A New Talpid from the Late Eocene of North America

Karen J Lloyd,Jaelyn J Eberle

doi:10.4202/app.2008.0311

Abstract

The origin and early evolution of talpids (moles, shrew−moles, and desmans) is not well understood, in large part due to the poor fossil record of early talpids. Here we report the oldest known talpid from North America, Oreotalpa florissantensis gen. et sp. nov., based upon a tiny dentary with m1–m3 discov− ered in upper Eocene (Chadronian) strata of the Florissant Formation, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colo− rado. Oreotalpa extends the North American record of talpids back by some six Ma and appears temporally correlative with the oldest documented talpids from the late Eocene of Europe. While others have postulated a Eurasian origin for talpids, discovery of Oreotalpa suggests that the evolution of the group was underway in North America by late Eocene time and raises the possibility of a North American origin.

Highlights

We report the oldest known talpid from North America, Oreotalpa florissantensis gen. et sp. nov., based upon a tiny dentary with m1–m3 discovered in upper Eocene (Chadronian) strata of the Florissant Formation, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado
While others have postulated a Eurasian origin for talpids, discovery of Oreotalpa suggests that the evolution of the group was underway in North America by late Eocene time and raises the possibility of a North American origin
Eberle [Jaelyn.Eberle@colorado.edu], University of Colorado Museum of Natural History and Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, 265 UCB, Boulder, Colorado, 80309, USA

Summary

Introduction

The origin and early evolution of talpids (moles, shrew−moles, and desmans) is not well understood, in large part due to the poor fossil record of early talpids.

Results

Conclusion