''Proschismotherium'' is an extinct genus of

ground sloth Ground sloths are a diverse group of extinct sloths in the mammalian superorder Xenarthra. The term is used to refer to all extinct sloths because of the large size of the earliest forms discovered, compared to existing tree sloths. The Caribbe ...

of the family Megalonychidae, endemic to Argentina during the Early Miocene. It lived from 17.5

mya Mya may refer to: Brands and product names * Mya (program), an intelligent personal assistant created by Motorola * Mya (TV channel), an Italian Television channel * Midwest Young Artists, a comprehensive youth music program Codes * Burmese ...

— 16.3 mya, existing (as a genus) for approximately .R. L. Carroll. (1988). ''Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution'' 1-698 The type, and only, species, ''P. oppositum'', was named in 1902 by Florentino Ameghino based on a single specimen found in the

Santacrucian The Santacrucian age is a period of geologic time (17.5 – 16.3 Ma) within the Early Miocene epoch of the Neogene, used more specifically with SALMA classification in South America. It follows the Colhuehuapian and precedes the Friasian age. ...

-aged

Colpodon Beds ''Colpodon'' is an extinct genus of herbivorous mammal, belonging to the order Notoungulata. It lived during the Early Miocene, in what is today Argentina and Chile, in South America. Description This animal is almost exclusively known from ...

of Argentina.F. Ameghino. (1902). Première contribution à la connaissance de la fauna mammalogique des couches à '' Colpodon'' irst contribution to the knowledge of the mammalian fauna of the Colpodon Beds ''Boletin de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Córdoba'' 17:71-141 Ameghino in 1902 placed ''Proschismotherium'' in the Megatheriidae, alongside ''

Hapaloides ''Hapaloides'' is an extinct genus of ground sloth of the family Megalonychidae, endemic to Argentina during the Early Miocene. It lived from 17.5 mya to 16.3 mya, existing (as a genus) for approximately .R. L. Carroll. (1988). ''Vertebrate Pale ...

'', which was its sister taxon. The holotype jaw was compared to that of '' Schismotherium fractum'' and was found to be roughly the same size, indicating that ''Proschismotherium'' weighed roughly and grew up to ; the size estimate was loosely based on '' Hapalops'' and also '' Schismotherium''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q104178020 Prehistoric sloths Miocene mammals of South America Fossil taxa described in 1902 Golfo San Jorge Basin Sarmiento Formation