Panthera zdanskyi

Panthera zdanskyi
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene, 2.55–2.16 Ma
Holotype skull
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. zdanskyi
Binomial name
Panthera zdanskyi
Mazák, Christiansen & Kitchener, 2011

The Longdan tiger or Panthera zdanskyi is an extinct species of pantherine known from the Gansu province of northwestern China.[1]

Description

Restoration

Panthera zdanskyi is known from the holotype BIOPSI 00177, a nearly complete skull and mandible and from the paratype IVPP 13538, a rostrum, premaxilla and maxilla and much of the dentition, originally referred to Panthera palaeosinensis. It was collected in 2004 in the east slope of Longdan, south of Dongxiang Autonomous County from the Lower Pleistocene Equus fauna, dating to the Gelasian stage of the earliest Pleistocene, about 2.55–2.16 million years ago. It is the oldest known pantherine skull ever found.[1]

Phylogeny

The cladogram below follows Mazák, Christiansen and Kitchener (2011).[1]

Pantherinae

Neofelis


Panthera

Panthera uncia




Panthera palaeosinensis





Panthera onca




Panthera atrox




Panthera spelaea




Panthera leo



Panthera pardus








Panthera tigris



Panthera zdanskyi







Etymology

Panthera zdanskyi was first named by Ji H. Mazák, Per Christiansen and Andrew C. Kitchener in 2011. The specific name honors the Austrian paleontologist Otto A. Zdansky for his contributions to the understanding of Neogene Chinese fossil carnivorans.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Ji H. Mazák, Per Christiansen and Andrew C. Kitchener (2011). "Oldest Known Pantherine Skull and Evolution of the Tiger". PLoS ONE. 6 (10): e25483. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025483. PMC 3189913Freely accessible. PMID 22016768.
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