Skeletal diagrams of Borealestes serendipitus (green) and B. cuillinensis (blue) Scale bars = 10 mm
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Clade:
Synapsida
Clade:
Therapsida
Clade:
Cynodontia
Clade:
Mammaliaformes
Order:
†Docodonta Kretzoi, 1946
Genera
See text.
Docodonta is an order of extinct Mesozoic mammaliaforms (advanced cynodonts closely related to true crown-group mammals). They were among the most common mammaliaforms of their time, persisting from the Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous across the continent of Laurasia (modern-day North America, Europe, and Asia). They are distinguished from other early mammaliaforms by their relatively complex molar teeth. Docodont teeth have been described as "pseudotribosphenic": a cusp on the inner half of the upper molar grinds into a basin on the front half of the lower molar, like a mortar-and-pestle. This is a case of convergent evolution with the tribosphenic teeth of therian mammals. There is much uncertainty for how docodont teeth developed from their simpler ancestors. Their closest relatives may have been certain Triassic "symmetrodonts", namely Woutersia, Delsatia.[1]
For much of their history of study, docodont fossils were represented by isolated teeth and jaws. The first docodont known from decent remains was Haldanodon, from the Guimarota site of Portugal. Recently, exceptionally preserved skeletons have been discovered in the Tiaojishan Formation of China. Chinese docodonts include otter-like,[2] mole-like,[3] and squirrel-like species,[4][5] hinting at impressive ecological diversity within the group. Many docodonts have muscular limbs and broad tail vertebrae, adaptations for burrowing or swimming. Like true mammals, docodonts have hair,[2] a saddle-shaped hyoid apparatus,[5] and reduced postdentary jaw bones which are beginning to develop into middle ear ossicles. On the other hand, the postdentary bones are still attached to the jaw and skull, the nostrils have yet to fuse, and in most species the spine's thoracic-lumbar transition is rather subdued.[3][4]
^Luo, Zhe-Xi; Martin, Thomas (2007). "Analysis of Molar Structure and Phylogeny of Docodont Genera". Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 2007 (39): 27–47. doi:10.2992/0145-9058(2007)39[27:AOMSAP]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0145-9058. S2CID 29846648.
^ abCite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abLuo, Zhe-Xi; Meng, Qing-Jin; Ji, Qiang; Liu, Di; Zhang, Yu-Guang; Neander, April I. (2015-02-13). "Evolutionary development in basal mammaliaforms as revealed by a docodontan". Science. 347 (6223): 760–764. doi:10.1126/science.1260880. PMID 25678660. S2CID 206562572.
^ abMeng, Qing-Jin; Ji, Qiang; Zhang, Yu-Guang; Liu, Di; Grossnickle, David M.; Luo, Zhe-Xi (2015-02-13). "An arboreal docodont from the Jurassic and mammaliaform ecological diversification". Science. 347 (6223): 764–768. doi:10.1126/science.1260879. PMID 25678661. S2CID 206562565.
^ abCite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Docodonta is an order of extinct Mesozoic mammaliaforms (advanced cynodonts closely related to true crown-group mammals). They were among the most common...
Monotremata and to which a variety of extinct groups, including Morganucodonta, Docodonta, Triconodonta and Multituberculata, have also been assigned. It is today...
Besides Morganucodonta and the crown group mammals, Mammaliaformes includes Docodonta and Hadrocodium. Mammaliaformes is a term of phylogenetic nomenclature...
things, controls sensory perception. Castorocauda is a member of the order Docodonta, an extinct group of mammaliaforms. Mammaliaformes includes mammal-like...
Georg (1991-10-01). "Cranio-mandibular anatomy of Haldanodon exspectatus (Docodonta; Mammalia) from the late Jurassic of Portugal and its implications to...
sized) mammaliaforms. Dobunnodon is believed to be a basal member of Docodonta. Sigogneau-Russell D. (2003) Docodonts from the British Mesozoic. Acta...
that Tikitherium and Docodonta are the most closely related, it is debated that Woutersia instead may be the sister taxa to Docodonta due to the similarity...
and later gave its name to the family Docodontidae as well as the order Docodonta. Docodonts had more complex shaped teeth than other early non-mammalian...
This is an incomplete list of prehistoric mammals. It does not include extant mammals or recently extinct mammals. For extinct primate species, see: list...
their closest relatives. Borealestes is believed to be a basal member of Docodonta. Panciroli, E.; Benson, R. B. J.; Fernandez, V.; Butler, R. J.; Fraser...
Yakutia, Russia: new insights into diversity, morphology, and phylogeny of Docodonta". Cretaceous Research. 158. 105836. Bibcode:2024CrRes.15805836A. doi:10...
descendants." Besides Morganucodontidae, the newly defined taxon includes Docodonta and Kuehneotheriidae. Though haramiyids have been referred to the mammals...
with a 2024 study suggesting that shuotheriids were closely related to Docodonta outside of the Mammalia crown group. Mao, F.; Li, Z.; Wang, Z.; Zhang...
morganucodontids, including †Morganucodon, †Megazostrodon, and others †Docodonta - docodonts, including †Haldanodon and †Castorocauda (Ji et al., 2006)...
from the Late Jurassic Qigu Formation of China. It belongs to the clade Docodonta. L. P. Tatarinov (1994). "On an unusual mammalian tooth from the Mongolian...
them outside Multituberculata as phylogenetically intermediate between Docodonta and crown Mammalia. The gondwanathere Vintana was also recovered as sister...
Thomas Martin, Postcranial anatomy of Haldanodon exspectatus (Mammalia, Docodonta) from the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian) of Portugal and its bearing for...
docodont. Lopatin, A. V.; Averianov, A. O. (November 2005). "A New Docodont (Docodonta, Mammalia) from the Middle Jurassic of Siberia" (PDF). Doklady Biological...
Voronkevich, A.V. (2003-03-07). "A new genus of the tegotheriid docodonts (Docodonta, Tegotheriidae) from the Early Cretaceous of West Siberia" (PDF). Russian...
a kuehneotheriid, but it has been suggested that it may be related to Docodonta. Remains of W. mirabilis and W. butleri have been found in the Gres à...
T.; Skutschas, P. P. (2023-07-19). "An Upper Molar of a Docodontan (Docodonta, Mammaliaformes) from the Lower Cretaceous of Western Siberia". Doklady...
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