Phylogeny of the Taeniodonta: evidence from dental characters and stratigraphy

Rook, Deborah L.; Hunter, John P.

doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.550364

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Lucas and Williamson [6] and Lucas et al [3] discussed taeniodont phylogeny based on a limited number of dental characters, including new morphological information from what they considered to be a new early Paleocene taxon, Robertschochia , but once again this was not based on a computer-generated cladistic analysis. Most recently Rook and Hunter [8] published a genealogy of taeniodonts based on a numerical cladistic analysis of dental characters that were largely developed based on the descriptions of Schoch [2], as well as specimens examined by the authors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This analysis will be presented elsewhere, and must follow the description of other new taeniodont specimens from New Mexico. In the meantime, in this paper we discuss the phylogenetic character scores of Wortmania in the dental matrix of Rook and Hunter [8], revise these scores based on information from the new specimens described here, comment on other pertinent character scores for various taxa (including those for “ Robertschochia ”), and present the results of a cladistic analysis using a revised version of the Rook and Hunter [8] matrix.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rook and Hunter [8] scored both Robertshochia (as Schochia ) and Wortmania as separate taxa in their analysis. Robertschochia was not scored for many characters due to missing data (?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Character 11: Rook and Hunter [8] scored the P4 of Wortmania as “triangular” (0) and Robertshochia as “molariform” (2). The P4 of “ Robertschochia ” (based on NMMNH P-9000) and the new Wortmania specimen NMMNH P-64001 are similar in lacking evidence of a metacone and conules, although it is possible that wear has obliterated evidence of their presence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wortmania was long regarded as the earliest and most primitive member of Stylinodontidae and the only member of the subclade to be present in the earliest Paleocene middle and late Puercan North American land-mammal “age” [5]. Recent discoveries have revealed greater stylinodontid diversity in the latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleocene [6,7], but Wortmania remains a vital taxon in understanding the origins of taeniodonts specifically and the initial phase of mammalian diversification after the dinosaur extinction more generally [3,8]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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New Specimens of the Rare Taeniodont Wortmania (Mammalia: Eutheria) from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Comments on the Phylogeny and Functional Morphology of “Archaic” Mammals

Williamson

Brusatte

2013

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundTaeniodonta is a clade of Late Cretaceous – Paleogene mammals remarkable for their relatively extreme cranial, dental, and postcranial adaptations and notable for being among the first mammals to achieve relatively large size following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction. Previous workers have hypothesized that taeniodonts can be divided into two clades: Conoryctidae, a group of small-bodied taeniodonts with supposedly “generalized” postcranial skeletons, and Stylinodontidae, a group of large-bodied, robust animals with massive forelimbs and claws adapted for scratch-digging. However, many taeniodont taxa are poorly known and few are represented by postcranial material, leaving many details about their anatomy, biology, and evolution ambiguous.Methodology/Principal FindingsIn this paper, we describe three new specimens of the rare taxon Wortmaniaotariidens from the early Paleocene (Puercan) of New Mexico. Among these specimens is one that includes remarkably complete cranial and dental material, including associated upper and lower teeth, and another that consists of partial forelimbs. These specimens allow for an updated anatomical description of this unusual taxon, supply new data for phylogenetic analyses, and enable a more constrained discussion of taeniodont biology and functional morphology.Conclusions/SignificanceThe new specimen of Wortmania that includes associated upper and lower teeth indicates that previous interpretations of the upper dentition of this taxon were not accurate and the taxon Robertschochiasullivani is a junior synonym of W . otariidens . New specimens that include partial forelimbs indicate that Wortmania is very similar to later, large-bodied taeniodonts, with marked and distinctive adaptations for scratch-digging. Comparisons with other taeniodont taxa that include postcranial material suggest that all taeniodonts may have had scratch-digging adaptations. A phylogenetic analysis shows that Schowalteria and Onychodectes are basal taeniodonts, Stylinodontidae (including Wortmania) is monophyletic, and a monophyletic Conoryctidae (but not including Onychodectes) is only recovered when certain characters are ordered.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rook and Hunter [8] scored both Robertshochia (as Schochia ) and Wortmania as separate taxa in their analysis. Robertschochia was not scored for many characters due to missing data (?…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%