Aphanobelodon
Extinct genus of mammals
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aphanobelodon is an extinct genus of proboscidean in the family Amebelodontidae, it lived in northern China during the Middle Miocene.[1]
| Aphanobelodon Temporal range: Middle Miocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Family: | †Amebelodontidae |
| Genus: | †Aphanobelodon Wang et al., 2016 |
| Type species | |
| †Aphanobelodon zhaoi Wang et al., 2016 | |
Taxonomy
The holotype is the complete cranium of an adult female, and the paratypes include the remains of another adult female, an adult male, four subadults, and three calves. It is one of the few proboscidean species that lacks upper tusks, a trait previously thought to be unique to deinotheres.[1]
The generic name comes from aphano, meaning invisible, and belodon, meaning front tooth. The specific name of the type species is after Rong Zhao, who discovered and excavated the specimens.[1]
