Konobelodon
{{Short description|Extinct genus of mammals}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = Miocene, {{Fossil range|12|5.3}}
| image = Ambelodon_mandible.jpg
| image_caption = Mandible of Konobelodon britti on display at the State Museum of Pennsylvania
| taxon = Konobelodon
| authority = Lambert, 1990
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = *K. atticus (Wagner, 1857)
- K. britti (Lambert, 1990) (type)
- K. robustus Wang, Shi, He, Chen, and Yang, 2016{{cite journal | last1 = Wang | first1 = S. | last2 = SHI | first2 = Q. | last3 = HE | first3 = W. | last4 = Chen | first4 = S. | last5 = Yang | first5 = X. | year = 2016 | title = — A new species of the tetralophodont amebelodontine Konobelodon Lambert, 1990 (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of China | doi = 10.5252/g2016n1a4 | journal = Geodiversitas | volume = 38 | issue = 1| pages = 65–97 | s2cid = 87203029 | url = https://zenodo.org/record/4535461 }}
- K. cyrenaicus (Gaziry, 1987)
}}
Konobelodon is an extinct genus of amebelodont proboscidean from the Miocene of Africa, Eurasia and North America.
Taxonomy
Konobelodon was originally coined as a subgenus of Amebelodon,{{cite journal | last1 = Lambert | first1 = W. D. | year = 1990 | title = Rediagnosis of the genus Amebelodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea, Gomphotheriidae) with a new subgenus and species, Amebelodon (Konobelodon) britti | journal = Journal of Paleontology | volume = 64 | issue = 6| pages = 1032–1041 | doi = 10.1017/S0022336000019855 | bibcode = 1990JPal...64.1032L | s2cid = 131312289 }} and was subsequently elevated to full generic rank in a 2014 re-appraisal of "Mastodon" atticus.{{cite journal | last1 = Konidaris | first1 = G. E. | last2 = Roussiakis | first2 = S. J. | last3 = Theodorou | first3 = G. E. | last4 = Koufos | first4 = G. D. | year = 2014 | title = The Eurasian occurrence of the shovel-tusker Konobelodon (Mammalia, Proboscidea) as illuminated by its presence in the late Miocene of Pikermi (Greece) | journal = Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology | volume = 34 | issue = 6 | pages = 1437–53 | doi=10.1080/02724634.2014.873622| bibcode = 2014JVPal..34.1437K | s2cid = 84396676 }} Within Amebelodontinae, Konobelodon is closely related to Platybelodon and Torynobelodon. The genus Konobelodon likely originated in eastern Eurasia, with K. robustus being known from the Liushu Formation in the Gansu Province of China.{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=ShiQi |last2=Shi |first2=QinQin |last3=He |first3=Wen |last4=Chen |first4=ShanQin |last5=Yang |first5=XiangWen |date=2016-03-25 |title=A new species of the tetralophodont amebelodontine Konobelodon Lambert, 1990 (Proboscidea, Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of China |url=http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.5252/g2016n1a4 |journal=Geodiversitas |language=en |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=65–97 |doi=10.5252/g2016n1a4 |s2cid=87203029 |issn=1280-9659}} Under this hypothesis, it diverged via separate migrations westward into Europe and western Asia, represented by K. atticus, and eastward into North America, where the genus arrived c. 7 Ma and survived until the very end of the Miocene. The species Konobelodon cyrenaicus is known from the Late Miocene of North Africa, representing the latest surviving amebelodont on the African continent.{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=William J. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315118918 |title=Evolution and Fossil Record of African Proboscidea |date=2023-07-07 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-315-11891-8 |edition=1 |location=Boca Raton |pages=161–163 |language=en |doi=10.1201/b20016|s2cid=259625811 }}
Description
As shovel-tusked amebelodonts, Konobelodon has two pairs of tusks, one growing from the upper jaw and a second from the lower. K. robustus is estimated to have had a body mass between {{Convert|2802-7367|kg|lb}}, making it generally larger than most gomphotheres on account of its thicker limb bones. Its standing posture, however, was not likely as column-like as that of extant elephants and American brevirostrine gomphotheres. The lower tusks were proportionally large, reaching {{Convert|1.61|m|ft}} in length.{{Cite journal |last=Larramendi |first=Asier |date=2023-12-10 |title=Estimating tusk masses in proboscideans: a comprehensive analysis and predictive model |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2286272 |journal=Historical Biology |language=en |pages=1–14 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2023.2286272 |s2cid=266182491 |issn=0891-2963}}
Ecology
Konobelodon is suggested to have been a browser, based on dental microwear analysis. The upper tusks were likely used for slicing and scraping, while the lower tusks may have been used for digging.{{Cite journal |last1=Semprebon |first1=Gina M. |last2=Pirlo |first2=Jeanette |last3=Dudek |first3=Julia |date=2022-11-30 |title=Dietary Habits and Tusk Usage of Shovel-Tusked Gomphotheres from Florida: Evidence from Stereoscopic Wear of Molars and Upper and Lower Tusks |journal=Biology |language=en |volume=11 |issue=12 |pages=1748 |doi=10.3390/biology11121748 |issn=2079-7737 |pmc=9774678 |pmid=36552258 |doi-access=free}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Portal|Paleontology}}
{{Proboscidea Genera}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q25095366}}
Category:Miocene proboscideans
Category:Miocene mammals of North America
Category:Miocene mammals of Asia
Category:Miocene mammals of Europe
Category:Prehistoric placental genera
Category:Tortonian first appearances