''Proargyrohyrax'' is an extinct

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of interatheriine

notoungulates Notoungulata is an extinct order of ungulates that inhabited South America from the early Paleocene to the end of the Pleistocene, living from approximately 61 million to 11,000 years ago. Notoungulates were morphologically diverse, with forms re ...

that lived from the Early to Middle

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

in what is now

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. Fossils of this genus have been found in the

Sarmiento Formation The Sarmiento Formation (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Formación Sarmiento''), in older literature described as the Casamayor Formation, is a geological formation in Chubut Province, Argentina, in central Patagonia, which spans around 30 million y ...

of Argentina. Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License __TOC__

Etymology

The genus name, ''Proargyrohyrax'', is derived from "''pro''", meaning "before", and ''

Argyrohyrax ''Argyrohyrax'' is an extinct genus of interatheriid notoungulate that lived during the Late Oligocene, of what is now Argentina and Bolivia. Description This animal may have vaguely resembled a medium-sized ground-dwelling rodent, such as a m ...

'', not only referring to the similarity of the latter genus but also its earlier occurrence. The specific name, ''curanderensis'', refers to the geographic location where it was found, La Curandera.

Description

''Proargyrohyrax'' is a small-sized interatheriid. ''Proargyrohyrax'' mostly resembles '' Santiagorothia'', in having a well-developed parastyle that curves in a labial orientation and connects to the moderately developed column of the

paracone A paracone is a 1960s atmospheric reentry or spaceflight mission abort concept using an inflatable ballistic cone.premolars The premolars, also called premolar teeth, or bicuspids, are transitional teeth located between the canine and molar teeth. In humans, there are two premolars per quadrant in the permanent set of teeth, making eight premolars total in the mout ...

more molariform, a larger development of the labial fossettes on the upper premolars, and the widened

trigonid 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 tooth ...

and

talonid 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 tooth ...

on the third premolar.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q115288481 Typotheres Prehistoric placental genera Oligocene mammals of South America Paleogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Tinguirirican Fossil taxa described in 2000 Golfo San Jorge Basin Sarmiento Formation