Something of a mopping-up exercise here, comprising three groups of mammals which we are yet to look at in this series of photographic guides and which are all somewhat close kin.
It seems reasonably clear that these groups belong within a larger monophyletic clade - termed the Euarchontoglires - along with two other groups which have already been dealt with elsewhere; however, the precise interrelationships between the various lineages within the Euarchontoglires are still rather less clear. Certain aspects of the overall taxonomy seem reasonably sound; the lagomorphs (Lagomorpha) belong within a clade termed "Glires" alongside the Rodentia, whilst the colugos (Dermoptera) belong within a clade termed "Euarchonta" alongside the Primates. However, there are multiple competing theories about the placement of the treeshrews (Scandentia).
The traditional view - and the one which, for the sake of parsimony, we will follow here - is that the Scandentia also belongs within the Euarchonta, in a position basal to the primates and colugos. However, genetic and morphological studies have proposed a number of alternate hypotheses:
It seems reasonably clear that these groups belong within a larger monophyletic clade - termed the Euarchontoglires - along with two other groups which have already been dealt with elsewhere; however, the precise interrelationships between the various lineages within the Euarchontoglires are still rather less clear. Certain aspects of the overall taxonomy seem reasonably sound; the lagomorphs (Lagomorpha) belong within a clade termed "Glires" alongside the Rodentia, whilst the colugos (Dermoptera) belong within a clade termed "Euarchonta" alongside the Primates. However, there are multiple competing theories about the placement of the treeshrews (Scandentia).
The traditional view - and the one which, for the sake of parsimony, we will follow here - is that the Scandentia also belongs within the Euarchonta, in a position basal to the primates and colugos. However, genetic and morphological studies have proposed a number of alternate hypotheses:
- Tree shrews represent a sister group to the colugos, forming a clade within Euarchonta distinct from the Primates.
- Tree shrews belong not in the Euarchonta, but within the Glires in a position basal to the rodent/lagomorph clade.
- Tree shrews are basal to all members of the Euarchontoglires, and arose prior to the split between Euarchonta and Glires.
