Elephas

Elephas; Temporal range: Pliocene to present
	Asian elephant
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Proboscidea
Family:	Elephantidae
Tribe:	Elephantini
Genus:	Elephas; Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
	Elephas maximus; Linnaeus, 1758
Species
	8; see text
Synonyms
	Hypselephas

Elephas is one of two surviving genera in the family of elephants, Elephantidae, with one surviving species, the Asian elephant, Elephas maximus.^[1]

Several extinct species have been identified as belonging to the genus, including Elephas recki, straight-tusked elephant E. antiquus and the dwarf elephants E. falconeri and E. cypriotes. The genus is very closely related to the genus Mammuthus.^[2]

Taxonomy[]

The scientific name Elephas was proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 who described the genus and an elephant from Ceylon.^[3] The genus is assigned to the proboscidean family Elephantidae and is made up of one living and seven extinct species:^[4]

Elephas maximus – Asian elephant^[1]
- Elephas maximus indicus – Indian elephant
- Elephas maximus maximus – Sri Lankan elephant
- Elephas maximus sumatranus – Sumatran elephant
- Elephas maximus borneensis – Borneo elephant, proposed but not yet recognized as valid^[5]

The following Asian elephants were proposed as extinct subspecies, but are now considered synonymous with the Indian elephant:^[1]

Elephas maximus sondaicus Javan elephant †
Elephas maximus rubridens – Chinese elephant †
Elephas maximus asurus – Syrian elephant †

The following Elephas species are extinct:

Elephas beyeri – described from fossil remains found in 1911 in Luzon, the Philippines by von Königswald^[6]
Elephas celebensis – Sulawesi dwarf elephant, described from southern Sulawesi by Hooijer in 1949^[7]
Elephas ekorensis – described from the Kubi Algi Formation, Turkana, Kenya^[4]
Elephas hysudricus – described from fossil remains found in the Siwalik hills by Falconer and Cautley, 1845^[8]
Elephas hysudrindicus – a fossil elephant of the Pleistocene of Java and different from Elephas maximus sondaicus^[9]
Elephas iolensis
Elephas platycephalus

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Shoshani, J. (2005). "Genus Elephas". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^ Fleischer, R. C.; Perry, E. A.; Muralidharan, K.; Stevens, E. E. & Wemmer, C. M. (2001). "Phylogeography of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) based on mitochondrial DNA" (PDF). Evolution. 55 (9): 1882–1892. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00837.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-17.
^ Linnaei, C. (1760). "Elephas maximus". Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Halae Magdeburgicae: Ioannes Ioachimus Langius. p. 33.
^ ^a ^b Maglio, V.J. (1973). "Origin and evolution of the Elephantidae". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia Volume 63. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, pp. 149
^ Fernando, P., Vidya, T.N.C., Payne, J., Stuewe, M., Davison, G., et al. (2003). DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation. PLoS Biol 1 (#1): e6
^ Von Königswald, G.H.R. (1956). Fossil mammals from the Philippines. National Research Council of the Philippines, Manila
^ Hooijer, D.A. (1949). Pleistocene Vertebrates from Celebes. IV. - Archidiskodon celebensis nov spec.. Zoologische Mededelingen Museum Leiden, 30 (#14): 205–226.
^ Falconer, H. & Cautley, P. T. (1846). Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis, Being the Fossil Zoology of the Sewalik Hills. Smith, Elder & Company, London, pp. 64.
^ Hooijer, D. A. (1955). Fossil Proboscidea from the Malay Archipelago and the Punjab. Zoologische Verhandelingen, 28 (#1): 1–146.

[MSW3-1] Shoshani, J. (2005). "Genus Elephas". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.

[Fleischer2001-2] Fleischer, R. C.; Perry, E. A.; Muralidharan, K.; Stevens, E. E. & Wemmer, C. M. (2001). "Phylogeography of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) based on mitochondrial DNA" (PDF). Evolution. 55 (9): 1882–1892. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2001.tb00837.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-17.

[3] Linnaei, C. (1760). "Elephas maximus". Caroli Linnæi Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Halae Magdeburgicae: Ioannes Ioachimus Langius. p. 33.

[Maglio1973-4] Maglio, V.J. (1973). "Origin and evolution of the Elephantidae". Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia Volume 63. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, pp. 149

[Fernando03-5] Fernando, P., Vidya, T.N.C., Payne, J., Stuewe, M., Davison, G., et al. (2003). DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation. PLoS Biol 1 (#1): e6

[6] Von Königswald, G.H.R. (1956). Fossil mammals from the Philippines. National Research Council of the Philippines, Manila

[7] Hooijer, D.A. (1949). Pleistocene Vertebrates from Celebes. IV. - Archidiskodon celebensis nov spec.. Zoologische Mededelingen Museum Leiden, 30 (#14): 205–226.

[8] Falconer, H. & Cautley, P. T. (1846). Fauna Antiqua Sivalensis, Being the Fossil Zoology of the Sewalik Hills. Smith, Elder & Company, London, pp. 64.

[9] Hooijer, D. A. (1955). Fossil Proboscidea from the Malay Archipelago and the Punjab. Zoologische Verhandelingen, 28 (#1): 1–146.

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