Hondadelphys

Hondadelphys
Temporal range: Mid-Miocene 13–12 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Metatheria
Order: Sparassodonta
Family: Hondadelphidae
Marshall et al. 1990
Genus: Hondadelphys
Marshall, 1976
Type species
Hondadelphys fieldsi
Marshall, 1976

Hondadelphys fieldsi is an extinct carnivorous sparassodont, known from the mid-Miocene of Colombia. H. fieldsi, was described in 1976 from the La Venta fossil deposit, part of the Villavieja Formation[1] Hondadelphys was originally interpreted as belonging to the opossum family Didelphidae, but subsequently assigned to its own family, Hondadelphidae and interpreted as a basal sparassodont.[2] The genus name refers to the town of Honda, Tolima, combined with delphys (Greek for "possum")

References

  1. Marshall, Larry G. (1976). "New Didelphine Marsupials from the La Venta Fauna (Miocene) of Colombia, South America". Journal of Paleontology 50 (3): 402–418. doi:10.2307/1303521. JSTOR 1303521.
  2. Goin, Francisco (2003). "Early Marsupial Radiations in South America". In Jones, Menna; Archer, Mike; Dickman, Chris. Predators with Pouches : The Biology of Carnivorous Marsupials. Collingwood (Victoria): CSIRO. ISBN 0643066349.


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