Asioryctitheria

Asioryctitheria ("Asian digging beasts") is an extinct order of early eutherians.

Asioryctitheria Temporal range: 109–77 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Albian–Campanian[1]
Asioryctes nemegtensis skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Eutheria
Order:	†Asioryctitheria Novacek et al., 1997
Genera
Asioryctes Kennalestes Sasayamamylos Ukhaatherium

Skull structure

With the exception of Prokennalestes, these advanced forms lacked a Meckelian groove. Furthermore, they were equipped with double-rooted canines, a lower premolar with a reduced or absent metaconid and a more elongated lower premolar than their predecessors. In addition, the entoconid and hypoconulid on the lower molars are untwinned, the entotympanic is non-existent, the alisphenoid is enlarged, a Vidian foramen is present as well as a promontorium linked to the paroccipital process via the crista interfenestralis.

Classification

Asioryctitheria contains at least four genera and two families.^[2][3]

• Sasayamamylos kawaii Kusuhashi et al. 2013^[4]
• Kennalestidae Kielan-Jaworowska 1981
  • Kennalestes gobiensis Kielan-Jaworowska 1981
• Asioryctidae Szalay 1977
  • Asioryctes nemegetensis Kielan-Jaworowska 1975
  • Ukhaatherium nesovi Novacek et al. 1997