Suinae
Encyclopedia
Suinae is a subfamily of mammals that includes at least some of the living members of the family Suidae
and their closest relatives—the domestic pig
and related species, such as babirusa
s. Several extinct species within Suidae are classified in subfamilies other than Suinae. However, the classification of the extinct members of the Suoidea—the larger group that includes the Suidae, the peccary
family (Tayassuidae), and related extinct species—is controversial, and different classifications vary in the number of subfamilies within Suidae and their contents. Some classifications, such as the one proposed by paleontologist Jan van der Made in 2010, even exclude from Suinae some extant taxa of Suidae, placing these excluded taxa in other subfamilies.
In their 1997 Classification of Mammals, Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell classify the Suinae as follows:
In the 2005 third edition of Mammal Species of the World
, which treats only Recent forms, Peter Grubb
followed this classification.
Suidae
Suidae is the biological family to which pigs belong. In addition to numerous fossil species, up to sixteen extant species are currently recognized, classified into between four and eight genera...
and their closest relatives—the domestic pig
Domestic pig
The domestic pig is a domesticated animal that traces its ancestry to the wild boar, and is considered a subspecies of the wild boar or a distinct species in its own right. It is likely the wild boar was domesticated as early as 13,000 BC in the Tigris River basin...
and related species, such as babirusa
Babirusa
The North Sulawesi babirusa, Babyrousa celebensis, is a pig-like animal native to northern Sulawesi and the nearby Lembeh Islands in Indonesia. It has two pairs of large tusks composed of enlarged canine teeth. The canines in the maxilla penetrate the top of the snout, curving back toward the...
s. Several extinct species within Suidae are classified in subfamilies other than Suinae. However, the classification of the extinct members of the Suoidea—the larger group that includes the Suidae, the peccary
Peccary
A peccary is a medium-sized mammal of the family Tayassuidae, or New World Pigs. Peccaries are members of the artiodactyl suborder Suina, as are the pig family and possibly the hippopotamus family...
family (Tayassuidae), and related extinct species—is controversial, and different classifications vary in the number of subfamilies within Suidae and their contents. Some classifications, such as the one proposed by paleontologist Jan van der Made in 2010, even exclude from Suinae some extant taxa of Suidae, placing these excluded taxa in other subfamilies.
In their 1997 Classification of Mammals, Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell classify the Suinae as follows:
- Tribe Suini
- Genus †ExtinctionIn biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
Eumaiochoerus (Miocene) - Genus †Hippopotamodon (Miocene to PleistocenePleistoceneThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
) - Genus †Korynochoerus (Miocene to PliocenePlioceneThe Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
) - Genus †Microstonyx (Miocene)
- Genus Sus (MioceneMioceneThe Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
to Recent)
- Genus †
- Tribe Potamochoerini
- Genus †Celebochoerus (Pliocene to Pleistocene)
- Genus Hylochoerus (Pleistocene to Recent)
- Genus †KolpochoerusKolpochoerusKolpochoerus is an extinct genus of the pig family Suidae related to the modern-day genera Hylochoerus and Potamochoerus. It is believed that most of them inhabited African forests, as opposed to the Bushpig and Red River Hog that inhabit open brush and savannas. There are currently 8 recognized...
(Miocene to Pleistocene) - Genus PotamochoerusPotamochoerusPotamochoerus is a genus in the pig family . The two species are restricted to Sub-saharan Africa, although the Bushpig, possibly due to introduction by man, also occurs in Madagascar and nearby islands.-Species:...
(Miocene to Recent) - Genus †Propotamochoerus (Miocene to Pliocene)
- Tribe †Hippohyini
- Genus †Hippohyus (Miocene to Pleistocene)
- Genus †Sinohyus (Miocene)
- Genus †Sivahyus (Miocene to Pliocene)
- Tribe Phacochoerini
- Genus †MetridiochoerusMetridiochoerusMetridiochoerus is an extinct genus of pig indigenous to the Pliocene and Pleistocene of Africa.-Description:Metridiochoerus was a large animal, in length, resembling a giant warthog. It had two large pairs of tusks which were pointed sideways and curved upwards...
(Pliocene to Pleistocene) - Genus PhacochoerusPhacochoerusPhacochoerus is a genus of wild pigs in the Suidae family that are known as warthogs. It is the sole genus of subfamily Phacochoerinae. They are found in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa...
(Pliocene to Recent) - Genus †Potamochoeroides (Pliocene, possibly Pleistocene)
- Genus †Stylochoerus (Pleistocene)
- Genus †Metridiochoerus
- Tribe Babyrousini
- Genus BabyrousaBabyrousaThe babirusas are a genus, Babyrousa, in the pig family found in Wallacea, or specifically the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula and Buru. All members of this genus were considered part of a single species until 2002, the babirusa, B...
(Pleistocene to Recent)
- Genus Babyrousa
In the 2005 third edition of Mammal Species of the World
Mammal Species of the World
Mammal Species of the World, now in its 3rd edition, is a standard reference work in zoology giving descriptions and bibliographic data for the known species of mammals.An updated Third Edition of Mammal Species of the World was published late in 2005:...
, which treats only Recent forms, Peter Grubb
Peter Grubb (zoologist)
Peter Grubb was an English zoologist. He often collaborated with Colin Groves and described several new mammal taxa including Felis margarita harrisoni , the Bornean Yellow Muntjac, the Nigerian White-throated Guenon, Cephalophus nigrifrons hypoxanthus, the White-legged Duiker, Cephalophus...
followed this classification.
Literature cited
- Grubb, P. 2005. Order Artiodactyla. Pp. 637–722 in Wilson, D.E. and Reeder, D.M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: a taxonomic and geographic reference. 3rd ed. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols., 2142 pp. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0
- McKenna, M.C. and Bell, S.K. 1997. Classification of Mammals: Above the species level. New York: Columbia University Press, 631 pp. ISBN 978-0-231-11013-6
- Orliac, M.J., Antoine, P.-O. and Ducrocq, S. 2010. Phylogenetic relationships of the Suidae (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla): new insights on the relationships within Suoidea (subscription required). Zoologica Scripta 39:315–330.
- Van der Made, J. 2010. The pigs and "Old World peccaries" (Suidae and Palaeochoeridae, Suoidea, Artiodactyla) from the Miocene of Sandelzhausen (southern Germany): phylogeny and an updated classification of the Hyotheriinae and Palaeochoeridae (subscription required). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 84:43–121.