Paleoleishmania Temporal range:
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Paleolishmania proterus in the gut of the Cretaceous sand fly Palaeomyia burmitis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Phylum: | Euglenozoa |
Class: | Kinetoplastea |
Order: | Trypanosomatida |
Family: | Trypanosomatidae |
Genus: | †Paleoleishmania Poinar & Poinar 2004 |
Type species | |
Paleoleishmania proterus Poinar & Poinar 2004
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Species | |
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Paleoleishmania is an extinct genus of kinetoplastids, a monophyletic[1] group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. At present it is placed in the family Trypanosomatidae. The genus contains two species, the type species Paleoleishmania proterus and the later described Paleoleishmania neotropicum.[2]
The genus is known from the Albian aged[3] Burmese amber deposits of northern Myanmar and the Burdigalian[4] aged Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola.[2]