New dental and dentary fossils collected in the Upper Cretaceous La Colonia Formation in central Patagonia provide new evidence on the morphology, feeding ecology, and relationships of the enigmatic mammal Reigitherium. The newly discovered specimens described here include elements of the upper dentition and several partial dentaries, elucidating fundamental questions of serial homology and postcanine dental formula (four premolars and three molars). This new evidence supports a nested position of Reigitherium within the advanced meridiolestidan clade Mesungulatoidea. Apomorphic features of the upper and lower molariform elements include intense enamel crenulation circumscribed within the primary trigon and trigonid, elevated cingulids, and the neomorphic appearance of cusps/cuspulids, all of which increase overall crown complexity. A Dental Topography Analysis comparing Reigitherium and its sister taxon Peligrotherium to Cretaceous and Cenozoic therians demonstrates functional similarity between the mesungulatoids and South American marsupial taxa that succeed them in the small-to medium-sized herbivore niche during the Paleocene. Previous taxonomic attributions of Reigitherium are discussed and comparisons with other meridiolestidans highlight the remarkable radiation of this group in the Cretaceous of South America.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.