Heptaxodontidae Anthony 1917

Wilson, Don E. & Reeder, DeeAnn, 2005, Order Rodentia - Family Heptaxodontidae, Mammal Species of the World: a Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3 rd Edition), Volume 2, Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 1599-1600 : 1599

Heptaxodontidae Anthony 1917

Heptaxodontidae Anthony 1917 , Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 37 (4): 183.

Synonyms: Amblyrhizinae Schaub 1951 ; Elasmodontomyinae Anthony 1917 .

Genera: 4 genera with 4 species in 2 subfamilies:

Subfamily Clidomyinae Woods 1989

Genus Clidomys Anthony 1920 (1 species)

Subfamily Heptaxodontinae Anthony 1917

Genus Amblyrhiza Cope 1868 (1 species)

Genus Elasmodontomys Anthony 1916 (1 species)

Genus Quemisia Miller 1929 (1 species)

Discussion: Known only from sub-Recent fossils from Greater and N Lesser Antilles ( Woods, 1989 a). Whether Amblyrhiza and Clidomys became extinct before or after humans arrived in the West Indies is debatable. This family is often placed near the Chinchillidae based on similar laminar plates of molariform teeth. One genus ( Quemisia ) is very similar in dental morphology to capromyids, however, and it is possible to derive all of the conditions seen in heptaxodontids from dental patterns found within the Capromyidae . This family should be placed adjacent to the Capromyidae .