| Fossil range | Early Miocene, Santacrucian |
|---|---|
| Genus | Proschismotherium |
| Parent authority | Ameghino, 1902 |
| Species | oppositum |
| Authority | Ameghino, 1902 |
Proschismotherium is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Megalonychidae, endemic to Argentina during the Early Miocene. It lived from 17.5 mya — 16.3 mya, existing (as a genus) for approximately .[1] The type, and only, species, P. oppositum, was named in 1902 by Florentino Ameghino based on a single specimen found in the Santacrucian-aged Colpodon Beds of Argentina.[2] Ameghino in 1902 placed Proschismotherium in the Megatheriidae,[2] alongside Hapaloides, which was its sister taxon.[1][3][4][5]
The holotype jaw was compared to that of Schismotherium fractum and was found to be roughly the same size,[2] indicating that Proschismotherium weighed roughly 45 kilograms (99 lb) and grew up to 1 metre (3.3 ft);[6] the size estimate was loosely based on Hapalops and also Schismotherium.[7]
References
- ^ R. L. Carroll. (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution 1-698
- ^ F. Ameghino. (1902). Première contribution à la connaissance de la fauna mammalogique des couches à Colpodon [First contribution to the knowledge of the mammalian fauna of the Colpodon Beds]. Boletin de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Córdoba 17:71-141
- ^ McKenna & Bell (1997) Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level
- ^ "Hapaloides". Fossilworks. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ "Proschismotherium". Fossilworks. Archived 26 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ^ Toledo, Néstor (2012-09-07). "Mass estimation of Santacrucian sloths from the Early Miocene Santa Cruz Formation of Patagonia, Argentina". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. doi:10.4202/app.2012.0009. hdl:11336/20506
- ^ Palmer, D. (ed.) (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-84028-152-1.