Parvopalus
{{Short description|Genus of fossil montremes}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), {{fossilrange|100.2|96.6}}
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| display_parents = 2
| genus = Parvopalus
| species = clytiei
| authority = Flannery et al., 2024
}}
Parvopalus (meaning "small opal") is an extinct genus of monotreme mammal from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Griman Creek Formation of Australia. The genus contains a single species, P. clytiei, known from a partial left dentary.
Discovery and naming
{{Location map|Australia
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|coordinates={{coord|29.46|S|147.78|E|display=inline}}
|caption= Parvopalus type locality near Lightning Ridge, Australia
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The Parvopalus holotype specimen, AM F161198, was discovered in 1999 in sediments of the Griman Creek Formation (Wallangulla Sandstone Member) near Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. The specimen consists of part of the left dentary.{{Cite journal |last1=Flannery |first1=Timothy F. |author-link1=Tim Flannery |last2=McCurry |first2=Matthew R. |last3=Rich |first3=Thomas H. |author-link3=Tom Rich |last4=Vickers-Rich |first4=Patricia |author-link4=Patricia Vickers-Rich |last5=Smith |first5=Elizabeth T. |last6=Helgen |first6=Kristofer M. |date=2024-05-26 |title=A diverse assemblage of monotremes (Monotremata) from the Cenomanian Lightning Ridge fauna of New South Wales, Australia |journal=Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology |volume=48 |issue=2 |language=en |pages=319–337 |doi=10.1080/03115518.2024.2348753 |issn=0311-5518|doi-access=free |bibcode=2024Alch...48..319F }}
In 2024, Flannery et al. described Parvopalus clytiei as a new genus and species of early monotreme based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Parvopalus, combines the Latin words "parvus", meaning "small", and "opalus", meaning "opal", referencing the opalized preservation style of the holotype. The specific name, clytiei, honours Clytie Smith who has found several opal fossils near the type locality.
Several other monotremes are known from the Griman Creek Formation, including Opalios and Dharragarra—which were described in the same publication as Parvopalus—as well as Kollikodon, Steropodon, and Stirtodon.{{Cite web |last=de Kruijff |first=Peter |date=2024-05-26 |title='Echidnapus' fossil of potential echidna and platypus ancestor may point to Australian 'age of monotremes' |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-05-27/meet-the-echidnapus-from-an-age-of-monotremes-in-australia/103849096 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527085342/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2024-05-27/meet-the-echidnapus-from-an-age-of-monotremes-in-australia/103849096 |archive-date=2024-05-27 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU}}
References
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{{Mammaliaformes|Y.}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q126123883|from2=Q126123888}}
Category:Prehistoric monotremes
Category:Prehistoric mammal genera
Category:Cretaceous mammals of Australia
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2024
Category:Mammals described in 2024
Category:Taxa named by Tim Flannery