''Dobunnodon'' its an extinct genus of

docodont Docodonta is an order of extinct mammaliaforms that lived during the Mesozoic, from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. They are distinguished from other early mammaliaforms by their relatively complex molar teeth, from which the order get ...

from the

Middle Jurassic The Middle Jurassic is the second epoch of the Jurassic Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 163.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relatively rare, but geological formations co ...

(

Bathonian In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age and stage of the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 168.3 Ma to around 166.1 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian Age succeeds the Bajocian Age and precedes the Callovian Age. Strat ...

)

Forest Marble Formation The Forest Marble is a geological formation in England. Part of the Great Oolite Group, it dates to the late Bathonian stage of the Middle Jurassic.Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Middle Jurassic, Europe)." In: Weisham ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, first discovered in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

near the village of

Kirtlington Kirtlington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about west of Bicester. The parish includes the hamlet of Northbrook. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 988. The parish measures nearly north–south and about east� ...

. The type species, ''D. mussettae'', was originally named as a species of ''

Borealestes ''Borealestes'' was a genus of docodontan from the Middle Jurassic of Britain, first discovered on the Isle of Skye near the village of Elgol. It was the earliest mammaliaform from the Mesozoic found and named in Scotland. A second species and ...

'' in 2003.Sigogneau-Russell D. (2003
Docodonts from the British Mesozoic
''Acta Palaeontologica Polonica'' 48, 3, 357-374 __TOC__

History

In 2003, ''Borealestes mussettae'' (originally 'B. mussetti') was named by

Denise Sigogneau-Russell Denise Sigogneau-Russell (born ''c.'' 1941/42) is a French palaeontologist who specialises in mammals from the Mesozoic, particularly from France and the UK. She is currently based at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Background Denise S ...

, based on isolated molars found in the

aged

Mammal bed of

, England. It differs from ''B. serendipitus'' in the details of cusps and ridges on the molar teeth. The species name ''mussetti'' was in honour of Dr Frances Mussett, in recognition of her major participation in fossil excavation at Kirtlington Cement Quarry. However, ''mussetti'' is the masculine form, and so this has been amended to ''mussettae'' by subsequent authors, starting with Alexander Averianov in 2004.Panciroli, E., Benson, R.B. and Luo, Z.X., (2019)
The mandible and dentition of Borealestes serendipitus (Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland
''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'', 39(3), p.e1621884 It was moved to the new genus ''Dobunnodon'' in 2021.

Appearance

''Dobunnodon'' is currently only known from isolated molars.Panciroli, E., Schultz J.A., and Luo, Z-X. (2018)
The morphology of the petrosal and stapes of Borealestes (Mammaliaformes, Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland
''Papers in Palaeontology'' https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1233

Docodonts Docodonta is an order of extinct mammaliaforms that lived during the Mesozoic, from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. They are distinguished from other early mammaliaforms by their relatively complex molar teeth, from which the order get ...

are small (shrew to rat sized) mammaliaforms. ''Dobunnodon'' is believed to be a basal member of

Docodonta Docodonta is an Order (biology), order of extinct Mammaliaformes, mammaliaforms that lived during the Mesozoic, from the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. They are distinguished from other early Mammaliaformes, mammaliaforms by their relativel ...

.Luo Z-X, and Martin. (2007
Analysis of molar structure and phylogeny of docodont genera
''Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History'' 39: 27-47

References

Docodonts Prehistoric cynodont genera Bathonian life Jurassic synapsids Jurassic England Fossils of England Fossil taxa described in 2021 {{Paleo-therapsid-stub