Bemalambdidae is an extinct family of
pantodont
Pantodonta is an extinct suborder (or, according to some, an order) of eutherian mammals. These herbivorous mammals were one of the first groups of large mammals to evolve (around 66 million years ago) after the end of the Cretaceous. The la ...
mammals known from
Early and
Middle Paleocene of China.
Description
The bemalambdids are, along with ''
Harpyodus'' and ''
Alcidedorbignya
''Alcidedorbignya'' is an extinct pantodont mammal known from the Early Paleocene ( Tiupampan SALMA, ) Santa Lucia Formation (, paleocoordinates ) at Tiupampa near Mizque, Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Following a naming convention established by pio ...
'', the most primitive pantodonts. ''Hypsilolambda'' is known only from a skull and teeth, but ''Bemalambda'' is known from complete cranial and postcranial specimens and is the best preserved mammal from Shanghuan. It was dog-sized (a large animal for its era) and omnivorous.
Both genera have
dilambdodont upper premolars (W-shaped crests on the crowns), one of the characteristics of pantodonts, but their upper molars, unlike in later pantodonts, are almost
zalambdodont (V-shaped crests) and transversely elongated with the paracone and metacone (cusp) appressed or connated. On p
3-M
3, there is a large buccal platform on the crowns, the stylar shelf. An exterior indentation on the buccal side, the ectoflexus, is very deep. The lower cheek teeth are easily recognizable as pantodont.
The bemalambdids had a low and short skull with a very small braincase; a prominent sagittal crest and deep temporal fossae, a broad snout; and flaring zygomatic processes. The high coronoid process on the mandible suggest the chewing musculatures was more developed than in later pantodonts. The postcranium was robust, and, judging from a single massive humerus, adapted for digging.
Fossil localities
* the Early Paleocene () of
Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, China (
type
Type may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc.
* Data type, collection of values used for computations.
* File type
* TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file.
* ...
) (, paleocoordinates )
* the Early Paleocene (65.5 - 58.7 Ma) of
Shaanxi
Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
, China
* the Middle Paleocene (61.7 - 58.7 Ma) of
Jiangxi
; Gan: )
, translit_lang1_type2 =
, translit_lang1_info2 =
, translit_lang1_type3 =
, translit_lang1_info3 =
, image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_caption = Location ...
, China
[. Retrieved July 2013.]
Notes
References
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q15839257
Pantodonta
Paleocene first appearances
Paleocene extinctions
Prehistoric mammal families