Taxonomy and biochronological significance of Paraentelodon, a giant entelodont (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the late Oligocene of Eurasia

Paraentelodon Gabuniya, 1964 (=Neoentelodon Aubekerova, 1969) is a giant en telodont known from the Georgian Republic, Kazakstan, and Gansu, People's R epublic of China. The genus is distinguished by the following autapomorphie s: I1/i1 much smaller than I2/i2, which are slightly smaller than I3/i3; si ngle, large, flange-like dentary tubercle under p2: p2 very large and large r than p4; and upper molars (especially M2) with well-developed paraconules and metaconules. The few known specimens of Paraentelodon represent a sing le species, P. intermedium Gabuniya, 1964 (=N. dzhungaricus Aubekerova, 196 9; =P. macrognathus Qiu, Xie and Yan, 1990). All Paraentelodon localities a ppear to be of late Oligocene age, not early Miocene as some previous worke rs have claimed.