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Paleobios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017 PaleoBios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017 PaleoBios OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY William A. Clemens (2017). Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA. Cover photo: Left maxillary of Procerberus sp. cf. P. grandis (UCMP 137189) from the Fort Union Formation, Montana, USA in buccal (A), occlusal (B) and lingual (C) views. Photo credit: Dave Strauss. Citation: Clemens, W.A. 2017. Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA. PaleoBios, 34. ucmp_paleobios_34494 PaleoBios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017 Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA WILLIAM A. CLEMENS University of California Museum of Paleontology and Department of Integrative Biology, 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4780 email: [email protected] Three species of the cimolestid Procerberus are currently recognized in the northern North American Western Interior in latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleocene (Puercan North American Land Mammal Age) faunas: P. formicarum, P. andesiticus, and P. g randi s . Analysis of a new topotypic sample of P. formicarum from the Bug Creek Anthills locality provides an estimate of the range of variation of its postcanine denti- tion. The three currently recognized species occur in Puercan 1 (Pu1) interval zone faunas, but two other occurrences indicate that the genus originated and initially diversified prior to the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. Rare occurrences at several localities and entries in faunal lists suggest even greater taxonomic diversity. Limited evidence suggests continued diversification in the later Puercan and possible survival of the genus into the Torrejonian. Procerberus grandis or a closely related species may be a sister group of primitive taeniodonts. Keywords: Procerberus, Cimolestidae, Mammalia, Tullock Member, Fort Union Formation, Puercan, Montana INTRODUCTION is provided and occurrences of P. sp. cf. P. g randi s Middleton Evolution of the Cimolestidae Marsh, 1889 across the and Dewar, 2004 from the Tullock Member of the Fort Union Cretaceous/Paleocene boundary (K/Pg) is documented pri- Formation are recorded. The occurrence of two species of marily through the limited perspective of local faunas in the Procerberus in the Pu1 Mantua Lentil local fauna, Bighorn northern Western Interior of North America (Fig. 1). Here Basin, Wyoming, has been alluded to in several publications the rare, oldest records of the cimolestid Procerberus Sloan (e.g., Lillegraven 1969, McKenna 1969, Middleton and Dewar and Van Valen, 1965 have been found in chronostratigraphi- 2004). The material on which these observations were based cally anomalous local faunas interpreted as being referable to is described below. The biogeographic distribution of the the Puercan North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA), species of Procerberus and possible phylogenetic relation- but on lithostratigraphic or magnetostratigraphic grounds ships of P. g randi s Middleton and Dewar (2004) to primi- are considered to be of latest Cretaceous age. The majority tive taeniodonts are explored. Finally, occurrences in two of the available fossil record of Procerberus is derived from chronostratigraphically anomalous local faunas suggest two Paleocene local faunas referable to the Puercan 1 Interval species of Procerberus were present in the latest Cretaceous Zone (Pu1). In northeastern Montana radioisotopic (Ar40/ of the northern Western Interior. Ar39) age determinations indicate that Pu1 local faunas occur in strata deposited during approximately the first 70 ka of MATERIALS AND METHODS the Paleocene (Renne et al. 2013, Sprain et al. 2015, Ickert The fossil records of cimolestids are based mostly on et al. 2015). isolated teeth, which are rare in comparison to the more The goals of this study include a review of and additions numerous isolated teeth and more completely preserved fos- to the Pu1 record of Procerberus in northeastern Montana. sils representing many species of contemporaneous multitu- Specifically, a new, more extensive description of the postca- berculates and archaic ungulates (“condylarths”). As a result nine dentition of P. formicarum Sloan and Van Valen, 1965 there has been a lack of agreement on the phylogenetic rela- tionships and classification of the cimolestids. For example, Citation: PaleoBios, 34. ucmp_paleobios_34494 comparisons of the classifications presented by McKenna Permalink: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/1dv645n5 Copyright: Items in eScholarship are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. 