Archaeoparadoxia
Archaeoparadoxia is a genus of desmostylian mammal from late Oligocene California. The name derives from the Archaic Greek "archaio" and the name of another genus of desmostylian, Paleoparadoxia.
Description
Archaeoparadoxia is relatively small compared to other desmostylians. The limb bones are gracile, and the cranium is small. The holotype specimen is of a subadult, but it is speculated the individual was near adult size. Incisor morphology of Archaeoparadoxia differs from that of Paleoparadoxia and Neoparadoxia, as they are not flattened dorsoventrally.Classification
Archaeoparadoxia is considered to be close to other paleoparadoxiids, such as Neoparadoxia and Paleoparadoxia. Archaeoparadoxia was originally considered a species of Paleoparadoxia, P. weltoni, but the species was split on morphological grounds.Phylogeny of Paleoparadoxiidae in accordance with Barnes ;