Pantodonta

The pantodonts varied considerably in size: the small Archaeolambda, of which there is a complete skeleton from the Late Palaeocene of China, was probably arboreal, while the North American, ground sloth-like Barylambda was massive, slow-moving ("graviportal") and probably browsed on high vegetation. Dentition The pantodonts have a primitive dental formula () with little or no diastemata. Their most important synapomorphy are the zalambdodont (V-shaped ectoloph opening towards lip) P3–4 and (except in the most primitive families) dilambdodont (W-shaped ectoloph) upper molars. Most pantodonts lacked a hypocone (fourth cusp) and had small conules (additional small cusps). The incisors are small but the canines large, occasionally sabertooth-like. On P3-M3 there is normally an ectoflexus (indentation on the outer side). Asian families can typically be distinguished from the American because their paracone and metacone (bottom of W on side of tongue) tend to be closer together. The cheek teeth in the lower jaw are also dilambdodont, with broad, high metalophids (posterior crest) and tall metaconid (posterior-interior cusp) with much lower paracristids and small paraconids. Postcranial skeleton Pantodonts have plesiomorphic (unaltered) and robust postcranial skeletons. Their five-toed feet are often hoofed with the tarsals similar to those of ungulates, which feature had led to previously suggested ties to arctocyonid "condylarths", but this similarity is now considered primitive. ==Classification==

The pantodonts were previously grouped with the ungulates as amblypods, paenungulates, or arctocyonids, but since they have been allied with the tillodonts and considered to be derived from the cimolestids. The interrelationship within Pantodonta is controversial, • Order/Suborder Pantodonta Cope, 1873 • Family Alcidedorbignyidae de Muizon & Marshall, 1987 • Genus Alcidedorbignya de Muizon & Marshall, 1987 • Family Barylambdidae Patterson, 1939 • Genus Barylambda Patterson, 1937 • Genus Haplolambda Patterson, 1939 • Genus ?Ignatiolambda Simons, 1960 • Genus ?Leptolambda Patterson & Simons, 1958 • Family Bemalambdidae Chow et al., 1973 • Genus Bemalambda Chow et al., 1973 • Genus Hypsilolambda Wang, 1975 • Family Coryphodontidae Marsh, 1876 • Genus Asiocoryphodon Xu, 1976 • Genus Coryphodon Owen, 1845 • Genus Eudinoceras Osborn, 1924 • Genus Heterocoryphodon Lucas & Tong, 1987 • Genus Hypercoryphodon Osborn & Granger, 1932 • Genus Wutucoryphodon Tong & Wang, 2006 • Family Harpyodidae Wang, 1979 • Genus Harpyodus Qiu & Li, 1977 (= Wanglia Van Valen, 1988) • Family Pantolambdidae Cope, 1883 • Genus Caenolambda Gazin, 1956 • Genus Nanxiongilambda Quan & Wang, 2024 • Genus Pantolambda Cope, 1882 • Family Pantolambdodontidae Granger & Gregory, 1934 • Genus Archaeolambda Flerov, 1952 • Genus Celaenolambda Tong and Wang 2006 • Genus Dilambda Tong, 1978 • Genus Guichilambda Huang & Chen, 1997 • Genus Nanlingilambda Tong, 1979 • Genus Oroklambda Dashzeveg, 1980 • Genus Pantolambdodon Granger & Gregory, 1934 • Family Pastoralodontidae Chow & Qi, 1978 • Genus Altilambda Chow & Wang, 1978 • Genus Convallisodon Chow & Qi, 1978 • Genus Pastoralodon Chow & Qi 1978 • Genus ?Huananius Huang & Zheng, 1999 • Family Titanoideidae Patterson, 1934 • Genus Titanoides Gidley, 1917 • Ichnogenus Thulitheripus Lüthje et al., 2010 (tracks attributed to Titanoides) • Family ?Cyriacotheriidae Rose & Krause, 1982 • Genus ?Cyriacotherium Rose and Krause, 1982 • Genus ?Presbytherium Scott, 2010 • Genus ?Crustulus Clemens, 2017 ==Timeline of genera==

ImageSize = width:850px height:auto barincrement:15px PlotArea = left:10px bottom:50px top:10px right:10px Period = from:-66 till:-23.03 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-60 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-66 TimeAxis = orientation:hor AlignBars = justify Colors = #legends id:CAR value:claret id:ANK value:rgb(0.4,0.3,0.196) id:HER value:teal id:HAD value:green id:OMN value:blue id:black value:black id:white value:white id:paleogene value:rgb(0.99,0.6,0.32) id:paleocene value:rgb(0.99,0.65,0.37) id:eocene value:rgb(0.99,0.71,0.42) id:oligocene value:rgb(0.99,0.75,0.48) BarData= bar:eratop bar:space bar:periodtop bar:space bar:NAM1 bar:NAM2 bar:NAM3 bar:NAM4 bar:NAM5 bar:NAM6 bar:space bar:period bar:space bar:era PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 shift:(7,-4) bar:periodtop from: -66 till: -56 color:paleocene text:Paleocene from: -56 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:Eocene from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:Oligocene bar:eratop from: -66 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:Paleogene PlotData= align:left fontsize:M mark:(line,white) width:5 anchor:till align:left color:paleocene bar:NAM1 from:-64 till:-61 text: Alcidedorbignya color:paleocene bar:NAM2 from:-63 till:-57 text: Pantolambda color:paleocene bar:NAM3 from:-60 till:-50 text: Barylambda color:paleocene bar:NAM4 from:-59 till:-56 text: Titanoides color:paleocene bar:NAM5 from:-57 till:-46 text: Coryphodon color:eocene bar:NAM6 from:-37 till:-34 text: Hypercoryphodon PlotData= align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark:(line,black) width:25 bar:period from: -66 till: -56 color:paleocene text:Paleocene from: -56 till: -33.9 color:eocene text:Eocene from: -33.9 till: -23.03 color:oligocene text:Oligocene bar:era from: -66 till: -23.03 color:paleogene text:Paleogene ==References==