Liotomus is a mammal genus from the Paleocene of Europe and North America, and thus lived just after "the age of the dinosaurs." It was a member of the extinct order of Multituberculata, lying within the suborder Cimolodonta and possibly the family Cimolodontidae.
Genus: Liotomus (Cope ED, 1884)
Aka: Neoctenacodon Lemoine, 1891; Neoplagiaulax (partly); Parectypodus (partly). This genus is sometimes placed within Eucosmodontidae (Jepsen, 1940).
Species: Liotomus marshi (Lemoine, 1882) Cope ED, 1884
Aka: Neoctenacodon marshi; Neoplagiaulax marshi
Known from the Upper Paleocene of Cernay, France. Has been cited as a descendant of Anconodon gidleyi.
Species: Liotomus vanvaleni
Aka: Parectypodus vanvaleni (Sloan RE, 1981)
Age: Puercan, Lower Paleocene
Place: San Juan Basin, New Mexico
Liotomus sinclairi, which also seems to have been known as Ptilodus sinclairi, has probably since become Parectypodus sinclairi.
References
- Cope (1884), "The Tertiary Marsupialia." American Naturalist, 18, p.686-697.
- Sloan (1981), "Systematics of Paleocene multituberculates from the San Juan Basin, New Mexico," pp. 127-160, in Lucas et al (eds), "Advances in San Juan Basin paleontology." University of New Mexico Press, Alberquerque.
- Kielan-Jaworowska Z & Hurum JH (2001), "Phylogeny and Systematics of multituberculate mammals." Paleontology 44, p.389-429.
- Much of this information has been derived from MESOZOIC MAMMALS; Ptilodontoidea, an Internet directory.