Open AccessFirst haramiyid (Mammalia, Allotheria) from the Mesozoic of Gondwana
Author(s) -
Heinrich WolfDieter
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
fossil record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.694
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1860-1014
pISSN - 1435-1943
DOI - 10.1002/mmng.1999.4860020112
Subject(s) - syncline , gondwana , holotype , paleontology , taxon , biology , mesozoic , geology , taxonomy (biology) , zoology , structural basin
A haramiyid tooth is described from the Upper Jurassic of Tendaguru in southwestern Tanzania, East Africa. The specimen, identified tentatively as a lower posterior premolar, is made the holotype of a new taxon, Staffia aenigmatica gen. et sp. nov. which is placed in the Haramiyida. Staffia gen. nov. shares several features with Thomasia from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic of Europe, notably the arrangement of cusps in two parallel longitudinal rows bordering a central basin, cusp height which progressively decreases in both rows posteriorly, the different height of the rows, the U‐shaped posterior rim, and the smooth enamel surface. The main difference between these taxa is the presence of well‐developed synclines with rounded floors in Staffia gen. nov., especially that of the principal syncline LS 1 . Resemblances in the basic tooth crown pattern indicate that occlusion and chewing might have been similar in both genera, but the synclines in Staffia gen. nov. suggest some subtle differences in food processing. Staffia aenigmatica gen. et sp. nov. is the first record of a haramiyid from Gondwana, and also the youngest stratigraphic occurrence for this allotherian group so far.