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Elephantidae (elephant)
Taxonomy
Elephantidae was named by Gray (1821). It is extant. Its type is Elephas. It is the type family of Elephantoidea, Elephantida, Elephantimorpha.
It was assigned to Proboscidiae by Gray (1821); to Ungulata by Gray (1825); to Bellua by Bonaparte (1845); to Belluae by Bonaparte (1850); to Proboscidia by Lydekker (1880), Cope (1889); to Proboscidea by Flower and Lydekker (1891); to Elephantoidea by Simpson (1945); to Gomphotherioidea by Maglio (1973); to Euelephantoidea by Carroll (1988); to Proboscidea by Flower (1883), Abel (1919), Nowak (1991); to Elephantiformes by Shoshani and Tassy (1996); to Elephantoidea by Lambert and Shoshani (1998); to Proboscidea by Cope (1889), Hay (1902), Stefani (1916), Kurten and Anderson (1980), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Wilson and Reeder (2005); and to Elephantoidea by Kalb and Frohelich (1995), McKenna and Bell (1997), Mackaye et al. (2005), Shoshani and Tassy (2005), Shoshani et al. (2006), Sanders (2007), Larramendi and Ferretti (2026).
It was assigned to Proboscidiae by Gray (1821); to Ungulata by Gray (1825); to Bellua by Bonaparte (1845); to Belluae by Bonaparte (1850); to Proboscidia by Lydekker (1880), Cope (1889); to Proboscidea by Flower and Lydekker (1891); to Elephantoidea by Simpson (1945); to Gomphotherioidea by Maglio (1973); to Euelephantoidea by Carroll (1988); to Proboscidea by Flower (1883), Abel (1919), Nowak (1991); to Elephantiformes by Shoshani and Tassy (1996); to Elephantoidea by Lambert and Shoshani (1998); to Proboscidea by Cope (1889), Hay (1902), Stefani (1916), Kurten and Anderson (1980), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Wilson and Reeder (2005); and to Elephantoidea by Kalb and Frohelich (1995), McKenna and Bell (1997), Mackaye et al. (2005), Shoshani and Tassy (2005), Shoshani et al. (2006), Sanders (2007), Larramendi and Ferretti (2026).
Subtaxa
Species lacking formal opinion data
Synonymy list
| Year | Name and author |
|---|---|
| 1821 | Elephantidae Gray p. 305 |
| 1825 | Elephantidae Gray p. 342 |
| 1845 | Elephantidae Bonaparte |
| 1850 | Elephantidae Bonaparte p. 1 |
| 1880 | Elephantidae Lydekker |
| 1883 | Elephantidae Flower p. 185 |
| 1889 | Elephantidae Cope p. 192 |
| 1891 | Elephantidae Flower and Lydekker p. 90 |
| 1902 | Elephantidae Hay p. 707 |
| 1916 | Elephantidae Stefani p. 10 |
| 1919 | Elephantidae Abel p. 826 |
| 1945 | Elephantidae Simpson |
| 1973 | Elephantidae Maglio |
| 1980 | Elephantidae Kurten and Anderson p. 348 |
| 1981 | Elephantidae Thurmond and Jones p. 181 |
| 1988 | Elephantidae Carroll |
| 1991 | Elephantidae Nowak |
| 1995 | Elephantidae Kalb and Frohelich p. 729 |
| 1996 | Elephantidae Shoshani and Tassy p. 352 |
| 1997 | Elephantidae McKenna and Bell p. 502 |
| 1998 | Elephantidae Lambert and Shoshani p. 609 |
| 2005 | Elephantidae Mackaye et al. p. 766 |
| 2005 | Elephantidae Shoshani and Tassy p. 9 figs. Table 2 |
| 2005 | Elephantidae Wilson and Reeder |
| 2006 | Elephantidae Shoshani et al. p. 17300 |
| 2007 | Elephantidae Sanders p. 7 |
| 2026 | Elephantidae Larramendi and Ferretti p. 15 |
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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.
