Kuehneodon
Encyclopedia
Kuehneodon is a genus
of extinct mammal
of the Upper Jurassic
- Lower Cretaceous
of Europe
. It was a relatively early member of the also extinct order
of Multituberculata
. Members of this genus lived alongside such dinosaur
s as Allosaurus
. It belongs to the suborder "Plagiaulacida
", family Paulchoffatiidae
. In addition, this genus is presently the only known member of a subfamily called Kuehneodontinae. It was named by Hahn G. in 1969, the name meaning "Kühne’s tooth" in honor of paleontologist Walther Kühne
, pioneer of the Guimarota
site of Portugal
where remains were found in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Kuehneodon is the one genus of the taxon Paulchoffatiidae
from the Guimarota site whereby the lower and upper jaws have been found united. These "exhibit the lowest number of derived characters (apomorphies), and are thus closest to the main evolutionary lineage of the multituberculates" (Hahn & Hahn 2000, p. 106).
The genus is based mainly upon remains of jaw, a number of species are recorded from Guimarota: Kuehneodon dietrichi Hahn G, 1969; K. dryas Hahn G, 1977; K. guimarotensis Hahn G, 1969; K. simpsoni Hahn, 1969 and K. uniradiculatus Hahn, 1978. A further Upper Jurassic, Portuguese locality near Lourinhã
, Porto das Barcas, has yielded K. barcasensis Hahn G & Hahn R, 2001. Lower Cretaceous fossils have also been found in Galve
, Spain
.
K. hahni Antunes, 1998 was reported from Paimogo, Lourinhã, by Miguel Telles Antunes
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of extinct mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
of the Upper Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
- Lower Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. It was a relatively early member of the also extinct order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...
of Multituberculata
Multituberculata
The Multituberculata were a group of rodent-like mammals that existed for approximately one hundred and twenty million years—the longest fossil history of any mammal lineage—but were eventually outcompeted by rodents, becoming extinct during the early Oligocene. At least 200 species are...
. Members of this genus lived alongside such dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s as Allosaurus
Allosaurus
Allosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...
. It belongs to the suborder "Plagiaulacida
Plagiaulacida
Plagiaulacida is a group of extinct multituberculate mammals. Multituberculates were among the most common mammals of the Mesozoic, "the age of the dinosaurs"...
", family Paulchoffatiidae
Paulchoffatiidae
Paulchoffatiidae is a family of extinct mammals that lived predominantly during the Upper Jurassic period, though a couple of genera are known from the earliest Cretaceous. Some undescribed fossils from the Middle Jurassic of England may represent earlier versions. Remains have been reported from...
. In addition, this genus is presently the only known member of a subfamily called Kuehneodontinae. It was named by Hahn G. in 1969, the name meaning "Kühne’s tooth" in honor of paleontologist Walther Kühne
Walter Georg Kühne
Walter Georg Kühne was a German paleontologist, known as a "legendary explorer of Mesozoic mammals".In 1958 he founded the Berlin Institute for Paleontology of the Free University of Berlin....
, pioneer of the Guimarota
Guimarota
Guimarota is a disused coal mine that contains a diverse array of fossil animals and plants from the Upper Jurassic, Kimmeridgian period. It is located in central Portugal, near the city of Leiria....
site of Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
where remains were found in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Kuehneodon is the one genus of the taxon Paulchoffatiidae
Paulchoffatiidae
Paulchoffatiidae is a family of extinct mammals that lived predominantly during the Upper Jurassic period, though a couple of genera are known from the earliest Cretaceous. Some undescribed fossils from the Middle Jurassic of England may represent earlier versions. Remains have been reported from...
from the Guimarota site whereby the lower and upper jaws have been found united. These "exhibit the lowest number of derived characters (apomorphies), and are thus closest to the main evolutionary lineage of the multituberculates" (Hahn & Hahn 2000, p. 106).
The genus is based mainly upon remains of jaw, a number of species are recorded from Guimarota: Kuehneodon dietrichi Hahn G, 1969; K. dryas Hahn G, 1977; K. guimarotensis Hahn G, 1969; K. simpsoni Hahn, 1969 and K. uniradiculatus Hahn, 1978. A further Upper Jurassic, Portuguese locality near Lourinhã
Lourinhã
Lourinhã is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 147.2 km² and a total population of 24,601 inhabitants. The seat of the municipality is the village of Lourinhã, with a population of 8,800 inhabitants....
, Porto das Barcas, has yielded K. barcasensis Hahn G & Hahn R, 2001. Lower Cretaceous fossils have also been found in Galve
Galve, Teruel
Galve is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2006 census , the municipality has a population of 145 inhabitants. There is an important paleontological site.-Paleontological significance:...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
K. hahni Antunes, 1998 was reported from Paimogo, Lourinhã, by Miguel Telles Antunes
Miguel Telles Antunes
Miguel Telles Antunes is a Portuguese palaeontologist. He is specializes, among other things, in dinosaur palaeontology.Antunes is the director of the Museu Maynense da Academia das Ciências de Lisboa...
.