First Haramiyid (Mammalia, Allotheria) from the Mesozoic of Gondwana

A haramiyid tooth is described from the Upper Jurassic of Tendaguru in southwestern Tanzania, East Africa. The specimen, identified tentatively as a lower posterior premolar, is made the holotype of a new taxon, Staffia aenigmatica gen . e t sp. nov. which is placed in the Haramiyida . Staffa gen . nov. shares several features with Thomasia from the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic of Europe, notably the arrangement of cusps in two parallel longitudinal rows bordering a central basin, cusp height which progressively decreases in both rows posteriorly, the different height of the rows, the U-shaped posterior rim, and the smooth enamel surface. The main difference between these taxa is the presence of well-developed synclines with rounded floors in Staffia gen. nov., especially that of the principal syncline LS 1 . Resemblances in the basic tooth crown pattern indicate that occlusion and chewing might have been similar in both genera, but the synclines in Staffia gen . nov. suggest some subtle differences in food processing . Stafffa aenigmatica gen . e t sp . nov. i s the first record of a haramiyid from Gondwana, and also the youngest stratigraphic occurrence for this allotherian group so far.