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Colombitherium Temporal range: Late Eocene ~35–33 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Jawbone of C. tolimense
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	†?Pyrotheria
Family:	†Colombitheriidae
Genus:	†Colombitherium Hoffstetter 1970
Type species
Colombitherium tolimense Hoffstetter 1970
Species
† C. tolimense Hoffstetter 1970

Colombitherium is an extinct mammal from Late Eocene Colombia. It has originally been assigned to the order Pyrotheria and the family Colombitheriidae, although a later detailed analysis of the fossil questions that classification. A fossil jawbone of approximately 9 centimetres (3.5 in) length of Colombitherium has been found by Texas Petroleum in 1945, in the Upper Eocene strata of the middle Gualanday Group in the department of Tolima, Central Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Etymology

The genus Colombitherium means "Beast from Colombia". The species epithet tolimense refers to the department of Tolima, where the type species has been found.

Description

The genus is only known from a single jawbone with some teeth, found by Texas Petroleum in 1945, a specimen approximately 9 centimetres (3.5 in) in length, recovered from the Late Eocene middle part of the Gualanday Group on the San Pedro finca, Alto San José, Chaparral, Tolima. The teeth, molars and premolars of a kind known as bilophodont, which are present in the pyrotheres - were considered as evidence that this genus could be an ancestor of the advanced pyrotheres as Pyrotherium. Colombitherium has first been described by Hoffstetter in 1970, with a revised interpretation published by Billet et al. in 2010. The detailed descriptions by Billet et al. show the differences between Colombitherium and other pyrotherians: the features of the bilophodont teeth of Colombitherium are actually found in several groups of placental mammals, which implies that Colombitherium and another possibly related taxon, Proticia could not be part of Pyrotheria. The authors maintain "the referral of Colombitherium to Pyrotheria is therefore weakly supported, and it must be considered as highly hypothetical." In any case, the lack of further evidence means that Colombitherium and Proticia must be classified in a separate family, Colombitheriidae which is tentatively classified as a primitive clade in Pyrotheria.

Also the absolute age of the strata where the fossil jawbone has been found is questioned. The age has been originally defined by De Porta in 1962 on the basis of the pollen Verrucatosporites usmensis and Cicatricosisporites sp. The last occurrence of Echitriporites trianguliformis orbicularis indicates a Late Eocene to Early Oligocene age for the upper layers of the Gualanday Group.

See also

• Pyrotherium, a similar mammal from the Late Oligocene of Argentina and Bolivia

References

1. Billet et al., 2010, p.319
2. Basic information about Colombitherium
3. ^ Hoffstetter, 1971, p.39
4. Billet et al., 2010, p.320
5. Billet et al., 2010, p.323
6. Billet et al., 2010, p.324

Bibliography

• Billet, Guillaume; Orliac, Maëva; Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; Jaramillo, Carlos (2010), "New observations and reinterpretation on the enigmatic taxon Colombitherium (?Pyrotheria, Mammalia) from Colombia" (PDF), Palaeontology, 59 (2): 319–325, Bibcode:2010Palgy..53..319B, doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00936.x, retrieved 2017-05-17
• Hoffstetter, Robert (1971), Los vertebrados cenozóicos de Colombia: yacimientos, faunas, problemas planteados (PDF), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, pp. 37–62, retrieved 2017-05-17

