Paramachaerodus

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Paramachaerodus
Temporal range: Middle to Late Miocene
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Machairodontinae
Tribe: Smilodontini
Genus: Paramachaerodus
Pilgrim, 1913
Type species
Paramachaerodus orientalis
(Kittl, 1887) sensu Pilgrim, 1913
Other species
  • Paramachaerodus maximiliani(Zdansky, 1924) sensu Pilgrim, 1931
  • Paramachaerodus transasiaticus
  • Paramachaerodus yingliangi
Synonyms [1] [2]

Paramachaerodus

  • Paramachairodus
  • PontosmilusKretzoi, 1929
  • ProtamphimachairodusKretzoi, 1929
  • PropontosmilusKadic and Kretzoi, 1930
synonyms of P. orientalis
  • Machaerodus orientalisKittl, 1887
  • Machairodus schlosseriWeithofer, 1888
  • Felis orientalis(Kittl, 1887) sensu Boule, 1901
  • Felis schlosseri(Weithofer, 1888) sensu Boule, 1901
  • Machairodus hungaricusKormos, 1911
  • Pontosmilus indicusKretzoi, 1929
  • Pseudaelurus sivalensisLydekker, 1877
  • Aelurogale sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Lydekker, 1884
  • Aelurictis sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Pilgrim, 1910
  • Sivaelurus sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Pilgrim, 1913
  • Paramachaerodus sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Pilgrim, 1915
  • Machaerodus sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Matthew, 1929
  • Propontosmilus sivalensis(Lydekker, 1877) sensu Kretzoi, 1929
  • Propontosmilus matthewiKadic & Kretzoi, 1930
  • Paramachaerodus indicus(Kretzoi, 1929) sensu Pilgrim, 1932
  • Paramachaerodus schlosseri(Weithofer, 1888) sensu Kretzoi, 1938
  • Paramachaerodus hungaricus(Kormos, 1911) sensu Kretzoi, 1938
  • Propontosmilus matthewi(Kadic & Kretzoi, 1930) sensu Kretzoi, 1938
  • Pontosmilus orientalis(Kittl, 1887) sensu Kretzoi, 1938
  • Paramachaerodus matthewi(Kadic & Kretzoi, 1930) sensu Kretzoi, 1951
  • Megantereon orientalis(Kittl, 1887) sensu Kurten, 1976
  • Pontosmilus hungaricus
  • Pontosmilus schlosseri
synonyms of P. maximiliani
  • Machaerodus maximilianiZdansky, 1924
  • Protamphimachairodus maximiliani(Zdansky, 1924) sensu Kretzoi, 1929
  • Protamphimachairodus indicusSimpson, 1945

Paramachaerodus is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae, which was endemic to Europe and Asia during the Middle and Late Miocene from 15 to 9 Ma. [3] A 2022 phylogenetic analysis suggested that the genus may be polyphyletic. [4]

Contents

Paramacherodus is one of the earliest known true saber-toothed cats. Many fossils were discovered in Cerro de los Batallones, a Late Miocene fossil site near Madrid, Spain. One leopard-sized species is known, Paramachaerodus orientalis from the Turolian. A second species, Paramacharodus maximiliani, has been considered a synonym of Paramachaerodus orientalis by some authors, [5] but was considered a valid species in the most recent systematic revision. [1] That revision, based on an extensive morphological analysis, also determined that the species P. ogygia exhibited less derived sabertooth features than the other Paramachaerodus species and should be assigned to a separate genus, Promegantereon . [1] [6]

Description

The animals were about 58 centimetres (23 in) high at the shoulder, similar to a leopard, but with a more supple body. The shape of its limbs suggests that it may have been an agile climber, and could have hunted relatively large prey. [7]

History and naming

In 1913, Guy Ellcock Pilgrim named the new genus Paramachaerodus for the species Machaerodus orientalis, Machaerodus schlosseri, and Felis ogygia; at the time, however, he failed to designate a type species. In 1915 he described more material that he assigned to Paramachaerodus cf. schlosseri (two hemimandibles, GSI-140 and GSI-141), though Matthew (1929) noted that both of those specimens did not closely resemble others in the genus. He rectified the lack of a type species in 1931 by designating Paramachaerodus orientalis the type species, now including Paramachaerodus schlosseri as a junior synonym. [1]

However, in the intervening span of time, Miklos Kretzoi had proposed another new genus, Pontosmilus, for the species P. orientalis (also the type species), P. schlosseri, P. ogygia, P. hungaricus, and the new species Pontosmilus indicus that he described based on GSI-141. He restricted Paramachaerodus to another new species, P. pilgrimi, that he described based on GSI-140. He also proposed the genus Proamphimachairodus for the species Machairodus maximiliani. [1]

