Acta Palaeontologica Polonica

The multituberculate Catopsalis from the early Paleocene of the Crazy Mountains Basin in Montana

Gregory A. Buckley

Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 40 (4), 1995: 389-398

A new species of the taeniolabidid multituberculate Catopsalis is described from the Simpson Quarry fauna of the Puercan age Bear Formation of the Crazy Mountains Basin, south-central Montana. The molars retain a conservative cusp formula, yet are distinct from those of other early members of the genus in their extremely large size, which is approximately the same as that of C. calgariensis from the late Torrejonian to early Tiffanian. The combination of apomorphic and plesiomorphic features in the new species indicates a greater degree of complexity in the evolution of the genus than previously recognized.

Key words: Multituberculata, Taeniolabididae, Puercan, Paleocene, Montana.


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