Propalaeocastor

Taxobox
name = "Propalaeocastor"
fossil_range = early Oligocene
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Rodentia
subordo = Castorimorpha
familia = Castoridae
subfamilia = Castorinae
genus = †"Propalaeocastor"
genus_authority = Borissoglebskaya, 1967
type_species = †"Propalaeocastor kazachstanicus"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
* †"P. butselensis"
* †"P. irtyshensis"
* †"P. kazachstanicus"
* †"P. shevyrevae"
* †"P. zaissanensis"
synonyms =
* †"Asteneofiber" Kretzoi, 1974

"Propalaeocastor" is a poorly-known extinct genus of beaver (family Castoridae) from the early Oligocene of Europe and Asia. Recently described material of a new species of "Propalaeocastor", "P. irtyshensis", indicates that the genus is probably the earliest known member of the subfamily Castorinae (Wu et al., 2004), which includes all castorids more closely related to living beavers (genus "Castor") than to the extinct Giant Beaver (genus "Castoroides"). Previously, "Propalaeocastor" had been allied with more basal beavers such as "Agnotocastor" and "Anchitheriomys" (Korth, 2002). According to Wu and coauthors, "Propalaeocastor", specifically "P. butselensis", is the likely ancestor of the better-known Eurasian castorine "Steneofiber".

References

*Korth W.W., 2002. Comments on the systematics and classification of the beavers (Rodentia, Castoridae). "Journal of Mammalian Evolution" 8(4):279-296. doi|10.1023/A:1014468732231
*Wu, W., Meng, J., Ye, J. and Ni, X. 2004. "Propalaeocastor" (Rodentia, Mammalia) from the early Oligocene of Burqin Basin, Xinjiang. "American Museum Novitates" 3461:1-16. [http://hdl.handle.net/2246/2771]