Research paper

The carnivoran-like insectivore Butselia biveri Quinet & Misonne, 1965 (Mammalia, Plesiosoricidae) from the lowermost Oligocene of Europe

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RICHARD SMITH
Département de Paléontologie, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautier 29, B−1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. richardsmithpal@hotmail.com
Corresponding author

THIERRY SMITH
Département de Paléontologie, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, rue Vautier 29, B−1000 Bruxelles, Belgium. thierry.smith@sciencesnaturelles.be

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ABSTRACT

Plesiosoricidae is a small extinct family of soricomorphan insectivores distributed from the Early Eocene to the Late Miocene on the three continents of the Northern Hemisphere. One of two known plesiosoricid subfamilies is represented by the particular Eurasian subfamily Butseliinae. Here we describe new dental and postcranial elements of Butselia biveri, the type-species of the genus Butselia from the lowermost Oligocene of Belgium. The specialized anterior dentition shows a strong caniniform i2 while the upper and lower molars show a remarkable convergent evolution with early carnivorans, especially the small Early Eocene miacids. Tarsal bones of Butselia biveri are also identified and described, suggesting a closely relationship with Nyctitheriidae but also indicating some convergent features with small scansorial carnivorans.

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Keywords: Soricomorpha, Plesiosoricidae, Butselia, MP21, Belgium.

How to cite: Smith, R. & Smith, T. 2012. The carnivoran-like insectivore Butselia biveri Quinet & Misonne, 1965 (Mammalia, Plesiosoricidae) from the lowermost Oligocene of Europe. Spanish Journal of Palaeontology, 27 (2), 105-116

Received 1 May 2012, Accepted 10 September 2012, Published 31 December 2012

https://doi.org/10.7203/sjp.27.2.18102

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