With Pilgrim's clarification of Paramachaerodus in 1931, and utter rejection of both Pontosmilus and Proamphimachairodus-he included Machairodus orientalis, Felis ogygia, and Machairodus maximiliani as species of Paramachaerodus-Pontosmilus was rendered an invalid genus, for it possessed no valid type species, and both Pontosmilus and Proamphimachairodus were designated junior synonyms of Paramachaerodus. [1]

A major review of the genus in 2010 designated P. matthewi, P. schlosseri, P. hungaricus as junior synonyms of P. orientalis, with P. maximiliani the only other valid species in Paramachaerodus, and assigning P. agygia back to Promegantereon. It also noted that "Pontosmilus" indicus (GSI-141) was a feline, and "Pontosmilus" pilgrimi (GSI-140) a machairodontine not of Paramachaerodus or Promegantereon, though the authors offered no alternate genus assignments for either species. [1]

A third species, Paramachaerodus transasiaticus, was described in 2017 based on analysis of new fossil material from the late Miocene localities of Hezheng, Gansu Province, China, and Hadjidimovo, Bulgaria. These specimens had sabertooth characteristics intermediate between those of P. ogygia and those of P. orientalis and P. maximiliani. [8]

In 2022, a new species Paramachaerodus yingliangi was proposed based on fossils from northeastern China; the same paper also proposed separating Paramachaerodus schlosseri as the new type species and moving P. orientalis and P. maximiliani to the resurrected genus Pontosmilus. [9]

Classification

The position of Paramachaerodus within the Machairodontinae has been subject to much controversy, partially owing to the fact that many names have historically been proposed for it based on only scanty material. While Paramachaerodus is generally accepted as a close relative and probable forerunner of Megantereon and therefore an ancestor of Smilodon , the role Promegantereon played in this is still controversial. While researchers have generally favoured the classification of Promegantereon as a distinct genus starting in the early 2000's, it was still thought to be a close relative and potential ancestor of Paramachaerodus. Thus, Paramachaerodus' position within the Smilodontini was generally understood as intermediate, with Promegantereon as the first and Smilodon as the ultimate representative of that machairodontine tribe. [6]

However, a 2022 phylogenetic analysis by Jiangzuo et al. cast doubt on this, and indeed on the monophyly of Paramachaerodus itself. While it confirmed P. orientalis as basal to the Megantereon-Smilodon clade (the Smilodontini sensu stricto) as proposed earlier, P. maxilmiliani was instead found to be basal to a clade comprising Rhizosmilodon and Dinofelis . At the same time, Promegantereon and Paramachaerodus transasiaticus were found to group together with Metailurus and Yoshi , which are usually placed in the separate Metailurini tribe. This would make Paramachaerodus, the Smilodontini and the Metailurini as traditionally definded polyphyletic, and calls for more work regarding machairodontine systematics, suggesting that a major revision of the subfamily may be needed. [4]

Paleobiology

Based on the morphology of its humerus, P. orientalis is inferred to have been adapted for wooded environments. [10]

Paleoecology

Related Research Articles

<i>Machairodus</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Machairodus is a genus of large machairodont or ''saber-toothed cat'' that lived in Africa, Eurasia and North America during the late Miocene. It is the animal from which the subfamily Machairodontinae gets its name and has since become a wastebasket taxon over the years as many genera of sabertooth cat have been and are still occasionally lumped into it.

<i>Dinofelis</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Dinofelis is an extinct genus of machairodontine, usually classified in the tribe Metailurini. It was widespread in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America from 5 million to about 1.2 million years ago. Fossils very similar to Dinofelis from Lothagam range back to around 8 million years ago, in the Late Miocene.

<i>Homotherium</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Homotherium is an extinct genus of machairodontine scimitar-toothed cat that inhabited North America, South America, Eurasia, and Africa during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs from around 4 million to 12,000 years ago. In comparison to Smilodon, the canines of Homotherium were shorter, and it was probably adapted to running down rather than ambushing prey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machairodontinae</span> Extinct subfamily of carnivores

Machairodontinae is an extinct subfamily of carnivoran mammals of the family Felidae. They were found in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe from the Miocene to the Pleistocene, living from about 16 million until about 10,000 years ago.

