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| Protheosodon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mandible ofProtheosodon coniferus | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Litopterna |
| Family: | †Proterotheriidae |
| Genus: | †Protheosodon Ameghino 1897 |
| Species: | †P. coniferus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Protheosodon coniferus Ameghino, 1897 | |
Protheosodon is anextinctgenus ofproterotheriidlitoptern. It lived from the LateOligocene to the EarlyMiocene in what is nowArgentina andColombia.
It was a medium-sized animal, smaller than the extantvicuña. The lowerincisors, unlike those of more derived proterotheriids such asDiadiaphorus, were relatively small and unspecialized. The lower dentition was complete and there was no trace ofdiastema. The upper teeth were similar to those ofAnisolambda andPolymorphis. The mandible had a very high vertical branch. Its leg bones, firstly attributed to anotoungulate, are incompletely known.
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Protheosodon coniferus was first described in 1897 byFlorentino Ameghino, based on fossils found inDeseadan deposits fromChubut Province,Argentina. Other fossils attributed to the genus have been found in slightly older deposits inColombia.
Protheosodon was initially thought to be a member ofMacraucheniidae, mainly based on characteristics from its lower teeth. Subsequent researches has indicated that it was more probably nested withinProterotheriidae, a group of litopterns which, in the course of their evolution, developed horse-like forms, well adapted for running. It may have been a member ofAnisolambdinae, the most basal subfamily of proterotheriids.Protheosodon seems to have been part of a collateral branch, contemporary to other, more derived, proterotheriids.[2]
