The upper dentition and relationships of the enigmatic Australian Cretaceous mammal Kollikodon ritchiei

Pian, Rebecca; Archer, Michael; Hand, Suzanne J.; Beck, Robin M. D.; Cody, Andrew

doi:10.24199/j.mmv.2016.74.10

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge was previously considered Albian in age (e.g., Dettman et al, 1992; Smith, 1999; Smith & Kear, 2013), but recent radiometric dating indicates a Cenomanian (96.6–100.2 Ma; Bell et al, 2019) age, slightly younger than the lower Winton Formation at Isisford (see Tucker et al, 2013). The Griman Creek Formation has produced a diverse assemblage of vertebrate fossils (see Bell et al, 2019 for a comprehensive overview) apart from crocodyliforms, including aspidorhynchids (Bell et al, 2019), lamniforms (Bell et al, 2019), dipnoans (Kemp, 1997a; Kemp, 1997b), meiolaniform and chelid testudines (Smith, 2009; Smith, 2010; Smith & Kear, 2013), leptocleidid plesiosaurs (Kear, 2006), anhanguerian pterosaurs (Brougham, Smith & Bell, 2017), ankylosaurians (Bell, Burns & Smith, 2017), small and large bodied ornithopods (Molnar & Galton, 1986; Molnar, 1996; Bell et al, 2018), titanosauriform sauropods (Molnar & Salisbury, 2005), megaraptorid theropods (Bell et al, 2015; Brougham, Smith & Bell, 2019), enantiornithes (Bell et al, 2019) and australosphenid mammals (Archer et al, 1985; Flannery et al, 1995; Clemens, Wilson & Molnar, 2003; Pian et al, 2016; T. Rich in Poropat et al, 2018).…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Isisfordia molnarisp. nov., a new basal eusuchian from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, Australia

Hart

Bell

Smith³

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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The Australian Mesozoic crocodyliform record is sparse in comparison to other Gondwanan localities. A single formally-named taxon is known from this interval; Isisfordia duncani (Winton Formation, Albian–Turonian, Queensland). We present a previously undescribed crocodyliform braincase from the Griman Creek Formation (Cenomanian), New South Wales, which we assign to Isisfordia molnari sp. nov. Assignment to the genus is based on the possession of a newly-defined autapomorphy of Isisfordia: a broadly exposed prootic within the supratemporal foramen. A second autapomorphy of I. duncani (maximum diameter of the caudal aperture of the cranioquadrate siphonium approximately one-third the mediolateral width of the foramen magnum, with the lateral wall of the caudal aperture formed exclusively by the quadrate) may also be present in I. molnari; however, definitive recognition of this feature is marred by incomplete preservation. The new taxon is differentiated from I. duncani based on the absence of a median ridge on the parietal, and the lack of characteristic ridges on the parietal that form the medial margin of the supratemporal foramina. Reanalysis of a second specimen (the former holotype of the nomen dubium,‘Crocodylus (Bottosaurus) selaslophensis’) allows for its referral to the genus Isisfordia. Crucial to this reappraisal is the reinterpretation of the specimen as a partial maxilla, not the dentary as previously thought. This maxillary fragment possesses specific characteristics shared only with I. duncani; namely an alveolar groove. However, several key features differentiate the maxillary fragment from I. duncani, specifically the presence of continuous alveolar septa, the thickening of the medial alveolar rim, and the alveolar and crown base morphology. These findings constitute the first evidence of Isisfordia outside of the type locality and indicate its widespread occurrence on the freshwater floodplains along the eastern margin of the epeiric Eromanga Sea during the Albian–Cenomanian.

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Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Isisfordia molnarisp. nov., a new basal eusuchian from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, Australia

Hart

Bell

Smith³

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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“…None of the older monotreme fossils now known from the Early Cretaceous (146–100 Mya) such as Steropodon galmani , Kollikodon ritchiei , Kryoryctes cadburyi , and Teinolophos trusleri (Archer et al 1985; Flannery et al 1995; Rich et al 1999, 2001, 2016; Pridmore et al 2005; Pian et al 2016; Fig. 4D–H) have been demonstrated to be ornithorhynchids or tachyglossids.…”

