Skeleton of a Cretaceous mammal from Madagascar reflects long-term insularity
العنوان: | Skeleton of a Cretaceous mammal from Madagascar reflects long-term insularity |
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المؤلفون: | E. Christopher Kirk, Joseph R. Groenke, Lydia J. Rahantarisoa, Guillermo W. Rougier, Julia A. Schultz, Simone Hoffmann, Alistair R. Evans, John R. Wible, Wighart von Koenigswald, James B. Rossie, Yaoming Hu, Raymond R. Rogers, David W. Krause |
المصدر: | Nature. 581:421-427 |
بيانات النشر: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020. |
سنة النشر: | 2020 |
مصطلحات موضوعية: | 0106 biological sciences, 010506 paleontology, Multidisciplinary, biology, Gondwanatheria, Lineage (evolution), Postcrania, biology.organism_classification, 010603 evolutionary biology, 01 natural sciences, Cretaceous, Gondwana, Geography, Multituberculata, Sister group, Evolutionary biology, Mammal, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
الوصف: | The fossil record of mammaliaforms (mammals and their closest relatives) of the Mesozoic era from the southern supercontinent Gondwana is far less extensive than that from its northern counterpart, Laurasia1,2. Among Mesozoic mammaliaforms, Gondwanatheria is one of the most poorly known clades, previously represented by only a single cranium and isolated jaws and teeth1–5. As a result, the anatomy, palaeobiology and phylogenetic relationships of gondwanatherians remain unclear. Here we report the discovery of an articulated and very well-preserved skeleton of a gondwanatherian of the latest age (72.1–66 million years ago) of the Cretaceous period from Madagascar that we assign to a new genus and species, Adalatherium hui. To our knowledge, the specimen is the most complete skeleton of a Gondwanan Mesozoic mammaliaform that has been found, and includes the only postcranial material and ascending ramus of the dentary known for any gondwanatherian. A phylogenetic analysis including the new taxon recovers Gondwanatheria as the sister group to Multituberculata. The skeleton, which represents one of the largest of the Gondwanan Mesozoic mammaliaforms, is particularly notable for exhibiting many unique features in combination with features that are convergent on those of therian mammals. This uniqueness is consistent with a lineage history for A. hui of isolation on Madagascar for more than 20 million years. Adalatherium hui, a newly discovered gondwanatherian mammal from Madagascar dated to near the end of the Cretaceous period, shows features consistent with a long evolutionary trajectory of isolation in an insular environment. |
تدمد: | 1476-4687 0028-0836 |
URL الوصول: | https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::79769bd4d61986712b9dbfb836f1f560 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2234-8 |
حقوق: | CLOSED |
رقم الأكسشن: | edsair.doi...........79769bd4d61986712b9dbfb836f1f560 |
قاعدة البيانات: | OpenAIRE |
تدمد: | 14764687 00280836 |
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