Lainodon orueetxebarriai, GHEERBRANT & ASTIBIA, 1994

Archibald, J. David & Averianov, Alexander, 2012, Phylogenetic analysis, taxonomic revision, and dental ontogeny of the Cretaceous Zhelestidae (Mammalia: Eutheria), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 164 (2), pp. 361-426 : 403-404

LAINODON ORUEETXEBARRIAI GHEERBRANT & ASTIBIA, 1994

(See Appendix 4 for synonymies, referred illustrations, and referred specimens.)

Holotype: L1AT 14, left m2. Identified by Gheerbrant & Astibia (1994, 1999) as m1(?).

Type locality and horizon: Laño, Álava Province, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain; unnamed stratigraphical unit, Late Cretaceous (late Campanian or early Maastrichtian).

Revised diagnosis: Differs from all zhelestids except Sheikhdzheilia with protoconid tallest cusp on trigonid; labial postcingulid absent. Differs from all zhelestids except Sheikhdzheilia and Avitotherium by protocristid oblique. Differs from all zhelestids except Avitotherium and Gallolestes by paraconid on lingual margin present. Differs from all zhelestids except Avitotherium , Gallolestes , and Parazhelestes by trigonid angle between 36–49°.

Description: See Gheerbrant & Astibia (1999: 297– 301, 310–314).

Measurements: See Gheerbrant & Astibia (1999: tabs 1–4).

Comments: Lainodon orueetxebarriai was based on permanent lower molars whereas milk lower premolars from the same site were referred by Gheerbrant & Astibia (1999) to Lainodon sp. nov. We see no basis for this assignment. All differences between these ‘taxa’ noted by Gheerbrant & Astibia (1999) are differences between permanent molars and deciduous premolars. We refer tentatively to L. orueetxebarriai all therian teeth from the Laño locality, except possibly a tooth L1AT 11 identified as? Labes sp. ( Gheerbrant & Astibia, 1999: 314, fig. 5, pl. 2, figs 7–9). A right molar or dp5 trigonid from the Late Cretaceous of Taveiro, Portugal ( Antunes, Sigogneau-Russell & Russell, 1986: fig. E; Gheerbrant & Astibia, 1999: fig. 3e) may belong to Lainodon .

A fragmentary lower molar from the Maastrichtian of Madagascar may belong to a zhelestid similar to Lainodon ( Averianov, Archibald & Martin, 2003) .