Daouitherium
{{Short description|Extinct genus of mammals}}
{{expand German|Daouitherium|date=March 2014}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = Early Eocene
| image = Daouitherium rebouli 56.JPG
| image_caption = Lower jaws
| genus = Daouitherium
| parent_authority = Gheerbrant & Sudre, 2002
| species = rebouli
| authority = Gheerbrant & Sudre, 2002
}}
File:Daouitherium and Numidotherium lower dentition.svg
Daouitherium ("Sidi Daoui beast" from the name of the site where it was discovered) is an extinct genus of early proboscideans (a group including modern elephants and their extinct relatives) that lived during the early Eocene (Ypresian stage) some 55 million years ago in North Africa.
Remains of this animal, fragments of jaws and teeth, have been found in the Ouled Abdoun Basin in Morocco. It is estimated to have weighed between {{convert|80|and|170|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, making it one of the earliest large mammals known from Africa and one of the oldest known proboscideans. Another estimate gives a weight of {{convert|200|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.{{Cite journal | last1 = Larramendi | first1 = A. | year = 2016 | title = Shoulder height, body mass and shape of proboscideans | journal = Acta Palaeontologica Polonica | volume = 61 | doi = 10.4202/app.00136.2014 | url = https://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app61/app001362014.pdf | doi-access = free }}
Description
Daouitherium is known only from lower jaws and associated cheek teeth. It had lophodont and bilophodont molars, i.e. molars with large ridges. The second and third premolars had a notably large cusp called the hypoconid. Gheerbrant et al. described the teeth as similar to those of other early proboscideans Phosphatherium, Numidotherium, and Barytherium.
Taxonomy
A cladogram of Proboscidea based on the phylogenetic analysis of Hautier et al. 2021 is below:{{Cite journal |last1=Hautier |first1=Lionel |last2=Tabuce |first2=Rodolphe |last3=Mourlam |first3=Mickaël J. |last4=Kassegne |first4=Koffi Evenyon |last5=Amoudji |first5=Yawovi Zikpi |last6=Orliac |first6=Maëva |last7=Quillévéré |first7=Frédéric |last8=Charruault |first8=Anne-Lise |last9=Johnson |first9=Ampah Kodjo Christophe |last10=Guinot |first10=Guillaume |date=2021-10-13 |title=New Middle Eocene proboscidean from Togo illuminates the early evolution of the elephantiform-like dental pattern |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=288 |issue=1960 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2021.1439 |issn=0962-8452 |pmc=8511763 |pmid=34641726}}{{clade|{{clade
|1=Eritherium
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Daouitherium
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Barytherium
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Omanitherium
|2={{clade
|1=Saloumia
|2=Moeritherium
|3={{clade
|label2=Elephantiformes
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|2={{clade
|1=Phiomia
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|label1=Proboscidea}}
See also
References
{{Proboscidea Genera}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q137458}}
Category:Fossil taxa described in 2002