Propalaeothentes (lat.) Is a genus of extinct marsupial mammals from the Palaeothentidae family of the coenolest order (Paucituberculata).
| † Propalaeothentes |
| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Superfamily : | † Palaeothentoidea |
| Gender: | † Propalaeothentes |
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| International scientific name |
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Propalaeothentes
Bown et Fleagle, 1993 |
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Two species are known to it, known from the remains found in the Lower Miocene (Santacrus) rocks of the province of Santa Cruz ( Argentina ) [1] .
Initially (in 1887 ) the remains of marsupials were attributed by the Argentinean paleontologist Florentino Amegino to the species Palaeothentes intermedius , and in 1891 the same scientist classified them as a new species of the genus Epanorthus ( E. lepidus ) [1] .
In 1993, the American paleontologists Thomas M. Bown and John G. Fleagle, on the basis of new data, identified the species as a separate genus Propalaeothentes , which also included another species P hatcheri , named after the 19th century American paleontologist John Hatcher [2] .