Tetramerorhinus

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Tetramerorhinus
Temporal range: Early Miocene-Middle Miocene (Colhuehuapian-Laventan)
~21–11.8  Ma
Tetramerorhinus jaw.png
Left lower jaw of Tetramerorhinus mixtum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Litopterna
Family: Proterotheriidae
Subfamily: Proterotheriinae
Genus: Tetramerorhinus
Ameghino 1894
Type species
Tetramerorhinus fortis
Ameghino, 1894
Species
  • T. cingulatumAmeghino 1891
  • T. fleagleiKramarz & Bond 2005
  • T. mixtumAmeghino 1894
  • T. lucariusAmeghino 1894
  • T. prosistensAmeghino 1899
Synonyms [1]
Genus synonymy
  • TichodonAmeghino, 1894
T. cingulatum
  • Proterotherium cingulatum
    Ameghino, 1891
  • Tetramerorhinus fortis
    Ameghino, 1891
  • Licaphrium cavum
    Zittel, 1893
  • Proterotherium principale
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Tichodon quadrilobus
    Ameghino, 1894
T. lucarius
  • Diadiaphorus santaecrucis
    Lydekker, 1894
  • Licaphrium proclivum
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium brachygnathum
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium nitens
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium perpolitum
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium karaikense
    Ameghino, 1904
  • Proterotherium politum
    Ameghino, 1904
  • Proterotherium brachygnathus
    Scott, 1910
T. prosistens
T. mixtum
  • Proterotherium mixtum
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium pyramidatum
    Ameghino, 1894
  • Proterotherium browni
    Scott, 1910
  • Proterotherium dodgei
    Scott, 1910

Tetramerorhinus is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived during the Early and Middle Miocene in what is now Argentina and Peru. [2]

Contents

Description

This animal resembled a small horse, with slender, elongated legs. The body was approximately a meter long, and it is supposed to have weighed between 30 and 50 kilograms. The skull had a relatively elongated snout, with nasal bones longer than Diadiaphorus and with less developed upper incisors. The orbits were positioned near the middle of the skull. The molars had lower crowns than those of more derived proterotheriids, such as Proterotherium . [3] [4]

The endocranial cast of a specimen of Tetramerorhinus lucarius has been preserved, which allowed to reconstruct certain structures of the animal's brain. The brain was quite large relatively to the size of the skull, due to the development, especially in the anterior part, of the neocortex, and to the complexity of the cerebellum. The olfactory lobes were small and separated by a deep notch, while the cerebellum was elongated and separated from the two cerebral hemispheres by a deep and narrow depression. The rhinencephalon was highly developed, and the piriform lobes were in a much less lateral position than those of archaic ungulates such as Phenacodus , and presented a sort of circular depression of unknown significance. Numerous longitudinal grooves covered the surface of the neocortex. The cranial nerves were unusually arranged relatively to those of other ungulates, and the foramen ovale was posterior to the tentorium osseum. [5]

Classification

The genus Tetramerorhinus was first described in 1894 by Florentino Ameghino, based on fossil remains found in Early Miocene deposits in Patagonia. Numerous species have been ascribed to this genus, such as Tetramerorhinus cingulatum, T. fleaglei, T. mixtum, T. lucarius, T. prosisttens. [6] [7]

Tetramerorhinus is a proterotheriid, a group of litopterns with characteristics similar to those of equids, although they were not closely related. Tetramerorhinus seems to have been a derived form, closely related to Anisolophus and Proterotherium .

Below is a phylogenetic tree of the Proterotheriidae, based on the work of McGrath et al. 2020. [8]

Proterotheriidae
Megadolodinae

Megadolodus

Bounodus

Indaleciidae

Indalecia

Adiantoides

Paramacrauchenia

Anisolambda

Lambdaconus suinus

Lambdaconus inaequifacies

Lambdaconus lacerum

Paranisolambda

Picturotherium

Neodolodus

Protheosodon

Anisolophus floweri

Anisolophus australis

Anisolophus minusculus

Prolicaphrium

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

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Litopterna</span> Extinct order of hoofed mammals

Litopterna is an extinct order of South American native ungulates that lived from the Paleocene to the end of the Pleistocene-early Holocene around 63 million-12,000 years ago, and were also present in Antarctica during the Eocene. They represent the second most diverse group of South American ungulates after Notoungulata. It is divided into nine families, with Proterotheriidae and Macraucheniidae being the most diverse and last surviving families.

