Magerifelis

Extinct genus of felid

Magerifelis Temporal range: Middle Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae
Genus:	†Magerifelis Salesa et al., 2024
Type species
Magerifelis peignei Salesa et al., 2024

Magerifelis is an extinct genus of feline with only one species assigned to it, Magerifelis peignei. It was described in 2024 based on seven fossils from the middle Miocene of Spain and France.

History and naming

The holotype fossil (05/101/2/3622) was discovered in 2007 from the Príncipe Pío-2 locality in Madrid, Spain. In 2024, it was described by a group of researchers at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales as a new genus and species, Magerifelis peignei. Six other fossils from France that had previously been assigned to Styriofelis turnauensis were reassigned to the new species.^[1]^[2]

The generic name Magerifelis is a combination of "Magerit", the original name for Madrid, and the Latin word felis meaning "cat". The specific name peignei honors the French paleontologist Stéphane Peigné, a deceased colleague and friend of the describing authors.^[1]

Description

All the known fossils of Magerifelis are hemimandibles, with or without various teeth intact. The species was described as having a relatively small lower canine tooth, with an absent or severely reduced second premolar, third and fourth premolars present, and the first molar present, and second molar also present but reduced.^[1]

Classification

Salesa et al. assigned Magerifelis to the subfamily Felinae in the cat family Felidae. They also recovered it in a small cladogram as outside of a clade containing several extant cat species, but more derived than some other known fossil species:^[1]

Felidae

Proailurus lemanensis

Leptofelis vallesiensis

Styriofelis turnauensis

Miopanthera lorteti

Magerifelis peignei

Lynx pardinus

Felis margarita

	Caracal aurata

	Felis silvestris

	Pristifelis attica

	Felis lybica

Palaeobiology

Based on its holotype, Magerifelis peignei was estimated to weigh about 7.61 kilograms (16.8 lb), though the researchers suggested that the robustness of the hemimandible indicated that the actual body weight was higher.^[1]

Palaeoecology

Like similarly-sized modern cats, Magerifelis likely preyed on rodents, birds, lagomorphs, and small mustelids, all of which have been recorded from the Príncipe Pío-2 site; it may also have preyed on small ungulates such as Cainotherium, Micromeryx, Lagomeryx, and Dorcatherium. Though the researchers also stated that the robustness of the jaws indicate that M. peignei also preyed on larger animals than other similarly-sized felids would.^[1]

The Príncipe Pío-2 locality has been dated back to European land mammal age 5 (middle Aragonian) of the Middle Miocene, about 15.5 million years ago.^[1]^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Salesa, Manuel J.; Gamarra, Jesús; Siliceo, Gema; Antón, Mauricio; Morales, Jorge (2024). "Unraveling the diversity of early felines: A new genus of Felinae (Carnivora, Felidae) from the Middle Miocene of Madrid (Spain)". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. doi:10.1080/02724634.2023.2288924.
^ "Descubierto un nuevo felino que habitó Madrid hace más de 15 millones de años" (in Spanish). 12 January 2024.
^ "New cat species found in Spain that lived 15 million years ago". BBC Newsround. 19 January 2024.

Genera of civets, mongooses, hyenas, cats, and their extinct allies

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora

Feliformia

†Palaeogalidae

†Palaeogale?

†Nimravidae

- See Nimravidae

Aeluroidea

†Alagtsavbaatar
†Anictis
†Asiavorator
†Shandgolictis

Nandiniidae

Nandinia

Viverroidea

Viverridae

†Africanictis †Dunictis †Forsythictis †Lufengictis †Ketketictis †Mioprionodon †Moghradictis †Progenetta
Genettinae	Genetta Poiana
Hemigalinae	Chrotogale Cynogale Diplogale Hemigalus Macrogalidia
Paradoxurinae	Arctictis Arctogalidia †Kanuites †Kichechia Paguma Paradoxurus †Siamictis †Tugenictis
Viverrinae	Civettictis †Semigenetta Viverra Viverricula

Herpestoidea

Herpestidae	See below↓
Hyaenidae	See below↓

Feloidea

- See below↓

Herpestidae

Eupleridae

Euplerinae	Cryptoprocta Eupleres Fossa
Galidiinae	Galidia Galidictis Mungotictis Salanoia

Herpestidae

†Kichechia †Legetetia †Leptoplesictis †Ugandictis
Herpestinae	Atilax Bdeogale Cynictis Herpestes Ichneumia Paracynictis Urva Xenogale
Mungotinae	Crossarchus Dologale Helogale Liberiictis Mungos Suricata

Hyaenidae

†Percrocutidae?

Dinocrocuta
Percrocuta

†Lophocyonidae

Euboictis
Izmirictis
Lophocyon
Sivanasua

Hyaenidae

†Allohyaena †Belbus †Metahyaena †Pliocrocuta †Tongxinictis †Werdelinus
†Ictitheriinae	Herpestides Hyaenotherium Ictitherium Lycyaena Miohyaenotherium Plioviverrops Protictitherium Thalassictis Tungurictis
Protelinae	†Gansuyaena Proteles
Hyaeninae	†Adcrocuta †Chasmaporthetes Crocuta Hyaena †Hyaenictis †Ikelohyaena †Leecyaena †Lycyaenops †Pachycrocuta †Palinhyaena Parahyaena

Feloidea

†Pseudictis
†Stenogale
†Stenoplesictis
†Viretictis

†Barbourofelidae

(See Barbourofelidae)

Prionodontidae

†Haplogale
†Palaeoprionodon
Prionodon

Felidae

†Asilifelis †Diamantofelis †Hyperailurictis †Katifelis †Namafelis †Miopanthera †Pseudaelurus †Sivaelurus †Styriofelis
†Proailurinae	Proailurus Vinayakia
Felinae	Acinonyx Catopuma Caracal Felis Herpailurus Leopardus Leptailurus †Leptofelis Lynx †Magerifelis †Miracinonyx Otocolobus Pardofelis †Pratifelis Prionailurus †Pristifelis Puma †Sivapanthera †Sivapardus †Vishnufelis
†Machairodontinae	See Machairodontinae
Pantherinae	Neofelis Panthera †Leontoceryx †Pachypanthera