Pleurospidotherium re-enters the LRT, this time as a marsupial
According to Wikipedia – Pleurospidotherium,
“Pleuraspidotherium is an extinct genus of condylarth…”
In the LRT Pleurospidotherium is – convergent – with condylarths = early hoofed placental1 taxa.This taxon approaches placental camels and early pigs in morphology. But something is always a little ‘off’.
Turns out, Plaeuospidotherium and its widely recognized relatives (Fig 1) are representatives from an overlooked clade of marsupials in the LRT (subset Fig 3).
Figure 1. Pleuraspidiotherium compared to scale with Meniscotherium, Ocepeia and Orthaspidotherium, all nesting with Hyopsodus and Periptychius, derived from tiny Monodelphis domestica, an extant monodelphid marsupial.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg?w=79″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg?w=270″ class=”wp-image-92444 size-full” src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Pleuraspidiotherium compared to scale with Meniscotherium, Ocepeia and Orthaspidotherium, all nesting with Hyopsodus and Periptychius, derived from tiny Monodelphis domestica, an extant monodelphid marsupial.” width=”588″ height=”2226″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg 588w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg?w=40&h=150 40w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pleuraspidotherium-ocepeia_meniscotherium_skull588.jpg?w=79&h=300 79w” sizes=”(max-width: 588px) 100vw, 588px” />
Figure 1. Pleuraspidiotherium compared to scale with Meniscotherium, Ocepeia and Orthaspidotherium, all nesting with Hyopsodus and Periptychius, derived from tiny Monodelphis domestica, an extant monodelphid marsupial.
Earlier,
Pleurospidotherium (Fig 1) entered then left the LRT. Back then it was just too soon to understand its interrelationships. Now, after a year’s worth of exasperation the following taxa (Figs 1–3) have gathered themselves together into a new marsupial clade.
Figure 1. Skulls to scale of Periptychus, Monodelphis domestica and Orthaspidotherium.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg?w=155″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg?w=528″ class=”size-full wp-image-92333″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg” alt=”Figure 1. Skulls to scale of Periptychus, Monodelphis domestica and Orthaspidotherium.” width=”584″ height=”1133″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg?w=584&h=1133 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg?w=77&h=150 77w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg?w=155&h=300 155w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/periptychus-skull3views588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 2. Skulls to scale of Periptychus, Monodelphis domestica and Orthaspidotherium.
Their teeth are strange. But also primitive.
That’s because each taxon represents a distant twig from an ancient = Early Cretaceous root.
Figure 3. Meniscotherium clade in the LRT.
” data-medium-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg?w=102″ data-large-file=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg?w=347″ class=”size-full wp-image-92513″ src=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg” alt=”Figure 3. Meniscotherium clade in the LRT.” width=”584″ height=”1725″ srcset=”https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg?w=584&h=1725 584w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg?w=51&h=150 51w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg?w=102&h=300 102w, https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/meniscotherium.clade588.jpg 588w” sizes=”(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px” />
Figure 3. Meniscotherium clade in the LRT.
The whole monodelphid pre-placental grade of the LRT
has been difficult to cement in place. It remains fragile. This subset of the LRT is a work in progress. Thank you for your patience.
References
Novacek MJ 1986. The skull of leptictid insectivorans and the higher-level classification of eutherian mammals. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 183(1):112pp.
wiki/Periptychus
wiki/Ocepeia
wiki/Meniscotherium
wiki/Pleuraspidotherium
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2025/04/19/pleurospidotherium-re-enters-the-lrt-this-time-as-a-marsupial/
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