Promephitis

Promephitis is an extinct genus of mephitid, of which several species have been described from the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of Europe and Asia.

== Characteristics == left|thumb|303x303px|Promephitis sp. skull from Cerro de los Batallones (Spain) The fossil remains of the Promephitis species, like all members of the skunk family Mephitidae, have a significant extension of epitympanic recess, a chamber of the middle ear, into the region of mastoid and squamous parts of the temporal bones. This extension is recognizable as an inflated bulge on the lateral wall of the skull over the mastoid. In addition, skunks have specific characteristics of the teeth, especially the molars, which distinguish them from other carnivora. The genus Promephitis also shows a distinctive structure of the premolar tooth P4 as well as a very small P2, through which they are distinguishable from other genera.