Akidolestes fossil map
Where fossils of Akidolestes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 130 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 130 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 125.77–119.57 million years ago (Barremian to Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Spalacotheriidae |
| Named by | Li and Luo 2006 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Yixian |
About Akidolestes
Akidolestes is an extinct genus of mammals of the family Spalacotheriidae, a group of mammals related to therians (the subclass containing marsupials and placentals).
The genus name, Akidolestes, is derived from akido, Greek for point, and lestes, Greek for thief. Akido- refers to the pointed snout and -lestes is a common suffix for fossil mammals. The specific epithet, cifelli, is in honor of Richard L. Cifelli, a prominent researcher in prehistoric mammals.
An Akidolestes fossil preserved with a complete post-cranium and a partial skull was discovered in the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. The holotype of Akidolestes cifellii, reserved in the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has a complete skeleton with a partial skull and dentition. It displays characteristics of monotremes but appears to be more related to modern therian mammals.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Akidolestes (revision 1313841554), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q608000.
