Lesmesodon

Lesmesodon
Temporal range: 50.8–46.3 Ma Early to Middle Eocene
Fossil of Lesmesodon edingeri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: †Hyaenodonta
Superfamily: †Hyaenodontoidea
Clade: †Proviverrinae
Genus: †Lesmesodon
Morlo & Habersetzer, 1999
Type species
†Lesmesodon edingeri
Springhorn, 1982
Species
  • †L. behnkeae (Morlo & Habersetzer, 1999)
  • †L. edingeri (Springhorn, 1982)
  • †L. gunnelli (Solé, 2021)
Synonyms
synonyms of species:
  • L. edingeri:
    • Proviverra edingeri (Springhorn, 1982)

Lesmesodon ("tooth from Messel") is an extinct genus of placental mammals from extinct clade Proviverrinae within extinct superfamily Hyaenodontoidea (in extinct order Hyaenodonta), that lived during the Early to Middle Eocene. It was found in France and in the Messel Pit in Germany.

Description

Lesmesodon was a weasel-sized mammal.

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

Lesmesodon has a chewing cycle and pattern of tooth occlusion similar to modern insectivorous predators, and was most likely also an insectivore.

Life history

As it grew, Lesmesodon replaced its dP2 after the eruption of its M1 and M2, which is the ancestral condition in Hyaenodonta.

References

  1. ↑ Michael Morlo & Jörg Habersetzer (1999.) "The Hyaenodontidae (Creodonta, Mammalia) from the lower Middle Eocene (MP 11) of Messel (Germany) with special remarks on new x-ray methods" CFS Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 216, 31-73.
  2. ↑ Springhorn, R. (1982.) "Neue Raubtiere (Mammalia: Creodonta et Carnivora) aus dem Lutetium der Grube Messel (Deutschland)." Palaeontographica Abteilung A, 179, 105–141.
  3. 1 2 Solé, Floreal; Morlo, M.; Schaal, T.; Lehmann, T. (2021). "New hyaenodonts (Mammalia) from the late Ypresian locality of Prémontré (France) support a radiation of the hyaenodonts in Europe already at the end of the early Eocene". Geobios. 66–67: 119–141. Bibcode:2021Geobi..66..119S. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2021.02.004. ISSN 0016-6995. S2CID 234848856.
  4. ↑ Egi, N.; Holroyd, P. A.; Tsubamoto, T.; Soe, A. N.; Takai, M.; Ciochon, R. L. (2005). "Proviverrine hyaenodontids (Creodonta: Mammalia) from the Eocene of Myanmar and a phylogenetic analysis of the proviverrines from the Para-Tethys area". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 3 (4): 337. Bibcode:2005JSPal...3..337E. doi:10.1017/S1477201905001707. S2CID 85918991.
  5. ↑ "Episode 6 Field Guide: Tiny Horses, Galloping Crocs, and Fossilized Jungles". Past Time Paleo. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Weidtke, Jannik; Schultz, Julia A.; Morlo, Michael; Lang, Andreas J.; Lehmann, Thomas; Martin, Thomas (1 September 2025). "Chewing cycle analysis of Lesmesodon edingeri (Mammalia; Hyaenodonta) and implications for carnivoran feeding adaptions". Palaeontologia Electronica. doi:10.26879/18. Retrieved 16 March 2026 – via Palaeontologia Electronica.
  7. ↑ Borths, Matthew Robert; Stevens, Nancy J. (31 October 2017). "Deciduous dentition and dental eruption of Hyainailouroidea (Hyaenodonta, "Creodonta," Placentalia, Mammalia)". Palaeontologia Electronica. 20 (3). doi:10.26879/776. Retrieved 7 March 2026 – via Palaeontologia Electronica.