A large mimotonid from the Middle Eocene of China sheds light on the evolution of lagomorphs and their kin

Mimolagus aurorae holotype right M3 IVPP V20115 and referred teeth and tarsals document a large middle-Eocene mimotonid; estimated body mass and convergence on small tapiroid ecomorphology derive from astragalar regression and functional comparison, not direct ecology or ancestry.

The 66–0 Ma Glires route is a K–Pg-to-present navigation/model envelope contextualized by post-K–Pg placental analyses and a 47.8–41.2 Ma Mimolagus fossil sample; it does not date crown Glires or assert continuous fossil occupancy.

Mimolagus aurorae is bounded by holotype right M3 IVPP V20115 and referred teeth and tarsals from the lower Irdin Manha Formation within an approximately 47.8–41.2 Ma interval; this does not establish a global genus range or direct glires ancestry.

Right M3 IVPP V20115 and referred material are assigned to Mimolagus aurorae in the published comparison; mimotonid and lagomorph affinities are matrix- and character-dependent, not direct ancestry.

The profile is restricted to the lower Irdin Manha Formation sample in the Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol, China; this does not establish the complete distribution or origin centre of Mimolagus or Glires.

Dental and tarsal comparisons support herbivory, locomotor and body-mass inferences for the source sample, but direct food use, habitat use and behaviour were not observed.

Holotype right upper third molar IVPP V20115 and referred teeth and tarsals directly record the dental and postcranial characters used in Mimolagus comparisons.