Docodontans (Mammaliaformes) from the Late Jurassic of Germany

Docodon hercynicus sp. nov. from the Upper Jurassic (upper Kimmeridgian) Süntel Formation of the Langenberg Quarry in Lower Saxony is the first docodontan recorded from Central Europe. The two lower molars available are characterised by vertical enamel ridges at the distal flank of cusp a, which are typical for Docodon. This is only the second record of Docodon from Europe with the genus otherwise restricted to the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian of the Morrison Formation in western North America. A distal fragment of a much smaller lower molar from the same strata exhibits similar vertical enamel ridges and indicates the possible presence of a second Docodon species in the Langenberg Quarry. Docodon hercynicus n. sp. is further evidence for the close terrestrial faunal interrelationships between Europe and North America. It represents only the third record of a docodontan from Late Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous strata of Europe and supports a relic occurrence and late survival of mammaliaforms on a palaeo-island in the Lower Saxony Basin within the European Archipelago.