Leithia

Leithia
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene–Late Pleistocene
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Skeleton of Lethia melitensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Gliridae
Subfamily: Leithiinae
Genus: †Leithia
Lydekker, 1896[1]
Type species
†Myoxus melitensis
Adams, 1863[2]
species
  • Leithia melitensis (Adams, 1863)
  • Leithia cartei (Adams, 1863)

Leithia is an extinct genus of giant dormice from the Pleistocene of the Mediterranean islands of Malta and Sicily. It is considered an example of island gigantism. Leithia melitensis is the largest known species of dormouse, living or extinct, being twice the size of any other known species.

  1. ^ Lydekker, Richard (1895). "On the affinities of the so called extinct giant dormouse of Malta". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London: 860–863.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Adams1863 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).