Elephant classification

1. The supposed African Pygmy Elephant ("Loxodonta (africana) pumilio" or "Loxodonta fransseni") is indistinguishable from the normal African Forest Elephant on a population genetics level. It appears to be a local morph. [ [http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/adna/PDF/debruyne_et_al_2003.pdf Status of the so-called African pygmy elephant (Loxodonta pumilio (NOACK 1906))] - Accessed December 16, 2007]

2. The elephant population in Vietnam and Laos is undergoing tests to determine if it is a fifth subspecies.

3. The subfamily Lophodontinae/Rhynchotheriinae, are placed by some authors within the gomphotheres, while others consider them as true Elephantidae.

* Subfamilia Elephantinae
** Tribe Elephantini (elephants)
*** Subtribe Primelephantina †
**** Genus "Primelephas" †
**** Genus "Hypselephas" †
*** Subtribe Loxodontina
**** Genus "Loxodon"
***** Subgenus "Loxodonta" (African elephants)
****** Species "Loxodonta africana"
******* Subspecies "Loxodonta africana adaurora" †
******* Subspecies "Loxodonta africana africana" (African Bush Elephant or African Cape Elephant)
******* Subspecies "Loxodonta africana oxyotis" (African Plains Savanna Elephant or West African Steppe Elephant)
******* Subspecies "Loxodonta africana pharaonensis" (North African Elephant, Carthaginian Elephant or Atlas Elephant) †
****** Species "Loxodonta cyclotis" (African Forest Elephant)
******* Subspecies "Loxodonta pumilio" (or Loxodonta fransseni) (African Pygmy Elephant)
*** Subtribe Elephantina or Supergenus "Elephadon"
**** Genus "Elephas" (Eurasian elephants)
***** Species "Elephas maximus" (Asian elephant)
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus indicus" (Indian Elephant)
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus maximus" (Sri Lankan Elephant)
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus sumatrensis" (Sumatran Elephant)
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus borneensis" (Borneo Elephant or Asian Pygmy Elephant)
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus rubridens" (Chinese Elephant) †
****** Subspecies "Elephas maximus asurus" (Syrian Elephant) †
***** Species "Elephas beyeri" †
***** Species "Elephas celebensis" †
***** Species "Elephas iolensis" †
***** Species "Elephas planifrons" †
***** Species "Elephas platycephalus" †
***** Species "Elephas recki" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki atavus" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki brumpti" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki ileretensis" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki illertensis" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki recki" †
****** Subspecies "Elephas recki shungurensis" †
***** Subgenus "Palaeoloxodon" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) antiquus" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) creticus" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) creutzburgi" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) chaniensis" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) cypriotes" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) ekorensis" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) falconeri" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) mnaidriensis" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) melitensis" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) namadicus" †
****** Species "Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) naumanni" †
**** Genus "Mammuthus" †
***** Species "Mammuthus africanavus" (African mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus armeniacus" (Armenian mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus columbi" (Columbian mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus exilis" (Pygmy mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus dwarfus" (Wrangel Island mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus imperator" (American mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus jeffersonii" (Jeffersonian mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus lamarmorae" (Sardinian Dwarf mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus meridionalis" (Southern mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus planifrons" †
***** Species "Mammuthus primigenius" (Woolly mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus subplanifrons" †
***** Species "Mammuthus sungari" (Songhua River Mammoth) †
***** Species "Mammuthus trogontherii" (Steppe mammoth) †
** Tribe Belodontini †
*** Subtribe Belodontina †
**** Genus "Stegotetrabelodon" †
**** Genus "Stegodibelodon" †
* Subfamilia Stegodontinae †
** Genus "Stegodon" †
*** Species "Stegodon aurorae" †
*** Species "Stegodon elephantoides" †
*** Species "Stegodon florensis" †
*** Species "Stegodon ganesha" †
*** Species "Stegodon insignis" †
*** Species "Stegodon orientalis" †
*** Species "Stegodon shinshuensis" †
*** Species "Stegodon sompoensis" †
*** Species "Stegodon sondaarii" †
*** Species "Stegodon trigonocephalus" †
*** Species "Stegodon zdanski" †
* Subfamilia Lophodontinae or Rhynchotheriinae³ †
** Genus "Anancus" †
*** Species "Anancus alexeevae" †
*** Species "Anancus arvernensis" †
*** Species "Anancus kenyensis" †
** Genus "Morrillia" †
** Tribe Lophodontini (Lophodonty) †
*** Subtribe Lophodontina †
**** Genus "Tetralophodon" †
**** Genus "Paratetralophodon" †
**** Genus "Zygolophodon" †
** Tribe Cuvieroniini †
*** Genus "Stegomastodon" †
**** Species "Stegomastodon arizonae" †
**** Species "Stegomastodon mirificus" †
**** Species "Stegomastodon primitivus" †
*** Genus "Cuvieronius" †
**** Species "Cuvieronius hyodon" †
**** Species "Cuvieronius priestleyi" †
**** Species "Cuvieronius tropicus" †

References

* by John Godfrey Saxe
*
* [http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2005/05/elephant_rage.html External link to national geographics elephant rage episode of Explorer]
* Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 26 (2003) 421–434