New Jurassic mammals from Como Bluff, Wyoming, and the interrelationships of non-tribosphenic Theria. Bulletin of the AMNH ; v. 167, article 5
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Date
1981
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New York : American Museum of Natural History
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Abstract
"A joint American Museum of Natural History-Yale University expedition reopened Quarry Nine at Como Bluff, Wyoming, in 1968-1970. This locality has produced all but six of about 250 Jurassic mammal specimens known from North America prior to 1968. During the renewed collecting, four additional prospects were found in the vicinity, and 25 fossil mammal jaws and numerous teeth were collected. A new genus and species of dryolestid, Comotherium richi, is described. The dryolestid genera Melanodon and Herpetairus are reviewed and rediagnosed. The anterior dentition of Melanodon goodrichi and better material of Herpetairus humilis are described. The crown and labial views of Kepolestes, previously obscured in matrix, are described. No dryolestid jaw in this collection shows any trace of a coronoid or splenial, contrary to the condition reported in Kimmeridgian Portuguese dryolestids. The systematics of primitive Theria are reviewed, and an hypothesis of relationships for the non-tribosphenic Theria is proposed. This hypothesis corroborates the hypothesis of McKenna (1975). It is concluded that the symmetrodonts are a monophyletic group, and that Amphitherium is most closely related to the dryolestids. A cladistic classification of the non-tribosphenic Theria is proposed. Six new taxa are named: sublegions Amphidontoidea and Spalacotherioidea, and infraclasses Tinodontida, Spalacotheriida, Amphitheriida, and Dryolestida. It is strongly urged that the term 'pantothere' be abandoned, because it has misleading phylogenetic connotations and because it obscures non-tribosphenic therian diversity"--P. 281.
Description
p. 281-325 : ill., map ; 26 cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 323-325).
Includes bibliographical references (p. 323-325).
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