| Prionessus Temporal range: Thanetian ~59–55 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Multituberculata |
| Family: | †Lambdopsalidae |
| Genus: | †Prionessus |
| Species: | †P. lucifer |
| Binomial name | |
| †Prionessus lucifer W.D. Matthew and W. Granger, 1925 | |
Prionessus is a genus of extinct mammal from the Paleocene of what is now Central Asia. It was a member of the extinct order Multituberculata within the suborder Cimolodonta and superfamily Taeniolabidoidea. The genus was named by William Diller Matthew and Walter Granger in 1925, and is based on a single species P.lucifer.
Kielan-Jarowoska and Hurum believe that members of the Taeniolabidoidea, such as Prionessus, are all quite similar. For example, they all share a short wide snout and a blocky head so it is probably instructive to look at a close and more commonly occurring relative, Lambdopsalis bulla, a likely burrower. Matthew and Granger noted in their discovery that P.lucifer had a robust lower incisor, supportive of this similarity.
Fossil remains have been found in the Late Paleocene Nomogen and Khashat Formations of Gashato, Naran and Nomogen in Bayan Ulan of Mongolia and China. Prionessus fossils range from 59-55 million years ago, through the Thanetian age of the late Paleocene. They were estimated to have had a body mass of about 370 grams (13 oz).
Notes
- Matthew and Granger 1925 pp 6-7
- Kielan-Jarowoska and Hurum, 2001, pg 418-419
- Kielan-Jarowoska and Sloan, 1979, pg 195
- Kielan-Jarowoska and Qi, 1990, pp 91-92
- Matthew and Granger 1925, pp 6-7
- Wilson et al 2012, Supplemental Tables 3 and 5
References
- Dykes, Trevor. "Mesozoic Mammals;Eucosmodontidae, Microcosmodontidae and Taeniolabidoidea, an internet directory". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012.
- Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia; Hurum, J.H. (2001). "Phylogeny and Systematics of Multituberculate Mammals". Palaeontology. 44 (3): 389–429. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00185.
- Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia; Qi, Tao (1990). "Fossorial adaptations of a Taeniolabidoid Multituberculate mammal from the Eocene of China". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 28 (2): 83–94.
- Kielan-Jaworowska, Kielan; Sloan, Robert E. (1979). "Catopsalis (Multituberculata) from Asia and North America and the problem of taeniolabidid dispersal in the Late Cretaceous". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 24 (2): 187–197.
- Matthew, W.D.; Granger, W. (1925). "Fauna and Correlation of the Gashato Formation of Mongolia". American Museum Novitates (189). American Museum of Natural History, New York: 1–12.
- Wilson, Gregory P.; Evans, Alistair R.; Corfe, Ian J.; Smits, Peter D.; Fortelius, Mikael; Jernvall, Jukka (2012). "Adaptive radiation of multituberculate mammals before the extinction of dinosaurs". Nature. 483 (7390): 457–460. doi:10.1038/nature10880. PMID 22419156. S2CID 4419772.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Prionessus lucifer | |