Cifellilestes

Cifellilestes
Temporal range: Tithonian 151.5 Ma[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Clade: Therapsida
Clade: Cynodontia
Clade: Mammaliaformes
Order: Morganucodonta
Genus: Cifellilestes
Davis et al., 2022
Species:
C. ciscoensis
Binomial name
Cifellilestes ciscoensis
Davis et al., 2022

Cifellilestes is a genus of early mammaliaform from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. The type and only species, C. ciscoensis, was named in 2022 by Brian M. Davis and colleagues, and was found in the Cisco Mammal Quarry of Utah.[1] The generic name of the animal is in honor of Richard Cifelli, combined with the Greek word "lestes", which means thief. The specific name refers to Cisco, Utah, a ghost town close in close proximity to the location where the holotype was found.[1] The genus is known from two specimens, OMNH 80538 & 69352. These specimens represent a right and left skull fragment respectively, both preserving partial palate, snout and postcanine dentition. It belongs to the clade Morganucodonta.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Davis, Brian M.; Jäger, Kai R.K.; Rougier, Guillermo W.; Trujillo, Kelli; Chamberlain, Kevin (2022). "A morganucodontan mammaliaform from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, Utah, USA". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 67 (1): 77–93. doi:10.4202/app.00955.2021.