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Australosphenida
The Australosphenida are a clade of mammals, containing mammals with tribosphenic molars, known from the Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous of Gondwana. They are thought to have acquired their tribosphenic molars independently from those of Tribosphenida. Fossils of australosphenidans have been found from the Jurassic of Madagascar and Argentina, and Cretaceous of Australia and Argentina. Monotremes have also been considered a part of this group in some studies, but this is disputed. Taxonomy This grouping includes the following taxa: *† Henosferidae, including the genera '' Ambondro'', '' Asfaltomylos'', and '' Henosferus'' from the Jurassic of Argentina and Madagascar. *† Ausktribosphenidae, including the genera '' Ausktribosphenos'', ''Bishops'' from the Lower Cretaceous of Australia and Mid-Cretaceous of Argentina *†''Vincelestes'', sometimes recovered as an australosphenidan (when not inversely considered a cladotherian).Nicholas Chimento, Frederico Agnolin, Agustin Marti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambondro Mahabo
''Ambondro mahabo'' is a mammal from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Isalo III Formation (about 167 million years ago) of Madagascar. The only described species of the genus ''Ambondro'', it is known from a fragmentary lower jaw with three teeth, interpreted as the last premolar and the first two molars. The premolar consists of a central cusp with one or two smaller cusps and a cingulum (shelf) on the inner, or lingual, side of the tooth. The molars also have such a lingual cingulum. They consist of two groups of cusps: a trigonid of three cusps at the front and a talonid with a main cusp, a smaller cusp, and a crest at the back. Features of the talonid suggest that ''Ambondro'' had tribosphenic molars, the basic arrangement of molar features also present in marsupial and placental mammals. It is the oldest known mammal with putatively tribosphenic teeth; at the time of its discovery it antedated the second oldest example by about 25 million years. Upon its description in 1999 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ambondro (genus)
''Ambondro mahabo'' is a mammal from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Isalo III Formation (about 167 million years ago) of Madagascar. The only described species of the genus ''Ambondro'', it is known from a fragmentary lower jaw with three teeth, interpreted as the last premolar and the first two molars. The premolar consists of a central cusp with one or two smaller cusps and a cingulum (shelf) on the inner, or lingual, side of the tooth. The molars also have such a lingual cingulum. They consist of two groups of cusps: a trigonid of three cusps at the front and a talonid with a main cusp, a smaller cusp, and a crest at the back. Features of the talonid suggest that ''Ambondro'' had tribosphenic molars, the basic arrangement of molar features also present in marsupial and placental mammals. It is the oldest known mammal with putatively tribosphenic teeth; at the time of its discovery it antedated the second oldest example by about 25 million years. Upon its description in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henosferus
''Henosferus'' is an extinct genus of australosphenidan mammal from Lower Jurassic of Argentina. The only recorded species, ''Henosferus molus'', was found in the Cañadón Asfalto Formation of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin in Chubut Province Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Ande ..., Patagonia.Rougier, G. W., Martinelli, A. G., Forasiepi, A. M. & Novacek, M. J. 2007. ''New Jurassic mammals from Patagonia, Argentina: A reappraisal of australosphenidan morphology and interrelationships''. ''American Museum Novitates'' 3566: 1-54. The species is known only from 3 lower jaws and possibly an upper molar. References Australosphenida Bathonian life Jurassic mammals of South America Middle Jurassic tetrapods of South America Jurassic Argentina Fossils of Argentina Ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotremes
Monotremes () are prototherian mammals of the order Monotremata. They are one of the three groups of living mammals, along with placentals (Eutheria), and marsupials ( Metatheria). Monotremes are typified by structural differences in their brains, jaws, digestive tract, reproductive tract, and other body parts, compared to the more common mammalian types. In addition, they lay eggs rather than bearing live young, but, like all mammals, the female monotremes nurse their young with milk. Monotremes have been considered members of Australosphenida, a clade that contains extinct mammals from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Madagascar, South America, and Australia, though this is disputed. The only surviving examples of monotremes are all indigenous to Australia and New Guinea, although there is evidence that they were once more widespread, as '' Monotrematum'' is known from the Paleocene of South America. The extant monotreme species are the platypus and four species of echidna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molar (tooth)
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth", from ''mola'', millstone and ''dens'', tooth. Molars show a great deal of diversity in size and shape across mammal groups. The third molar of humans is sometimes vestigial. Human anatomy In humans, the molar teeth have either four or five cusps. Adult humans have 12 molars, in four groups of three at the back of the mouth. The third, rearmost molar in each group is called a wisdom tooth. It is the last tooth to appear, breaking through the front of the gum at about the age of 20, although this varies from individual to individual. Race can also affect the age at which this occurs, with statistical variations between groups. In some cases, it may not even erupt at all. The human mouth contains upper (maxillary) and lower (mandib ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henosferidae
