''Obergfellia'' 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 ...

of stem

perissodactyl Odd-toed ungulates, mammals which constitute the taxonomic order Perissodactyla (, ), are animals—ungulates—who have reduced the weight-bearing toes to three (rhinoceroses and tapirs, with tapirs still using four toes on the front legs) o ...

from 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' ...

, discovered in 1980. Its known range includes northern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Cooper ''et al.'' (2014) erected the genus using specimens formerly assigned to ''

Anthracobune ''Anthracobune'' ("coal mound") is an extinct genus of stem perissodactyl from the middle Eocene of the Upper Kuldana Formation of Kohat, Punjab, Pakistan. The size of a small tapir, it lived in a marshy environment and fed on soft aquatic plant ...

'' and ''

Pilgrimella ''Pilgrimella'' is an extinct early Eocene genus of anthracobunid, a group of stem perissodactyls (formerly classified with proboscideans). It was a ground dwelling grazer with massive bilophodont molars (cusps aligned in two transverse ridges. ...

''. It is named in honor of the late married vertebrate paleontologists Friedlinde Obergfell and A. Ranga Rao. The suite of features that distinguish it from other

anthracobunid Anthracobunidae is an extinct family of stem perissodactyls that lived in the early to middle Eocene period. They were originally considered to be a paraphyletic family of primitive proboscideans possibly ancestral to the Moeritheriidae and the ...

s are broad lower

molars The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone to ...

, short lower m3, and a fairly long angular process of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

, but not as long as in ''Anthracobune''.

References

Prehistoric odd-toed ungulates Eocene odd-toed ungulates Eocene mammals of Asia Fossils of India Fossils of Pakistan Fossil taxa described in 2014 Prehistoric placental genera {{paleo-oddtoedungulate-stub