Talk:Placentalia
From Academic Kids
I have moved the information in Eutheria back to this page. Some time ago, a user posted a question on the talk page for Marsupial, wondering if the subclass should be changed to Metatheria. Since neither I nor the User (PlatinumX) was qualified to make such a decision, I decided to solicit users for their input. Unfortunately, after four opinions were voiced, no one else took any notice. At the request of UtherSRG, I decided to go ahead with the changes recommended following my input solicitation. The results were as follows: three of the four votes for a system dividing the class Mammalia into three subclasses, Monotremata-Marsupialia-Placentalia. Josh argued that this system should be adopted for clarity, because derivatives of the three taxa are the names used in everyday speech (when was the last time you heard a marsupial called a metathere?). The only other system that received a vote (one vote from me), was a system in which there are two subclasses (Prototheria, consisting of Monotremata, and Theria, consisting of Marsupialia and Placentalia). The vote for this was cast on the grounds of evolutionary taxonomy, in which the groups most closely related are grouped most closely. To paraphrase Josh again, this provides very little evolutionary information, but the cost is that one must list both subclass and infraclass in every taxobox. Suffice it to say, this is the purpose I have in moving it back to Placentalia.--Ingoolemo 17:31, 2004 Jun 17 (UTC)
