Anancus

Anancus is an extinct genus of "tetralophodont gomphothere" native to Afro-Eurasia, that lived from the Tortonian stage of the late Miocene until its extinction during the Early Pleistocene, roughly from 8.5–2 million years ago.

== Taxonomy == The type species, Anancus arvernensis, was originally named in 1828 by Jean-Baptiste Croizet and Antoine Claude Gabriel Jobert as Mastodon arvernensis, based on remains found within the vicinity of the Puy de Dôme volcano in the Massif Central in central southern France, with the species name deriving from the Auvergne region of France where it was found. Anancus was subsequently named by Auguste Aymard in 1855 in a publication by M. J. Dorlhac, also based on remains found in the Massif Central region. The genus name Anancus derives from the Latin word ancus meaning "bent/curved" and the negative prefix "an-" with the intended meaning of "uncurved, straight" in reference to the shape of the tusks. Anancus is traditionally allocated to Gomphotheriidae, often as the only member of the subfamily Anancinae. Recently, some authors have excluded Anancus along with other tetralophodont gomphotheres from Gomphotheriidae, and regarded them as members of Elephantoidea instead.