Primelephas

Primelephas is a genus of Elephantinae that existed during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. The name of the genus suggests 'first elephant'. These primitive elephantids are thought to be the common ancestor of Mammuthus, the mammoths, and the closely allied genera Elephas and Loxodonta, the Asian and African elephants, diverging some 4-6 million years ago. It had four tusks, which is a trait not shared with its descendants, but common in earlier proboscideans. The type species, Primelephas gomphotheroides, was described by Vincent Maglio in 1970, with the specific epithet indicating the fossil specimens were gomphothere-like. Primelephas korotorensis is the only other species to be assigned to the genus. All fossils found of the Primelephas have been found in Africa, primarily in modern day Chad, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

Classification

In 2023, Juha Saarinen & Adrian M. Lister proposed the following cladogram:

Controversies

A study published in 2008 by Mackaye Hassane Taïsso, Yves Coppens, Patrick Vignaud Fabrice Lihoreau and Michel Brunel suggests that the second species to be discovered, Primelephas korotorensis, is not valid, being a junior synonym part of the type species.