Mammalogy Test 1, Monotreme And Metatherians

Front 1

infraclass Prototheria

Back 1

-includes only order Monotremata

Front 2

-primitive features of monotremata

Back 2

-cloaca
-cranial characters (pre and post frontal bones, lack auditory bulla, lack lacrimal bone)
-ancestral pectoral and pelvic girdle
-cervical ribs present
-retain epipubic bones
-oviparous (egg-laying)
-mammary glands with separate openings
-males lack scrotum and seminal vesicles

Front 3

monotreme eggs

Back 3

-contain huge amount of yolk
-have shells - females retain shell gland in malarian ducts

Front 4

monotreme males testes housed where?

Back 4

-in abdominal cavity

Front 5

derived features of monotremata

Back 5

-leathery bill
-raspy pads on inside of beaks
-one group possesses venom
-electroreceptors in bill (platypus)
-one group has spines
-modified front limbs

Front 6

families in monotremata

Back 6

-Ornithorynchidae
-Tachyglossidae

Front 7

Family Ornithorhynchidae

Back 7

-Genus: Ornithorhynchus "bird snout"
-swim with front limbs
-webbed front paws with claws
-feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates
-thick, woolly pelage
-venomous spurs on males
-lay 2 eggs, hatch in 10 days

Front 8

Family Tachyglossidae

Back 8

-2 genuses: Tachyglossus and Zaglossus
-spines without barbs
-forelimbs modified for digging
-lay single egg, incubated in temporary pouch
-hibernate (at 5 degrees C, allow body temperature to drop to 5.5)
-long tongue used in feeding
-Tachy: short beaked for ants
-Zag: long-beaked for earthworms

Front 9

therians evolved when, and what was thei ancestor?

Back 9

-early cretaceous
-Deltatherium

Front 10

ancestral therian characteristics

Back 10

-ovoviviparous
-eggs high in yolk content, no placenta
-tribosphenic molars
-probably nocturnal
-solitary
-small brains
-lacked corpus callosum
-lacked cloaca
-true nipples
-spiral cochlea
-epipubic bones
-therian pectoral and pelvic girdle

Front 11

Three orders in Ameridelphia

Back 11

-Didelphimorphia
-Microbiotheria
-Paucituberculata

Front 12

Marsupialia

Back 12

-first evolved in north america
-went to Eurasia (became extinct)
-radiated in South America (then went extinct in N. america)
-moved to antarctica
-moved to australia (radiated)
-3mya

Front 13

Didelphimorphia

Back 13

-family: Didelphidae
--tribosphenic molars
--omnivorous
--opposable hallux
--five upper incisors, four lower
-G: Didelphis (American opossum)
-G: Marmosa (mouse opossums)
--prehensile tail
--lack marsupium

Front 14

Microbiotheria

Back 14

F: Microbiotheriidae
G: Dromiciops
--temperate forests in Chilean Andes
--nocturnal
--insectivorous

Front 15

Paucituberculata

Back 15

F: Caenolestidae
G: Caenolestes
--enlarged medial pair of lower incisors
--high elevation forests in Andes = treeline

Front 16

Four orders in Australidelphia

Back 16

-Dasyuromorphia
-Notoryctemorphia
-Peramelemorphia
-Diprotodontia

Front 17

Families in Dasyuromorphia

Back 17

-Dasyuridae (marsupial mice and rats)
-Thylacinidae (Tasmanian wolf)
-Myrmerobiidae (numbat)

Front 18

Dasyuridae

Back 18

-marsupial mice and rats
-4/3 incisors
-tribosphenic molars
G: Sarcophilus (Tasmanian devil)

Front 19

Thylacinidae

Back 19

-monotypic
-Tasmanian wolf
-Thylacinus cynocephalus

Front 20

Myrmerobiidae

Back 20

-numbat
-diurnal, eat ants
-marsupium absent
-eucalyptus woodlands in SW Australia
G: Myrmecobius

Front 21

adaptations for myrmecophagy

Back 21

-long rostrum
-delicate dentary or reduced to splint
-teeth reduced to peg-like to absent
-long protrusible tongue
-copious amounts of sticky saliva
-front limbs modified for digging

Front 22

Notoryctemorphia

Back 22

-marsupial moles
F: Notoryctidae
G: Notoryctes - deserts in NNE and SC Australia
-fossorial
-claws on 3rd and 4th digits, enlarged
-other digits reduced
-not as fossorial as true moles
-cornified nose shield

Front 23

fossorial adaptations

Back 23

-small eyes and small pinnae
-fur velvety, doesn't lie in one direction
-short tail, extrasensitive
-forelimbs modified for digging

Front 24

Peramelemorphia

Back 24

-bandicoots
-tribosphenic molars
-forelimb shorter than hind limb
F: Peramelidae
--2nd and 3rd digits syndactylous
--widespread in Australia
--eutheria-like placenta, independently evolved
--saltatorial (bipedal hopping)
-G: Macrotis

Front 25

Diprotodontia

Back 25

-most have single pair of upper and lower incisors
-many syndactylous
-hypothesized to be sister group to caenolestids

Front 26

5 families in Diprotodontia

Back 26

-Phalangeridae
-Petauridae
-Phascolarctidae
-Vombatidae
-Macropodidae

Front 27

Phalangeridae

Back 27

-phalangers
-forests of Australia and New Guinea
-adapted for arboreal life (prehensile tail with naked ventral surface)
-well-developed marsupium
-Phalanger spilosoma (cuscus)

Front 28

Petauridae

Back 28

-gliders
-Northern Australia and New Guinea
-Petaurus breviceps (sugar glider)
--nectar feeder
--rectangular gliding membrane between ankles and wrists
--volant (gliding)
--glide up to 50 m
--feet have opposable hallux

Front 29

Phascolarctidae

Back 29

-koala, monotypic
G: Phascolarctus
--restricted to eucalyptus trees
--endangered and protected
--1st and 2nd digits opposable
--2nd and 3rd digits on foot syndactylous
--arboreal foliavore
--eat constantly - low quality food
--sleep to digest
--BMR low - dense fur
--heterothermic

Front 30

Vombatidae

Back 30

-wombats
-herbivorous
-construct burrows clustered into colonies
-mainly solitary
-only interact during mating season
G: Lasiorhinus (hairy-nosed wombat)

Front 31

Macropodidae

Back 31

-widespread throughout Aust, N. Guinea, Indonesian islands
-grazers or browsers
-foregut fermenters
-saltatorial
-syndactylous 2nd and 3rd digits hindfoot
-enlarged 4th digit on foot
-tail enlarged, thick, strong, used as prop for balancing

Front 32

species and genus of macropodidae to know

Back 32

-Macropus rufus (red kangaroo)
--up to 90 kg
--gregarious
-Dendrolagus (tree kangaroo)
--leap from ground into trees
--leap down from as high as 18m
-Petrogale (rock wallabies)