Dinomyidae

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title: "Dinomyidae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dinomyidae", "rodent-families", "caviomorpha", "extant-miocene-first-appearances", "taxa-named-by-wilhelm-peters"] description: "Family of rodents" topic_path: "general/dinomyidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinomyidae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Family of rodents ::

| fossil_range = | image = Dinomys branickii.JPG | image_caption = Pacarana (Dinomys branickii) | taxon = Dinomyidae | authority = Peters, 1873 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text

The Dinomyidae are a family of South American hystricognath rodents: the dinomyids were once a very speciose group, but now contain only a single living species, the pacarana. Several of the extinct dinomyids were among the largest rodents known to date; these included the bison-sized Josephoartigasia monesi and the smaller Josephoartigasia magna. The dinomyids are thought to have occupied ecological niches associated with large grazing mammals due to their ability to compete with the native ungulates of South America. Conversely, they could feed on aquatic or swampy plants along the ancient rivers.{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-HWADwAAQBAJ | title = History of Terrestrial Mammals in South America | publisher = Springer International Publishing | date = 2018 | access-date = 2022-08-27 | page = 151 | author = Thomas Defler | isbn = 9783319984490

The Neoepiblemidae, an entirely extinct family, may be part of the Dinomyidae; both groups are undoubtedly closely related.

Genera

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Josephoartigasia_BW.jpg" caption="''[[Josephoartigasia]]''"] ::

• Family: Dinomyidae
  • †Agnomys incertae sedis
  • †Borikenomys - incertae sedis?
  • †Pseudodiodomus incertae sedis
  • Subfamily: Dinomyinae
    • Dinomys - pacarana
    • †Telodontomys
  • Subfamily: †Eumegamyinae
    • †Arazamys
    • †Briaromys
    • †Colpostemma
    • †Doellomys
    • †Eumegamysops
    • †Eumegamys
    • †Gyriabrus
    • †Isostylomys
    • †Josephoartigasia
    • †Orthomys
    • †Pentastylodon
    • †Pseudosigmomys
    • †Telicomys
    • †Tetrastylus
  • Subfamily: †Potamarchinae
    • †Eusigmomys
    • †Olenopsis
    • †Potamarchus
    • †Scleromys
    • †Simplimus

References

References

1. Rinderknecht, Andrés. (2008-01-15). "The largest fossil rodent". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.
2. Francis, J.C. and [[Álvaro Mones. (1966). "''Artigasia magna'' n. g., n. sp. (Eumegamyinae), un roedor gigantesco de la época Pliocena Superior de las Barrancas de San Gregorio, Departamento de San José, República Oriental del Uruguay". Kraglievana.
3. (2011). "New genus of giant Dinomyidae (Rodentia: Hystricognathi: Caviomorpha) from the late Miocene of Uruguay". [[Journal of Mammalogy]].
4. (2018). "Making a giant rodent: cranial anatomy and ontogenetic development in the genus ''Isostylomys'' (Mammalia, Hystricognathi, Dinomyidae)". [[Journal of Systematic Palaeontology]].
5. Mones, A.. (2007). "''Josephoartigasia'', Nuevo nombre para Artigasia Francis & Mones, 1966 (Rodentia, Dinomyidae), non Artigasia Christie, 1934 (Nematoda, Thelastomatidae)". Comun. Paleontol. Mus. Hist. Nat. Montevideo.

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