Holoclemensia

Holoclemensia is an extinct genus of mammal of uncertain phylogenetic placement. It lived during the Early Cretaceous and its fossil remains were discovered in Texas.

Holoclemensia Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) 110–100 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Teeth of Holoclemensia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Metatheria Slaughter, 1968
Genus:	†Holoclemensia Slaughter, 1968
Type species
†Holoclemensia texana Slaughter, 1968
Synonyms
Clemensia Slaughter, 1968 Comanchea Jacobs et al 1989

Description

This genus is only known from a few isolated teeth. The upper molars had a paracone larger than the metacone, and a stylar platform with stylar cusps. The lower molars had a high protoconid, a small paraconid, and the hypoconulid and entoconid were close.^[1]

Classification

First described in 1968 by Slaughter, Holoclemensia texana is only known from a few teeth found in the Trinity Formation, in Texas. Slaughter initially described the remains under the name Clemensia, but this name was already in use for a genus of moths and the genus was renamed Holoclemensia. It was initially considered to be a basal marsupial, then was approached of the so-called group "Tribotheria",^[2] was later reconsidered as a marsupial,^[3] and was finally placed as a basal member of Metatheria.^[4] Despite its uncertain classification, Holoclemensia was probably close to the point where Metatherians and Eutherians diverged from each other.