Hedgehog Day 3: Ottoryctes leaves hedgehogs, joins Asioryctes in the LRT

Ottoryctes winkleri
(Bloch, Secord and Gingerich 2004. UM 7262 middle Wasatchian, Early Eocene, 3.6 cm skull length) is a mole-like relative to Asioryctes. The posteriorly wide skull lacks cheek arches, restored here (Fig 1). The tympanic cavities are enlarged and raised above the jaw joint. Here the external bulbous area is restored.

Figure 2. Ottoryctes now nests with Asioryctes and Ukhaatherium among the basal marsupials in the LRT. ” data-image-caption=”

Figure 2. Ottoryctes now nests with Asioryctes and Ukhaatherium among the basal marsupials in the LRT.

” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg?w=129″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg?w=441″ class=”size-full wp-image-91346″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Ottoryctes now nests with Asioryctes and Ukhaatherium among the basal marsupials in the LRT.” width=”584″ height=”1357″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg?w=584&h=1357 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg?w=65&h=150 65w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg?w=129&h=300 129w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/asioryctes_nemegetensis588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />

Figure 2. Ottoryctes now nests with Asioryctes and Ukhaatherium among the basal marsupials in the LRT. Note the premolar in lateral view looks like a molar n palatal view.

Asioryctes nemegetensis
(Kielan-Jaworowska 1975, 1984; middle Late Cretaceous, Djadokhta Formation, ~85 mya) was originally considered a basal placental, but nests with bandicoots in the large reptile tree. Distinct from the original restoration, pedal digits 2 and 3 are gracile, while pedal digit 1 is a vestige.

Bloch, Secord and Gingerich 2004
employed taxa ending in ‘ryctes’ including Ottoryctes and Asioryctes in their small phylogenetic analysis. Another Late Cretaceous Djadokta Formation taxon, Ukhaatherium (Fig 1), nests basal to Ottoryctes and Asioryctes in the LRT, among the most basal marsupials.

Bloch, Secord and Gingerich did not mention Ukhaatherium.
Thankfully, they did mention Asiorcytes, a taxon not mentioned as a palaeoryctid.

Ottoryctes is a member of the Palaeoryctidae.
“The relationship between this archaic group and other insectivorous mammals is uncertain.”

According to Wikipedia – Palaeoryctidae,
“Palaeoryctidae (“ancient diggers”) is an extinct family of non-specialized eutherian mammals from extinct order Palaeoryctida, that lived in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa from the late Cretaceous to the middle Eocene. Generally speaking Palaeoryctidae has been used as a wastebasket taxon for many archaic insectivorous mammals.”

Hopefully getting these taxa all together today
will help future mammal workers test this hypothesis of interrelationships.

References
Bloch JI, Secord R and Gingerich P 2004. Systematics and Phylogeny of Late Paleocene and Early Eocene Palaeoryctinae (Mammalia, Insectivora) from the Clarks Fork and Bighorn Basins, Wyoming. Contrib Mus Paleontol Univ Mich 31(5):119–154.
Kielan-Jaworowska Z 1975. Preliminary description of two new eutherian genera from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Palaeontologia Polonica 33:5-15.
Kielan-Jaworowska, Z 1984. Evolution of the therian mammals in the Late Cretaceous of Asia. Part VII. Synopsis. Palaeontologia Polonica 4:173-183. online pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeoryctidae
wiki/Ottoryctes – not yet posted