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

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

Prototherium is a genus of extinct sirenian related to the dugong. It is known from middle (Bartonian) and upper Eocene deposits in Italy and Spain. Type species is P. veronenses (Zigno, 1887[1])

P. veronense skull

Three species are now included in the genus, but their phylogenetic relations are not resolved and possibly one of them Prototherium intermedium Bizzotto 1983[2] 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[3].

Related species

See also

References

  1. ^ (de) Zigno, Achille. "Quelques observations sur les siréniens fossiles". Bull.Soc. Geol. France. 15: 728–732.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.


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