Pristifelis

Pristifelis is an extinct genus of feline from the late Miocene. It contains a single species, Pristifelis attica. The first fossil skull of P. attica was excavated near Pikermi in Attica, Greece.^[2] Fossils were also excavated near the Moldovan city of Taraclia.^[3] It was also discovered in Maragheh, northwestern Iran.^[4] P. attica was bigger in body size than a European wildcat but probably smaller than a serval. The species was first described as Felis attica by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1857. Due to size differences, it was proposed as type species for the genus Pristifelis proposed in 2012.^[5]

Pristifelis Temporal range: late Miocene[1] 9–6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Skull of Pristifelis attica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae
Genus:	†Pristifelis Salesa et al., 2012
Species:	†P. attica
Binomial name
†Pristifelis attica (Wagner, 1857)
Synonyms
Felis attica Wagner, 1857

Pristifelis attica was formerly considered ancestral to Felis,^[6] but is now considered ancestral to Felinae more broadly.^[7]

History and naming

The generic name Pristifelis is a combination of the Latin pristinus meaning "primitive", and felis meaning "cat".^[5]