‘Arctocyonids’ are generally considered as including some of the most primitive ‘ungulates’ from the Paleocene. Although more than 15 genera are known from North America, European members of this order are less common and mainly belong to derived genera such as Arctocyon. However, one species of primitive arctocyonid, Prolatidens waudruae, was described from the early Paleocene of Hainin, Mons Basin, Belgium. Here we describe new dental positions of this small taxon, including for the first time upper molars and upper fourth premolar. Morphological comparisons confirm the position of P. waudruae among primitive ‘ungulates,’ with the closest North American arctocyonids being Prothryptacodon furens and Oxyprimus galadrielae. Oxyprimus galadrielae features slightly more primitive morphological traits than both other species. Apheliscids share several characters with Prolatidens, but the latter lacks the apomorphies defining the family. Among ‘arctocyonids,’ Prolatidens shares with only Protungulatum and Oxyprimus the incomplete lingual cingulum at the base of the protocone of M1. Prolatidens waudruae is unique among Procreodi in its combination of primitive and derived characters. The cladistic analysis places P. waudruae close to the base of the ingroup, indicating that this species is among the most primitive members of the Paleocene ‘ungulates.’ However, the lower nodes of the trees are not well supported and definitive conclusions should await more complete specimens and analysis. Apheliscids are situated relatively far from Prolatidens, suggesting that the resemblances between them are better considered as convergences. Based on the morphological comparisons, the arctocyonid from Hainin correlates best with North American Torrejonian taxa.
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The name Anser scaldii was first used by Van Beneden (1872) in a brief text that read ‘Nous avons recu un humérus dans un parfait état de conservation, trouvé dans le crag, à Anvers’. The name was also used by Van Beneden (1873), but in both instances it is a nomen nudum. The name was made valid for the purposes of nomenclature by Lambrecht (1933: 368) when he entered Anser scaldii Van Beneden, 1872, with the following description and information: ‘Humerus typisch anserin, von der Größe von Tadorna casarca. Länge 129 mm. Material: Humerus im Mus. Bruxelles. Alter und Fundort: Obermiozän (Bolderian), Antwerpen. Etymologie: Artname nach der Schelde: Scaldia.’ At the same time he mistakenly gave the original combination as Anas scaldii Van Beneden 1872, which error was perpetuated by Gaillard (1939), Brodkorb (1964), Howard (1964), and Bochenski (1997), as noted by Mlíkovský (2002: 125). The statement by Lambrecht that this fossil is of similar length to humeri of Tadorna prompted Worthy et al. (2007) to suggest that Anser scaldii may have a bearing on the evolution of Tadornini in Europe. Accordingly, we re- examined the holotype in the Department of Paleontology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium, to ascertain its relationships and its significance in Anseriform evolution.
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