Coloniatherium [SEP] parent taxon
Coloniatherium
Coloniatherium is a dryolestoid mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. The single species, Coloniatherium cilinskii, was a large member of the family Mesungulatidae.
Taxonomy.
"Coloniatherium" was named in 2009 by Guillermo Rougier and colleagues and assigned to the family Mesungulatidae within the Dryolestoidea. Dryolestoidea is an extinct mammalian group that occurred in North America, Eurasia, and Africa during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, but survived in South America during the Late Cretaceous and into the Paleocene. The generic name, "Coloniatherium"
"Coloniatherium" is the largest and most abundant mammal found in the formation.
Mesungulatids, including "Coloniatherium", are a highly derived group of mammals, possibly specialized for an omnivorous to herbivorous diet, "Coloniatherium cilinskii's" large population density possibly indicating the latter as it is among the most common vertebrates in its faunal assemblage. They are among the most distinctive products of the unique Mesozoic radiation of South American mammals.