Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Metaxytherium medium

Mammalia - Sirenia - Dugongidae

Taxonomy
Hippopotamus medius was named by Desmarest (1822). Its type specimen is MNHN Fs 2706, a mandible (partial left mandible with M2-3), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Baltringen, which is in a Burdigalian marine horizon in Germany.

It was recombined as Hippopotamus (Tetraprotodon) medius by Falconer and Cautley (1836); it was synonymized subjectively with Metaxytherium cordieri by Trouessart (1898); it was recombined as Metaxytherium medium by Hooijer (1952), Heal (1973), Fondi and Pacini (1974), Domning (1994), Domning (1996), Bianucci and Landini (2003), Domning (2008), Domning and Pervesler (2012), Voss (2014) and Iliopoulos et al. (2022).

Sister species lacking formal opinion data
M. subappeninum

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1822Hippopotamus medius Desmarest pp. 388-389
1829Hippopotamus intermedius Holl
1829Manatus fossilis Holl p. 69
1832Halicore cuvierii de Christol
1836Hippopotamus (Tetraprotodon) medius Falconer and Cautley p. 51
1840Halitherium cuvieri Kaup
1844Manatus cuvieri de Blainville p. 122
1844Metaxytherium cuvierii de Christol p. 130
1844Metaxytherium cordieri de Christol in de Blainville p. 130
1847Manatus fossilis Gervais p. 221
1848Halianassa cordieri Bronn p. 562
1848Halianassa cuvieri Bronn p. 562
1853Halitherium cordieri Bronn p. 787
1867Halitherium cordieri Peters p. 309
1885Halitherium cuvieri Woodward p. 425
1885Halitherium fossile Woodward p. 425
1887Halitherium fossile Lydekker p. 6
1895Metaxytherium fossile Deperet p. 409
1898Metaxytherium cordieri Trouessart p. 1004
1904Metaxytherium petersi Abel p. 15
1904Metaxitherium cordieri Trouessart p. 750
1925Metaxytherium cuvieri Zittel p. 265
1928Thalattosiren petersi Sickenberg p. 294
1944Metaxytherium petersi Zbyszewski
1951Haplosiren leganyii Kretzoi p. 438
1952Metaxytherium medium Hooijer p. 114
1973Metaxytherium medium Heal p. 140
1974Metaxytherium cuvieri Fondi and Pacini p. 45
1974Metaxytherium medium Fondi and Pacini p. 45
1989Metaxytherium catalaunicum Pilleri et al. p. 68 figs. Plates XXVIII-XXXIII
1994Metaxytherium medium Domning p. 189
1996Metaxytherium medium Domning p. 387
1996Thalattosiren petersi Domning p. 388
2003Metaxytherium medium Bianucci and Landini p. 567
2008Metaxytherium medium Domning p. 528
2012Metaxytherium medium Domning and Pervesler p. 136
2014Metaxytherium medium Voss p. 91 figs. Figure 3
2022Metaxytherium medium Iliopoulos et al. p. 398

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Theriamorpha(Rowe 1993)
—Theriiformes()
—Trechnotheria
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—AfrotheriaStanhope et al. 1998
—Tethytheria
orderSirenia()
familyDugongidae
subfamilyHalitheriinae()
genusMetaxytherium
speciesmedium()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Metaxytherium medium Desmarest 1822
show all | hide all
Invalid names: Halitherium cuvieri de Christol 1832 [synonym], Haplosiren leganyii Kretzoi 1951 [synonym], Hippopotamus intermedius Holl 1829 [synonym], Manatus fossilis Holl 1829 [synonym], Metaxytherium catalaunicum Pilleri et al. 1989 [synonym], Metaxytherium cordieri de Christol in de Blainville 1844 [synonym], Metaxytherium petersi Abel 1904 [synonym]
Diagnosis
ReferenceDiagnosis
D. P. Domning and P. Pervesler 2012Metaxytherium differing from M. krahu- letzi by ventral extremity of jugal usually lying fully ventral to orbit [c. 85(2)]; differs from later European species (M. serresii,M. subapenninum) by having a tusk alveolus much less than half the length of the premaxillary symphysis [c. 140(0)]._
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: marinef
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: aquaticf
Diet: herbivoref
Reproduction: viviparousf
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2005-06-08 12:11:09
Source: f = family, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Nowak 1991, Domning 1978, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009

Age range: base of the MN 3 to the top of the Zanclean or 20.00000 to 3.60000 Ma

Collections (61 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Chattian - Burdigalian28.1 - 15.97Switzerland Metaxytherium petersi (46474)
Miocene23.03 - 5.333France (Maine-et-Loire) Metaxytherium medium (148406)
Burdigalian20.44 - 15.97France Halitherium fossile (57732) Metaxytherium medium (118061)
Burdigalian20.44 - 15.97Germany (Baden-Württemberg) Metaxytherium medium (49102)
Burdigalian20.44 - 15.97Germany Hippopotamus medius (type locality: 47425)
Burdigalian - Langhian20.44 - 13.82Spain Metaxytherium catalaunicum (65274)
MN 3 - MN 520.0 - 13.65France Metaxytherium medium (94801 191824)
Langhian15.97 - 13.82Austria Metaxytherium medium (148216 148218 220327)
Langhian15.97 - 13.82France (Maine-et-Loire) Metaxytherium medium (148396)
Langhian15.97 - 13.82Austria (Styria) Metaxytherium medium (148227)
Langhian15.97 - 13.82France Metaxytherium medium (148401)
Langhian15.97 - 13.82France (Region Centre) Metaxytherium medium (35441)
MN 5 - MN 615.97 - 12.75Portugal Metaxytherium petersi, Sirenia indet. (65912)
Langhian - Serravallian15.97 - 11.62France Metaxytherium medium (154317 154318 154319 154320 154321 154322)
Middle Miocene15.97 - 11.608Italy Metaxytherium medium (80403)
Middle Miocene15.97 - 11.608Austria Metaxytherium medium (124259)
Langhian - Tortonian15.97 - 7.246France (Maine-et-Loire) Metaxytherium medium (142149)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.62Netherlands Halitherium sp. (75264)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.62Austria Metaxytherium petersi (58459)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.62Czech Republic (Uvaly) Metaxytherium petersi (148217)
Serravallian13.82 - 11.62Austria (Burgenland) Thalattosiren petersi (56694)
Serravallian - Tortonian13.82 - 7.246France (Maine-et-Loire) Metaxytherium medium, Metaxytherium cuvierii (54136)
MN 6 - MN 7 + 813.65 - 11.1Slovakia Thalattosiren petersi, Halitherium cordieri (69712)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Italy Metaxytherium medium (65227 65420 80400 80402 234118)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Italy (Apulia) Metaxytherium medium (45503)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Hungary (Nograd) Haplosiren leganyii (50929)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Greece (Chania) Metaxytherium medium (223898)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Croatia Metaxytherium petersi (84949)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Spain (Mallorca) Metaxytherium cuvierii (65207)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Greece (Crete) Metaxytherium cuvieri (1553 110174 110175) Metaxytherium medium (106474 110123 110124 110125 110126 110127 110128 110130 110131 110132)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Greece (Cephalonia) Metaxytherium medium (223897)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Italy (Pisa) Metaxytherium medium (96780)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Italy (Calabria) Metaxytherium medium (80401)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Croatia (Samobora) Metaxytherium petersi (234372)
Tortonian11.62 - 7.246Spain (Alicantre) Metaxytherium medium (234199)
Zanclean5.333 - 3.6Greece (Crete) Metaxytherium medium (110129)