Gomphotherium Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Specimen of Gomphotherium productum at the American Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | † Gomphotheriidae |
Genus: | †
Gomphotherium Burmeister, 1837 |
Type species | |
Gomphotherium angustidens (Cuvier, 1817)
| |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
Gomphotherium ( /ˌɡɒmfəˈθɪəriəm/; "nail beast" for its double set of straight tusks) is an extinct genus of gomphothere proboscidean from the Neogene of Eurasia, Africa and North America. [1] [2] It is the most diverse genus of gompothere, with over a dozen valid species. The genus is probably paraphyletic. [3] [4]
Most species of Gomphotherium were similar in size to the Asian elephant, with G. productum (known from a 35-year-old male) measuring 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) tall and weighing 4.6 t (4.5 long tons; 5.1 short tons). The largest species G. steinheimense, known from a complete 37-year-old male found in Mühldorf, Germany, measured up to 3.17 m (10.4 ft) tall and weighed 6.7 t (6.6 long tons; 7.4 short tons). [5]
Gomphotherium, like most basal elephantimorphs, had an elongated lower jaw which bore tusks. [6] Species of Gomphotherium are defined by their conservative molar morphology, which includes "trilophed intermediate molars, third molars with three to four loph(id)s, and pretrite half-loph(id)s typically with anterior and posterior accessory conules that form trefoil-patterned enamel loops with wear (simple molar crowns with no accessory conules on the posttrite side of the crown)". [7]
Most species of Gomphotherium are inferred to have been browsers or mixed feeders, but specimens of G. steinheimense from China are suggested to have been grazers. [3] Oxygen and carbon isotopes from G. productum enamel unearthed in the Port of Entry Pit, Oklahoma reveal it fed predominantly on C3 plants year-round. [8]
Gomphotherium likely originated in Africa during the late Oligocene-early Miocene. The oldest remains of Gomphotherium are known from Africa, dating to approximately 19.5 million years ago. [9] Gomphotherium migrated into Eurasia across the " Gomphotherium land bridge" approximately 19 million years ago. [10] Gomphotherium underwent rapid evolution after its arrival in Eurasia, reaching its peak diversity during the Early-Middle Miocene. [10] Gomphotherium has been posited to be paraphyletic and the ancestor of later gomphothere genera, including the "tetralophodont gomphotheres" such as Tetralophodon which are probably ancestral to stegodontids and elephantids. [3] Gomphotherium first arrived in North America during the mid-Miocene, approximately 16-15 million years ago, [11] and is suggested to be ancestral to later New World gomphothere genera, such as Cuvieronius, Stegomastodon and Rhynchotherium. [12] Asian populations of Gomphotherium are suggested to have been ancestral to Sinomastodon. [13] The last European species of Gomphotherium became extinct at the beginning of the Late Miocene, around the start of MN9, approximately 10 million years ago. [13] The last Gomphotherium species disappeared from North America at the beginning of the Pliocene, approximately 5 million years ago. [11]
Over a dozen species of Gomphotherium are considered valid, with over 30 junior synonyms proposed for these taxa. [14]
Phylogeny after Wang et al., 2017 [14]
|
Outgroups "G. annectens group" "G. angustidens group" "Derived Gomphotherium" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cladogram of Elephantiformes after Li et al. 2023, showing a paraphyletic Gomphotheriidae and Gomphotherium. [16]
Elephantiformes |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gomphotherium Temporal range:
| |
---|---|
Specimen of Gomphotherium productum at the American Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Proboscidea |
Family: | † Gomphotheriidae |
Genus: | †
Gomphotherium Burmeister, 1837 |
Type species | |
Gomphotherium angustidens (Cuvier, 1817)
| |
Species | |
See text | |
Synonyms | |
Gomphotherium ( /ˌɡɒmfəˈθɪəriəm/; "nail beast" for its double set of straight tusks) is an extinct genus of gomphothere proboscidean from the Neogene of Eurasia, Africa and North America. [1] [2] It is the most diverse genus of gompothere, with over a dozen valid species. The genus is probably paraphyletic. [3] [4]
Most species of Gomphotherium were similar in size to the Asian elephant, with G. productum (known from a 35-year-old male) measuring 2.51 m (8 ft 3 in) tall and weighing 4.6 t (4.5 long tons; 5.1 short tons). The largest species G. steinheimense, known from a complete 37-year-old male found in Mühldorf, Germany, measured up to 3.17 m (10.4 ft) tall and weighed 6.7 t (6.6 long tons; 7.4 short tons). [5]
Gomphotherium, like most basal elephantimorphs, had an elongated lower jaw which bore tusks. [6] Species of Gomphotherium are defined by their conservative molar morphology, which includes "trilophed intermediate molars, third molars with three to four loph(id)s, and pretrite half-loph(id)s typically with anterior and posterior accessory conules that form trefoil-patterned enamel loops with wear (simple molar crowns with no accessory conules on the posttrite side of the crown)". [7]
Most species of Gomphotherium are inferred to have been browsers or mixed feeders, but specimens of G. steinheimense from China are suggested to have been grazers. [3] Oxygen and carbon isotopes from G. productum enamel unearthed in the Port of Entry Pit, Oklahoma reveal it fed predominantly on C3 plants year-round. [8]
Gomphotherium likely originated in Africa during the late Oligocene-early Miocene. The oldest remains of Gomphotherium are known from Africa, dating to approximately 19.5 million years ago. [9] Gomphotherium migrated into Eurasia across the " Gomphotherium land bridge" approximately 19 million years ago. [10] Gomphotherium underwent rapid evolution after its arrival in Eurasia, reaching its peak diversity during the Early-Middle Miocene. [10] Gomphotherium has been posited to be paraphyletic and the ancestor of later gomphothere genera, including the "tetralophodont gomphotheres" such as Tetralophodon which are probably ancestral to stegodontids and elephantids. [3] Gomphotherium first arrived in North America during the mid-Miocene, approximately 16-15 million years ago, [11] and is suggested to be ancestral to later New World gomphothere genera, such as Cuvieronius, Stegomastodon and Rhynchotherium. [12] Asian populations of Gomphotherium are suggested to have been ancestral to Sinomastodon. [13] The last European species of Gomphotherium became extinct at the beginning of the Late Miocene, around the start of MN9, approximately 10 million years ago. [13] The last Gomphotherium species disappeared from North America at the beginning of the Pliocene, approximately 5 million years ago. [11]
Over a dozen species of Gomphotherium are considered valid, with over 30 junior synonyms proposed for these taxa. [14]
Phylogeny after Wang et al., 2017 [14]
|
Outgroups "G. annectens group" "G. angustidens group" "Derived Gomphotherium" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cladogram of Elephantiformes after Li et al. 2023, showing a paraphyletic Gomphotheriidae and Gomphotherium. [16]
Elephantiformes |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||