A new derorhynchid (Mammalia, Metatheria) from the early Eocene Itaboraí fauna of Brazil with comments on its affinities

OLIVEIRA EV; CARNEIRO LM; GOIN FJ

ANAIS DA ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS.

ACAD BRASILEIRA DE CIENCIAS

Lugar: Rio de Janeiro; Año: 2021

0001-3765

A new early Eocene, small-sized metatherian from the Itaboraí fauna is described. The new taxon is recognized on the basis of an incomplete dentary recovered from fissure fillings in the travertine limestones from the Itaboraí Basin, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The phylogenetic analysis placed the new genus and species as the sister taxon of Derorhynchus, undescribed Derorhynchidae and Coona plus Pauladelphys. When compared to Derorhynchus, the new taxon exhibits a shorterdentary, in which the first lower premolar is not separated from the second by a diastema, and shows second and third lower molars with subequal trigonid and talonid length. This new taxon shows some plesiomorphic traits when compared with the remaining derorhynchids, such as the lower dentary (shallow less than 1.5 mm) and conical entoconids rather than pyramidal in shape. The combination of very small size (~13 a 20g), sharp crests, tall and slender cuspids, broad basins, as well as trigonid taller than the talonid is suggestive of an insectivorous diet for the new taxon.