Rev. bras. paleontol. 14(2):105-136, Maio/Agosto 2011 © 2011 by the Sociedade Brasileira de Paleontologia doi:10.4072/rbp.2011.2.01 A REASSESSMENT OF BUNODONT METATHERIANS FROM THE PALEOGENE OF ITABORAÍ (BRAZIL): SYSTEMATICS AND AGE OF THE ITABORAIAN SALMA ÉDISON V. OLIVEIRA Laboratório de Paleontologia, Departamento de Geologia, CTG, UFPE, Av. Acadêmico Hélio Ramos s/n, 50740-530, Recife, PE, Brazil.
[email protected] FRANCISCO J. GOIN División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.
[email protected] ABSTRACT – Early Paleogene metatherians with inflated, low cusps (bunodont dentition), such as Bobbschaefferia, Procaroloameghinia, Protodidelphis, Guggenheimia, and Zeusdelphys have been subject to different interpretations regarding their affinities. A phylogenetic study including these bunodont marsupials and other selected metatherians presented here leads to the recognition of the following taxonomic assignments: “Ameridelphia”, Protodidelphidae: Carolocoutoia ferigoloi, Guggenheimia brasiliensis, G. crocheti sp. nov., Protodidelphis vanzolinii, P. mastodontoides (= Robertbutleria mastodontoidea), Periprotodidelphis bergqvisti gen. et sp. nov., and Zeusdelphys complicatus; Marsupialia, Didelphimorphia, Peradectoidea, Caroloameghiniidae: Procaroloameghinia pricei; Australidelphia, Polydolopimorphia, family indet.: Bobbschaefferia fluminensis and aff. Bobbschaefferia sp.. The phylogenetic analysis does not support a closer relationship between