Fm. Elephantidae Gray 1821 [elephant]
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Subfm. Elephantinae Gray 1821
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Tr. Elephantini Gray 1821
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G. Elephas Linnaeus 1758 [elephant]
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Subg. †Elephas (Euelephas) Leidy 1858
Subg. Elephas (Loxodon) Müller and Henle 1838
†Elephas beyeri von Koenigswald 1956
†Elephas ekorensis Maglio 1970
†Elephas falconeri Busk 1867
†Elephas hysudricus Falconer and Cautley 1875
†Elephas hysudrindicus Dubois 1908
†Elephas jolensis Pomel 1895
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Invalid names: Archidiskodon broomi Osborn 1928 [synonym], Archidiskodon sheppardi Dart 1927 [synonym], Archidiskodon transvaalensis Dart 1927 [synonym]
†Elephas kiangnanensis Pei 1987
Elephas maximus Linnaeus 1758 [Asian elephant]
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Elephas maximus hirsutus Lydekker 1914 [Malaysian elephant]
Elephas maximus indicus Cuvier 1798
Elephas maximus sumatranus Temminck 1847 [Sumatran elephant]
Invalid names: Elephas asiaticus Blumenbach 1797 [synonym], Elephas gigas Perry 1811 [synonym]
Elephas maximus maximus Linnaeus 1758 [Sri Lankan elephant]
†Elephas melitensis Falconer 1868
†Elephas moghrebiensis Arambourg 1970
†Elephas nawataensis Tassy 2003
†Elephas planifrons Falconer and Cautley 1846
†Elephas platycephalus Osborn 1929
†Elephas priscus Goldfuss 1821
Invalid names: Elephantus Geoffroy and Cuvier 1795 [objective synonym], Hesperoloxodon Osborn 1931 [synonym], Hypselephas Osborn 1942 [synonym], Leithadamsia Matsumoto 1927 [synonym], Omoloxodon Deraniyagala 1955 [synonym], Pilgrimia Osborn 1924 [synonym], Platelephas Osborn 1942 [synonym], Sivalikia Osborn 1924 [synonym], Stegoloxodon Kretzoi 1950 [synonym]
G. †Mammuthus Brookes 1828 [mammoth]
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†Mammuthus africanavus Arambourg 1952
†Mammuthus chosaricus Dubrovo 1966
†Mammuthus columbi Falconer 1857 [Columbian mammoth]
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Invalid names: Elephas eellsi Hay 1926 [synonym], Elephas floridanus Osborn 1929 [synonym], Elephas jacksoni Mather 1838 [synonym], Elephas jeffersonii Osborn 1922 [synonym], Elephas maibeni Barbour 1925 [synonym], Elephas roosevelti Hay 1922 [synonym], Elephas washingtonii Osborn 1923 [synonym], Mammuthus imperator Leidy 1858 [synonym], Parelephas progressus Osborn 1942 [synonym]
†Mammuthus creticus Bate 1907
†Mammuthus exilis Maglio 1970 [pygmy mammoth]
†Mammuthus hayi Barbour 1915
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Invalid names: Elephas haroldcooki Hay 1928 [synonym], Elephas scotti Barbour 1925 [synonym]
†Mammuthus lamarmorae Major 1883
†Mammuthus meridionalis Nesti 1825
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Invalid names: Archidiskodon nebrascensis Osborn 1932 [synonym], Archidiskodon scotti Barbour 1925 [synonym]
†Mammuthus paramammonteus Matsumoto 1959
†Mammuthus primigenius Blumenbach 1799 [wooly mammoth]
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Invalid names: Elephas boreus Hay 1924 [synonym]
†Mammuthus rumanus Ştefanescu 1924
†Mammuthus subplanifrons Osborn 1928
†Mammuthus weifangensis Jin 1983
†Mammuthus wusti Pavlow 1910
Invalid names: Archidiskodon Pohling 1888 [synonym], Parelephas Osborn 1924 [synonym]
Invalid names: Elephantina Gray 1825 [empty], Loxodontina Osborn 1918 [empty]
Tr. Loxodontini Osborn 1918
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G. Loxodonta Anonymous 1827 [African elephant]
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Elephas africanus rothschildi Lydekker 1907
†Loxodonta adaurora Maglio 1970
Loxodonta africana Blumenbach 1797 [African bush elephant]
