Paratetralophodon is an extinct genus of

proboscidea Proboscidea (; , ) is a taxonomic order of afrotherian mammals containing one living family (Elephantidae) and several extinct families. First described by J. Illiger in 1811, it encompasses the elephants and their close relatives. Three l ...

n from late

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

deposits in India and China. Although traditionally classified in the family

Gomphotheriidae Gomphotheres are an extinct group of proboscideans related to modern elephants. First appearing in Africa during the Oligocene, they dispersed into Eurasia and North America during the Miocene and arrived in South America during the Pleistocene ...

, recent studies find it to be more closely related to modern elephants. ''Paratetralophodon hasnotensis'', found in the Siwalik Hills of

northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

, is the only unequivocal species in the genus, but the Far Eastern form ''"Tetralophodon" exoletus'' is tentatively considered referable to this genus based on similarities with ''P. hasnotensis'', while specimens from Lantian, China, appear to represent an unnamed species of ''Paratetralophodon''.Shi-Qi Wang; Haruo Saegusa; Jaroon Duangkrayom; Wen He; Shan-Qin Chen (2017). "A new species of Tetralophodon from the Linxia Basin and the biostratigraphic significance of tetralophodont gomphotheres from the Upper Miocene of northern China". Palaeoworld. in press. doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2017.03.005.

References

Elephantoidea Prehistoric placental genera Miocene proboscideans Pliocene proboscideans Miocene mammals of Asia {{paleo-proboscidean-stub