Sulestes Explained
Sulestes is an extinct genus of Deltatheridiidae from Cretaceous period. It has only been recovered from the Bissekty Formation in Uzbekistan.[1]
Description
Sulestes is known from several jaw bones and teeth. Its holotype CCMGE 35/12000 consists of a left maxilla fragment with the first two molars. Significantly more material was referred to the genus in 2010 that included a right maxilla and several right and left dentary fragments.
The genus and the Deltatheridiidae family as a whole are thought to be predators.[2]
Classification
The following cladogram is modified from Averianov et al., 2010:
Notes and References
- A. O. Averianov, J. D. Archibald, and E. G. Ekdale. 2010. New material of the Late Cretaceous deltatheroidan mammal Sulestes from Uzbekistan and phylogenetic reassessment of the metatherian-eutherian dichotomy. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 8 (3): 301-330. doi:10.1080/14772011003603499
- Nessov . Lev A. . Sigogneau-Russel . Denise . Russel . Donald E. . 1994 . A survey of Cretaceous tribosphenic mammals from middle Asia (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan), of their geological setting, age and faunal environment . Palaeovertebrata . 23 . 1-4 . 51-92.