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Elephas africanus cavendishi Lydekker 1907
Elephas africanus orleansi Lydekker 1907
Elephas africanus peeli Lydekker 1907
Elephas africanus selousi Lydekker 1907
Elephas africanus toxotis Lydekker 1907
Invalid names: Elephas africanus knochenhaueri Matschie 1900 [synonym], Elephas africanus oxyotis Matschie 1900 [synonym], Elephas capensis Cuvier 1798 [synonym]
†Loxodonta atlantica Pomel 1879
†Loxodonta atlantica zulu Scott 1907
†Loxodonta cookei Sanders 2007
Loxodonta cyclotis Matschie 1900 [African forest elephant]
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Invalid names: Elephas africanus albertensis Lydekker 1907 [synonym], Elephas africanus fransseni Schouteden 1914 [synonym], Elephas africanus pumilio Noack 1906 [synonym]
†Loxodonta exoptata Dietrich 1941
Invalid names: Elephas africanus cottoni Lydekker 1908 [synonym]
G. †Primelephas Maglio 1970
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†Primelephas korotorensis Coppens 1965
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Invalid names: Primelephas gomphotheroides Maglio 1970 [synonym]
G. †Emmenodon Cope 1889
G. †Palaeoloxodon Matsumoto 1924
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†Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) cephallonicus Theodorou et al. 2018
†Elephas antiquus leonardii Aguirre 1969
†Elephas recki recki Dietrich 1915
†Loxodonta (Palaeoloxodon) tokunagai Matsumoto 1924
†Palaeoloxodon antiquus Falconer and Cautley 1847
†Palaeoloxodon creutzburgi Kuss 1965
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Invalid names: Elephas chaniensis Symeonidis et al. 2000 [synonym]
†Palaeoloxodon cypriotes Bate 1903
†Palaeoloxodon lomolinoi van der Geer et al. 2014
†Palaeoloxodon mnaidriensis Adamas 1874
†Palaeoloxodon namadicus Falconer 1846
†Palaeoloxodon naumanni Makiyama 1924
†Palaeoloxodon recki Dietrich 1915
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†Palaeoloxodon recki atavus Arambourg 1947
†Palaeoloxodon recki brumpti Beden 1980
†Palaeoloxodon recki ileretensis Beden 1987
†Palaeoloxodon tiliensis Theodorou et al. 2007
†Palaeoloxodon turkmenicus Dubrovo 1955
†Palaeoloxodon xylophagou Athanassiou 2015
G. †Stegodon Falconer 1857
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†Stegodon bombifrons Falconer 1847
†Stegodon elephantoides Clift 1829
†Stegodon florensis Hooijer 1957
†Stegodon ganesa Falconer and Cautley 1875
†Stegodon hypsilophus Hooijer 1954
†Stegodon kaisensis Hopwood 1939
†Stegodon luzonensis von Koenigswald 1956
†Stegodon mediterraneus Hooijer 1960
†Stegodon miensis Matsumoto 1941
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Invalid names: Stegodon shinshuensis Sawamura et al. 1979 [synonym]
†Stegodon mindanensis Naumann 1890
†Stegodon namadicus Biswas and Dassarma 1981
†Stegodon preorientalis Young 1938
†Stegodon rathiansis Sawar et al. 1985
†Stegodon sompoensis Hooijer 1964
†Stegodon sondaari van den Bergh 1999
†Stegodon sumbaensis Sartono 1979
†Stegodon syrticus Petrocchi 1943
†Stegodon trigonocephalus Martin 1887
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†Stegodon trigonocephalus ngandongensis Osborn 1936
Invalid names: Stegodon javanoganesa Dubois 1908 [synonym]
†Stegodon yuanmouensis You et al. 1978
†Stegodon zdanskyi Hopwood 1935
†Stegodon zhaotongensis Chow and Zhai 1962
G. †Stegotetrabelodon Petrocchi 1941
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†Stegotetrabelodon lybicus Petrocchi 1943
†Stegotetrabelodon orbus Maglio 1970
†Stegotetrabelodon syrticus Petrocchi 1941
Invalid names: Stegodontinae Osborn 1918 [empty], Stegotetrabelodontinae Aguirre 1969 [empty], Suina Gray 1825 [empty]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available