Proacrodon

Dubious genus of extinct mammal

Proacrodon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Litopterna?
Genus:
Proacrodon

Roth, 1899
Type species
Proacrodon transformatus
Roth, 1899

Proacrodon is a dubious genus of extinct mammal from South America. Its type species is Proacrodon transformatus. The only known specimen, a lower premolar or molar, is now lost, and its affinities are unknown.[1]

In 1899, Santiago Roth named the new genus and species Proacrodon transformatus on the basis of a single tooth collected in Patagonia.[2] The genus name comes from Greek πρό "before", άκρος "pointed", and όδών "tooth", and refers to the shape of the tooth, which rises higher in its anterior portion than its posterior portion.[3] Roth compared the taxon to Megacrodon, which he named in the same paper, and to Hyrachyus.[2] Florentino Ameghino synonymized Proacrodon with his own genus Trimerostephanus without seeing the specimen firsthand.[1] In 1904, Palmer listed both Proacrodon and Trimerostephanos as members of Isotemnidae.[4] In 1948 George Gaylord Simpson listed the taxon as a possible litoptern and concluded that the taxon was a nomen vanum, viewing Ameghino's proposal of synonymy with Trimerostephanos as possible but not reliable.[1]

The locality where the tooth was collected is not known with certainty, but was probably in the Musters Formation.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Simpson 1948, p. 142.
  2. ^ a b Roth 1899, p. 385.
  3. ^ Palmer 1904, p. 563.
  4. ^ Palmer 1904, p. 910.

Works cited

  • Palmer, T. S. (1904), Index generum mammalium: a list of the genera and families of mammals
  • Roth, Santiago (1899). "Aviso preliminar sobre mamíferos mesozóicos encontrados en Patagonia". Revista del Museo de La Plata. 9: 381–388.
  • Simpson, George Gaylord (1948-07-15). "The beginning of the age of mammals in South America". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 91: 1–232.
  • v
  • t
  • e
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Xenungulata, Pyrotheria, Astrapotheria, and other minor groups
Kollpaniidae?
  • Andinodus
  • Molinodus
  • Pucanodus
  • Simoclaenus
  • Tiuclaenus
Didolodontidae
Xenungulata
Carodniidae
Pyrotheria
Colombitheriidae
Pyrotheriidae
Astrapotheria
Trigonostylopidae
Astrapotheriidae
Albertogaudryinae
Astrapotheriinae
Uruguaytheriinae
Carodnia vieirai

Pyrotherium romeroi

Astrapotherium magnum
Litopterna
Protolipternidae
Amilnedwardsiidae
Sparnotheriodontidae
Indaleciidae
Notonychopidae
Lopholipterna
Adianthidae
Macraucheniidae
Cramaucheniinae
Macraucheniinae
Proterotheriidae
Anisolambdinae
Proterotheriinae
Megadolodinae
Uncertain placement
Theosodon garretorum

Macrauchenia patachonica

Diadiaphorus majusculus
incertae sedis
Notioprogonia
  • Satshatemnus
  • Seudenius
Henricosborniidae
Notostylopidae
Toxodontia
Homalodotheriidae
Isotemnidae
Eutoxodontia
Leontiniidae
Notohippidae
Toxodontidae
Nesodontinae
Toxodontinae
Typotheria
Archaeopithecidae
Oldfieldthomasiidae
Interatheriidae
Interatheriinae
Notopithecinae
Mesotheriidae
Mesotheriinae
Archaeohyracidae
Hegetotheriidae
Hegetotheriinae
Pachyrukhinae
Pachyrukhini
Thomashuxleya rostrata

Huilatherium pluriplicatum

Toxodon platensis
Taxon identifiers
Proacrodon