Buxolestes

Buxolestes Temporal range: 47.8–43.5  Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Middle Eocene
Life reconstruction of Buxolestes piscator
fossil of Buxolestes minor from Messel Pit Fossil Site at the Naturmuseum Senckenberg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	† Pantolesta
Family:	† Pantolestidae
Subfamily:	† Pantolestinae
Genus:	† Buxolestes Jaeger, 1970 [1]
Type species
†Buxolestes hammeli Jaegar, 1970
Species
†B. hammeli(Jaegar, 1970) [1] †B. minor(Pfretzschner, 1999) [2] †B. piscator(Koenigswald, 1980) [3]

Buxolestes ("robber from Bouxwiller") is an extinct genus of semi-aquatic mammals belonging to the subfamily Pantolestinae within family Pantolestidae. Species in this genus lived during the middle Eocene. They are known from fossils found in the Bracklesham Group and Wittering Formation of England, at the Messel Pit in Germany and in Bouxwiller, France.

Description

Buxolestes were otter-like freshwater fish predators with a body length reaching about 46 centimetres (18 in) and a tail about 35 centimetres (14 in) long. They were significantly smaller than most living species of otters. Fossilized stomach contents confirm their semiaquatic freshwater habits. The anatomy of these archaic "insectivorous" mammals is known through well-preserved Middle Eocene specimens found at Messel in Germany. Their structure evidences a clear adaptation to a semiaquatic way of life. The forelimbs and hindlimbs are powerful and show strong claws. The tail is clearly fit for swimming. The skull is long, with large molars that appear to be adapted to a diet of molluscs with shells (freshwater clams and freshwater snails), but the predilection postulated from the dentition has not been confirmed.

References

1. J. J. Jaegar (1970.) "Pantolestidae nouveaux (Mammalia, Insectivora) de l'Eocène moyen de Bouxwiller (Alsace)." Palaeovertebrata 3:63-82
2. Hans-Ulrich Pfretzschner (1999.) "Buxolestes minor n. sp. – ein neuer Pantolestide (Mammalia, Proteutheria) aus der eozänen Messel-Formation." Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 216: 19–29; Frankfurt a.M.
3. Wighart von Koenigswald (1980.) "Das Skelett eines Pantolestiden (Proteutheria, Mamm.) aus dem mittleren Eozän von Messel bei Darmstadt." – Paläontologische Zeitschrift, 54 (3/4): 267–287; Stuttgart.