''Yaverlestes gassoni'' is an extinct mammal which dates to the early

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period, 130 million years ago. It is part of the

Wessex Formation The Wessex Formation is a fossil-rich English geological formation that dates from the Berriasian to Barremian stages (about 145–125 million years ago) of the Early Cretaceous. It forms part of the Wealden Group and underlies the younger Vect ...

from the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

, England. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

, BMNH M 54386, is a partial jaw discovered near Yaverland. The genus name, ''Yaverlestes'', is derived from ''Yaverland'', the location of its discovery, and ''lestes'', Greek for thief. The specific epithet, ''gassoni'', is in honour of Brian Gasson, its discoverer.

References

Early Cretaceous mammals of Europe Prehistoric mammal genera {{cretaceous-mammal-stub