| Turgidodon | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Clade: | Marsupialiformes |
| Family: | †Alphadontidae |
| Genus: | †Turgidodon Cifelli, 1990[1] |
| Type species | |
| Turgidodon praesagus (Russell, 1952) | |
| Other species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
Turgidodon is an extinct genus ofalphadontid marsupial from theLate Cretaceous of western North America.[1]
The genus was named in 1990 by Richard L. Cifelli for species that had previously been described as members ofAlphadon, with the name after theLatin wordTurgidus: "swollen". The type species isT. praesagus, first named in 1952 by Russell as a species ofDelphodon for a tooth from theOldman Formation ofAlberta. As well,Turgidodon includesT. rhaister, named in 1966 by Clemens as a species ofAlphadon from theLance Formation,T. russelli, named in 1979 by Fox as a species ofAlphadon also from the Oldman Formation,T. parapraesagus, named in 1987 by Rigby and Wolfberg as a species ofAlphadon from the Forest Fauna, and two species named in 1990 by Cifelli:T. lillegraveni andT. madseni. BothT. lillengraveni andT. madseni are from theKaiparowits Formation ofUtah, and named after paleontologists important to the studies of early mammals.[1]