Amphilestes

Discovery and naming: Specimens now referred to Amphilestes were recovered from the Stonesfield Slate Quarry, Oxfordshire, before 1764. The jaw material was purchased in 1812 by William Broderip and, with the involvement of Revd William Buckland, recognised as mammalian in origin. The taxon was originally described under the name Amphitherium broderipii and was later recognised as a distinct genus/species (Amphilestes broderipii) in 1871, becoming part of early discussions of Mesozoic mammal diversity.

Known material of Amphilestes consists primarily of dental and mandibular remains. The reported lower jaw dental formula is 4:1:4:5. Premolars are described as symmetrical with crowns resembling tricusped molars, the central cusp being the largest in premolars and molars (though the size difference is less in premolars). George Gaylord Simpson (1928) characterised Amphilestes teeth as having 'molar cusps high and slender, molar cingulum rising below the main cusp, molar enamel not pitted.' No complete skeleton or soft-tissue reconstruction is provided in the cited sources.

No behavioural observations or direct statements of ecology are provided in the supplied sources. Interpretations of diet or behavior would be inferential and are not asserted in the cited materials; the primary descriptive basis is dental morphology from fossil material.