Gobiconodonts from the early Cretaceous of Oshih (Ashile), Mongolia

Title Variants

Alternative: Early Cretaceous Gobiconodonts

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3348

By

Rougier, Guillermo W.
Novacek, Michael J.
McKenna, Malcolm C.
Wible, John R.
Mongolian-American Museum Paleontological Project.
Mongolyn Shinzhlėkh Ukhaany Akademi.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2001

Notes

Caption title.

"October 31, 2001."

Specimens collected during the 1997 and 1999 Mongolian Academy of Sciences-American Museum of Natural History expeditions.

We describe here the first discovered mammalian remains from the Mongolian early Cretaceous locality Oshih (Ashile). Four fragmentary, tooth-bearing specimens, probably corresponding to three individuals, have been recovered. All the fossils can be assigned to the family Gobiconodontidae (Chow and Rich, 1984). The specimens include three lower jaw fragments and one upper jaw fragment, and represent at least two different taxa. Gobiconodon hopsoni, n. sp., is described and diagnosed here. This new species is larger than G. ostromi (early Cretaceous Cloverly Formation, USA); thus, it is the largest triconodont and one of the largest Mesozoic mammals known. Gobiconodon sp., found also at Oshih, is slightly larger than G. borissiaki, from the early Cretaceous of Khoobur, Mongolia, but smaller than G. ostromi. The specimens of this second species are poorly preserved and provide insufficient data for a diagnosis. The status of the different species of Gobiconodon and the new gobiconodontid Hangjinia is reviewed. In gobiconodontids and Triconodontidae, the maxillae appear to make a significant contribution to the orbital rim, a condition unusual among basal mammals, in which the lacrimal and jugal are the main components. Other triconodonts such as Jeholodens, likely an "amphilestid", appear to show the primitive mammalian condition for this feature. We present a brief consideration of triconodont relationships and discuss alternative placements of Gobiconodon among Mammaliaformes.

Subjects

Cretaceous , Gobiconodontidae , Mammals, Fossil , Mongolia , Paleontology

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3348 2001

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2001)348<0001:GFTECO>2.0.CO;2
OCLC: 48470520