Prionailurus kurteni
| Prionailurus kurteni Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Prionailurus |
| Species: | †P. kurteni
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Prionailurus kurteni Jiangzuo et. al., 2024
| |
Prionailurus kurteni is an extinct species of Prionailurus that inhabited China during the Middle Pleistocene.[1]
History and naming
Prionailurus kurteni was described based on a single specimen, IVPP V33075, a partial mandible with two teeth. The specimen was found in the late Middle Pleistocene locality Hualongdong Cave No. I Homo Site in Anhui Province, China.[1]
The specific name kurteni honors paleontologist Björn Kurtén.[1]
Description
The holotype of P. kurteni is a partial mandible with the fourth premolar and first molar intact. It is very small.[1]
It is described as a very small cat, comparable in size to South Asia rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) and African black-footed cat (Felis nigripes), whose head-and-body length reach at maximum 48cm (19in) and 52cm (20.5in), respectively..[2]
References
- ^ a b c d Jiangzuo, Qigao; Werdelin, Lars; Zhang, Kai; Tong, Haowen; Yan, Yi; Chen, Yiying; Ma, Jiao; Liu, Jinyi; Wu, Xiujie (19 November 2024). "Prionailurus kurteni (Felidae, Carnivora), a new species of small felid from the late Middle Pleistocene fossil hominin locality of Hualongdong, southern China". Annales Zoologici Fennici. 61 (1). doi:10.5735/086.061.0120. ISSN 0003-455X. Retrieved 15 December 2024 – via BioOne Digital Library.
- ^ "China's ancient tiny cat fossil could belong to the smallest feline ever found". South China Morning Post. 2025-01-07. Retrieved 2025-01-10.