Bondesius major, new mammal species from Late Cretaceous of Argentina
55 views
Skip to first unread message
Ben Creisler
Feb 7, 2026, 12:12:40 AM (5 days ago) Feb 7
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
Not yet mentioned:
Bondesius major sp. nov.
Nicolás R. Chimento, Federico L. Agnolín & Fernando E. Novas (2026)
A new species of the enigmatic mammal Bondesius from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia
Alcheringa (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2025.2608283
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2025.2608283
The fossil record of Mesozoic mammals in the Southern Hemisphere is much less well-known than that from the Northern Hemisphere. In the last two decades, more complete skulls and skeletons of dryolestoids and gondwanatherians have shed light on the established lineages of South American Mesozoic mammals. These remains have improved understanding of functional and comparative morphology. Yet, one of the most enigmatic taxa, Bondesius ferox, was erected on a single tooth from the Maastrichtian Los Alamitos Formation of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Here, we describe a new species of Bondesius from the same locality and horizon. This new species lacks character states shared by Mesozoic gondwanatherians, meridiolestidans, and docodonts. On the other hand, it shows striking similarities to extinct stem-therians, such as adapisoriculids. The paucity of available specimens precludes a definitive taxonomic referral. Nevertheless, unique character states exhibited by the new species of Bondesius hint at a cryptic lineage of South American Mesozoic mammals.
Nicolás R. Chimento, Federico L. Agnolín & Fernando E. Novas (2026)
A new species of the enigmatic mammal Bondesius from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia
Alcheringa (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03115518.2025.2608283
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2025.2608283
The fossil record of Mesozoic mammals in the Southern Hemisphere is much less well-known than that from the Northern Hemisphere. In the last two decades, more complete skulls and skeletons of dryolestoids and gondwanatherians have shed light on the established lineages of South American Mesozoic mammals. These remains have improved understanding of functional and comparative morphology. Yet, one of the most enigmatic taxa, Bondesius ferox, was erected on a single tooth from the Maastrichtian Los Alamitos Formation of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Here, we describe a new species of Bondesius from the same locality and horizon. This new species lacks character states shared by Mesozoic gondwanatherians, meridiolestidans, and docodonts. On the other hand, it shows striking similarities to extinct stem-therians, such as adapisoriculids. The paucity of available specimens precludes a definitive taxonomic referral. Nevertheless, unique character states exhibited by the new species of Bondesius hint at a cryptic lineage of South American Mesozoic mammals.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages