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| Cambelodon torreensis Carvalho, Camilo, Araújo, Castro, Kullberg, Desmet, Nerinckx, Leite & Reis, 2025 |
Abstract
Cambelodon torreensis gen. et sp. nov. is described based on a recently discovered, well-preserved right hemimandible of a pinheirodontid multituberculate from the Upper Jurassic (Tithonian) Freixial Formation at the Ulsa quarry, Cambelas, Portugal. This discovery marks a pivotal advancement in understanding the anatomy of Pinheirodontidae, a family previously known only from isolated teeth. Cambelodon torreensis has a distinctive suite of morphological characteristics, including high-crowned premolars with prominent subtriangular lobes, an elongated diastema, a well-developed masseteric fossa, and a large complement of basal cusps on the fourth lower premolar. Notably, it may have had a non-sequential posteroanterior tooth replacement, a pattern previously documented only in paulchoffatiids from the Oxfordian and Kimmeridgian. This finding extends the temporal range of this dental developmental trait to include late Tithonian multituberculates, providing new insights into the dental evolution of early mammals. Geological and palynological analyses of productive sites at the Freixial Fm. suggest a low-energy depositional environment with periodic soil formation in an arid or semi-arid palaeoclimate. The composition and taphonomy of the bonebed, which contains both macrofossils and microfossils, indicate a mud-entrapment episode. Parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis confirms the placement of Cambelodon torreensis in Pinheirodontidae, validating this family as a distinct and monophyletic group within multituberculates. This research fills gaps in our knowledge of the early multituberculate fossil record and provides insights into the ecological dynamics that shaped the ancient environments of the Iberian Peninsula.
Keywords: Multituberculata, Pinheirodontidae, tooth replacement, Lusitanian Basin, Tithonian, palaeoenvironment
Cambelodon torreensis gen. et sp. nov.
Victor F. Carvalho, Bruno Camilo, Ricardo Araújo, Lígia Castro, José C. Kullberg, Hilde G. B. Desmet, Ignace Nerinckx, Marco Leite and Diego Reis. 2025. Cambelodon torreensis, a new pinheirodontid multituberculate from the Upper Jurassic of western Portugal. Papers in Palaeontology. 11(2); e70012. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/spp2.70012 [10 April 2025]
https://x.com/raraujopaleo/status/1910304976078790945
