xenarthran

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

[edit]
A southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus), a xenarthran
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

[edit]

From Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos, strange) + ἄρθρον (árthron, joint).

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

xenarthran (plural xenarthrans)

  1. (zoology) Any mammal of the superorder Xenarthra, of the Americas; an anteater, armadillo or sloth.
    • 1978, Terry A. Vaughan, James M. Ryan, Nicholas J. Czaplewski, Mammalogy, page 355:
      Elephant-shrews, xenarthrans, hystricognathous rodents, cetaceans, some pinnipeds, and primates depart sharply from this trend, however.
    • 2000, John F. Eisenberg, Kent H. Redford, Mammals of the Neotropics, volume 3, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, page 90:
      Xenarthrans appear to have originated in South America and to have undergone their major adaptive radiation there (Reig 1981).
    • 2008, Christine Argot, “3: Changing Views in Paleontology: The Story of a Giant (Megatherium, Xenarthra)”, in Eric J. Sargis, Marian Dagosto, editors, Mammalian Evolutionary Morphology: A Tribute to Frederick S. Szalay, page 37:
      Only four xenarthran families are extant today, providing little indication of the past richness of the order.
    • 2010, Ana Maria Jansen, André Luiz Rodrigues Roque, 11: Domestic and Wild Mammalian Reservoirs, Jenny Telleria, Michel Tibayrenc, American Trypanosomiasis: Chagas Disease: One Hundred Years of Research, page 249,
      Marsupials and xenarthrans, which represented the autochthonous mammalian fauna, were T.[Trypanosoma] cruzi’s first hosts.

Usage notes

[edit]

The xenarthrans were previously included within now obsolete (polyphyletic) order Edentata, along with aardvarks and pangolins.

Hypernyms

[edit]
  • (any species of Xenarthra): edentate (obsolete classification)

Hyponyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]