Ferugliotherium

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iFerugliotherium
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Suborder: Gondwanatheria
Family: Ferugliotheriidae
Genus: Ferugliotherium
Species: F. windhauseni
Binomial name
Ferugliotherium windhauseni
Bonaparte, 1986

Ferugliotherium is a genus of mammal from the extinct suborder Gondwanatheria that lived in Patagonia, Argentina, specificially Los Alamitos Formation in Río Negro Province. It is the only genus in the family Ferugliotheriidae. These mammals lived during the Upper Cretaceous period, which was part of the "Age of Dinosaurs".

[edit] Classification

The genus and species were named by the Argentinian paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1986 (Bonaparte, 1986). Bonaparte also named the Vucetichia gracilis genus and species in 1990 (Bonaparte, 1990), which was synonymized with Ferugliotherium by David Krause in 1993 (Krause, 1993).

Gondwanatheria is no longer regarded as part of Multituberculata but, according to Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001, p.411:

"a few specimens described as ?Ferugliotherium," are from Multituberculata. "These poorly known specimens (not discussed herein) demonstrate that a branch of multituberculates apparently lived during the Late Cretaceous in South America."

As Gondwanatherians are not Multituberculata, these remains would clearly not belong to this genus or grouping. The position of Gondwanatherians within class Mammalia is not yet clear.

[edit] References

  • José F. Bonaparte. (1986) "Sobre Mesungulatum houssayi y nuevos mamíferos Cretácicos de Patagonia, Argentina." Actas Congr. Argent. Paleontol. Bioestratigr. 4, pages 48–61. (Spanish, with English abstract).
  • José F. Bonaparte. (1990) "New Late Cretaceous mammals from the Los Alamitos Formation, northern Patagonia". Natl. Geogr. Res. 6, pages 63–93.
  • David W. Krause. (1993) "Vucetichia (Gondwanatheria) is a junior synonym of Ferugliotherium (Multituberculata)". Journal of Paleontology 67, pages 321–324.
  • Z. Kielan-Jaworowska Z and J. H. Hurum. (2001) "Phylogeny and systematics of multituberculate mammals". Palaeonotology 44(3), pages 389–429.
  • Malcolm C. McKenna and Susan K. Bell. (1997) Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. (ISBN 0-231-11012-X)
  • Much of this information has been derived from MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Gondwanatheria, an Internet directory.
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