<i>Theosodon</i> Extinct genus of litopterns

Theosodon is an extinct genus of litoptern mammal from the Early to Middle Miocene of South America.

<i>Protypotherium</i> Extinct genus of notoungulates

Protypotherium is an extinct genus of notoungulate mammals native to South America during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. A number of closely related animals date back further, to the Eocene. Fossils of Protypotherium have been found in the Deseadan Fray Bentos Formation of Uruguay, Muyu Huasi and Nazareno Formations of Bolivia, Cura-Mallín and Río Frías Formations of Chile, and Santa Cruz, Salicas, Ituzaingó, Aisol, Cerro Azul, Cerro Bandera, Cerro Boleadoras, Chichinales, Sarmiento and Collón Curá Formations of Argentina.

<i>Cramauchenia</i> Extinct genus of litoptern South American ungulate

Cramauchenia is an extinct genus of litoptern South American ungulate. Cramauchenia was named by Florentino Ameghino. The name has no literal translation. Instead, it is an anagram of the name of a related genus Macrauchenia. This genus was initially discovered in the Sarmiento Formation in the Chubut Province, in Argentina, and later it was found in the Chichinales Formation in the Río Negro Province and the Cerro Bandera Formation in Neuquén, also in Argentina, in sediments assigned to the SALMA Colhuehuapian, as well as the Agua de la Piedra Formation in Mendoza, in sediments dated to the Deseadan. In 1981 Soria made C. insolita a junior synonym of C. normalis. A specimen of C. normalis was described in 2010 from Cabeza Blanca in the Sarmiento Formation, in sediments assigned to the Deseadan SALMA.

<i>Scalabrinitherium</i> Extinct genus of litopterns

Scalabrinitherium is an extinct genus of mammals of the family Macraucheniidae. Fossils of this animal were found among the fossils of prehistoric xenarthrans in the Ituzaingó Formation of Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proterotheriidae</span> Extinct family of litopterns

Proterotheriidae is an extinct family of litoptern ungulates known from the Oligocene-Late Pleistocene of South America. Members of the group were small-medium sized cursorial herbivores with brachydont teeth, with their toes showing progressive reduction, with later members of the group bearing weight on a single large toe similar to living horses.

<i>Neolicaphrium</i>

Neolicaphrium is an extinct genus of ungulate mammal belonging to the extinct order Litopterna. This animal lived from the Late Pliocene (Chapadmalalan) to the Late Pleistocene (Lujanian) in southern South America, being the last survivor of the family Proterotheriidae.

Proterotherium 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.

Promacrauchenia is an extinct genus of macraucheniids that lived during the Late Miocene to Late Pliocene epochs of what is now Argentina and Bolivia. It belongs to the subfamily Macraucheniinae, which also includes Huayqueriana, Macrauchenia, and Xenorhinotherium. Fossils of this genus have been found in the Ituzaingó, Andalhuala, and Cerro Azul Formations of Argentina.

Deuterotherium is an extinct genus of South American native ungulates, which lived during the Deseadan age of the Oligocene in what is now Argentina. Its type species is Deuterotherium distichum. It was named by Florentino Ameghino in 1895. The holotype of Deuterotherium distichum is a calcaneum. It was formerly identified as a proterotheriid litoptern. In 1999, Shockey argued Deuterotherium was certainly not a litoptern and interpreted it as a notohippid notoungulate. In research by Soria posthumously published in 2001, Soria considered Deuterotherium a nomen dubium.

Polymorphis is an extinct genus of litopterns belonging to the family Macraucheniidae. It lived during the Middle Eocene of Argentina.