Henosferidae (also spelled "Henospheridae") is an extinct family of Australosphenida, native to Gondwana during the Middle Jurassic. Its defined as a clade including the most recent common ancestor of ''Henosferus'' and ''Asfaltomylos ''Asfaltomylos'' is an extinct genus of the primitive mammal subclass Australosphenida from the Jurassic of Argentina. The type and only species is ''Asfaltomylos patagonicus'', recovered from and named after the Cañadón Asfalto Formation, Ca ...'' and all its descendants. References * Averianov, A. O. & Lopatin, A. V., '"Phylogeny of truconodonts and symmetrodonts and the origin of extinct mammals"', Dokl Biol Sci 436:32-35. * Rougier, G. W., Martinelli, A. G., Forasiepi, A. M. & Novacek, M. J. 2007. New Jurassic mammals from Patagonia, Argentina: A reappraisal of australosphenidan morphology and interrelationships. ''American Museum Novitates'' 3566: 1-54. Jurassic mammals Prehistoric mammal families {{Jurassic-mammal-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Docodont
Docodonta is an order of extinct mammaliaforms that lived during the Mesozoic, from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. They are distinguished from other early mammaliaforms by their relatively complex molar teeth, from which the order gets its name. Until recently, Docodonta were represented primarily by teeth and jaws found across former Laurasia, (modern-day North America, Europe, and Asia). However, recent discoveries in China include some exceptionally well preserved, almost complete body fossils. Description Skeletal traits Docodonts have a long and low mandible (lower jaw), formed primarily by the tooth-bearing dentary bone. The dentary connects to the cranium via a joint with the squamosal, a connection which is strengthened relative to earlier mammaliaforms. The other bones in the jaw, known as postdentary elements, are still connected to the dentary and lie within a groove (the postdentary trough) in the rear part of the dentary’s inner edge. Nevertheless ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vincelestes
''Vincelestes'' ("Vince's thief") is an extinct genus of actively mobile mammal, that lived in what would be South America during the Early Cretaceous from 130 to 112 mya, existing for approximately . Description ''Vincelestes neuquenianus'' is the only species known to date. Specimens were found in La Amarga Formation of southern Neuquén Province, Argentina. The remains of only nine individuals were recovered from this site. The back teeth of ''Vincelestes'' were similar to those of therians in that they were capable of cutting and grinding. This enabled them to process food more efficiently. Diet In one study on Mesozoic mammal mandibles, ''Vincelestes'' plots with herbivorous and omnivorous taxa. Phylogeny Although not the direct ancestor of therians, ''Vincelestes'' is important because it gives an idea of what the ancestor of both placental and marsupial mammals might have looked like, and also gives an indication of when these mammals may have originated. Some stud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ausktribosphenidae
Ausktribosphenidae is an extinct family of australosphenidan mammals from the Early Cretaceous of Australia and mid Cretaceous of South America. Classification and taxonomy Ausktribosphenidae is closely related to monotremes and hence the two form the yinotherian clade Australosphenida. It includes two species, '' Ausktribosphenos nyktos'' and ''Bishops whitmorei'', both of which are known only from skull and jaw fragments. Morphology Like other Australosphenida, ausktribosphenids have tribosphenic molars. Distribution Given that Ausktribosphenidae has been found in Early Cretaceous deposits in Australia, its occurrence has ramifications for knowledge of early monotreme paleobiogeography because Australia was connected only to Antarctica, and placentals originated in the northern hemisphere and were confined to it until continental drift Continental drift is the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribosphenida
Tribosphenida is a group (infralegion) of mammals that includes the ancestor of ''Hypomylos'', Aegialodontia and Theria (the last common ancestor of marsupials and placentals plus all of its descendants). Its current definition is more or less synonymous with Boreosphenida. Characteristics Tribosphenid mammals were originally grouped on the basis of triangular or V-shaped (Molar (tooth)#Tribosphenic, tribosphenic) molars. Since then, other unrelated mammal groups have been found to have tribosphenic molars, such as the australosphenidans (a group that includes the still extant monotremes), suggesting that as a synapomorphy this is fundamentally useless as it evolved multiple times among mammals. However, a clade between the aforementioned groups, the "true Tribosphenida" or Boreosphenida, is still identifiable, united by characteristics such as the lack of a mesial cingulid and of a triangulated trigonid on the last premolar. They are also united by postcranial features such as t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tribosphenic Molar
The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone tooth", from ''mola'', millstone and ''dens'', tooth. Molars show a great deal of diversity in size and shape across mammal groups. The third molar of humans is sometimes vestigial. Human anatomy In humans, the molar teeth have either four or five cusps. Adult humans have 12 molars, in four groups of three at the back of the mouth. The third, rearmost molar in each group is called a wisdom tooth. It is the last tooth to appear, breaking through the front of the gum at about the age of 20, although this varies from individual to individual. Race can also affect the age at which this occurs, with statistical variations between groups. In some cases, it may not even erupt at all. The human mouth contains upper (maxillary) and lower (mandibul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infraclass
In biological classification, class ( la, classis) is a taxonomic rank, as well as a taxonomic unit, a taxon, in that rank. It is a group of related taxonomic orders. Other well-known ranks in descending order of size are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order. History The class as a distinct rank of biological classification having its own distinctive name (and not just called a ''top-level genus'' ''(genus summum)'') was first introduced by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in his classification of plants that appeared in his ''Eléments de botanique'', 1694. Insofar as a general definition of a class is available, it has historically been conceived as embracing taxa that combine a distinct ''grade'' of organization—i.e. a 'level of complexity', measured in terms of how differentiated their organ systems are into distinct regions or sub-organs—with a distinct ''type'' of constructio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
