Ailuropodinae

Ailuropodinae Temporal range: Early Miocene–present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Caniformia
Family:	Ursidae
Subfamily:	Ailuropodinae Grevé, 1894
Genera
†Indarctos †Kretzoiarctos †Agriarctos †Ailurarctos Ailuropoda

Ailuropodinae is a subfamily of Ursidae that contains only one extant species, the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) of China. The fossil record of this group have shown that various species of pandas were more widespread across the Holarctic, with species found in places such as Europe, much of Asia and even North America.^[1][2][3][4] The earliest pandas were not unlike other modern bear species in that they had an omnivorous diet but by around 2.4 million pandas have evolved to be more herbivorous.^[5][6]

Systematics

Ever since the Giant Panda was first described to science they have been a source of taxonomic confusion, having been variously classified as a member of Procyonidae,^[7][8] Ursidae,^[9][10][11] Ailuridae,^[12] or even their own family Ailuropodidae^[13] This in part of their similarities with the Red Panda in particular the presence of a "thumb" and five fingers; the "thumb" – actually a modified sesamoid bone – helps it to hold bamboo while eating.^[14]

Recent genetic studies have shown that ailuropodines are indeed members of the bear family as they are not closely related to Red Pandas, which are placed in their own family Ailuridae.^[15][16] Any similarities between ailuropodines and ailurids are likely to due to convergent evolution as the fossil record has shown the "false thumb" has been required independently for different purposes.^[17] The "false thumb" has actually been found in Spectacled Bears as well, suggesting that it is a plesiomorphic trait among bears that became lost in the Ursinae subfamily.^[18]

Taxonomy

The ailuropodines are divided into two tribes the extinct Indarctini and Ailuropodini; the following taxonomy below is after Abella et al. (2012):

• Ailuropodinae (Grevé, 1894)
  • †Indarctini (Abella et al., 2012)
    • †Indarctos (Pilgrim, 1913)
      • †Indarctos punjabensis (Lydekker, 1884)
      • †Indarctos zdanskyi (Qiu & Tedford, 2003)
      • †Indarctos sinensis (Zdansky, 1924)
      • †Indarctos vireti (Villalta & Crusafont, 1943)
      • †Indarctos arctoides (Deperet, 1895)
      • †Indarctos anthracitis (Weithofer, 1888)
      • †Indarctos salmontanus (Pilgrim, 1913)
      • †Indarctos atticus (Weithofer, 1888)
      • †Indarctos bakalovi (Kovachev, 1988)
      • †Indarctos lagrelli (Zdansky, 1924)
      • †Indarctos oregonensis (Merriam et al., 1916)
      • †Indarctos nevadensis (Macdonald, 1959)
  • Ailuropodini (Grevé, 1894)
    • †Kretzoiarctos (Abella et al., 2012)
      • †Kretzoiarctos beatrix (Abella et al., 2011)
    • †Agriarctos (Kretzoi, 1942)
      • †Agriarctos depereti (Kretzoi, 1942)
      • †Agriarctos vighi (Kretzoi, 1942)
      • †Agriarctos gaali (Kretzoi, 1942)
    • †Ailurarctos (Qi et al., 1989)
      • †Ailurarctos yuanmouensis (Zong, 1997)
      • †Ailurarctos lufengensis (Qi et al., 1989)
    • Ailuropoda (Milne-Edwards, 1870)
      • †Ailuropoda microta (Pei, 1962)
      • †Ailuropoda wulingshanensis (Wang & Alii, 1982)
      • †Ailuropoda minor (Pei, 1962)
      • Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869) - Giant Panda

References