Prototherium

Prototherium
Temporal range: Middle Eocene–Late Eocene
Mounted Prototherium veronense skeleton
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Sirenia
Family:
Dugongidae
Genus:
Prototherium

de Zigno, 1887
Species
  • Prototherium veronense (de Zigno, 1887) (type)
  • Prototherium ausetanum Balaguer & Alba, 2016
  • Prototherium intermedium Bizzotto, 1983
  • Prototherium transylvanicum Codrea, 2026

Prototherium is a genus of extinct sirenian related to the dugong. It is known from middle (Bartonian) and upper Eocene deposits in Italy, Romania and Spain. Type species is P. veronenses (Zigno, 1887)

P. veronense skull
life reconstruction of Prototherium

Three species are now included in the genus, but their phylogenetic relations are not resolved and possibly one of them Prototherium intermedium Bizzotto 1983 must be excluded. In the same way, relations between Prototherium and other genus are confused and need revision. A third species was described in Spain in 2016, P.ausetanum.





See also

References

  1. ↑ (de) Zigno, Achille. "Quelques observations sur les siréniens fossiles". Bull. Soc. Géol. Fr. 15: 728–732.
  2. ↑ Codrea, V. A.; Veress, L.; Arghiuș, V.-I.; Venczel, M. (2026). "A new Pan-sirenian from the late Eocene of Romania". Geologia Croatica. 79 (3): 255–269.
  3. ↑ Bizzotto, Bruno. "Prototherium intermedium n. sp. (Sirenia) dell'EoceneSuperiore di Possagno e proposta di revisione sistematica del taxon Eotheroides Palmer, 1899". Mem. Ist. Geol. Mineral. Univ. Padova. 36: 95–116.
  4. ↑ Balaguer, J. & Alba, D. (2016). "A new dugong species (Sirenia, Dugongidae) from the Eocene of Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)". Comptes Rendus Palevol. 15 (5): 489–500. Bibcode:2016CRPal..15..489B. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2015.10.002.