Gliding Mammals: Taxonomy of Living and Extinct Species

Szalay (2000:360), and Stafford (2005:110). A recent examination
of paromomyid and micromomyid skeletons
indicates that these mammals were incapable of mitten-
gliding locomotion, were not specialized for quadrupedal
suspensory behavior, and did not use sciurid- like
gliding locomotion (Bloch et al., 2007; Boyer and Bloch,
2008:270). Therefore, the taxonomy followed here
consists of that used by McKenna and Bell (1997:326)
with the family Paromomyidae removed to reflect these
recent studies. The ability of the different families and
genera of extinct taxa to glide is poorly known, so it is
likely that many species will be revealed as nongliders
in the future as specimens with postcranial remains are
discovered.
Order Pterophorae Gray, 1821:300.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
Race Pleuronycterates Burnett, 1829:268.
comments. Not subsequently recognized.
Order Ptenopleura Van der Hoeven, 1855:783.
comments. Also recognized by Van der Hoeven
(1858:742), which was recognized as the year of
publication by McKenna and Bell (1997:326), who synonymized
it within Dermoptera.
Galeopitheci Peters, 1864:20.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
Galeopithecida Haeckel, 1895:593.
comments. No rank. Synonymized within
Dermoptera by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
†Suborder Proglires Osborn, 1902:203.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
Order Galeopithecia Cabrera, 1925:201.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
Order Galeopithecoidea Wilder, 1926:12, 15.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
Infraorder Eudermoptera Beard, 1993a:129, 145.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
NUMBER 638 • 21
Order Dermopteriformes Kinman, 1994:37.
comments. Synonymized within Dermoptera
by McKenna and Bell (1997:326).
†faMily indeterMinate
†subfaMily thylaCaelurinae van valen, 1967
†Subfamily Thylacaelurinae Van Valen, 1967:271.
type genus. †Thylacaelurus Russell, 1954:96.
comments. Late Paleocene?, middle to late
Eocene, North America. The placement of this subfamily
remains uncertain as it was originally placed in the †family
Plagiomenidae by Van Valen (1967:277) and Bown and
Rose (1979:102), with uncertainty, whereas McKenna
and Bell (1997:326) did not include it within a specific
family but placed it directly within the suborder Dermoptera,
which is followed here.
†Thylacaelurus Russell, 1954
†Thylacaelurus Russell, 1954:96.
type species. †Thylacaelurus montanus Russell,
1954:96.
comments. Middle to late Eocene, North
America.
†Thylacaelurus campester Storer, 1984
†Thylacaelurus campester Storer, 1984:30.
type Locality. Swift Current Creek, Saskatchewan,
Canada.
comments. Eocene.
†Thylacaelurus montanus Russell, 1954
†Thylacaelurus montanus Russell, 1954:96.
type Locality. Kishenehn Formation, SE
British Columbia, Canada.
comments. Middle to late Eocene. This was
originally described as a didelphid marsupial by Russell
(1954:96).
faMily CynoCephalidae siMpson, 1945
Family Cynocephalidae Simpson, 1945:54.
type genus. Cynocephalus Boddaert, 1768:8.
comments. The author of the family is not
Ameghino (1889:893), as his family group name Cynocephalidae
was based on Cynocephalus É. Geoffroy and
G. Cuvier (1795:462), which is a junior synonym of Papio