''Miopanthera'' is an extinct genus of ''

Pseudaelurus ''Pseudaelurus'' is a prehistoric cat that lived in Europe, Asia and North America in the Miocene between approximately twenty and eight million years ago. It is considered to be a paraphyletic grade ancestral to living felines and pantherines a ...

''-grade felids.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Miopanthera'' was first proposed in 1938 by Kretzoi for the species ''Pseudaelurus lorteti''. ''P. lorteti'' had previously been described as such in 1899, upon the discovery of fossils in Europe. However, Kretzoi's proposal was largely ignored by later authors. A 2010 review of the Felidae proposed splitting the genus ''Pseudaelurus'' in three, and suggested assigning ''P. lorteti'' to the genus ''Styriofelis'' alongside ''P. turnauensis''. Another species, ''Felis pamiri'', was described in 1965 based on a snout fragment found in Turkey. The locality at which it was found was estimated to be from the late Miocene, about 9.9 Ma. After its original description, no further material was assigned to the species. In 2017, a review of the species ''Felis pamiri'' concluded that it was likely closely related to ''S. lorteti'', and reassigned both species to the genus ''Miopanthera''. The paper also noted that the species ''

Panthera blytheae ''Panthera blytheae'' is an extinct species of the genus '' Panthera'' that is thought to have existed during the late Messinian to early Zanclean ages approximately 5.95–4.1 million years ago. It is currently the oldest known ''Panthera'' sp ...

'', which had been described not long before, lacked features that assigned it specifically to the genus ''Panthera'', but that further examination of the material had the potential to clarify ''Miopantheras relation to the modern panthrin (''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'') cats. A 2020 study of newfound material from the Siwaliks region suggested that the species ''Miopanthera lorteti'' be reassigned to the genus ''

Sivaelurus ''Sivaelurus'' is an extinct genus of felid. The type and only species, ''S. chinjiensis'', was described based on a fragmentary fossil found in Asia. It was originally described as ''Pseudaelurus chinjiensis'' in 1910, but was reassigned to a ne ...

'', and that ''M. pamiri'' be assigned to a new genus because it is younger, larger, and more derived.

Description

''Miopanthera lorteti'' ranged in size from that of a large caracal, to the size of a small leopard. ''Miopanthera pamiri'', which is known only from fragmentary, though nicely intact, material from a single individual, is theorized to have been similar in size to a large lynx or a small puma.

Evolution

''M. pamiri'' is believed to have evolved from the earlier ''M. lorteti''. Due to certain features, it is also considered likely that ''Miopanthera'' was in some way ancestral to the modern ''Panthera'' lineage.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30894451 Prehistoric felids Prehistoric carnivoran genera