Catopsalis

Catopsalis
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous? - Paleocene, 66–63Ma
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Catopsalis catopsaloides
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Multituberculata
Superfamily: Taeniolabidoidea
Genus: Catopsalis
Cope, 1884
Species
  • C. alexanderi
  • C. calgariensis
  • C. collariensis
  • C. fissidens
  • C. foliatus
  • C. joyneri
  • C. waddleae

Catopsalis is a genus of extinct mammal from the Paleocene of North America, though some Canadian finds may be upper Cretaceous. This animal was a relatively large member of the extinct order of Multituberculata. Most Multituberculates were much smaller.

At one time, the genus was also formally reported from the upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. However, that material was subsequently referred to the genera of Djadochtatherium and Catopsbaatar. Catopsalis is within the suborder of Cimolodonta and a member of the superfamily Taeniolabidoidea. The genus was named by Cope E.D. in 1884 and has also partly been known as Polymastodon.

Species

The species Catopsalis alexanderi was named by Middleton M.D. in 1982. It is found in the Puercan (Paleocene)-age Littleton Local Fauna of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming (USA), dating from 66 - 63 million years ago. Some material of this genus was previously assigned to C. foliatus and C. joyneri. Specimens are included in the collections of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. This species was a relative heavyweight among multituberculates.

The species Catopsalis calgariensis was named by Russell L.S. in 1926. Remains were found in Paleocene-age strata of Wyoming and Alberta, Canada.

The holotype, collected in 1924, is in the collection of Alberta University. Further material is in the possession of Wyoming University. This species was a large heavyweight.

The species Catopsalis collariensis has been found in the Puercan (Paleocene)-age deposits of the Red Deer River of Canada. The type fossil is at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

The species Catopsalis fissidens was named by Cope E.D. in 1884. It has also been known as C. utahensis (Gazin C.L., 1939) and Polymastodon fissidens (Cope, 1884). It has been found in the Torrejonian (Paleocene)-age beds in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Utah. The University of Wyoming boasts a possible specimen. This species was a super-heavyweight.

The species Catopsalis foliatus was named by Cope E.D. in 1882. It has also been known as C. johnstoni (Fox R.C. 1989) and Polymastodon foliatus (Cope 1884). This species has been found in Puercan (Paleocene)-age strata of the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and in the Ravenscrag Formation of Canada. C. johnstoni, from Saskatchewan, is also in the Alberta collection. It is a heavyweight among multis.

The species Catopsalis joyneri was named by Sloan R.E. and Van Valen L. in 1965. It is found in Paleocene-age strata of the Bug Creek Anthills of Montana, Wyoming and Saskatchewan. One tooth studied at Wyoming and is Puercan. The Montana material is now thought to be Paleocene, though the Canadian site (Cypress Hill region) is considered Upper Cretaceous.

The species Catopsalis waddleae was named by Buckley G.A. in 1995. It has been found in the Puercan age beds of the Simpson Quarry of Montana. Relative to the other species it is an extreme heavyweight. Remains of this species have also recently been discovered in the Idaho panhandle region.

References