New Data on the Paleocene Monotreme Monotrematum Sudamericanum, and the Convergent Evolution of Triangulate Molars

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New data on the Paleocene monotreme Monotrematum sudamericanum, and the convergent evolution of triangulate molars Rosendo Pascual, Francisco J. Goin, Lucía Balarino, and Daniel E. Udrizar Sauthier Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47 (3), 2002: 487-492 We describe an additional fragmentary upper molar and the first lower molar known of Monotrematum sudamericanum, the oldest Cenozoic (Paleocene) monotreme. Comparisons suggest that the monotreme evolution passed through a stage in which their molars were "pseudo-triangulate", without a true trigonid, and that the monotreme pseudo-triangulate pattern did not arise through rotation of the primary molar cusps. Monotreme lower molars lack a talonid, and consequently there is no basin with facets produced by the wearing action of a "protocone"; a cristid obliqua connecting the "talonid" to the "trigonid" is also absent. We hypothesize that acquisition of the molar pattern seen in Steropodon galmani (Early Cretaceous, Albian) followed a process similar to that already postulated for docodonts (Docodon in Laurasia, Reigitherium in the South American sector of Gondwana) and, probably, in the gondwanathere Ferugliotherium. Key words: Monotremata, Monotrematum, pseudo−triangulate molars, molar structure, Gondwana, Patagonia, Paleocene Rosendo Pascual [[email protected]], Francisco Goin [[email protected]], Lucía Balarino, and Daniel Udrizar Sauthier, Departamento Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de la Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Argentina. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (for details please see creativecommons.org), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Full text (158.5 kB) Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org).

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nicolás r chimento, Federico L agnolin y Fernando e novas Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia Necrolestes un mamífero patagónico que sobrevivió a la extinción de los dinosaurios Un descubrimiento patagónico desembocadura del río Santa Cruz, descubrieron esque- letos fósiles prácticamente completos del Necrolestes. El es- En 1891, Florentino Ameghino (1854-1911) dio a tudio de esos esqueletos llevó a pensar que se trataba de conocer unos restos fósiles encontrados por su hermano un mamífero muy arcaico en la historia de la evolución, Carlos (1865-1936) en las barrancas de Monte Obser- más que un ancestro de los topos, como había supuesto vación, en la provincia de Santa Cruz, en yacimientos Ameghino. Por determinados rasgos se pensó que podía de unos 17 millones de años de antigüedad. Determinó haber sido un marsupial, es decir, un pariente lejano de las que pertenecían a un pequeño –escasos 10cm de largo, comadrejas, los canguros y los coalas actuales. del hocico a la cola– y desconocido mamífero extin- Ciertos investigadores aceptaron esta última hipótesis guido. Estudió los diminutos huesos y consideró que de parentesco, pero otros se mostraron escépticos acerca el animal habría sido un pariente lejano de los topos de ella y se inclinaron por considerar inciertas las rela- africanos vivientes. Le dio el nombre científicoN ecrolestes ciones genealógicas del diminuto mamífero. Así, su po- patagonensis, es decir, ladrón de tumbas de la Patagonia, en sición en el árbol evolutivo de los mamíferos fue objeto alusión a sus hábitos excavadores. El hallazgo, publica- de debate durante gran parte del siglo XX. Para algunos, do por Ameghino en el número de la Revista Argentina de era pariente lejano de las mulitas; otros seguían pensan- Historia Natural citado entre las lecturas sugeridas, atrajo do que podía estar relacionado con los topos, y para un la atención del ámbito científico, ya que hasta ese mo- tercer grupo, sus vínculos eran con los marsupiales aus- mento en Sudamérica no se habían encontrado restos tralianos.
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Monotremes Bibliography
Calaby’s Monotreme Literature Abensperg-Traun, M.A. (1988). Food preference of the echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), in the wheatbelt of Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 11: 117–123. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M. (1989). Some observations on the duration of lactation and movements of a Tachyglossus aculeatus acanthion (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae) from Western Australia. Australian Mammalogy 12: 33–34. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M. (1991). A study of home range, movements and shelter use in adult and juvenile echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae), in Western Australian wheatbelt reserves. Australian Mammalogy 14: 13–21. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M. (1991). Survival strategies of the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae). Biological Conservation 58: 317–328. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M. (1994). Blindness and survival in free-ranging echidnas, Tachyglossus aculeatus. Australian Mammalogy 17: 11 7– 119. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M. and De Boer, E.S. (1992). The foraging ecology of a termite- and ant-eating specialist, the echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae). Journal of Zoology, London 226: 243–257. Monotremes Abensperg-Traun, M., Dickman, C.R. and De Boer, E.S. (1991). Patch use and prey defence in a mammalian myrmecophage, the echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) (Monotremata: Tachyglossidae): a test of foraging efficiency in captive and free-ranging animals. Journal of Zoology, London 225: 481–493. Monotremes Adamson, S. and Campbell, G. (1988). The distribution of 5–hydroxytryptamine in the gastrointestinal tract of reptiles, birds and a prototherian mammal. An immunohistochemical study. Cell and Tissue Research 251: 633–639. Monotremes Aitken, P.F. (1969). The mammals of the Flinders Ranges. Pp. 255–356 in Corbett, D.W.P.
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