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Upper premolar configuration of Didelphodon vorax (Mammalia, Marsupialia, Stagodontidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 May 2016

Donald L. Lofgren
Donald L. Lofgren*
Affiliation:
Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley 94720
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Extract

Stagodontid marsupials were a common component of late Mesozoic vertebrate faunas of the Western Interior of North America and were among the largest mammals that coexisted with Late Cretaceous dinosaurs. Two genera have been described, Didelphodon and Eodelphis; three if Pariadens (?Stagodontidae) from the Cenomanian of Utah (Cifelli and Eaton, 1987) is included. The dental arcade of stagodontids is notable for the presence of bulbous premolars, each with a massive main cusp and a large accessory lobe. The most complete stagodontid material consists of a maxillary fragment and a few nearly complete dentaries referred to Didelphodon (see Clemens, 1968, 1973; Fox and Naylor, 1986). However, the configuration of the anterior upper dentition of Didelphodon and other stagodontids is uncertain because of the lack of specimens preserving this portion of the skull. Thus, based on isolated teeth, upper premolars of Didelphodon have been interpreted to have been oriented with their accessory lobes either on their labial (Clemens, 1966) or lingual (Clemens, 1968; Lillegraven, 1969; Archibald, 1982; Fox and Naylor, 1986) sides.

Type
Paleontological Notes
Information
Journal of Paleontology , Volume 66 , Issue 1 , January 1992 , pp. 162 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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