Arundelconodon hottoni

Arundelconodon hottoni was named for its provenance in the Arundel Clay (the genus name combining 'Arundel' and Greek conodon, 'cone-tooth') and in honor of Nicholas Hotton (species name). It was described from a holotype right mandibular ramus with two premolars and three molars; additional referred juvenile material reported in 2001 preserves pieces of jaw with up to seven alveoli. The taxon was established within Triconodontidae by the describing authors and subsequent workers have discussed its position as a basal member of Alticonodontinae.

Known material consists primarily of a small right mandibular ramus (holotype <25 mm long) bearing five teeth (two premolars and three molars) and additional referred juvenile jaw pieces preserving up to seven alveoli. Premolars are large relative to the molars and possess four cusps; preserved tooth lengths range ~2.89–3.43 mm and widths ~1.03–1.30 mm, with all preserved teeth showing two well-divided roots. Diagnostic features cited by describers include a weak, discontinuous lingual cingulid on the lower molars, an interlocking system between adjacent molars (groove on one face and ridge on the other extending from crown to root), and a Meckelian groove on the jaw.

As a fossil mammal, direct behaviors are not preserved; paleobiological inferences derive from dental and jaw morphology and phylogenetic placement. The enlarged premolars and interlocking molars suggest adaptations for processing food consistent with triconodont feeding mechanics, but precise diet, locomotion, and ecology remain undocumented in the sources. Within the scientific framework Arundelconodon contributes to interpretations of Early Cretaceous mammal diversity on the eastern North American seaboard.