Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

Bolodon

Bolodon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Therapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Multituberculata
Family: Plagiaulacidae
Genus: Bolodon
Species
  B. crassidens
  B. osborni
  ?validity B. minor
  ?not 'B.' elongatus
Ref.

Bolodon was a mammal from the Lower Cretaceous of Europe, (and perhaps the Upper Jurassic of North America). It was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata, and lived at the same time as dinosaurs.

(For the technically minded, suborder "Plagiaulacida", family Plagiaulacidae.)

Genus: Bolodon Owen R, 1871
Aka?: Plioprion
Remarks: Material has also been reported from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. I haven't yet been able to find confirmation or details.
Some authors ascribe this genus to its own family, Bolodontidae.
Reference: Owen (1871), Monograph of the fossil Mammalia of the Mesozoic formations. Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society, 33, p.1-115.

Species: Bolodon crassidens
Place: Durlston Bay, Dorset & Galve?
Country: England & Spain?
Age: Lower Cretaceous
Remarks: The Spanish possibility is contained in a webpage by John H Burkitt, but I haven't found any confirmation elsewhere.
Reference:

Species: Bolodon' elongatus'
Place:
Country:
Age:
Remarks: This is very possibly not part of the genus: "?new genus to be erected for 'Bolodon' elongatus," (Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum, 2001, p.414).
Reference:

Species: Bolodon minor
Aka: Plioprion minor
Place: Durlston Bay, Dorset
Country: England
Age: Lower Cretaceous
Remarks: Plioprion Cope, 1884 is probably synonymous with Bolodon. I've no idea if this species is still considered valid.
Reference:

Species: Bolodon osborni Simpson GG, 1928
Place: Durlston Bay, Dorset
Country: England
Age: Berriasian, Lower Cretaceous
Remarks: A tooth features on plate 2 of Kielan-Jaworowska & Hurum (2001).
Reference: Simpson (1928), A catalogue of the Mesozoic Mammalia in the Geological Department of the British Museum. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London, 215pp.

Page reference: Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals. Paleontology 44, p.389-429.

(This information has been derived from [1] MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Plagiaulacidae, Albionbaataridae, Eobaataridae & Arginbaataridae, an internet directory. As that's my webpage, there are no issues of copyright. Trevor Dykes)