Vinayakia

Extinct genus of felid

Vinayakia Temporal range: 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:	†Proailurinae
Genus:	†Vinayakia Pilgrim, 1932
Type species
Vinayakia nocturna Pilgrim, 1932
Other Species
Vinayakia intermedia Prasad, 1963 Vinayakia sarcophaga Pilgrim, 1932

Vinayakia is a fossil genus of proailurine felid with three species: Vinayakia nocturna, the type species, Vinayakia intermedia, and Vinayakia sarcophaga. All three species were based on fossils collected from the Miocene-aged Nagri and Chinji Formations of the Siwaliks in India and Pakistan.

History and naming

The genus Vinayakia was erected by British paleontologist Guy Ellcock Pilgrim in 1932 for two equally new species: Vinayakia nocturna, the type species, and Vinayakia sarcophaga. V. nocturna was described based a right mandibular ramus (GSI-D 221) collected from the Nagri Formation two miles northeast of Kadirpur in the Attock District of the Salt Range. An additional fossil, a partial right maxilla (GSI-D 218) collected near Bahitta in the Jhelum District of the Salt Range, was also described and referred to the species. V. sarcophaga was based on an associated left and right maxillae (GSI-D 217) collected by Vinayak Rao from the Chinji Formation south of Kotal Kund in the Jelum District. The genus name Vinayakia honored of Rao Bahadur M. Vinayak Bao, a colleague of Pilgrim, in appreciation of his work with Siwalik fossils; no etymologies were given for the species names.^[1]

A third species, Vinayakia intermedia, was described in 1963 based on fossils from the Nagri Formation in the Haritalyangar area.^[2]

Description

Pilgrim described V. nocturna as an extremely large cat, midway between a tiger and a leopard in size, and V. sarcophaga as similar in size to V. nocturna.^[1]

Classification

Pilgrim theorized that Vinayakia represented an aberrant line descended from Proailurus, with V. sarcophaga ancestral to V. nocturna. He further considered Mellivorodon palaeindicus a direct, degenerate descendant of Vinayakia, and associated with Vinayakia another specimen GSI-D 220, a fragmentary upper first molar that he described in the same paper as an indeterminate felid, due to it being similar in shape to equivalent teeth in Proailurus but agreeing in size with V. nocturna. He classified Vinayakia as part of the felid subfamily Proailurinae.^[1]

Edwin Colbert, in 1935, followed Pilgrim's classification of Vinayakia as a proailurine, but considered the genus "of little value" due to the fragmentary nature of the fossils.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Pilgrim, G. (1932). "The fossil Carnivora of India". Palaeontologia Indica, Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India. 18: 157–164.
^ Prasad, K. N. (1963). "Fossil Carnivora from the Siwalik beds of Haritalyangar, Himachal Pradesh". Journal of the Mineralogical Society of India. 17: 95.
^ Colbert, Edwin H. (1935). "Siwalik Mammals in the American Museum of Natural History". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. 26: 117. doi:10.2307/1005467. JSTOR 1005467.

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