Open AccessEarly Jurassic allotherians from South Wales (United Kingdom)
Author(s) -
Clemens William A.
Publication year - 2007
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.200600018
Subject(s) - fauna , taxon , biology , geography , zoology , archaeology , paleontology , ecology
Fossils from two fissure fillings in Pant Quarry (designated Pant 4 and Pant 5), South Wales, United Kingdom, probably of Early Jurassic age document a taxonomically diverse vertebrate fauna, the Morganucodon ‐sphenodont fauna, composed of several kinds of reptiles, non‐mammalian synapsids, and mammals. Six isolated molariform teeth from Pant 4 and 5 fissures clearly record the presence of Thomasia (Mammalia, Allotheria, Haramiyidae), a genus previously known only from purported Late Triassic faunas of southwestern England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, and Switzerland. Small morphological differences from teeth in the larger English and continental European samples warrant identification of the Welsh material as Thomasia cf. moorei. The highly derived morphology of an isolated molariform tooth from Pant 5 fissure indicates the presence of another, possibly allotherian, taxon. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)