Didolodus

Didolodus Temporal range: Early Eocene
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Meridiungulata
Family:	†Didolodontidae
Genus:	†Didolodus

Didolodus is an extinct genus of mammal from Argentina during the Eocene. It is an ungulate mammal of uncertain affinities, possibly related to Litopterna, though this is uncertain due to the lack of reliable post-cranial remains, and for now remains Meridiungulata incertae sedis.^[1] Its remains were found in Patagonia.

Didolodus was a quick-footed creature which probably lived like early ungulates such as Propalaeotherium, based on its highly similar teeth. It was around 60 centimetres (2.0 ft) in length, with short limbs and a long tail.^[2]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Gelfo and Sigé, 2011:^[3]

	Protungulatum Phenacodus Kollpaniinae Simoclaenus Molinodus Tiuclaenus Andinodus Pucanodus Didolodontidae Paulacoutoia Lamegoia Paulogervaisia Didolodus Ernestokokenia Escribania chubutensis Escribania talonicuspis Raulvaccia Umayodus

References

1. Javier Nicolás, The alleged astragalar remains of Didolodus Ameghino, 1897 (Mammalia, Panameriungulata) and a critic of isolated bone association models, 2012
2. Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 246. ISBN 1-84028-152-9.
3. Javier N. Gelfo and Bernard Sigé (2011). "A new didolodontid mammal from the late Paleocene–earliest Eocene of Laguna Umayo, Peru" (PDF). Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 56 (4): 665–678. doi:10.4202/app.2010.0067.