STEROPODON

[darren.naish@port.ac.uk]

George wrote...

> [McKenna & Bell list] _Steropodon_ within Ornithorhynchidae and 
> do not have a Steropodontidae at all. So the latter family is, I        
> presume, very recently created. 

If memory serves, the Steropodontidae was erected way back when 
_Steropodon_ itself was formally named (Archer et al. 1985) - 
McKenna and Bell regard this family name as a junior synonym of 
Ornithorhynchidae. I may be wrong as I do not have the paper to hand, 
however.

There is stuff in the DML archives about _Steropodon_  and the other 
Lighting Ridge mammal, _Kollikodon_ (=_Hotcrossbunodon_). In 
fact, let me take this opportunity to suggest that, if you have a query 
about a specific genus or group, check the archives first. Many topics 
covered on this list have been discussed before.

ARCHER, M., FLANNERY, T.F., RITCHIE, A. & MOLNAR, R.E. 
1985. First Mesozoic mammal from Australia - an early Cretaceous 
monotreme. _Nature_ 318: 363-366.


DARREN NAISH 
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