Brachydiastematherium

Brachydiastematherium Temporal range: Late Eocene
Holotype of B. transylvanicum.
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Family:	†Brontotheriidae
Genus:	†Brachydiastematherium Böckh & Matyasovski, 1876
Species:	†B. transylvanicum
Binomial name
†Brachydiastematherium transylvanicum Böckh & Matyasovski, 1876

Brachydiastematherium transylvanicum (literally "short Diastema Beast of Transylvania") is the westernmost species of brontothere, with the first fossils of it being found in Transylvania, Romania. In comparison with other brontothere fossils, it is suggested that B. transylvanicum would have had an elongated head, not unlike Dolichorhinus, and be about 2 meters at the withers (anatomically speaking, the highest part of the back at the base of the neck).^[1][2]

Phylogeny

Cladogram after Mihlbachler (2008):^[3]

Embolotheriita	Aktautitan Pollyosbornia Gnathotitan Pygmaetitan Brachydiastematherium Metatitan Nasamplus Protembolotherium Embolotherium

References

1. Spencer George Lucas und Robert M. Schoch: European Brontotheres. In: Donald R. Prothero und Robert M. Schoch (Hrsg.): The evolution of perissodactyls. New York und London, 1989, S. 485–489
2. Cristina Fărcas: Study of the Upper Eocene-Lower Oligocene continental formations from northwestern side of Transylvanian Depression - Biostratigraphy, and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on land vertebrates. Babeș-Bolyai-Universität, Cluj-Napoca, 2011
3. Matthew C. Mihlbachler: Species taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography of the Brontotheriidae (Mammalia: Perissodactyla). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 311, 2008, ISSN 0003-0090, S. 1–475.