Metailurini is an extinct taxonomic tribe of large saber-toothed cats that lived in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America from the Miocene to the Pleistocene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smilodontini</span> Extinct tribe of carnivores

Smilodontini is an extinct tribe within the Machairodontinae or "saber-toothed cat" subfamily of the Felidae. The tribe is also known as the "dirk-toothed cats". They were endemic to South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Miocene to Pleistocene, from 10.3 mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately 10.3 million years.

<i>Xenosmilus</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Xenosmilus is an extinct genus of homotherin machairodontine that was discovered in Florida in 2001. It has one species, Xenosmilus hodsonae.

<i>Megantereon</i> Extinct genus of saber-toothed cat from North America, Eurasia and Africa

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<i>Adelphailurus</i> Extinct genus of felid

Adelphailurus is an extinct genus of metailurin machairodontine (saber-toothed) cat that inhabited western North America during the middle Pliocene. It is monotypic, containing only the species Adelphailurus kansensis.

Miomachairodus is an extinct genus of large machairodontine containing only a single species, Miomachairodus pseudailuroides. It is known from Miocene-age fossils in China and Turkey and persisted until the Late Miocene. Fossils of this machairodont have been found in the Vallesian-age Bahe Formation in Shaanxi, China, and Yeni Eskihisar in Anatolia. This Turkish site is of Miocene age and is well known for its pollen studies.

<i>Nimravides</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Nimravides is a genus of extinct saber-toothed cats that lived in North America during the Late Miocene, between 10.3 and 5.332 Ma. Despite its scientific name, Nimravides does not belong to the Nimravidae, but is a true cat belonging to the family Felidae.

<i>Lokotunjailurus</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cerro de los Batallones</span>

Cerro de los Batallones is a hill at Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain where a number of fossil sites from the Upper Miocene (MN10) have been found. Nine sites have been discovered with predominantly vertebrate fossils, invertebrates and plants being less represented. The first deposits were discovered accidentally in July 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homotherini</span> Extinct tribe of carnivores

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<i>Rhizosmilodon</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Rhizosmilodon is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae that lived during the Early Pliocene and was discovered in the U.S. state of Florida. Comparable in size to a medium-sized modern jaguar at about 165 lb. in weight, fossils of Rhizosmilodon are known only from Florida. The best specimens for this species are its lower jaw and teeth, which carry intermediate characteristics between advanced forms such as Smilodon and primitive forms such as Paramachairodus. It was likely an ambush predator, preying on animals such as deer, tapirs and horses.

<i>Amphimachairodus</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Amphimachairodus is an extinct genus of large machairodonts. It is also a member of the tribe Homotherini within Machairodontinae and is most closely related to such species as Xenosmilus, Homotherium itself, and Nimravides. It inhabited Eurasia, Northern Africa and North America during the late Miocene epoch.

<i>Promegantereon</i> Extinct genus of carnivores

Promegantereon is an extinct genus of machairodont from the Miocene of Europe. It is one of the oldest machairodont cat species in the Smilodontini and is believed to be an ancestor of Megantereon and Smilodon.

Yoshi is an extinct genus of machairodontine sabertooth cat in the tribe Metailurini. Its fossils were described from Turolian deposits from the Miocene epoch of the Balkan Peninsula in 2014 and specimens from China once thought to belong to Metailurus. The name comes from that of the lead author's pet cat. It has been described as potentially being synonymous with Metailurus, though this is difficult to confirm at present. The type specimen is a skull that bears remarkable similarities with the modern cheetah. Yoshi is intermediate in size between a lynx and cougar, and based on several as-yet unpublished skeletons, may have had a similar lifestyle to the cheetah, being better built for speed and fast pursuit than most other machairodonts, which were more suited to ambush and hunting large, relatively slow moving animals.

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<i>Sivasmilus</i> Extinct genus of barbourofelid

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References

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  3. Paleobiology Database: Paramachairodus Basic info.
  4. 1 2 Jiangzuo, Qigao; Werdelin, Lars; Sun, Yuanlin (2022-05-15). "A dwarf sabertooth cat (Felidae: Machairodontinae) from Shanxi, China, and the phylogeny of the sabertooth tribe Machairodontini". Quaternary Science Reviews. 284: 107517. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107517. ISSN   0277-3791.
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  10. Meloro, Carlo; Elton, Sarah; Louys, Julien; Bishop, Laura C.; Ditchfield, Peter (18 March 2013). "Cats in the forest: predicting habitat adaptations from humerus morphometry in extant and fossil Felidae (Carnivora)". Paleobiology . 39 (3): 323–344. doi:10.1666/12001. ISSN   0094-8373 . Retrieved 21 January 2024 via Cambridge Core.