Biology:Proterotherium

Short description: Extinct genus of litopterns

Proterotherium Temporal range: Late Miocene (Huayquerian) ~6.8 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†Litopterna
Family:	†Proterotheriidae
Subfamily:	†Proterotheriinae
Genus:	†Proterotherium Ameghino, 1883
Type species
†Proterotherium cervioides Ameghino, 1883

Proterotherium (meaning "first beast") is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal of the family Proterotheriidae that lived during the Late Miocene of Argentina and Chile . Fossils of this genus have been found in the Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina, and the Galera Formation of Chile.

Classification

The genus Proterotherium was first described by Florentino Ameghino in 1883, on the basis of fossil remains found in Upper Miocene deposits in Patagonia. The type species is Proterotherium cervioides. Numerous other species have been ascribed to this genus, many of which come from lower-middle Miocene deposits, such as P. americanum, P. australe, P. brachygnathum, P. cavum, P. cingulatum, P. curtidens, P. dichotomum , P. divortium, P. gradatum, P. intermedium, P. karaikense, P. mixtum, P. nitens, P. perpolitum, P. politum, P. main, and P. pyramidatum. However, many of these species are now considered to be synonymous with the type species, and others belong to other genera, such as Tetramerorhinus, a genus long confused with Proterotherium.

Proterotherium is the type genus of Proterotheriidae, a group of litopterns characterized by a morphology very similar to that of equids, especially in regards to the legs. Proterotherium is a typical example of the Miocene proterotheres, very specialized in the morphology of the legs and also in the dentition. A very similar animal was Anisolophus.

Cladogram based in the phylogenetic analysis published by McGrath et al., 2020, showing the position of Proterotherium:

Proterotheriidae

Megadolodus     Bounodus           Indalecia     Adiantoides         Paramacrauchenia       Anisolambda       Lambdaconus suinus     Lambdaconus inaequifacies         Lambdaconus lacerum       Paranisolambda       Picturotherium         Neodolodus     Protheosodon         Anisolophus floweri         Anisolophus australis       Anisolophus minusculus     Prolicaphrium specillatum             Olisanophus       Mesolicaphrium     Diplasiotherium           Villarroelia       Tetramerorhinus fleaglei       Tetramerorhinus prosistens         Tetramerorhinus cingulatum       Tetramerorhinus lucarius     Tetramerorhinus mixtum             Diadiaphorus     Thoatherium           Brachytherium       Thoatheriopsis       Proterotherium     Neobrachytherium ameghinoi             Eoauchenia     Neobrachytherium ullumense       Neobrachytherium morenoi     Neobrachytherium intermedium         Neolicaphrium       Epitherium     Uruguayodon

References

Wikidata ☰ Q9063287 entry