A new species of Gaylordia Paula Couto (Mammalia, Metatheria) from Itaboraí, Brazil

OLIVEIRA EV; GOIN FJ

REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PALEONTOLOGIA

SOC BRASILEIRA PALEONTOLOGIA

Lugar: Porto Alegre; Año: 2015 vol. 18 p. 97 - 108

1519-7530

We describe a new stem marsupial of the genus Gaylordia Paula Couto, from the early Eocene Itaboraí Basin, Brazil. This new species (estimated body mass ~60-90.9g) is based on lower and upper dentition elements and is characterized by a more plesiomorphic dental morphology with respect to G. macrocynodonta Paula Couto (with a larger body mass, estimated in ~74-103g for large individuals or males). The species G. doelloi Marshall, represented by small individuals or females, is regarded a junior synonym of G. macrocynodonta. A phylogenetic analysis as well as details of the occlusal surface of its upper and lower molars suggests that Gaylordia is closely related to the Pucadelphyidae, a stem marsupial group previously recorded at the early Paleocene locality of Tiupampa, Bolivia.