Section: Fossil Record and Phylogeographymentioning

confidence: 99%

The platypus: evolutionary history, biology, and an uncertain future

Bino

Kingsford

Archer

et al. 2019

Journal of Mammalogy

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The platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus ) is one of the world’s most evolutionarily distinct mammals, one of five extant species of egg-laying mammals, and the only living species within the family Ornithorhynchidae. Modern platypuses are endemic to eastern mainland Australia, Tasmania, and adjacent King Island, with a small introduced population on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and are widely distributed in permanent river systems from tropical to alpine environments. Accumulating knowledge and technological advancements have provided insights into many aspects of its evolutionary history and biology but have also raised concern about significant knowledge gaps surrounding distribution, population sizes, and trends. The platypus’ distribution coincides with many of Australia’s major threatening processes, including highly regulated and disrupted rivers, intensive habitat destruction, and fragmentation, and they were extensively hunted for their fur until the early 20th century. Emerging evidence of local population declines and extinctions identifies that ecological thresholds have been crossed in some populations and, if threats are not addressed, the species will continue to decline. In 2016, the IUCN Red Listing for the platypus was elevated to “Near Threatened,” but the platypus remains unlisted on threatened species schedules of any Australian state, apart from South Australia, or nationally. In this synthesis, we review the evolutionary history, genetics, biology, and ecology of this extraordinary mammal and highlight prevailing threats. We also outline future research directions and challenges that need to be met to help conserve the species.

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“…Not all of the larger Mesozoic taxa are represented by crania or even complete dentaries, thus precluding precise comparisons, but even fairly complete jaws are sufficient to reveal the presence of many species larger than brown rats (Rattus norvegicus, average ∼400 g; Nowak, 1991) and, in some cases, even guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus, average ∼1 kg; Nowak, 1991). These taxa include, for instance, Steropodon galmani and Kollikodon ritchei from the Early Cretaceous of Australia (Archer et al, 1985;Flannery et al, 1995;Pian et al, 2016); Vincelestes neuquenianus from the Early Cretaceous of Argentina (Rougier, 1993); Repenomamus robustus and Laioconodon hui from the Early Cretaceous of China (Li et al, 2001;Hu et al, 2005;Meng et al, 2011); Catopsbaatar catopsaloides and Mangasbaatar udanii from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia (Kielan-Jaworowska et al, 2005;Rougier et al, 2016); Yubaatar zhongyuanensis from the Late Cretaceous of China (Xu et al, 2015); Gobiconodon ostromi and Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch from the Early Cretaceous of the U.S.A. (Jenkins and Schaff, 1988;Huttenlocker et al, 2018); Didelphodon vorax from the Late Cretaceous of Canada and the U.S.A. (Gordon, 2003;Wilson et al, 2016); and Schowalteria clemensi from the Late Cretaceous of Canada (Fox and Naylor, 2003).…”

Section: Body Mass Of Adalatherium Hui and Other Mesozoic Mammaliaformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction to Adalatherium hui (Gondwanatheria, Mammalia) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

Krause

Groenke

Hoffmann

et al. 2020

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

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Adalatherium hui is a latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) gondwanatherian mammal based on only a single specimen, a virtually complete, articulated, and well-preserved skull and postcranial skeleton. The specimen is the most complete and best preserved of any mammaliaform from the Mesozoic of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. It was discovered in the Anembalemba Member of the Maevarano Formation in the Mahajanga Basin of northwestern Madagascar. The holotype specimen includes the only complete lower jaw and the only postcranial remains known for Gondwanatheria, which, other than the cranium of Vintana sertichi (also from the latest Cretaceous of Madagascar), are represented only by isolated teeth and fragmentary dentaries. Despite being represented by an immature individual, A. hui is third only to V. sertichi and Coloniatherium cilinskii as the largest Mesozoic mammaliaform (based on body fossils) from Gondwana. Here, we (1) review the paucity of mammaliamorph skull and postcranial skeletal material from the Mesozoic of Gondwana relative to the record from Laurasia; (2) review the systematic paleontology of A. hui; (3) provide an overview of the history of discovery of the holotype specimen; (4) detail the preservation of the holotype, its preparation history, and the imaging techniques used to study it; (5) provide an overview of the geological context of A. hui, which indicates that the species lived close to the end-Cretaceous extinction event in a highly seasonal, semiarid climate; and (6) estimate the body mass of A. hui in the context of other Mesozoic mammaliaforms.

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The upper dentition and relationships of the enigmatic Australian Cretaceous mammal Kollikodon ritchiei

Cited by 13 publications

References 34 publications

Isisfordia molnarisp. nov., a new basal eusuchian from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, Australia

Isisfordia molnarisp. nov., a new basal eusuchian from the mid-Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, Australia

The platypus: evolutionary history, biology, and an uncertain future

Introduction to Adalatherium hui (Gondwanatheria, Mammalia) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

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