Hystricomorpha
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Hystricomorpha (from Ancient Greek ὕστριξ, (hústrix), meaning "porcupine", and μορφή (morphḗ), meaning "form") is a term referring to families and orders of rodents which has had many definitions throughout its history. In the broadest sense, it refers to any rodent (except dipodoids) with a hystricomorphous zygomasseteric system. This includes the Hystricognathi, Ctenodactylidae, Anomaluridae, and Pedetidae. Molecular and morphological results suggest the inclusion of the Anomaluridae and Pedetidae in Hystricomorpha may be suspect. Based on , these two families are discussed here as represent
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- Classification
- Families
- Citations
- General references
Hystricomorpha (from Ancient Greek ὕστριξ, (hústrix), meaning "porcupine", and μορφή (morphḗ), meaning "form") is a term referring to families and orders of rodents which has had many definitions throughout its history. In the broadest sense, it refers to any rodent (except dipodoids) with a hystricomorphous zygomasseteric system. This includes the Hystricognathi, Ctenodactylidae, Anomaluridae, and Pedetidae. Molecular and morphological results suggest the inclusion of the Anomaluridae and Pedetidae in Hystricomorpha may be suspect. Based on , these two families are discussed here as representing a distinct suborder Anomaluromorpha.
==Classification== thumb|left|250px|Cranium of a capybara showing the enlarged [[infraorbital canal present in most members of the Hystricomorpha: This condition is termed hystricomorphy.]]
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Hystricomorpha” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.