External links

• (in Spanish) Colombitherium tolimense - Paleontología en Colombia

v t e Genera of South American native ungulates
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Superorder: Laurasiatheria
Xenungulata, Pyrotheria, Astrapotheria, and other minor groups †Kollpaniidae? Andinodus Molinodus Pascualodus? Pucanodus Simoclaenus Tiuclaenus †Didolodontidae Didolodus Enneoconus Ernestokokenia Escribania? Lamegoia Paulogervaisia Raulvaccia Ricardocifellia Saltaodus Umayodus Xesmodon †Protolipternidae Asmithwoodwardia Miguelsoria Protolipterna †Xenungulata †Carodniidae Carodnia Etayoa Notoetayoa Rodcania †Pyrotheria †Colombitheriidae Colombitherium Proticia †Pyrotheriidae Baguatherium Berracotherium Carolozittelia Griphodon Propyrotherium Pyrotherium †Astrapotheria Eoastrapostylops †Trigonostylopidae Shecenia Tetragonostylops Trigonostylops †Astrapotheriidae Antarctodon Astrapodon Comahuetherium Liarthrus Maddenia Parastrapotherium †Albertogaudryinae Albertogaudrya Astraponotus †Astrapotheriinae Astrapothericulus Astrapotherium Scaglia †Uruguaytheriinae Granastrapotherium Hilarcotherium Uruguaytherium Xenastrapotherium
Litopterna †Eulitopterna †Adianthidae Adianthus Proadiantus Proectocion? Proheptaconus Thadanius Tricoelodus †Macraucheniidae Polymorphis †Cramaucheniinae Caliphrium Coniopternium Cramauchenia Llullataruca Phoenixauchenia Pternoconius Theosodon †Macraucheniinae Cullinia Huayqueriana Macrauchenia Macraucheniopsis Micrauchenia Oxyodontherium Paranauchenia Promacrauchenia Scalabrinitherium Windhausenia Xenorhinotherium †Proterotherioidea †Anisolambdidae †Anisolambdinae Anisolambda Eolicaphrium Guilielmofloweria Lambdaconops Paranisolambda Polyacrodon Protheosodon Wainka †Sparnotheriodontinae Heteroglyphis Notiolofos Phoradiadius Sparnotheriodon Victorlemoinea †Proterotheriidae Mesolicaphrium Neodolodus Olisanophus Promylophis Prothoatherium Pseudobrachytherium Salladolodus †Megadolodinae Bounodus Megadolodus †Proterotheriinae Anisolophus Brachytherium Diadiaphorus Diplasiotherium Eoauchenia Epecuenia Epitherium Lambdaconus Neobrachytherium Neolicaphrium Paramacrauchenia Picturotherium Prolicaphrium Proterotherium Tetramerorhinus Thoatheriopsis Thoatherium Uruguayodon Villarroelia †Notopterna †Amilnedwardsiidae Amilnedwardsia Ernestohaeckelia Rutimeyeria †Indaleciidae Adiantoides Indalecia †Notonychopidae Notonychops Requisia Incertae sedis Kyraodus Proacrodon
Notoungulata incertae sedis Acoelodus Archaeogaia Carolodarwinia Perutherium †Notioprogonia Satshatemnus Seudenius †Henricosborniidae Henricosbornia Nanolophodon Othnielmarshia Peripantostylops Simpsonotus †Notostylopidae Boreastylops Chilestylops Edvardotrouessartia Homalostylops Notostylops Otrhonia Parastylops †Toxodontia †Homalodotheriidae Asmodeus Chasicotherium Homalodotherium Trigonolophodon †Isotemnidae Anisotemnus Coelostylodon Distylophorus Hedralophus Isotemnus Lophocoelus Pampatemnus Periphragnis Pleurocoelodon Pleurostylodon Rhyphodon Thomashuxleya †Eutoxodontia †Leontiniidae Anayatherium Ancylocoelus Colpodon Coquenia Elmerriggsia Gualta Henricofilholia Huilatherium Leontinia Martinmiguelia Purperia? Scarrittia Taubatherium Termastherium †Notohippidae Acoelohyrax Argyrohippus Deuterotherium? Edvardocopeia Eomorphippus Eurygenium Mendozahippus Moqueguahippus Morphippus Nesohippus Notohippus Pampahippus Pascualihippus Patagonhippus Perhippidion Plexotemnus Puelia Purperia? Rhynchippus Rosendo Stilhippus Teushentherium Trimerostephanos †Toxodontidae †Nesodontinae Adinotherium Nesodon Proadinotherium †Toxodontinae Abothrodon Andinotoxodon Calchaquitherium Ceratoxodon Charruatoxodon Dinotoxodon Eutomodus Falcontoxodon Gyrinodon Haplodontherium Hemixotodon Hoffstetterius Hyperoxotodon Mesenodon Mesotoxodon Minitoxodon Mixotoxodon Neoadinotherium Neotoxodon Nesodonopsis Nonotherium Ocnerotherium Palyeidodon Paratrigodon Pericotoxodon Piauhytherium Pisanodon Plesiotoxodon Posnanskytherium Prototrigodon Stenotephanos Stereotoxodon Toxodon Toxodontherium Trigodon Trigodonops Xotodon †Typotheria Campanorco Griphotherion †Archaeopithecidae Archaeopithecus Teratopithecus †Oldfieldthomasiidae Allalmeia Brachystephanus Camargomendesia Colbertia Dolichostylodon Itaboraitherium Kibenikhoria Maxschlosseria Oldfieldthomasia Paginula Suniodon Tsamnichoria Ultrapithecus Xenostephanus †Interatheriidae Antofagastia Ignigena Johnbell Munizia Punapithecus †Interatheriinae Archaeophylus Argyrohyrax Boleatherium Brucemacfaddenia Caenophilus Choichephilum Cochilius Eopachyrucos Federicoanaya Interatherium Juchuysillu Miocochilius Neoicochilus Patriarchus Proargyrohyrax Progaleopithecus Protypotherium Santiagorothia †Notopithecinae Antepithecus Guilielmoscottia Notopithecus Transpithecus †Mesotheriidae Fiandraia? Trachytherus †Mesotheriinae Altitypotherium Caraguatypotherium Eotypotherium Eutypotherium Hypsitherium Mesotherium Microtypotherium Plesiotypotherium Pseudotypotherium Rusconitherium Typotheriopsis †Archaeohyracidae Archaeohyrax Archaeotypotherium Bryanpattersonia Eohyrax Pascualhyrax Protarchaeohyrax Pseudhyrax Punahyrax †Hegetotheriidae †Hegetotheriinae Ethegotherium Hegetotheriopsis Hegetotherium Hemihegetotherium Prohegetotherium Pseudohegetotherium Sallatherium †Pachyrukhinae Medistylus Propachyrucos Prosotherium Tremacyllus †Pachyrukhini Pachyrukhos Paedotherium Tremacyllus

