Paucituberculate
| Paucituberculata Temporal range: Late Paleocene (Itaboraian)-Recent ~58.7–0 Ma |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Clade: | Metatheria |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: |
Paucituberculata Trouessart 1898, Ameghino 1894 |
| Suborders | |
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Paucituberculata is an order of South American marsupials. Currently represented only by shrew opossums, over the course of the Cenozoic it included a wide variety of mammal species, including the Glires-like argyrolagoideans. The fossil record goes back to the Late Paleocene (Itaboraian in the SALMA classification).
It is one of two clades of Ameridelphia, a paraphyletic group; genetic studies have shown these animals to be a sister group to Australidelphia (i.e., Didelphimorphia branched off first).
The strange Polydolopiformes have historically been considered part of the clade, which would extend its range to the Paleocene. However, most modern researchers do not consider them to be closely related.
The order is subdivided into:
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