Barbatodon

Barbatodon is a mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous period. It lived in Transylvania at the same time as some of the last dinosaurs and was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata. It is within the suborder of Cimolodonta, and the family Kogaionidae. The genus Barbatodon was named by Rãdulescu R. and Samson P. in 1986.^[1]

The primary species, Barbatodon transylvanicum, was also named by Rãdulescu and Samson. It was found in strata dating to the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Sinpetru Beds of the Hațeg Formation in Romania.

"Based on comparisons with the m1s from Vãlioara, the holotype of Barbatodon is regarded as a kogaionid m1,"^[2] Kielan-Jaworowska and Hurum (2001) had it placed tentatively in the informal Paracimexomys group.

A new species, B. oardaensis, has been announced in 2014.^[3] The species has been discovered in Oarda de Jos, Haţeg Basin, Transylvania. It is characterized by M1 cusp formula 3:4:2 and is much smaller than the two other known species.

Most of Europe was covered by shallow seas during the Upper Cretaceous, which makes remains of terrestrial animals extremely rare. This location is one of the exceptions and the diversity of material is impressive.

References

• Rãdulescu & Samson (1986), Précisions sur les affinités des Multituberculés du Crétacé supérieur de Roumaine. C R Acad Sci II: Mec-Phys, Chim, Sci Terre, Sci Univ 303p, p. 1825-1830.
• Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), "Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals". Paleontology 44, p. 389-429.
• Much of this information has been derived from MESOZOIC MAMMALS: "basal" Cimolodonta, Cimolomyidae, Boffiidae and Kogaionidae, an Internet directory.

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