v t e Paleontology in Colombia
Notable researchers	After 1900 Etayo Hammen Hettner Hoffstetter Páramo 19th century Cuvier Humboldt
Major fossiliferous stratigraphic units	Pleistocene Sabana Fm. Tibitó Soatá Fm. Neogene Barzalosa Fm. Castilletes Fm. Honda Group La Venta Jimol Fm. Uitpa Fm. Ware Fm. Paleogene Bogotá Fm. Cerrejón Fm. Cerrejón Cretaceous La Frontera Fm. Hiló Fm. Hondita Fm. Oliní Gp. Paja Fm. Jurassic Arcabuco Fm. Valle Alto Fm. Devonian Cuche Fm. Floresta Fm.
Notable fossils	Pleistocene Gomphotheres Megatherium Honda Gp. Anachlysictis Aramus paludigrus Balanerodus Boreostemma Cebupithecia Colombophis Dracaena colombiana Dukecynus Eunectes stirtoni Galbula hylochoreutes Granastrapotherium Gryposuchus Hilarcotherium Hoazinoides Hondadelphys Huilatherium Lagonimico Langstonia Lycopsis Micodon Miocallicebus Miocochilius Mohanamico Mourasuchus Neotamandua Nuciruptor Patasola Potamosiren Purussaurus Saimiri annectens Saimiri fieldsi Stirtonia Xenastrapotherium Gualanday Gp. Colombitherium Bogotá Fm. Etayoa Cerrejón Fm. Acherontisuchus Anthracosuchus Carbonemys Cerrejonemys Cerrejonisuchus Montrichardia aquatica Puentemys Titanoboa Oliní Gp. Eonatator Hondita Fm. Pachyrhizodus etayoi Yaguarasaurus Hiló Fm. Ammonites Paja Fm. Acostasaurus Callawayasaurus Desmatochelys Kronosaurus Leivanectes Leyvachelys Muiscasaurus Padillasaurus Platypterygius Sachicasaurus Stenorhynchosaurus Arcabuco Fm. Dinosaur tracks Valle Alto Fm. Flora Cuche Fm. Antarctilamna Asterolepis Bothriolepis Holoptychius Pterygotus Strepsodus Floresta Fm. Trilobites
Category • Images

• Pyrotheria
• Eocene mammals of South America
• Paleogene Colombia
• Fossils of Colombia
• Fossil taxa described in 1970
• Taxa named by Robert Hoffstetter
• Prehistoric placental genera