Primelephas

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: In recent articles, Primelephas gomphotheroides is considered to be a junior synonym of Primelephas korotensis, which is now the only species in the genus. See Mackaye et al. (2008): https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.crpv.2008.03.007. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (July 2023) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Primelephas" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Primelephas Temporal range: Late Miocene - Pliocene
Reconstruction of Primelephas
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Subfamily:	Elephantinae
Genus:	†Primelephas Maglio, 1970
Type species
†Primelephas gomphotheroides Maglio, 1970
Species
†Primelephas gomphotheroides Maglio, 1970 †Primelephas korotorensis (Coppens, 1965)

Primelephas is a genus of Elephantinae^[1] 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.^[2] 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.