Namatherium

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Namatherium
Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Late Eocene
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Embrithopoda
Family: Arsinoitheriidae
Genus: Namatherium
Pickford Senut Morales Mein & Sanchez, 2008
Species
  • N blackcrowense (Pickford Senut Morales Mein & Sanchez, 2008)

Namatherium is a genus of basal arsinoitheriid embrithopod from Eocene Namibia. [1]

Description

A majority of the remains of Namatherium are skull material. The skull bears similar nasal horns to Arsinoitherium , a close relative. Arsinoitherium and Namatherium also share the trait of pseudolophodont molars, with hyperdilambdodonty being present in both. [2] [3] Namatherium is more basal in some regards, not having many derived traits (like a fused fenestra cochleae, which Arsinotherium bears) [2] , which has led to Namatherium being placed as a basal arsinotheriid. [4] [2]

References

  1. Pickford, Martin, Brigitte Senut, J. Morales, Pierre Mein, and I. M. Sanchez (2008). "Mammalia from the Lutetian of Namibia" (PDF). Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Namibia. 20 via ResearchGate.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. 1 2 3 "New data on the earliest known arsinoitheriid embrithopod (Mammalia, Paenungulata), Namatherium Pickford, Senut, Morales, Mein & Sanchez, 2008 from the middle Eocene of Namibia". Geodiversitas. 47 (8): 343–368. 2025.
  3. Gheerbrant, Emmanuel; Khaldoune, Fatima; Schmitt, Arnaud; Tabuce, Rodolphe (2021-06-01). "Earliest Embrithopod Mammals (Afrotheria, Tethytheria) from the Early Eocene of Morocco: Anatomy, Systematics and Phylogenetic Significance". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 28 (2): 245–283. doi:10.1007/s10914-020-09509-6. ISSN   1573-7055.
  4. Vialle, Nicolas; Merzeraud, Gilles; Delmer, Cyrille; Feist, Monique; Jiquel, Suzanne; Marivaux, Laurent; Ramdarshan, Anusha; Vianey-Liaud, Monique; Essid, El Mabrouk; Marzougui, Wissem; Ammar, Hayet Khayati; Tabuce, Rodolphe (2013-11-01). "Discovery of an embrithopod mammal (Arsinoitherium?) in the late Eocene of Tunisia" . Journal of African Earth Sciences. 87: 86–92. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2013.07.010. ISSN   1464-343X.