Psalodon
Encyclopedia
Psalodon is an extinct genus of North America
n mammal
that lived during the Upper Jurassic
period. It's a member of the family Allodontidae
within the order Multituberculata
. The genus Psalodon was named by Simpson in 1926. There are perhaps three species. It is also known as Allodon ("different tooth") and Ctenacodon
("comb tooth").
Present in stratigraphic zones 2 and 5.
in 1887 and G. G. Simpson
in 1927. It is also known as Allodon fortis (Marsh 1887). Remains have been found in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation
of Wyoming
(USA). The holotype is at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University
.
The uncertain species ?Psalodon marshi was named by Simpson G.G. in 1929 to cover several Peabody specimens of possible P. species. All of the remains came from the Morrison Formation of Wyoming.
The species Psalodon potens was named by Marsh O.C. in 1887 and Simpson G.G. in 1927. It is also known as Ctenacodon potens (Marsh 1887). The remains assigned to this species were also found in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming and the holotype is also at Yale.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n 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...
that lived during 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...
period. It's a member of the family Allodontidae
Allodontidae
Allodontidae is a family of extinct mammal that lived in what is now North America during the Upper Jurassic period. Allodontids were members of the order Multituberculata. They were relatively early mammals and are within the informal suborder of "Plagiaulacida". The family was named by Othniel...
within the order 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...
. The genus Psalodon was named by Simpson in 1926. There are perhaps three species. It is also known as Allodon ("different tooth") and Ctenacodon
Ctenacodon
Ctenacodon is a genus of extinct mammal that lived in what is now North America during the Upper Jurassic period. It's a member of the family Allodontidae within the order Multituberculata. Ctenacodon,also known as Allodon , was named by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1879. At least four species are...
("comb tooth").
Present in stratigraphic zones 2 and 5.
Species
The species Psalodon fortis was named by Othniel Charles MarshOthniel Charles Marsh
Othniel Charles Marsh was an American paleontologist. Marsh was one of the preeminent scientists in the field; the discovery or description of dozens of news species and theories on the origins of birds are among his legacies.Born into a modest family, Marsh was able to afford higher education...
in 1887 and G. G. Simpson
George Gaylord Simpson
George Gaylord Simpson was an American paleontologist. Simpson was perhaps the most influential paleontologist of the twentieth century, and a major participant in the modern evolutionary synthesis, contributing Tempo and mode in evolution , The meaning of evolution and The major features of...
in 1927. It is also known as Allodon fortis (Marsh 1887). Remains have been found in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation
Morrison Formation
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Late Jurassic sedimentary rock that is found in the western United States, which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone and limestone and is light grey, greenish...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
(USA). The holotype is at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
.
The uncertain species ?Psalodon marshi was named by Simpson G.G. in 1929 to cover several Peabody specimens of possible P. species. All of the remains came from the Morrison Formation of Wyoming.
The species Psalodon potens was named by Marsh O.C. in 1887 and Simpson G.G. in 1927. It is also known as Ctenacodon potens (Marsh 1887). The remains assigned to this species were also found in the Morrison Formation of Wyoming and the holotype is also at Yale.