This paleomammalogy list records new fossil mammal taxa that were described during the year 2009, as well as notes other significant paleomammalogy discoveries and events which occurred during that year.
Mammals
A study by J. R. Foster is published estimating the body masses of mammals from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation by using the ratio of dentary length to body mass of modern marsupials as a reference. Foster concludes that Docodon was the most massive mammal genus of the formation at 141g and Fruitafossor was the least massive at 6g. The average Morrison mammal had a mass of 48.5g. A graph of the body mass distribution of Morrison mammal genera produced a right-skewed curve, meaning that there were more low-mass genera.
Newly named mammals Name Status Authors Age Unit Location Notes ImagesAnoiapithecus.Valid Moyà-Solà Alba et al.Moyà-Solà, Alba, Almécija, Casanovas-Vilar, Köhler, De Esteban-Trivigno, Robles, Galindo, Fortuny.Middle MioceneApatemys pygmaeusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Apatemyidae.ArcantiodelphysValid Vullo Gheerbrant et al.Vullo, Gheerbrant, de Muizon, Néraudeau.CenomanianArchaeonycteris praecursorValidEstravísEarly EoceneSilveirinha FormationAn archaeonycterid bat Arvicanthis broekhuisiValid Hordijk De BruijnLatest Miocene or earliest PlioceneKomnina FormationA rodent belonging to the family Muridae, a species of Arvicanthis.BonisicyonValid Werdelin & SimpsonLate MioceneA bear dog. The type species is Bonisicyon illacabo.ChoctawiusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of Primatomorpha belonging to the family Microsyopidae. The type species is C. foxi; genus also includes "Navajovius" mckennai Szalay (1969).ColpocherusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Amphilemuridae. The type species is C. mississippiensis.Corbarimys? nomadusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA rodent related to members of the genus Paramys.CorriebaatarValid Rich Vickers-Rich et al.Rich, Vickers-Rich, Flannery, Kear, Cantrill, Komarower, Kool, Pickering, Trusler, Morton, van Klaveren, Fitzgerald.AptianWonthaggi FormationFirst Australian multituberculate. DarwiniusValid Franzen Gingerich et al.Franzen, Gingerich, Habersetzer, Hurum, von Koenigswald, Smith.early GeiseltalianMessel FormationDiaceratherium massiliae.Disputed Ménouret & GuérinLate OligoceneA rhinoceros. Originally described as a species of Diaceratherium; Tissier, Antoine & Becker (2021) interpreted it as a junior synonym of Ronzotherium romani.Diacocherus dockeryiValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of Erinaceomorpha belonging to the group Litocherinae.DisallomysValid KorthLate OligoceneAn aplodontiid rodent, a new genus for the species "Allomys" storeri Tedrow and Korth. Genus also contains two new species: Disallomys robustus and D. intermedius.Douglassciurus sapphirusValid KorthLate OligoceneA sciurine squirrel, a species of Douglassciurus. DuerotheriumValid Cuesta BadiolaMiddle EoceneAn anoplotheriine artiodactylEctocion nanabeensisValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianEogaleValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Miacidae. The type species is E. parydros.EritheriumValid GheerbrantEarly ThanetianOuled Abdoun basinThe oldest, smallest and most primitive elephant relative.Franimys? actitesValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA rodent related to members of the genus Paramys.GanleaValid Beard Marivaux et al.Beard, Marivaux, Chaimanee, Jaeger, Marandat, Tafforeau, Soe, Tun, Kyaw.late Middle EocenePondaung FormationHaplomylus meridionalisValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Hyopsodontidae.Heliscomys walshiValid KellyMiddle EoceneSespe FormationA heliscomyid rodent, a species of Heliscomys.HowellictisValid De Bonis et al.Late MioceneA member of Mustelidae belonging to the subfamily Mellivorinae. The type species is H. valentini. KahawamysValid Stevens Holroyd et al.Stevens, Holroyd, Roberts, O'connor, Gottfried.Late OligoceneNsungwe FormationA thryonomyoid rodentLegionarictisValid Tseng Wang StewartMiocene (Barstovian)Temblor FormationA mustelid. The type species is Legionarictis fortidens.MaiacetusValid Gingerich ul-Haq et al.Gingerich, ul-Haq, von Koenigswald, Sanders, Smith, Zalmout.early Middle EoceneHabib Rahi FormationMaddeniaAlejandro G. Kramarz and Mariano Bond. A new oligocene astrapothere (Mammalia, Meridiungulata) from Patagonia and a new appraisal of astrapothere phylogeny. