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Asiatherium Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) 83.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Holotype of Asiatherium
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Asiadelphia
Family:	†Asiatheriidae
Genus:	†Asiatherium Trofimov & Szalay, 1994
Species:	†A. reshetovi
Binomial name
†Asiatherium reshetovi Trofimov & Szalay, 1994

Asiatherium is an extinct genus of mammal, probably belonging to Metatheria. It lived during the Late Cretaceous, and its fossilized remains were discovered in Mongolia.

Description

Skull of Asiatherium is 30 mm (1.2 in) in length. This animal was roughly the size of a mouse, and is known from a fairly complete articulated skeleton, preserving a complete skull. Its teeth resembled roughly those of marsupials; it possessed three premolars and four molars, and the mandible was slightly curved. Compared to Deltatheridium, Asiatherium was even more marsupial-like, due to its molars having paraconids lower than the metaconids, and the paired entoconid-hypoconulid cusps on the lower molars. The stylar platform of the upper molars was however narrower and the stylar cusps weaker than in primitive marsupials. The upper molars differed from those of marsupials in their expanded praecingula and postcingula.

Classification

Asiatherium reshetovi was first described in 1994, based on fossils found in the Udan-Sayr locality of the Djadokhta Formation, in Mongolia. Asiatherium seems to be related to early marsupials, but probably was nested within a different clade of Metatherian, Deltatheroida, nested alongside Deltatheridium. The skeleton of Asiatherium looked like that of a basal Therian; epipubic bones, typical of marsupials, were present.

References and Bibliography

1. Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, Richard L. Cifelli, Zhe-Xi Luo (2004). Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs: origins, evolution, and structure. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 428. ISBN 978-0-231-11918-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. *F. S. Szalay and B. A. Trofimov. 1996. The Mongolian Late Cretaceous Asiatherium, and the early phylogeny and paleobiogeography of Metatheria. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(3):474-509

• B. A. Trofimov and F. S. Szalay. 1994. New Cretaceous marsupial from Mongolia and the early radiation of Metatheria. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 91:12569-12573
• T. E. Williamson, S. L. Brusatte, T. D. Carr, A. Weil, and B. R. Standhardt. 2012. The phylogeny and evolution of Cretaceous–Palaeogene metatherians: cladistic analysis and description of new early Palaeocene specimens from the Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10(4):625-651

v t e Metatheria
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Synapsida see Synapsida Cynodontia see Cynodontia Mammalia see Mammalia Metatheria see below↓
Metatheria Metatheria †Adinodon †Archaeonothos †Esteslestes †Ghamidtherium †Holoclemensia? †Kasserinotherium †Protalphadon †Sinodelphys? †Deltatheroida Pappotherium? Deltatheridiidae Atokatheridium? Deltatheridium Deltatheroides Gurbanodelta Lotheridium Nanocuris Oklatheridium? Prodeltitheridium Sulestes Tsagandelta Marsupialiformes †Adelodelphys †Aenigmadelphys †Anchistodelphys †Andinodelphys †Arcantiodelphys †Camptomus? †Glasbius †Gurlin Tsav skull †Iugomortiferum †Jaskhadelphys †Mayulestes †Pucadelphys †Sinbadelphys †Sparassodonta see below↓ †Asiatheriidae Asiatherium Kokopellia †Archimetatheria Iqualadelphis Stagodontidae Didelphodon Eobrasilia? Eodelphis Fumodelphodon Hoodootherium Pariadens? Pediomyoidea Aquiladelphis Austropediomys Dakotadens Monodelphopsis Pediomys Protolambda Scalaridelphys Unnuakomys †Peradectidae Armintodelphys Didelphidectes Mimoperadectes Nanodelphys Peradectes Siamoperadectes †Alphadontidae Albertatherium Alphadon Eoalphadon Turgidodon †Herpetotheriidae Amphiperatherium Asiadidelphis Copedelphys Ectocentrocristus Entomacodon Galatiadelphys Golerdelphys Herpetotherium Indodelphis Maastrichtidelphys Morotodon? Nortedelphys Peratherium Rumiodon? Swaindelphys Thylacodon †Anatoliadelphyidae Anatoliadelphys Orhaniyeia †Polydolopimorphia see below↓ Marsupialia Ameridelphia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Australidelphia
Sparassodonta Sparassodonta Allqokirus Argyrolestes Hondadelphys Nemolestes Patene Procladosictis Stylocynus Hathliacynidae Acyon Australogale Borhyaenidium Chasicostylus Cladosictis Notictis Notocynus Notogale Perathereutes Pseudonotictis Sallacyon Sipalocyon Borhyaenoidea Angelocabrerus Chlorocyon Dukecynus Fredszalaya Lycopsis Pharsophorus Plesiofelis Prothylacinus Pseudolycopsis Pseudothylacynus Borhyaenidae Acrocyon Arctodictis Australohyaena Borhyaena Eutemnodus? Proborhyaenidae Arminiheringia Callistoe Paraborhyaena Proborhyaena Thylacosmilidae Anachlysictis Eomakhaira Patagosmilus Thylacosmilus
Polydolopimorphia Polydolopimorphia Apeirodon? Bobbschaefferia Caroloameghinia Carolocoutoia Guggenheimia Gashternia Hatcheritherium Palangania Procaroloameghinia Protodidelphis Pujatodon? Reigia Robertbutleria Wamradolops Zeusdelphys Bonapartheriiformes Bonapartheriidae Bonapartherium Epidolops Argyrolagidae Anargyrolagus Argyrolagus Hondalagus Microtragulus Proargyrolagus Chulpasiinae Chulpasia Thylacotinga Prepidolopidae Incadolops Perrodelphys Prepidolops Punadolops Seumandia Rosendolopidae Hondonadia Rosendolops Polydolopiformes Polydolopidae Amphidolops Antarctodolops Eudolops Eurydolops Hypodolops Kramadolops Parabderites Polydolops Pseudolops Sillustaniidae Roberthoffstetteria Sillustania

• Cretaceous mammals
• Cretaceous mammals of Asia
• Monotypic prehistoric mammal genera
• Fossil taxa described in 1994
• Prehistoric metatherians