Computed microtomography investigation of the skull of Cuvier's famous ‘opossum’ (Marsupialiformes, Herpetotheriidae) from the Eocene of Montmartre

Allqokirus australis (Sparassodonta, Metatheria) from the early Palaeocene of Tiupampa (Bolivia) and the rise of the metatherian carnivorous radiation in South America

“…This topology, although not identical to ours, clearly supports close relationships of Mayulestes with the borhyaenoids (sensu Rougier et al 1998Rougier et al , 2004Rougier et al , 2015 and with the pucadelphyids. The results of Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015 and Bi et al (2015) also support the inclusion of the Pucadelphyda and the Marsupialia in the same clade and, in this respect, is clearly reminiscent of the results presented here.…”

“…The reason for the slight divergence between our results is probably explained by the fact that we included 17 sparassodont taxa in our analysis, while the imprecise designation "borhyaenids" of Wilson et al (2016) is likely to be only partially representative of the taxon Sparassodonta. In fact, the analysis of Wilson et al (2016) used the data matrix of Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015 and therefore their "borhyaenoids" is clearly derived from the taxon Borhyaenidae employed by Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015 to represent the Sparassodonta and for which they did not specify either the taxa they included in this family. In our analysis (as well as in that of , the taxon Borhyaenidae is represented by three genera (Borhyaena, Arctodictis and Australohyaena), and which resulted here as paraphyletic.…”

“…Furthermore, the results of the analysis performed by Bi et al (2015: fig. 5) based on the data matrix of Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015, retrieved a clade including the Marsupialia and the Pucadelphyda (the latter as a paraphyletic group) as follows: (Gurlin Tsav Skull (Borhyaenids (Mayulestes (Jaskhadelphys (Pucadelphys (Andinodelphys (Marsupialia)))))). This topology, although not identical to ours, clearly supports close relationships of Mayulestes with the borhyaenoids (sensu Rougier et al 1998Rougier et al , 2004Rougier et al , 2015 and with the pucadelphyids.…”

“…5) based on the data matrix of Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015, retrieved a clade including the Marsupialia and the Pucadelphyda (the latter as a paraphyletic group) as follows: (Gurlin Tsav Skull (Borhyaenids (Mayulestes (Jaskhadelphys (Pucadelphys (Andinodelphys (Marsupialia)))))). This topology, although not identical to ours, clearly supports close relationships of Mayulestes with the borhyaenoids (sensu Rougier et al 1998Rougier et al , 2004Rougier et al , 2015 and with the pucadelphyids. The results of Rougier et al (1998Rougier et al ( , 2004Rougier et al ( , 2015 and Bi et al (2015) also support the inclusion of the Pucadelphyda and the Marsupialia in the same clade and, in this respect, is clearly reminiscent of the results presented here.…”

Cranial anatomy of Andinodelphys cochabambensis, a stem metatherian from the early Palaeocene of Bolivia

“…The structure designated here and elsewhere (Muizon et al 2018) as trigeminal fossa is the petrosal contribution to the cavum epiptericum (Wilson et al 2016). A vestigial anterior lamina has been described in the metatherians Pucadelphys (Marshall & Muizon 1995) see (Selva & Ladevèze 2017;Ladevèze et al 2020). It has also been decribed in the eutherians Alcidedorbignya (Muizon et al 2015), Prokennalestes (Wible et al 2001), and in isolated "zhelestid" petrosals (Ekdale et al 2004).…”