''Prozaedyus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genus of chlamyphorid armadillo that lived during the Middle Oligocene and Middle Miocene in what is now South America.

Description

It was a small-sized animal, and its life appearance was probably similar to that of the extant

pichi The pichi (''Zaedyus pichiy''), dwarf armadillo or pygmy armadillo is an armadillo native to Argentina. It is the only living member of the genus ''Zaedyus'', and the only armadillo to hibernate. Description Pichis are relatively small armadi ...

, and its length didn't exceeded more than 40 centimeters. It differed from the pichi by a well-developed scapular armor, the enlargement of its tympanic bulla and the ossification of its external auditory canal. Like several modern

armadillo Armadillos (meaning "little armored ones" in Spanish) are New World placental mammals in the order Cingulata. The Chlamyphoridae and Dasypodidae are the only surviving families in the order, which is part of the superorder Xenarthra, along wi ...

s, ''Prozaedyus'' was characterized by its carapace formed by straight and narrow osteoderms, with small hair foramina. Foramina were often present along the sides of the osteoderms, as well as along its back. ''Prozaedyus'' had no teeth in its premaxilla, while its maxilla had 7–8 teeth, and the mandible had 10.

Classification

The first fossils of this animal were discovered in Early Miocene terrains in Argentina, and were described in 1887 by Florentino Ameghino under the species ''Dasypus exilis''. Ameghino later erected the genus ''Prozaedyus'' for these remais, finding several affinities with the modern genus ''

Zaedyus The pichi (''Zaedyus pichiy''), dwarf armadillo or pygmy armadillo is an armadillo native to Argentina. It is the only living member of the genus ''Zaedyus'', and the only armadillo to hibernate. Description Pichis are relatively small armadil ...

''. In addition to ''Prozaedyus exilis'', the type species, several other species were later attributed to the genus by Ameghino, such as the larger ''Prozaedyus impressum'', ''P. humilis'', ''P. planus'' and ''P. tennuissimus''. All these species are mainly distinguished by its osteoderm details. Fossils attributed to ''Prozaedyus'' have also been found in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and Chile. ''Prozaedyus'' is one of the oldest members of the family

Chlamyphoridae Chlamyphoridae is a family of cingulate mammals. While glyptodonts have traditionally been considered stem-group cingulates outside the group that contains modern armadillos, there had been speculation that the extant family Dasypodidae could b ...

, which comprise most of the extant genera of armadillos. Ameghino considered this genus as an ancestor of the extant ''Zaedyus''.

References

*Ameghino, F. 1887. Enumeración sistemática de las especies de mamíferos fósiles coleccionados por Carlos Ameghino en los terrenos eocenos de Patagonia austral y depositados en el Museo La Plata. Boletín del Museo La Plata 1: 1-26. *Ameghino, F. 1891. Nuevos restos de mamíferos fósiles descubiertos por Carlos Ameghino en el Eoceno inferior de la Patagonia austral. Especies nuevas, adiciones y correcciones. Revista Argentina de Historia Natural 1 (5): 289-328. *Ameghino, F. 1897. Mammifères crétacés de l'Argentine. Boletín del Instituto Geográfico Argentino 18 (4–6), (7–9): 406-429, 431–521. *Ameghino, F. 1902. Première contribution à la connaissance de la faune mammalogique des couches à Colpodon. Boletín de la Acadamia Nacional de Ciencias (Córdoba) 17: 71-138. *A. Kramarz, A. Garrido, A. Forasiepi, M. Bond, and C. Tambussi. 2005. Estratigrafía y vertebrados (Aves y Mammalia) de la Formación Cerro Bandera, Mioceno Temprano de la Provincia del Neuquén, Argentina. Revista Geológica de Chile 32(2):273-291 *A. A. Carlini, M. R. Ciancio, and G. J. Scillato-Yane. 2010. Middle Eocene-Early Miocene Dasypodidae (Xenarthra) of southern South America: biostratigraphy and palaeoecology. In R. H. Madden, A. A. Carlini, M. G. Vucetich, R. F. Kay (eds.), The Paleontology of Gran Barranca: Evolution and Environmental Change through the Middle Cenozoic of Patagonia 106–129 {{Taxonbar, from=Q60977565 Prehistoric cingulates Prehistoric placental genera Miocene xenarthrans Miocene genus first appearances Miocene mammals of South America Miocene genus extinctions Paleogene Argentina Neogene Argentina Fossils of Argentina Neogene Bolivia Fossils of Bolivia Neogene Chile Fossils of Chile Deseadan Colhuehuapian Santacrucian Friasian Fossil taxa described in 1887 Taxa named by Florentino Ameghino Golfo San Jorge Basin Sarmiento Formation