''Diplasiotherium'' is an extinct

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 ...

litoptern Litopterna (from grc, λῑτή πτέρνα "smooth heel") is an extinct order of fossil hoofed mammals from the Cenozoic era. The order is one of the five great orders of South American ungulates that were endemic to the continent, until th ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Proterotheriidae Proterotheriidae is an extinction, extinct family of fossil ungulates from the Cenozoic era that displays toe reduction. Despite resembling primitive, small horses, they were only distantly related to them, and instead belonged to the native Sou ...

, that lived between the late

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 ...

and the early

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58SALMA The South American land mammal ages (SALMA) establish a geologic timescale for prehistoric South American fauna beginning 64.5 Ma during the Paleocene and continuing through to the Late Pleistocene (0.011 Ma). These periods are referred to as a ...

Huayquerian The Huayquerian ( es, Huayqueriense) age is a period of geologic time (9.0–6.8 Ma) within the Late Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically within the SALMA classification. It follows the Mayoan and precedes the Montehermosan age. ...

and

Montehermosan The Montehermosan age is a period of geologic time (6.8–4.0 Ma) within the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of the Neogene used more specifically with South American Land Mammal Ages. It follows the Huayquerian and precedes the Chapadmalalan The C ...

).Villafañé et al., 2006, p.161 The fossils of this animal have been found in

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 ...

, in the Monte Hermoso Formation.Deschamps & Tomassini, 2016, p.224 ''Diplasiotherium'' is distinguished from other proterotheriids by the

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

of its molars, which were higher than in other related genera (protohypsodont), and by its larger body size; the species ''D. robustum'' reached approximately in weight, making it the largest known proterotheriid.Villafañe, A. L. (2005). ''Paleoecología de los Proterotheriidae (Mammalia, Litopterna): Un estudio basado en los cambios en la masa corporal''. Tesis de Licenciatura (inédita), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales (sede Trelew), Universidad de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, 145 págs.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q5807723 Proterotheriids Miocene mammals of South America Pliocene mammals of South America Huayquerian Montehermosan Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Cerro Azul Formation Fossil taxa described in 1914 Prehistoric placental genera