Anachlysictis

Anachlysictis gracilis is an extinct carnivorous mammal belonging to the group Sparassodonta, which were metatherians (a group including marsupials and their close relatives) that inhabited South America during the Cenozoic. Unlike other remains assigned to the family Thylacosmilidae (a group of metatherian predators equipped with "saber teeth") that had been found previously, "Anachlysictis" is the first record of such borhyaenoids in northern South America, and also most primitive and ancient in the family (in fact, it is the first confirmed record that did not belong to the genus "Thylacosmilus", until the official publication of "Patagosmilus" in 2010). This species was found in the Villavieja Formation in the area of La Venta in Colombia, a famous fossil deposit in the Middle Miocene (Laventan; 13.8-11.8 million years ago), based on fragments that include a front portion of the lower jaw, with an incipient molar tooth and a piece of carnassial from the front of the maxilla.
Description.
"Anachlysictis", unlike its better-known relative "Thylacosmilus", was smaller, weighing around , and the specialized features of the latter such as the flanges on the lower jaw to adjust the fangs were smaller (due to the upper canines not being as long, in terms of proportions) and lacked the rim of the eye socket, which would give to the [[skull]] a flattened profile. Otherwise it can be assumed that their [[anatomy]] was generally not as specialized as that of his later relatives, but it had [[carnassial]] teeth to process more effectively meat and flat fangs, located just below the nose, without being cross-rounded as in other unspecialized [[mammal]] [[carnivore]]s, while the accommodation area of the [[masseter]] muscle (involved in the movements of the jaw) was reduced. This is because, as in other related predatory saber-toothed species, such as "Thylacosmilus" and the cat "[[Smilodon]]", this muscle is reduced, leaving more space for the jaw joint to increase its opening angle, which although affecting mandibular power is compensated because they do not need such a large bite force to use their canines because they let the well-developed neck muscles bring down the skull and allow the fangs to cross through the flesh of their prey.
Taxonomy.
Notably, until its discovery it was supposed that "Thylacosmilus" was a close relative of the family [[Borhyaenidae]], or even a specialized member of the same, having emerged in the Late [[Miocene]]; the most primitive characteristics and age of "Anachlysictis" suggest a previous origins of the thylacosmilids at the base of the superfamily [[Borhyaenoidea]], whose [[monophyly]] needs review. In fact, the pattern of the molars of "Anachlysictis" is very similar to the little-known methatherian "[[Hondadelphys]]", also from the [[Honda Group, Colombia|Honda Group]] at the [[Lagerstätte|Konzentrat-Lagerstätte]] [[La Venta (Colombia)|La Venta]] that was considered early as a rare species of [[opossum]] and now considered a primitive member of the [[Sparassodonta]], so "Hondadelphys" could well represent the sister clade of Thylacosmilidae.
External links.
[[Category:Sparassodonts]]
[[Category:Miocene mammals of South America]]
[[Category:Laventan]]
[[Category:Neogene Colombia]]
[[Category:Fossils of Colombia]]
[[Category:Honda Group, Colombia]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1997]]
[[Category:Prehistoric mammal genera]]