Punahyrax
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| Punahyrax | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | †Notoungulata |
| Family: | †Archaeohyracidae |
| Genus: | †Punahyrax Reguero et al, 2008 |
| Species: | †P. bondesioi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Punahyrax bondesioi Reguero, Croft, López & Alonso, 2008 | |
Punahyrax is an extinct genus of placental mammal belonging to the family Archaeohyracidae, within the order Notoungulata, and endemic of South America.[1]
The fossilised remains of Punahyrax were discovered in Argentina, and were found in the Geste Formation, near Antofagasta de la Sierra in the Catamarca Province,[2] and in the Pozuelos Formation in the Salta Province. Those sites are considered to represent a fauna dated from the Mustersan, the South American Late Eocene.[1]
Etymology
The name Punahyrax is composed of the prefix Puna-, the Quechua word designing the central altiplano of the Andes, and who gave its name to the puna grassland ecoregion, and of the suffix -hyrax, commonly used in the taxonomy of Archaeohyracidae. The species name, Punahyrax bondesioi, honors the paleontologist Pedro Bondesio.[1]