2 PALEOBIOS, VOL. 34, April 2017 Figure 1. A. Map showing fossil localities and local faunas in the North American Western Interior cited in the text. 1. Alberta: Scollard Forma- tion localities. 2. Alberta: Who Nose locality. 3. Saskatchewan: Long Fall, Rav W-1, and Croc Pot localities. 4. North Dakota: Merle’s Mecca local fauna. 5. Montana: Tullock Member of the Fort Union Formation, see Fig. 1B for details. 6. Montana: McGill Ranch local fauna. 7. Montana: Simpson Quarry local fauna. 8. Wyoming: Mantua Lentil local fauna. 9. Wyoming: Ferris Formation localities. 10. Colorado: Denver Formation localities. 11. New Mexico: San Juan Basin, Nacimiento Formation localities. B. Map showing fossil localities and local faunas in Garfield and McCone counties, Mon- tana, which are cited in the text. 1. Worm Coulee 1, McKeever Ranch 1, and Harley’s Palate localities. 2. Garbani Channel localities. 3. McGuire Creek localities. 4. Bug Creek Anthills. 5. Purgatory Hill locality. and Bell (1997), Gunnell et al. (2008), and Williamson et all cases, use of open nomenclature reflects the small number al. (2011) illustrate the lack of agreement particularly at the of available specimens, their heavily worn and/or poorly pre- family and higher taxonomic levels. For the purposes of this served dentitions, and limited knowledge of ranges of dental study, which does not include a new phylogenetic analysis variation. These references are simply the most probable of the members of the Cimolesta, McKenna 1975, the clas- interpretations given the paucity of pertinent information. sification presented by Williamson et al. (2011) is adopted. Length and width of upper molars were measured parallel Procerberus is included in the Cimolestidae. or at right angles to an axis drawn through the apices or, if Upper premolars and molars are designated with an up- worn, the midpoints of the wear facets of the paracone and per case P and M, respectively. A lower case p or m identi- metacone. Measurements of lower molars were taken either fies lower premolars or molars, respectively. O’Leary et al. parallel or at right angles to a mesiodistal axis drawn from (2013) and some earlier workers (e.g., Novacek 1986) noted the lowest point of the protocristid to the most distal point the presence of five premolariform teeth in the dentitions of on the crown. All dental dimensions are given in millimeters. primitive non-placental eutherians. It was hypothesized that Terminology for morphological characters of the postcanines the premolars of most later eutherians traditionally desig- follows Williamson et al. (2011, fig. 3). nated P3, p3, P4, and p4 are homologous with the P4, p4, University of California Museum of Paleontology locality P5, and p5 of primitive non-placental eutherians. Simply to numbers are given in the format V65127. Precise locality data facilitate comparisons with previous studies of Procerberus are available at the museum for research purposes. and other cimolestids, here their premolars are designated Institutional abbreviations—SPSM, St. Paul Science Mu- P1, p1, P2, p2, P3, p3, P4, and p4. seum, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA; UCM, University of Colo- Open nomenclature, e.g., Procerberus sp. cf. P. grandis, rado, Museum of Natural History, Boulder, Colorado, USA; is used to indicate uncertainty in reference of material of UCMP, University of California Museum of Paleontology, Procerberus to a particular species (see Bengtson 1988). In Berkeley, California, USA; UF, Florida Museum of Natural CLEMENS—PROCERBERUS (MAMMALIA) FROM THE CRETACEOUS-PALEOCENE WESTERN INTERIOR, USA 3 History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA; UCMP specimens analyzed here were collected from this and UMVP, University of Minnesota, Bell Museum of Natural other areas of exposure of the Bug Creek Anthills sandstone History, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; YPM-VPPU, for- channel filling (UCMP locs. V65127, V70199, and V70201). mer Princeton University collections now part of the Yale In their detailed study of the geology of the Bug Creek Peabody Museum’s holdings, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Anthills sandstone (BCA) and other lithostratigraphic units Other abbreviations—BCA, Bug Creek Anthills sand- in the area, Fastovsky and Dott (1986, p. 282) concluded, “… stone; ka, thousand years; K/Pg, Cretaceous/Paleocene the BCA fauna cannot be shown to be either a Cretaceous boundary; NALMA, North American Land Mammal Age; biota or a Paleocene taphonomic artifact.” Lofgren (1995) Pu, Puercan. addressed this uncertainty, “The Bug Creek Problem”, in his geological and paleontological studies of a region extend- ing from the southern margin of the area considered by SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY Fastovsky and Dott (1986) approximately
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