Hidden diversity of Palaeogene metatherians: a new family of polydolopimorphian marsupials from Peruvian Amazonia
Stutz NS, Ribeiro AM, Charruault AL, Boivin M, Pujos F, Salas-Gismondi R, Tejada J, Benites-Palomino A, Orliac MJ, Varas-Malca R, Marivaux L, Antoine PO (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Book Volume: 206
Journal Issue: 4
DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag006
Abstract
South American marsupials are widely dominated by opossums and their kin today. Nevertheless, metatherian high-level taxonomic diversity was much higher before Pleistocene times. Here, we describe two new species and a new genus documenting the extinct order Polydolopimorphia, based on extensive material from Eocene–Oligocene localities of Peruvian Amazonia. Wamradolops telloi Stutz sp. nov. and Pozodolops manuelorum Stutz gen. et sp. nov. are morphologically close to the early Oligocene Wamradolops tsullodon Goin & Candela, 2004 from the same area. Parsimony analyses performed here strongly suggest that these three taxa document a new early-diverging clade of Polydolopimorphia, Wamradolopidae Stutz fam. nov., restricted to tropical–equatorial lowlands and falling outside the suborders Bonapartheriiformes and Polydolopiformes. These phylogenetic affinities further point to a Palaeocene–early Eocene ghost lineage for Wamradolopidae Stutz fam. nov., most probably at low latitudes of South America. Dental dimensions suggest that representatives of Wamradolopidae Stutz fam. nov. were extremely small, with estimated body masses ranging from 3 to 55 g. With cranial dimensions comparable to those of the living long-tailed planigale and Etruscan shrew, Wamradolops telloi Stutz sp. nov. is among the smallest mammals ever described.
Involved external institutions
University of Montpellier / Université Montpellier
France (FR)
Museu de Ciências Naturais
Brazil (BR)
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) / National Scientific and Technical Research Council
Argentina (AR)
Natural History Museum / Museo de Historia Natural
Peru (PE)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States (USA) (US)
France (FR)
Museu de Ciências Naturais
Brazil (BR)
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) / National Scientific and Technical Research Council
Argentina (AR)
Natural History Museum / Museo de Historia Natural
Peru (PE)
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States (USA) (US)
How to cite
APA:
Stutz, N.S., Ribeiro, A.M., Charruault, A.L., Boivin, M., Pujos, F., Salas-Gismondi, R.,... Antoine, P.O. (2026). Hidden diversity of Palaeogene metatherians: a new family of polydolopimorphian marsupials from Peruvian Amazonia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 206(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag006
MLA:
Stutz, Narla S., et al. "Hidden diversity of Palaeogene metatherians: a new family of polydolopimorphian marsupials from Peruvian Amazonia." Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 206.4 (2026).
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