides
†Oxyaeninae	†Argillotherium †Dipsalidictis †Malfelis †Oxyaena †Patriofelis †Protopsalis †Sarkastodon
†Palaeonictinae	†Ambloctonus †Dipsalodon †Palaeonictis
†Tytthaeninae	†Tytthaena

Carnivoramorpha

Carnivoraformes
(Clade "A")

Clade "B"

†Messelogale †Miocyon †Simamphicyon †Uintacyon †Xinyuictis †Zodiocyon
†Quercygalidae	†Quercygale
†Gracilocyon/Oodectes clade	†Eogale †Gracilocyon †Oodectes †Paramiacis †Paroodectes

Clade "C"

Clade "D"

†Ceruttia
†Harpalodon
†Lycarion
†Neovulpavus
†Procynodictis
†Prodaphaenus
†Tapocyon
†Walshius

Carnivora
(Clade "E")

Caniformia	(See Caniformia)
Feliformia	(See Feliformia)

other representatives

†Africtis
†Dawsonicyon
†Miacis

ichnotaxa of
Carnivoraformes

†Falcatipes

†Viverravoidea

†Viverravidae

†Orientictis †Pappictidops †Preonictis †Variviverra
†Didymictinae	†Bryanictis †Didymictis †Intyrictis †Pristinictis †Protictis †Raphictis
†Ictidopappinae	†Ictidopappus
†Viverravinae	†Simpsonictis †Viverravus †Viverriscus