Leonardus

Extinct family of mammals

This article is about the fossil mammalian genus. For the given name, see Leonardus (name).

Leonardus

Temporal range: Late Santonian-Maastrichtian
~84–66 Ma

PreꞒ

Scientific classification
Domain:  | Eukaryota
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Clade:  | Trechnotheria
Clade:  | Cladotheria
Clade:  | †Meridiolestida
Genus:  | †Leonardus
Bonaparte 1990
Type species
Leonardus cuspidatus

Bonaparte 1990

Leonardus is an extinct mammal genus from the Late Cretaceous (Late Santonian to Maastrichtian) of South America.[1] It is a meridiolestidan, closely related to the also Late Cretaceous Cronopio and the Miocene Necrolestes.[2][3]

## Description

[edit]

Leonardus is a fairly small mammal, similar in size to Necrolestes. It is known from two specimens, the holotype MACN-RN 172, composed of a left maxilla, four associated molariform teeth and two pairs of alveoli, and MACN-RN 1907, a right mandible with two molariforms. Said molariforms are vaguely peg-like, with a dome-like stylocone.

## Discovery

[edit]

Leonardus is currently only known from the Los Alamitos Formation, Argentina. The holotype was found in 1990, while the second specimen was described more recently in 2010. The genus name honours the Italian paleontologist Giuseppe Leonardi.

## Classification

[edit]

Leonardus was originally referred to Dryolestidae, but the lack of a parastylar hook on the molariforms, as well as a few features of the stylocone, suggest that it was grouped with other South American and African species at the exclusion of Laurasian species, in a clade known as Meridiolestida.[4] Within Meridiolestida, it consistently groups with Necrolestes and Cronopio.[2][3]

## Paleobiology

[edit]

Leonardus' teeth are noted as being unique among meridiolestids and the animal would have had an orthal and transverse jaw-stroke with tooth-to-tooth shearing,[4] though no further comments have been made on its diet.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Leonardus at Fossilworks.org
2. ^ a b Guillermo W. Rougier, John R. Wible, Robin M. D. Beck and Sebastian Apesteguía (2012). "The Miocene mammal Necrolestes demonstrates the survival of a Mesozoic nontherian lineage into the late Cenozoic of South America". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 109 (49): 20053–20058. doi:10.1073/pnas.1212997109.
3. ^ a b Alexander O. Averianov, Thomas Martin and Alexey V. Lopatin (2013). "A new phylogeny for basal Trechnotheria and Cladotheria and affinities of South American endemic Late Cretaceous mammals". Naturwissenschaften. 100 (4): 311–326. doi:10.1007/s00114-013-1028-3.
4. ^ a b Laura Chornogubsky, New remains of the dryolestoid mammal Leonardus cuspidatus from the Los Alamitos Formation (Late Cretaceous, Argentina), Article in Paläontologische Zeitschrift 85(3):343-350 · September 2011 DOI: 10.1007/s12542-010-0095-4

* v
* t
* e

Mammalia

* Kingdom: Animalia
* Phylum: Chordata
* Clade: Synapsida
* Clade: Therapsida
* Clade: Cynodontia
* Clade: Mammaliaformes

| Synapsida|

*     * see Synapsida

Cynodontia|

*     * see Cynodontia

Mammalia|

*     * see below↓

Mammalia

| Australosphenida?|

* †Ambondro
* †Tendagurutherium?
* Monotremata?

†Henosferidae|

* Asfaltomylos
* Henosferus

†Ausktribosphenidae|

* Ausktribosphenos
* Bishops?
* Kryoparvus?

Monotremata|

| †Kollikodontidae?|

* Kollikodon
* Kryoryctes?
* Sundrius

|

†Steropodontidae|

* Parvopalus?
* Steropodon

†Teinolophidae|

* Stirtodon?
* Teinolophos

Ornithorhynchoidea|

* †Opalios

Ornithorhynchidae|

* †Dharragarra?
* †Monotrematum?
* †Obdurodon
* Ornithorhynchus
* †Patagorhynchus?

Tachyglossidae|

* †Megalibgwilia
* †Murrayglossus
* Tachyglossus
* Zaglossus

†Allotheria?|

*     * see Allotheria
* includes multituberculates

Theriimorpha|

*     * see below↓

Theriimorpha

Theriimorpha

* †Acinacodus
* †Amphidon
* †Amphilestes
* †Aploconodon
* †Chaoyangodens
* †Comodon
* †Condorodon
* †Dyskritodon?
* †Fruitafossor?
* †Hakusanodon
* †Indotriconodon
* †Juchilestes
* †Jueconodon
* †Kemchugia
* †Kryptotherium
* †Liaoconodon
* †Liaotherium
* †Manchurodon
* †Nakunodon
* †Phascolotherium
* †Sangarotherium
* †Tendagurodon
* †Allotheria?
* Monotremata?

