''Priscosiren'' is an extinct genus of

sirenian The Sirenia (), commonly referred to as sea cows or sirenians, are an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit swamps, rivers, estuaries, marine wetlands, and coastal marine waters. The extant Sirenia comprise two distinct famili ...

mammal which existed in the west Atlantic and

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

during the late

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 ...

(

Chattian The Chattian is, in the geologic timescale, the younger of two ages or upper of two stages of the Oligocene Epoch/Series. It spans the time between . The Chattian is preceded by the Rupelian and is followed by the Aquitanian (the lowest stage ...

).Jorge Vélez-Juarbe & Daryl P. Domning (2014) Fossil Sirenia of the West Atlantic and Caribbean region: X. Priscosiren atlantica, gen. et sp. nov., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 34:4, 951-964, DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2013.815192

Distribution

The type locality is the

San Sebastián Limestone The San Sebastián Formation is a geologic formation in Puerto Rico. It preserves fossils dating back to the Oligocene period. It was primarily deposited as limestone in a marine environment, but some localities with a significant amount of ter ...

of Puerto Rico, with a record also known from the

Chandler Bridge Formation The Chandler Bridge Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in South Carolina. It preserves fossils dating back to the Chattian (Late Oligocene) of the Paleogene Period (geology), period, corresponding to the Arikareean in the Nort ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, USA.

Description

''Priscosiren'' was diagnosed from other "halitheriine" dugongids by Velez-Juarbe and Domning (2014).

Phylogeny

''Priscosiren'' is recovered by Velez-Juarbe and Domning (2014) as sister to the ''Metaxytherium'' + Hydrodamalinae and Dugonginae clades.

References

Dugongidae Oligocene sirenians Fossil taxa described in 2014 Prehistoric placental genera {{Paleo-sirenian-stub Fossils of Puerto Rico Fossils of South Carolina