Exiguodon – Wikipedia

Posted on by

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Extinct genus of mammal

Exiguodon (“strict tooth”) is an extinct genus of hyainailourid hyaenodont mammal of the polyphyletic tribe Hyainailourini within paraphyletic subfamily Hyainailourinae. Remains are known from early Miocene deposits in Kenya and Uganda, in East Africa.

Description[edit]

Exiguodon is distinguished from other hyainailourines by the following features: diminutive dimensions, lower molars (m3 – m2) with greatly reduced talonid; protoconid and paraconid similar in size. Paraconid of the molars lingually oriented. M2 and M1 close in size and morphology. Occlusal outline sub-triangular, with greatly reduced protocone, which appears like an antero-lingual cingulum which extends anteriorly and buccally. Presence of a strong parastyle in an antero-buccal position, united to the apex of the paracone by a well defined crista. The buccal cingulum borders a wide buccal platform, particularly large in the M2. Paracone tall and narrow, elongated blade-like metastyle. P4 broadened, with reduced protocone and presence of a notch between the main conical cusp and the blade-like posterior cusp.[1]

Classification and phylogeny[edit]

Taxonomy[edit]

Exiguodon pilgrimi was originally described as Hyaenodon (Isohyaenodon) pilgrimi by R. J. G. Savage (1965), who coined Isohyaenodon as a subgenus of Hyaenodon. Later authors recognized Isohyaenodon as distinct from Hyaenodon, and Morales and Pickford (2017) eventually realized that pilgrimi was sufficiently distinct from all other African hyainailourines to warrant its own genus, which they named Exiguodon.[1]

Phylogeny[edit]

The phylogenetic relationships of genus Exiguodon are shown in the following cladogram:[4][5][6][7][8]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Jorge Morales; Martin Pickford (2017). “New hyaenodonts (Ferae, Mammalia) from the Early Miocene of Napak (Uganda), Koru (Kenya) and Grillental (Namibia)” (PDF). Fossil Imprint. 73 (3–4): 332–359. doi:10.2478/if-2017-0019. S2CID 31350436.
  2. ^ R. J. G. Savage (1965.) “Fossil Mammals of Africa: The Miocene Carnivora of East Africa.” Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Geology 10(8):241-316
  3. ^ A. V. Lavrov (1999.) “Adaptive Radiation of Hyaenodontinae (Creodonta, Hyaenodontidae) of Asia.” in 6th Congress of the Theriological Society, Moscow, April 13–16, p. 138 [in Russian].
  4. ^ Borths, Matthew R.; Stevens, Nancy J. (2017). “Deciduous dentition and dental eruption of Hyainailouroidea (Hyaenodonta, “Creodonta,” Placentalia, Mammalia)”. Palaeontologia Electronica. 20 (3): 55A. doi:10.26879/776.
  5. ^ Matthew R. Borths; Nancy J. Stevens (2019). “Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, gen. et sp. nov. (Hyainailourinae, Hyaenodonta, ‘Creodonta,’ Mammalia), a gigantic carnivore from the earliest Miocene of Kenya”. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39 (1): e1570222. doi:10.1080/02724634.2019.1570222. S2CID 145972918.
  6. ^ Floréal Solé; Bernard Marandat; Fabrice Lihoreau (2020). “The hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the French locality of Aumelas (Hérault), with possible new representatives from the late Ypresian”. Geodiversitas. 42 (13): 185–214. doi:10.5252/geodiversitas2020v42a13. S2CID 219585388.
  7. ^ Solé, F.; Morlo, M.; Schaal, T.; Lehmann, T. (2021). “New hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the late Ypresian locality of Prémontré (France) support a radiation of the hyaenodonts in Europe already at the end of the early Eocene”. Geobios. 66–67: 119–141. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2021.02.004. S2CID 234848856.
  8. ^ Averianov, Alexander; Obraztsova, Ekaterina; Danilov, Igor; Jin, Jian-Hua (2023). “A new hypercarnivorous hyaenodont from the Eocene of South China”. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 11. doi:10.3389/fevo.2023.1076819/full. ISSN 2296-701X.