Proailurus

''Proailurus'' is an extinct felid genus that lived in Europe and Asia approximately 25 million years ago in the Late Oligocene and Miocene. Fossils have been found in Mongolia, Germany, and Spain.

Etymology

The generic name ''Proailurus'' comes from the Greek , meaning 'before', and , meaning 'cat'. The specific name of ''P. bourbonnensis'' simply means "from the Bourbonnais".

Description

''Proailurus lemanensis'' was a compact and small animal, just a little larger than the domestic cat, weighing about 20 lb (9 kg). It had a long tail, large eyes and sharp claws and teeth, with similar proportions to the modern viverrids. Its claws would have been retractable to some extent. Like the viverrids, ''Proailurus'' was at least partially arboreal.

''Proailurus major'' is estimated to have been significantly larger, about 23 kg. The p4 tooth is stronger and the m1 is less elongated than in ''P. lemanensis''.

''Proailurus bourbonnensis'' was a smaller species, estimated to have been 7-10 kg. Of the teeth, the p1 is wholly missing, and the m1 was slightly less elongated and the m2 less reduced than in ''P. lemanensis''.

Classification

The genus ''Proailurus'' was first described by Henri Filhol in 1879 for fossils found in the Saint-Gerand site in France. He named two species, ''Proailurus lemanensis'', based on a mandible, and ''Proailurus julieni''. However, ''P. julieni'' was later placed in the genus '' Stenogale''.

In 1882, Filhol described a third species, ''Proailurus medius''. In 1888, Schlosser made ''"P." medius'' the type species of the genus '' Haplogale''. ''Haplogale medias placement was later confirmed by Robert Hunt's 1998 studies of aeluroid skulls.

In 1999, Peigné carried out a systematic review of the genus, naming another two species, ''P. bourbonnensis'' and ''P. major'', in the process. ''P. major'' was based on a single specimen, a left mandible from Quercy and Mainz, while ''P. bourbonnensis'' was based on a number of lower mandibles and teeth, as well as a left maxilla.

Distribution and species

Fossils of ''Proailurus lemanensis'' were first found in Saint-Gerand and later in Quercy. Robert Hunt, while measuring fragmentary fossils from Hasanda-Gol in Mongolia, placed a lower jaw fragment as ''Proailurus'' sp., but Peigne placed the fragment in nimravid genus Eofelis instead, which later authors supported, although at least one suggested the fragment could be assigned to '' Pseudaelurus cuspidatus'' instead.

''P. major'' and ''P. bourbonnensis'' are both known from a single locality each: ''P. major'' from Saint-Gérand-le-Puy and ''P. bourbonnensis'' from Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, Weisbaden-Amoneburg, and Budenheim (where it is the only ''Proailurus'' species known from the Mainz Basin).

Several fossils believed to be ''Proailurus''-grade material have been found in North America, including the Ginn Quarry cat, known from a complete skull, which has dentition similar to ''Proailurus lemanensis'' but with a slightly larger skull. Robert Hunt also noted several specimens that he believed belonged to ''Proailurus''-grade felids, including a pair from the Sheep Creek site in Nebraska, one a lynx-sized felid, the other closer in size to a leopard; another individual from an East Cuyumungue locality, possibly the same species as the larger Sheep Creek specimen; and another specimen from Echo Quarry. However, the larger Sheep Creek specimen, the East Cuyumungue individual, and the Echo Quarry specimen were all described and assigned to the species '' Hyperailurictis validus'' in 2001, and the smaller Sheep Creek material to ''Pseudaelurus skinneri'' in 2003. The Ginn Quarry cat was described, but not assigned to any taxa, in 2019; though the authors did state that "it should not be dismissed as a 'proailurine-grade' felid" and suggested placing it in ''Hyperailurictis'' (despite being considerably older than any known ''Hyperailurictis'') or a new genus.

Evolution

''Proailurus'' is believed to have evolved from earlier ailuroid carnivorans such as ''Stenogale'' and ''Haplogale''. It is a likely ancestor of '' Pseudaelurus'', which lived 20-10 million years ago, and probably gave rise to the major felid lines, including the extinct machairodontines and the extant felines and pantherines, although the phylogeny of the cats is still not precisely known.

''Proailurus'' is largely considered to be the first "true" cat and the ancestor of the entire cat family. Most studies support this, placing ''Proailurus'' as the basal member of the Felidae. One 2005 phylogeny placed it as a basal member of the Feliformia, but later studies do not support this.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q132036

Prehistoric felids
Oligocene carnivorans
Miocene carnivorans
Paleogene mammals of Europe
Neogene mammals of Europe
Prehistoric carnivoran genera
Chattian genus first appearances
Miocene genus extinctions
Fossil taxa described in 1879
Taxa named by Henri Filhol