†Gobiconodontidae|

* Fuxinoconodon
* Gobiconodon
* Hangjinia
* Huasteconodon?
* Meemannodon
* Repenomamus
* Spinolestes

†Jeholodentidae|

* Jeholodens
* Yanoconodon

†Klameliidae?|

* Ferganodon
* Klamelia

†Triconodontidae|

* Alticonodon
* Arundelconodon
* Astroconodon
* Corviconodon
* Eotriconodon
* Jugulator
* Meiconodon
* Priacodon
* Triconodon
* Trioracodon
* Victoriaconodon
* Volaticotheria?

†Volaticotheria|

* Argentoconodon
* Ichthyoconodon
* Triconolestes?
* Volaticotherium

†Tinodontidae|

* Gobiotheriodon?
* Tinodon
* Trishulotherium
* Yermakia

Trechnotheria|

* Monotremata?

†Zhangheotheriidae|

* Anebodon
* Kiyatherium
* Maotherium
* Ningchengodon
* Origolestes
* Zhangheotherium

†Spalacotheriidae|

* Akidolestes
* Aliaga
* Cifellitherium
* Heishanlestes
* Infernolestes
* Lactodens
* Shalbaatar
* Spalacolestes
* Spalacotheridium
* Spalacotherium
* Spalacotheroides
* Symmetrodontoides
* Symmetrolestes
* Yaverlestes

Cladotheria|

*     * see below↓

Cladotheria

| †Dryolestida|

* Brancatherulum?
* Dorsetodon
* Drescheratherium
* Euthlastus
* Henkelotherium
* Paurodon
* Tathiodon

Dryolestidae|

* Achyrodon
* Amblotherium
* Anthracolestes
* Beckumia
* Crusafontia
* Dryolestes
* Groebertherium?
* Guimarotodus
* Hercynodon
* Krebsotherium
* Lakotalestes?
* Laolestes
* Minutolestes
* Phascolestes
* Portopinheirodon
* Treslagosodon

†Meridiolestida|

* Amarillodon
* Austrotriconodon
* Bondesius
* Casamiquelia
* Cronopio
* Groebertherium?
* Lakotalestes?
* Leonardus
* Necrolestes
* Paraungulatum
* Quirogatherium
* Solanutherium

Mesungulatoidea|

* Coloniatherium
* Mesungulatum
* Orretherium
* Peligrotherium
* Reigitherium

†Donodontidae|

* Amazighodon
* Anoualestes
* Donodon
* Stylodens

Prototribosphenida

* †Abelodon
* †Amphibetulimus
* †Amphitherium
* †Arguimus
* †Brancatherulum?
* †Chunnelodon
* †Magnimus
* †Minimus
* †Mozomus
* †Nanolestes
* †Palaeoxonodon
* †Vincelestes
* Monotremata?

†Peramuridae|

* Afriquiamus?
* Kouriogenys
* Peramuroides
* Peramus
* Tendagurutherium?

Tribosphenida /
Boreosphenida|

* †Aegialodon
* †Argaliatherium
* †Brasilestes
* †Carinalestes
* †Eomaia
* †Holoclemensia
* †Hypomylos
* †Juramaia
* †Kermackia
* †Kielantherium
* †Pappotherium
* †Picopsis
* †Tirotherium
* †Tribactonodon

Theria|

* †Patagomaia

Eutheria|

*     * see Eutheria
* includes placentals

Metatheria|

*     * see Metatheria
* includes marsupials

Other taxa

| Incertae sedis|

* †Atlasodon
* †Chronoperates
* †Microderson
* †Thereuodon
* †Tingamarra
* Saint Bathans Mammal
* UA 8699

|

Other taxa|

* Prototheria
* Yinotheria
* Eutriconodonta
* Amphilestidae
* Theriiformes
* Pantotheria
* Symmetrodonta
* Eupantotheria
* Paurodontidae
* Amphitheriidae
* Marsupionta

Taxon identifiers

Leonardus|

* Wikidata: Q28045585
* GBIF: 4830739
* IRMNG: 1377946
* Open Tree of Life: 4944091
* Paleobiology Database: 204742

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*[†]: Extinct