Biology:Groebertherium
| Groebertherium | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Clade: | Cladotheria |
| Superorder: | †Dryolestoidea |
| Order: | †Dryolestida |
| Genus: | †Groebertherium Bonaparte, 1986 |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Groebertherium is a genus of dryolestoid mammal from the Late Cretaceous Los Alamitos and Allen Formations of Argentina . It is not closely related to other contemporary dryolestoids, all of which are part of the clade Meridiolestida.[2][3]
Classification
Groebertherium has been consistently recovered as a dryolestoid within Dryolestida and outside of Meridiolestida, though its exact positioning varies among several studies. Rougier et al. 2011, for example, recovers it as a member of Dryolestidae, rendering it a relictual survivor of this clade with a gap of 40 million years in relation to the youngest northern dryolestids,[3] while Harper et al. 2018 recovers it as slightly closer to Meridiolestida than to northern dryolestoids.[2]
Palaeobiology
Unlike meridiolestidans, it retains a parastylar hook on its molariform teeth. Therefore, it was likely less specialised to transverse (side-to-side) mastication.[2][3] It was rather similar to Dryolestes, indicating a similar tenrec or hedgehog-like lifestyle.[3]
References
- ↑ Rougier, G. W.; Martinelli, A. G.; Forasiepi, A. M. (2021). "Dryolestoids". Mesozoic Mammals from South America and Their Forerunners: 201–260. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-63862-7_6.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harper, Tony; Parras, Ana; Rougier, Guillermo W. (2018). "Reigitherium (Meridiolestida, Mesungulatoidea) an Enigmatic Late Cretaceous Mammal from Patagonia, Argentina: Morphology, Affinities, and Dental Evolution". Journal of Mammalian Evolution 26 (4): 447–478. doi:10.1007/s10914-018-9437-x.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Rougier, Guillermo W.; Apesteguía, Sebastián; Gaetano, Leandro C. (2011). "Highly specialized mammalian skulls from the Late Cretaceous of South America". Nature 479 (7371): 98–102. doi:10.1038/nature10591. PMID 22051679. Bibcode: 2011Natur.479...98R.
Wikidata ☰ Q11924732 entry
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