Peradectes
Peradectes is an extinct genus of small metatherian mammals known from the latest Cretaceous to Eocene of North and South America and Europe. The first discovered fossil of P. elegans, was one of 15 Peradectes specimens described in 1921 from the Mason pocket fossil beds in Colorado. The monophyly of the genus has been questioned. Etymology The genus name is derived from the Greek for “pouch” (pera-) and “biter” (-dectes), indicating a marsupial thought to engage primarily in carnivory. Taxonomy and relationships The exact placement of Peradectes and its relationships have been uncertain. Some definitions of the group may be polyphyletic, and the extinct genus Thylacodon was thought by some to be synonymous with Peradectes; however, the two are now considered separate genera. It is known to be a metatherian and further a member of the crown clade Marsupialia along with other extinct and extant groups due to distinct marsupial dentition and jaw anatomy. Once thought to be a member of Didelphidae along with modern opossums, it is now classified within a separate family, Peradectidae, due in part to the predilambdodont, rather than true dilambdodont, upper molars. Some classifications recognize a subfamily within Peradectidae, Peradectinae, which includes at least Peradectes,