PBDB Taxon

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Zhelestidae

Mammalia - Zhelestidae

Taxonomy

Zhelestidae was named by Nessov (1990). It is not extant. It was considered paraphyletic by Averianov and Archibald (2005).

It was assigned to Mixotheridia by Wang (1995); to Ungulatomorpha by Averianov (1997), Nessov et al. (1998), Archibald (1998) and Kielan-Jaworowska et al. (2004); to Laurasiatheria by Archibald and Averianov (2005) and Averianov and Archibald (2005); and to Eutheria by Wible et al. (2007) and Archibald and Averianov (2012).

Subtaxa

Alostera, Aspanlestes (syn. Ortalestes), Avitotherium, Azilestes, Beleutinus, Beleutinus orlovi, Borisodon, Eozhelestes, Gallolestes, Kumsuperus, Lainodontinae, Mistralestes, Oxlestes, Parazhelestes, Sheikhdzheilia, Sorlestes, Valentinella, Zhalmouzia, Zhelestes

Synonyms

Beleutinus orlovi was named by Bazhanov (1972). Its type specimen is IZK 1-751/III-1962, a mandible (right mandibular fragment with heavily damaged molars), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Zhalmauz Well, which is in a Santonian/Campanian terrestrial horizon in the Bostobe Formation of Kazakhstan.

It was considered a nomen dubium by Averianov et al. (2014).
Kumsuperus was named by Nessov (1984).

It was considered a nomen dubium by Nessov et al. (1998).

It was assigned to Mioclaenidae by Nessov et al. (1994).
Beleutinus was named by Bazhanov (1972).

It was considered a nomen dubium by Averianov et al. (2014).

It was assigned to Trituberculata by McKenna and Bell (1997); and to Zalambdalestidae by Nessov et al. (1994), Averianov (1997) and Kielan-Jaworowska et al. (2004).

Synonymy list

Year	Name and author
1972	Beleutinus Bazhanov
1972	Beleutinus orlovi Bazhanov
1979	Beleutinus orlovi Kielan-Jaworowska et al. p. 183
1984	Kumsuperus Nessov
1990	Zhelestidae Nessov
1994	Beleutinus orlovi Nessov et al. p. 54 figs. pl. 1, fig. 1
1994	Beleutinus Nessov et al. p. 68
1994	Kumsuperus Nessov et al. pp. 68, 71
1995	Zhelestidae Wang
1997	Beleutinus Averianov p. 243
1997	Zhelestidae Averianov p. 249
1997	Beleutinus McKenna and Bell
1998	Zhelestidae Archibald
1998	Zhelestidae Nessov et al. p. 45
2004	Beleutinus Kielan-Jaworowska et al. pp. 494, 504 fig. 13.23D
2004	Beleutinus orlovi Kielan-Jaworowska et al. pp. 494, 504
2004	Zhelestidae Kielan-Jaworowska et al. pp. 494, 509-510
2005	Zhelestidae Archibald and Averianov
2005	Zhelestidae Averianov and Archibald p. 595
2007	Zhelestidae Wible et al.
2012	Zhelestidae Archibald and Averianov p. 362

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Rank	Name	Author
kingdom	Animalia	()
—	Bilateria
—	Eubilateria	Ax 1987
—	Deuterostomia
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1874
subphylum	Vertebrata
superclass	Gnathostomata
—	Osteichthyes	()
subclass	Sarcopterygii	()
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha	(Nelson 2006)
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha	()
—	Tetrapoda
—	Reptiliomorpha
—	Anthracosauria
subclass	Amphibiosauria	Kuhn 1967
—	Cotylosauria	()
—	Amniota

Rank	Name	Author
subclass	Synapsida
—	Therapsida	()
infraorder	Cynodontia	()
—	Mammaliamorpha
—	Mammaliaformes
class	Mammalia
—	Theriamorpha	(Rowe 1993)
—	Theriiformes	()
—	Trechnotheria
—	Cladotheria
—	Zatheria
subclass	Tribosphenida	()
subclass	Theria
—	Eutheria	()
family	Zhelestidae	Nessov 1990
family	Zhelestidae	Nessov 1990

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Fm. †Zhelestidae Nessov 1990

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G. †Alostera Fox 1989

†Alostera saskatchewanensis Fox 1989

Invalid names: Paranyctoides megakeros Lillegraven and McKenna 1986 [synonym]

G. †Aspanlestes Nessov 1985

†Aspanlestes aptap Nessov 1985

Invalid names: Zhelestes bezelgen Nessov 1987 [synonym]

Invalid names: Ortalestes Nessov 1997 [synonym]

G. †Avitotherium Cifelli 1990

†Avitotherium utahensis Cifelli 1990

G. †Azilestes Gheerbrant and Teodori 2021

†Azilestes ragei Gheerbrant and Teodori 2021

G. †Borisodon Archibald and Averianov 2012

†Borisodon kara Nessov 1993

G. †Eozhelestes Nessov 1997

†Eozhelestes mangit Nessov 1997

G. †Gallolestes Lillegraven 1976

†Gallolestes agujaensis Cifelli 1994

†Gallolestes pachymandibularis Lillegraven 1976

Subfm. †Lainodontinae Gheerbrant and Astibia 2012

G. †Labes Pol et al. 1992

†Labes garimondi Pol et al. 1992

†Labes quintanillensis Pol et al. 1992

G. †Lainodon Gheerbrant and Astibia 1994

†Lainodon orueetxebarriai Gheerbrant and Astibia 1994

†Lainodon ragei Gheerbrant and Astibia 2012

G. †Mistralestes Tabuce et al. 2013

†Mistralestes arcensis Tabuce et al. 2013

G. †Oxlestes Nessov 1982

†Oxlestes grandis Nessov 1982

G. †Parazhelestes Nessov 1993

†Parazhelestes mynbulakensis Nessov 1985

Invalid names: Parazhelestes minor Nessov et al. 1998 [synonym]

†Parazhelestes robustus Nessov 1993

Invalid names: Kumsuperus avus Nessov 1984 [synonym]

G. †Sheikhdzheilia Averianov and Archibald 2005

†Sheikhdzheilia rezvyii Averianov and Archibald 2005

G. †Sorlestes Nessov 1985

†Sorlestes mifunensis Setoguchi et al. 1999

G. †Valentinella Tabuce et al. 2004

†Valentinella vitrollense Tabuce et al. 2004

G. †Zhalmouzia Averianov et al. 2012

†Zhalmouzia bazhanovi Averianov et al. 2012

G. †Zhelestes Nessov 1985

Zhelestes temirkazyk Nessov 1985

Invalid names: Sorlestes budan Nessov 1985 [synonym]

Invalid names: Beleutinus Bazhanov 1972 [nomen dubium], Beleutinus orlovi Bazhanov 1972 [nomen dubium], Kumsuperus Nessov 1984 [nomen dubium]

Diagnosis

Reference	Diagnosis
J. D. Archibald and A. Averianov 2012	Differs from other Cretaceous eutherians by a unique combination of derived states: upper molar stylar shelf width less than 25% of molarlength; ectoflexus shallow to absent (reversed in Sheikhdzheilia); conular region width more than 51% of the total molar width; paraconule prominent and midway or closer to paracone; protocone similar in height to paracone and metacone; p5 with incipient basin lingual to talonid ridge; protoconid subequal in height to paraconid and or metaconid.