Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Cladus: Synapsida
Cladus: Eupelycosauria
Cladus: Sphenacodontia
Cladus: Sphenacodontoidea
Cladus: Therapsida
Cladus: Theriodontia
Cladus: Cynodontia
Cladus: Eucynodontia
Cladus: Probainognathia
Cladus: Prozostrodontia
Cladus: Mammaliaformes
Classis: Mammalia
Cladus: Theriimorpha
Cladus: Theriiformes
Cladus: Trechnotheria
Cladus: Zatheria
Subclassis: Theria
Cladus: Eutheria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Magnordo: Boreoeutheria
Superordo: Laurasiatheria
Cladus: Scrotifera
Grandordo: Ferungulata
Mirordo: Euungulata
Ordo: Perissodactyla
Familia: †Palaeotheriidae
Genus: †Propalaeotherium
Vernacular names
English: Propalaeotherium
italiano: Propalaeotherium
Propalaeotherium was an early genus of perissodactyl endemic to Europe and Asia during the early Eocene. There are currently six recognised species within the genus, with P. isselanum as the type species (named by Georges Cuvier in 1824).[1]
Taxonomy
Fossil in Vienna.
Propalaeotherium was named by Paul Gervais; its name means "before Palaeotherium". It was considered a member of Palaeotheriidae by Hooker (1986).[2] A 2004 study found it to be an equid instead.[3] A 2016 study lumped the genus back within the Palaeotheriidae.[1]
The species P. parvulum and P. messelensis have been alternately assigned to the equid genus Eurohippus.[4]
Description
Eurohippus parvulus (on rock) and P. hassiacum (in water).
Propalaeotherium was a small animal, ranging from 30–60 cm at the shoulder (2.9 to 5.9 hands), and weighing just 10 kg (22 lb).[5] It looked similar to small tapirs. It had no hooves, but instead several small nail-like hooflets. The well-preserved Messel fossils showed their herbivory, specifically their preference to eat berries and leaf matter picked up from the forest floor.[6]
References
Remy, Jean A.; Krasovec, Gabriel; Marandat, Bernard (2016). "A new species of Propalaeotherium (Palaeotheriidae, Perissodactyla, Mammalia) from the Middle Eocene locality of Aumelas (Hérault, France)". Palaeovertebrata. 40 (2): e1. doi:10.18563/pv.40.2.e1.
J. J. Hooker. 1986. Mammals from the Bartonian (middle/late Eocene) of the Hampshire Basin, southern England. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 39(4):191-478
Franzen, J. L. (2004). "First fossil primates from Eckfeld Maar, Middle Eocene (Eifel, Germany)". Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae. 97 (2): 213–220. Bibcode:2004SwJG...97..213F. doi:10.1007/s00015-004-1115-8.
Franzen, J. L. (2006). "Eurohippus n.g., a new genus of horses from the Middle to Late Eocene of Europe". Senckenbergiana Lethaea. 86: 97–102. doi:10.1007/BF03043638. S2CID 84192738.
S. Legendre. 1988. Les communautes de mammiferes du Paleogene (Eocene superieur et Oligocene) d'Europe occidentale: structure, milieux et evolution. Ph.D. thesis, Universite des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France. 2 volumes. 1-265.
Wilde, V.; Hellmund, M. (2010). "First record of gut contents from a middle Eocene equid from the Geiseltal near Halle (Saale), Sachsen-Anhalt, Central Germany". Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. 90 (2): 153. Bibcode:2010PdPe...90..153W. doi:10.1007/s12549-010-0028-y. S2CID 128890140.
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