Pratifelis

Extinct genus of carnivores

Pratifelis Temporal range: Late 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:	†Pratifelis Hibbard, 1934
Type species
†Pratifelis martini Hibbard, 1934
Synonyms
Pseudaelurus martini sensu Macdonald, 1954

Pratifelis is an extinct genus of feline that lived in North America during the middle Miocene period. It contains a single species, Pratifelis martini.

History and naming

In the summer of 1911, the first and only specimen was collected by H. T. Martin in Wallace County, Kansas. It was transported to the University of Kansas Museum of Vertebrate Paleontology, where it was named and described by paleontologist Claude W. Hibbard as a new genus and species of felid in 1934. The generic name Pratifelis comes from the Latin words pratum meaning field or plain, and felis, meaning cat. The specific name martini was given in honor of H. T. Martin.^[1]

In a 1954 paper J. R. Macdonald reassigned the species to the genus Pseudaelurus,^[2] but later papers maintained its status as a distinct and valid genus.^[3]^[4]

Description

The single specimen upon which both the genus and species were based, UKMNH 3156, is a partial lower left ramus with only the third and fourth premolars and the first molar present. It has been noted for having fairly heavy dentition considering how light its jaw was.^[5]

P. martini was a short-faced cat, likely bigger than the modern cougar.^[5]

Classification

In his description of the genus and species, Hibbard classified Pratifelis as a primitive member of Felidae, the cat family.^[1] L. D. Martin, in 1998, considered it part of the small cat subfamily Felinae.^[6]

A 2003 paper by Tom Rothwell, who had seen casts of the specimen, mentioned in passing that it had some similarity to specimens of Nimravides, and that an examination of the original specimen might result in a reassignment to that genus.^[7] And a 2018 phylogenetic analysis recovered Pratifelis martini within Nimravides:^[8]

Felidae

	Felinae

	Pantherinae

	Diamantofelis

	Namafelis

	Pseudaelurus

Hyperailurictis validus

Hyperailurictis skinneri

	Hyperailurictis intrepidus

	Hyperailurictis stouti

Hyperailurictis marshi

Nimravides pedionomus

Pratifelis martini

Nimravides galiani

	Nimravides hibbardi

	Nimravides thinobates

Proailurus

References

^ ^a ^b Hibbard, C. W. (1934). "Two New Genera of Felidæ from the Middle Pliocene of Kansas" (PDF). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (1903–). 37. Kansas Academy of Science: 239–255. doi:10.2307/3625308. JSTOR 3625308.
^ Macdonald, J.R. (1954). "A new Pseudaelurus from the lower Snake Creek fauna of Nebraska" (PDF). Journal of Paleontology. 28 (1). SEPM Society for Sedimentary Geology: 67–69. JSTOR 1300209.
^ Bennet, D. K. (1979). "The fossil fauna from Lost and Found Quarries (Hemphillian: latest Miocene), Wallace County, Kansas". Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas. 79: 1–24.
^ McKenna, M.C.; Bell, S. (1997). "Classification of mammals above the species level". New York: Columbia University Press.
^ ^a ^b Lane, H.H. (1947). "Survey of the Fossil Vertebrates of Kansas: Part V: The Mammals (Continued)" (PDF). Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science (1903–). 50 (3/4). Kansas Academy of Science (published December 1947): 273–314. doi:10.2307/3625600. JSTOR 3625600.
^ Martin, L. D. (1998). "Felidae". In C. M. Janis; K. M. Scott; L. L. Jacobs (eds.). Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America. Vol. 1. pp. 236–242.
^ Rothwell, T. (2003). "Phylogenetic Systematics of North American Pseudaelurus (Carnivora: Felidae)" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (3403): 10. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2003)403<0001:PSONAP>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0003-0082. S2CID 67753626.
^ Piras, Paolo; Silvestro, Daniele; Carotenuto, Francesco; Castiglione, Silvia; Kotsakis, Anastassios; Maiorino, Leonardo; Melchionna, Marina; Mondanaro, Alessandro; Sansalone, Gabriele; Serio, Carmela; Vero, Veronica Anna; Raia, Pasquale (2018). "Evolution of the sabertooth mandible: A deadly ecomorphological specialization". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 496: 166–174. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.01.034.

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

Taxon identifiers
Pratifelis	Wikidata: Q3909942 Wikispecies: Pratifelis GBIF: 4833948 IRMNG: 1103626 Open Tree of Life: 3613234 Paleobiology Database: 41068
Pratifelis martini	Wikidata: Q110969473 Wikispecies: Pratifelis martini GBIF: 4969802 Open Tree of Life: 3613276 Paleobiology Database: 50657