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Marsupial mammal from the Upper Cretaceous North Horn Formation, Central Utah

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2015

Richard L. Cifelli  and
Christian De Muizon
Richard L. Cifelli
Affiliation:
Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman 73019,
Christian De Muizon
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Paléontologie–URA CNRS 12, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 8, rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France
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Abstract

Little is known of the non-dinosaurian fauna from the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) part of the North Horn Formation, despite its biogeographic importance. Herein we describe a new marsupial mammal from the unit, founded on an exceptionally complete specimen of a juvenile individual, and present new information on the incisor region of early marsupials, based on comparison with complete specimens from the early Paleocene of Bolivia. Alphadon eatoni, new species, is the smallest Lancian species of the genus, and departs from a presumed marsupial morphotype in having the second lower incisor enlarged. The species is, however, primitive in lacking a “staggered” pattern to the incisor series and in having a labial mandibular foramen, and in these respects it differs from Paleocene and later marsupials. Poor representation of other taxa precludes meaningful comparison to most other North American Cretaceous marsupials, although Eodelphis, thought to be distantly related, also has an enlarged i2. Although Alphadon is characterized by many primitive features, the relative development of the incisors is not what would be predicted in a morphological antecedent to later Marsupialia.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 72 , Issue 3 , May 1998 , pp. 532 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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