| Pristifelis | |
|---|---|
| Skull ofPristifelis attica | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | †Pristifelis Salesa et al., 2012 |
| Species: | †P. attica |
| Binomial name | |
| †Pristifelis attica (Wagner, 1857) | |
| Synonyms | |
Felis atticaWagner, 1857 | |
Pristifelis is anextinct genus offeline from the lateMiocene. It contains a single species,Pristifelis attica. The firstfossil skull ofP. attica wasexcavated nearPikermi inAttica,Greece.[2]Fossils were also excavated near theMoldovan city ofTaraclia.[3]It was also discovered inMaragheh, northwesternIran.[4]P. attica was bigger in body size than aEuropean wildcat but probably smaller than aserval. The species was first described asFelis attica byJohann Andreas Wagner in 1857. Due to size differences, it was proposed astype species for thegenusPristifelis proposed in 2012.[5]
Pristifelis attica was formerly considered ancestral toFelis,[6] but is now considered ancestral to Felinae more broadly.[7]
The generic namePristifelis is a combination of the Latinpristinus meaning "primitive", andfelis meaning "cat".[5]
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