A new spalacotheriid symmetrodont from the early Cretaceous of northeastern China

Title Variants

Alternative: New symmetrodont

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3475

By

Hu, Yaoming.
Fox, Richard C.
Wang, Yuanqing (Paleontologist)
Li, Chuan-Kuei.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2005

Notes

Caption title.

"May 11, 2005."

Symmetrodonts are Mesozoic mammals having lower molars with nearly symmetrical trigonids but lacking talonids. They appear to be stem members of the mammalian clade that led to extant tribosphenic mammals, but the fossil record of symmetrodonts is poor. Here we report a new genus and species of an acute-angled spalacotheriid symmetrodont, Heishanlestes changi, n.gen. and n.sp., represented by well-preserved lower jaws with teeth from the early Cretaceous of northeastern China. The new mammal has four tightly spaced premolars and three morphological groups of lower molars, in which the first molar has an obtuse trigonid angle and the last two molars have a large neomorphic cusp in the center of the trigonid, a feature not seen in other mammals. Heishanlestes appears to be a specialized member of the spalacotheriid subfamily, Spalacolestinae, which is otherwise only known from North America. The animal probably used the premolars to crush its prey before shearing it with the molars.

Subjects

China , Cretaceous , Heishanlestes changi , Liaoning Sheng , Mammals, Fossil , Paleontology , Teeth, Fossil

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3475 2005

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2005)475[0001:ANSSFT]2.0.CO;2
OCLC: 60404720