Uruguayodon is an extinct genus of proterotheriid from the middle Pleistocene of Uruguay. It is known from the type and only species U. alius, named by Corona and colleagues in 2019 for dentaries and a partial postcrania from the Raigón Formation. Uruguayodon represents one of the latest occurrences of Proterotheriidae, with only Neolicaphrium representing other remains from the Pleistocene to possibly Holocene.

Proadiantus(Ameghino, 1897) is an extinct genus of adianthid litoptern. It lived during the Late Oligocene, in what is today South America. It consists of only 1 species, Proadiantus excavatus.

<i>Anisolambda</i> Extinct genus of litopterns

Anisolambda is an extinct genus of litoptern. It lived from the Late Paleocene to the Middle Eocene in what is now Argentina.

Proectocion is an extinct genus of adianthid litoptern. It lived during the Early Eocene, in what is now South America.

<i>Protheosodon</i> Extinct genus of ungulate from South America

Protheosodon is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern. It lived from the Late Oligocene to the Early Miocene in what is now Argentina and Colombia.

Prolicaphrium is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived during the Early Miocene, in what is now Argentina. Fossils have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.

Lambdaconus is a genus of proterotheriid from the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene of Argentina. The type species is L. suinus, named in 1897 by Ameghino, with referred species including L. lacerum, named as Proterotherium lacerum in 1902 by Ameghino, and L. inaqeuifacies.

<i>Paramacrauchenia</i> Extinct genus of litopterns

Paramacrauchenia is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litopterns from the Early Miocene of what is now Argentina and Chile. Its fossils have been found in the Sarmiento and Santa Cruz Formations of Argentina and Chile.

Guilielmofloweria is an extinct genus of proterotheriid litoptern that lived from the Middle to Late Eocene of what is now Argentina. Fossils have been found in the Sarmiento Formation of Argentina.

References

  1. Soria, M.F. (2001). Los Proterotheriidae (Litopterna, Mammalia) : sistemática, origen y filogenia. Monografías del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales. pp. 1–167.
  2. Tejada-Lara, Julia V.; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo; Pujos, François; Baby, Patrice; Benammi, Mouloud; Brusset, Stéphane; De Franceschi, Dario; Espurt, Nicolas; Urbina, Mario; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier (March 2015). Goswami, Anjali (ed.). "Life in proto-Amazonia: Middle Miocene mammals from the Fitzcarrald Arch (Peruvian Amazonia)". Palaeontology. 58 (2): 341–378. Bibcode:2015Palgy..58..341T. doi: 10.1111/pala.12147 .
  3. Kramarz, Alejandro G.; Bond, Mariano (September 2005). "Los Litopterna (Mammalia) de la Formación Pinturas, Mioceno Temprano-Medio de Patagonia". Ameghiniana. 42 (3): 611–625. ISSN   0002-7014.
  4. Villafañe, A. L.; Ortiz Jaureguizar, Edgardo; Bond, Mariano (2006). "Cambios en la riqueza taxonómica y en las tasas de primera y última aparición de los Proterotheriidae (Mammalia, Litopterna) durante el Cenozoico". Estudios Geológicos (in Spanish). 62 (1). doi: 10.3989/egeol.0662115 . ISSN   0367-0449.
  5. Simpson, George Gaylord; Brown, Barnum (1933). "Braincasts of two typotheres and a litoptern" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (629): 8–10.
  6. Ameghino, Florentino (1894). Énumération synoptique des espèces de mammifères fossiles des formations éocènes de Patagonie (in French). Imp. de P.E. Coni é hijos.
  7. Madden, Richard H.; Carlini, Alfredo A.; Vucetich, Maria Guiomar; Kay, Richard F. (2010-06-17). The Paleontology of Gran Barranca: Evolution and Environmental Change Through the Middle Cenozoic of Patagonia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-87241-6.
  8. Andrew J. McGrath; Federico Anaya; Darin A. Croft (2020). "New proterotheriids (Litopterna, Mammalia) from the middle Miocene of Quebrada Honda, Bolivia, and trends in diversity and body size of proterotheriid and macraucheniid litopterns". Ameghiniana. 57 (2): 159–188. doi:10.5710/AMGH.03.03.2020.3268. S2CID   216236954.