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology (2009), 7 : pp 117-128Valid Kramarz BondLate OligoceneSarmiento FormationAn astrapothere astrapotherid.MeiconodonValid Kusuhashi Hu et al.Kusuhashi, Hu, Wang, Hirasawa, Matsuoka.Aptian/AlbianFuxin Formation Shahai FormationA alticonodontine triconodontidMiacis igniculusValid Beard & DawsonEarly Wasatchian Microtodon komanensisValid Hordijk De BruijnEarly PliocenePtolemais FormationA rodent.Mimoperadectes houdeiValid Horovitz et al.Early WasatchianWillwood FormationMimoperadectes sowasheensisValid Beard & DawsonEarly Wasatchian MiosengiValid Grossman HolroydEarly MioceneLothidok FormationAn elephant shrew. The type species is M. butleri.Mustela nivalis kudarensis.Valid BaryshnikovMiddle to late PleistoceneSouth OssetiaA fossil subspecies of the least weasel.Myomimus igdeliensisValid Suata-AlpaslanEarly Pliocene (Ruscinian)A dormouse, a species of Myomimus.Mytonolagus ashcraftiValid Fostowicz-Frelik & TabrumEoceneA member of the family Leporidae.NalameryxValid Métais Welcomme DucrocqMiddle OligoceneChitarwata FormationA lophiomerycid ruminantNaranius americanusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Cimolestidae.Niglarodon brachyodonValid KorthLate OligoceneAn aplodontiid rodent, a species of Niglarodon.Notiolofos.Valid Bond et al.EoceneLa Meseta FormationAntarctica(Seymour Island)A member of Litopterna belonging to the family Sparnotheriodontidae; a replacement name for Notolophus Bond et al. (2006).Occitanomys (Rhodomys) vandamiValid Suata-AlpaslanEarly Pliocene (Ruscinian)A member of the family Muridae.Ochotona mediterranensisValid Suata-AlpaslanEarly Pliocene (Ruscinian)A pika.Oligospermophilus emryiValid KorthLate OligoceneA cedromurine squirrel, a species of Oligospermophilus emryi.Palaeosinopa aestuariumValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianParamys disparValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianPraesinomegaceros venustus.Valid VislobokovaLate Miocene (late Turolian)A megacerine deer, a species of Praesinomegaceros.Proconsul meswaeValid Harrison AndrewsEarly MioceneA species of Proconsul or Ugandapithecus.Prosciurus clausulusValid KorthLate OligoceneAn aplodontiid rodent, a species of Prosciurus.Proterix minimusValid KorthLate OligoceneAn erinaceid, a species of Proterix.Pseudomeriones hansiValid Suata-AlpaslanEarly Pliocene (Ruscinian)A gerbil. PuijilaValid Rybczynski Dawson TedfordEarly Miocene Extinct genus of pinniped.Sallamys quispeaValid Shockey et al.DeseadanMoquegua Formation Salla BedsA caviomorph rodent related to the group Octodontoidea. Originally described as a species of Sallamys; subsequently transferred to the genus Migraveramus by Pérez et al. (in press).SimplomysValid García-Paredes in García-Paredes, Peláez-Campomanes & Álvarez-SierraMioceneA dormouse. The type species is "Pseudodryomys" simplicidens De Bruijn (1966); genus also includes "Pseudodryomys" robustus De Bruijn (1967), "Pseudodryomys" aljaphi Hugueney et al. (1978) and "Pseudodryomys" julii Daams (1989), as well as new species S. meulenorum.ViverriscusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of the family Viverravidae. The type species is V. omnivorus.Wyonycteris primitivusValid Beard & DawsonEarly WasatchianA member of Soricomorpha belonging to the family Nyctitheriidae.
Notes
References