A Manual of the Mammalia: An Homage to Lawlor’s “Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals”

Description

The taxonomy of recent mammals has lately undergone tremendous revision, but it has been decades since the last update to Timothy E. Lawlor’s acclaimed identification guide the Handbook to the Orders and Families of Living Mammals. Integrating the latest advances in research, Douglas A. Kelt and James L. Patton provide this long-overdue update in their new, wholly original work, A Manual of the Mammalia. Complemented by global range maps, high-resolution photographs of skulls and mandibles by Bill Stone, and the outstanding artwork of Fiona Reid, this book provides an overview of biological attributes of each higher taxon while highlighting key and diagnostic characters needed to identify skulls and skins of all recent mammalian orders and most families. Kelt and Patton also place taxa in their currently understood supra-familial clades, and discuss current challenges in higher mammal taxonomy. Including a comprehensive review of mammalian anatomy to provide a foundation for understanding all characters employed throughout, A Manual of the Mammalia is both a user-friendly handbook for students learning to identify higher mammal taxa and a uniquely comprehensive, up-to-date reference for mammalogists and mammal-lovers from across the globe. Contents Introduction Organization of this Manual Acknowledgments Basics of Mammalian Anatomy Cranial and Postcranial Anatomy The Mammalian Skull Postcranial Skeleton The Integument Mammalian Hair Foot Posture and Foot Pads Teeth Dental Formulae Tooth Morphology Types of Molar Occlusal Patterns Specialized Molar Cusps Crown Height and Root Development Incisor Procumbency Classification of Living Mammals Class Mammalia Subclass Prototheria Order Monotremata Subclass Theria Infraclass Metatheria or Marsupiala Order Didelphimorphia Order Paucituberculata Order Microbiotheria Order Notoryctemorphia Order Dasyuromorphia Order Peramelemorphia (=Peramelina) Order Diprotodontia Suborder Vombatiformes Suborder Phalangeriformes Suborder Macropodiformes Infraclass Eutheria or Placentalia Clade Atlantogenata Clade Xenarthra Order Cingulata Order Pilosa Suborder Folivora Suborder Vermilingua Clade Afrotheria Clade Afroinsectiphilia Order Tubulidentiata Clade Afroinsectivora Order Macroscelidea Order Tenrecoidea Suborder Chrysochloridea Suborder Tenrecomorpha Clade Paenungulata (=Subungulata) Order Hyracoidea Clade Tethytheria Order Proboscidea Order Sirenia Clade Boreoeutheria Clade Euarchontoglires Clade Glires Order Lagomorpha Order Rodentia Suborder Sciuromorpha Suborder Castorimorpha Suborder Myomorpha (=Myodonta) Suborder Anomaluromorpha Suborder Hystricomorpha (= Ctenohystrica) Infraorder Ctenodactylomorphi Infraorder Hystricognathi Clade Euarchonta Order Primates Suborder Strepsirrhini Infraorder Lemuriformes Infraorder Chiromyiformes Infraorder Lorisiformes Suborder Haplorrhini Infraorder Tarsiiformes Infraorder Similformes (=Anthropoidea) Clade Sundatheria Order Dermoptera Order Scandentia Clade Laurasiatheria Clade Lipotyphia (=Eulipotyphia) Order Erinaceomorpha Order Soricomorpha Clade scrotifera Order Chiroptera Clade Yinpterochiroptera (=Pteropodiformes) Clade Yangochiroptera (=Vespertilioniformes) Clade Ferae Order Pholidota Order Carnivora Suborder Feliformia Suborder Caniformia Clade Musteloidea Clade Pinnipedia Clade Euungulata Order Perissodactyla Superorder Cetartiodactyla Order Artiodactyla Suborder Suina Suborder Whippomorpha Infraorder Ancodonta Suborder Tylopoda Suborder Ruminantia Infraorder Tragulina Infraorder Pecora Clade Cetacea (=Cete) Subclade Mysticeti Subclade Ordontoceti Glossary Literature Cited Index to Taxonomic Names above the Genus Level