''Coquenia'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Notoungulate Notoungulata is an extinct order of mammalian ungulates that inhabited South America from the early Paleocene to the Holocene, living from approximately 61 million to 11,000 years ago. Notoungulates were morphologically diverse, with forms resemb ...

, belonging to the family

Leontiniidae Leontiniidae is an extinct family comprising eighteen genera of notoungulate mammals known from the Middle Eocene (Mustersan) to Late Miocene (Huayquerian) of South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphe ...

. It lived during the Middle

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

, in what is today

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Description

Known only from skull and mandible remains, ''Coquenia'' may have been a heavily built animal, about the size of a sheep. This animal dentition was low-crowned (brachydont), and the incisors resembled canines, with labial and lingual cingulum. The second upper incisor was more developed than the two others, a typical characteristic of the Leontiniidae, while the upper canines had a rotated crown, with labial and lingual cingulum. The four premolars had an anterolingual cingulum with a small basin located directly in front of the protocone. The premolars progressively increased in size towards the back of the jaw. The upper molars had a labial cingulum, and a posterior dimple, like the lower molars. The third upper molar was wider at the base of its lingual side.

Classification

''Coquenia'' is a basal member of the family

, a group of

toxodont Toxodontia. Retrieved April 2013. is a suborder of the meridiungulate order Notoungulata. Most of the members of the five included families, including the largest notoungulates, share several dental, auditory and tarsal specializations. The g ...

s that appeared during the

and survived until the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

, with a robust body and massive legs. ''Coquenia'' was one of the earliest members of the family, along with its relative ''

Martinmiguelia ''Martinmiguelia'' is an extinct genus of Notoungulate, belonging to the family Leontiniidae. It lived during the Middle Eocene, and its fossil remains were found in South America. Description This animal is only known from skull and mandible r ...

''. ''Coquenia bondi'' was first described in 2008, based on fossil remains from the Pampa Grande locality of the Lumbrera Formation, in the

Salta Province Salta () is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the east clockwise Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán and Catamarca. It also surrounds Jujuy. To the north it borders Boliv ...

Bibliography

*M. V. Deraco, J. E. Powell, and G. Lopez. 2008. Primer leontínido (Mammalia, Notoungulata) de la Formación Lumbrera (Subgrupo Santa Bárbara, Grupo Salta-Paleógeno) del noroeste argentino. Ameghiniana 45(1):83-91 *J. E. Powell, M. J. Babot, D. A. García López, M. V. Deraco, and C. Herrera. 2011. Eocene vertebrates of northwest Argentina: annotated list. In J. Salfity, R. A. Marquillas (eds.), Cenozoic Geology of the Central Andes of Argentina 349–370 {{Taxonbar, from=Q97387539 Toxodonts Eocene mammals of South America Paleogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Fossil taxa described in 2008 Prehistoric placental genera