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]

Barbatodon
Temporal range: Maastrichtian
~70–66 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Multituberculata
Family: †Kogaionidae
Genus: †Barbatodon
Species
  • B. oardaensis
  • B. transylvanicus
  • B. ungureanui

The primary species, Barbatodon transylvanicum, was also named by Rãdulescu and Samson. It was found in strata dating to the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of the Sânpetru 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.

Biology

Like modern rodents and shrews - as well as the related taeniolabidoid multituberculates -, Barbatodon displays red iron-pigmentation in its teeth. This distribution is more similar to that seen in shrews than in rodents or taenilabidoids, suggesting insectivorous habits. In the absence of competing mammals, Barbatodon and similar kogaionids display a clear example of island speciation.[4]

References
  2. Csiki Z & Grigorescu D, 2001, Fossil mammals from the Maastrichtian of the Hateg Basin, Romania, 6th European Workshop on Vertebrate Palaeontology, Florence and Montevarchi (Italy), September 19–22, 2001, p.26.
  3. Codrea, V.A.; Solomon, A.A.; Venczel, M.; Smith, T. (2014). "A new kogaionid multituberculate mammal from the Maastrichtian of the Transylvanian Basin, Romania". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 13 (6): 489–499. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2014.01.003.
  4. Thierry Smith, Codrea Vlad, Red Iron-Pigmented Tooth Enamel in a Multituberculate Mammal from the Late Cretaceous Transylvanian " Haţeg Island ", Article in PLoS ONE 10(7):e0132550-1-16 · July 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132550

Bibliography
  • 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". Palaeontology. 44 (3): 389–429. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00185.
  • Much of this information has been derived from MESOZOIC MAMMALS: "basal" Cimolodonta, Cimolomyidae, Boffiidae and Kogaionidae, an Internet directory.
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