The origin of glyptodonts – not from armadillos
Tradition nests glyptodonts
(Fig 1) close to similarly armored armadillos. However recent results recovered by the large reptile tree (LRT, 2336 taxa, subset Fig 2) now separate gylptodonts from armadillos.
Figure 1. Barylambda, Pholidocercus and Glyptodon not to scale.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg?w=158″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg?w=539″ class=”size-full wp-image-91566″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Barylambda, Pholidocercus and Glyptodon not to scale.” width=”584″ height=”1109″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg?w=584&h=1109 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg?w=79&h=150 79w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg?w=158&h=300 158w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus.barylambda_glyptodon588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 1. Barylambda, Pholidocercus and Glyptodon to scale (tiny Pholidocercus in tiny box) and Pholidocercus enlarged. Note the similar morphology to Glyptodon, even at this early and reduced stage.
Perhaps more interesting
a small, semi-armored, traditional hedgehog relative, Pholidocercus (Fig 1) now bridges the morphological gap between big unarmored Barylambda and big fully-armored Glyptodon.
Once again, phylogenetic miniaturization (Fig 1) occurs at the genesis of novel morphologies in vertebrate evolution.
Figure 2. Subset of the LRT focusing on armadillos separate from glyptodonts.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg?w=177″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91567″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg” alt=”Figure 2. Subset of the LRT focusing on armadillos separate from glyptodonts.” width=”584″ height=”992″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg?w=584&h=992 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg?w=88&h=150 88w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg?w=177&h=300 177w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/armadillos_glyptodonts588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Subset of the LRT focusing on armadillos (light red) separate from glyptodonts (yellow).
Earlier
big Barylambda nested at the base of big sloths + big glyptodonts with an assumed big and as yet undiscovered transitional taxon bridging that gap. Now that transitional taxon is a little one.
That’s more like it, as they say.
Figure 3. Pholidocercus and Barylambda skulls not to scale.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg?w=300″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg?w=584″ class=”size-full wp-image-91569″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Pholidocercus and Barylambda skulls not to scale.” width=”584″ height=”511″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg?w=584&h=511 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg?w=150&h=131 150w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg?w=300&h=263 300w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pholidocercus-barylambda-skull588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Pholidocercus and Barylambda skulls not to scale. Pholidocercus has a larger orbit and smaller rostrum, traits typical of neotonous ancestors of smaller size.
This appears to be a novel hypothesis of interrelationships.
If not, please provide a citation so I can promote it here.
References
Gingerich PD and Childress CG Jr 1983. Barylambda churchilli, a new species of Pantolambdidae (Mammalia, Pantodonta) from the Late Paleocene of Western North America. Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan.
von Koenigswald W and Storch Gh 1983. Pholidocercus hassiacus, ein Amphilermuride aus dem Eozan der “Grube Messel” bei Darmstadt (Mammalia: Lipotyphla). Senchenberg Lethaia 64:447–459.
Osborn HF 1903. Glyptotherium texanum, a new glyptodont from the lower Pleistocene of Texas. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 19(17):491-494.
Patterson B 1933. A new species of the amblypod Titanoides from western Colorado. American Journal of Science, 25:4 15-425.
Patterson B 1937. A new genus, Barylambda, for Titanoides faberi, Paleocene amblypod. Geological Series, Field Museum of Natural History, 6:229-231.
Simons EL 1960. The Paleocene Pantodonta. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series 50(6):1-81
wiki/Barylambda
wiki/Glyptotherium
wiki/Pholidocercus
wiki/Glyptodon
wiki/Glyptodont
wiki/Armadillo
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/02/07/the-origin-of-glyptodonts-not-from-armadillos/
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