Monotrematum

Monotrematum; Temporal range:Early Paleocene(Peligran); ~61Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Artist's restoration as anObdurodon-like animal
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Monotremata
Family:	Ornithorhynchidae(?)
Genus:	†Monotrematum; Pascualet al.1992
Species:	†M. sudamericanum
Binomial name
	†Monotrematum sudamericanum; Pascualet al.1992

Monotrematum sudamericanumis an extinctmonotreme speciesfrom the Paleocene (Peligran)Salamanca FormationinPatagonia,Argentina.^[1]It is one of only two monotremes found outsideOceania.

Taxonomy

A species described in 1992 and assigned to a new genusMonotrematumas the type. It is currently the only known species of the genus. The authors compared their fossil material to the genusObdurodon,ornithorhynchidspecies first discovered at Australian fossil sites in 1975. It is considered to possibly be astem-ornithorhynchid, although this is uncertain given that several divergence estimates have found the family to be significantly younger.^[2]^[3]

Description

Monotrematum sudamericanumis known only from two lower and one upperplatypus-like teeth. It is the only known non-Australasian ornithorhynchid.The main difference, apart from continent and age, is its size: the teeth ofMonotrematumare around twice as large as those of other similar species in the related genusObdurodon.The teeth ofM. sudamericanumpresently reside in the collections ofMuseo de La PlataandMuseo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio,both in Argentina.^[4]^[5]

According to Pascual, "The preserved enamel in the central region shows that the crown pattern is almost identical to that ofObdurodon:it is composed of two V-shaped lobes, the anterior of which is wider, separated from the posterior one by a valley that connects the lingual and buccal sides of the crown separating the anterior and posterior lobes. "

References

^MonotrematumatFossilworks.org
^Flannery, T. F.; Rich, T. H.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Ziegler, T.; Veatch, E. G.; Helgen, K. M. (2022)."A review of monotreme (Monotremata) evolution".Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.46(1): 3–20.Bibcode:2022Alch...46....3F.doi:10.1080/03115518.2022.2025900.S2CID 247542433.
^Flannery, Timothy F.; McCurry, Matthew R.; Rich, Thomas H.; Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Smith, Elizabeth T.; Helgen, Kristofer M. (2024-05-26)."A diverse assemblage of monotremes (Monotremata) from the Cenomanian Lightning Ridge fauna of New South Wales, Australia".Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.48(2): 319–337.Bibcode:2024Alch...48..319F.doi:10.1080/03115518.2024.2348753.ISSN 0311-5518.
^Pascual, R.; Archer, M.; Jaureguizar, E.O.; Prado, J.L.; Godthelp, H.; Hand, S.J. (1992). "First discovery of monotremes in South America".Nature.356(6371): 704–706.Bibcode:1992Natur.356..704P.doi:10.1038/356704a0.
^Pascual, R.; Goin, F.J.; Balarino, L.; Sauthier, D.E.U. (2002)."New data on the Paleocene monotremeMonotrematum sudamericanum,and the convergent evolution of triangulate molars "(PDF).Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.47(3): 487–492.Retrieved2020-01-21.

External links

Data related toMonotrematumat Wikispecies

[1] MonotrematumatFossilworks.org

[2] Flannery, T. F.; Rich, T. H.; Vickers-Rich, P.; Ziegler, T.; Veatch, E. G.; Helgen, K. M. (2022)."A review of monotreme (Monotremata) evolution".Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.46(1): 3–20.Bibcode:2022Alch...46....3F.doi:10.1080/03115518.2022.2025900.S2CID 247542433.

[:0-3] Flannery, Timothy F.; McCurry, Matthew R.; Rich, Thomas H.; Vickers-Rich, Patricia; Smith, Elizabeth T.; Helgen, Kristofer M. (2024-05-26)."A diverse assemblage of monotremes (Monotremata) from the Cenomanian Lightning Ridge fauna of New South Wales, Australia".Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology.48(2): 319–337.Bibcode:2024Alch...48..319F.doi:10.1080/03115518.2024.2348753.ISSN 0311-5518.

[Pascual1992-4] Pascual, R.; Archer, M.; Jaureguizar, E.O.; Prado, J.L.; Godthelp, H.; Hand, S.J. (1992). "First discovery of monotremes in South America".Nature.356(6371): 704–706.Bibcode:1992Natur.356..704P.doi:10.1038/356704a0.

[Pascual2002-5] Pascual, R.; Goin, F.J.; Balarino, L.; Sauthier, D.E.U. (2002)."New data on the Paleocene monotremeMonotrematum sudamericanum,and the convergent evolution of triangulate molars "(PDF).Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.47(3): 487–492.Retrieved2020-01-21.

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