Aztlanolagus is an extinct monotypic genus of rabbit that lived during the Quaternary in what is now the Southern to Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Aztlanolagus agilis is currently the only recognized species, though differences among recovered fossils suggest that there may have been other species. The generic name refers to Aztlán, the legendary place of origin of the Nahua peoples as recorded in the mythological accounts of the Aztecs and other Nahua groups. By some traditions, this legendary locale is placed in the border regions of the Southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico.
Fossils range in age from the Pliocene and Pleistocene (Blancan to Rancholabrean North American land mammal ages). The known distribution is from southeastern Arizona (Madrean Sky Islands region), to central Texas and from central Colorado to southern Chihuahua.
Authority[]
The holotype of Aztlanolagus agilis was deposited at the University of Texas at El Paso Biodiversity Collections. (Specimen No. UTEP:ES:1-1202). The specimen, collected by Richard A. Smartt, is a left dentary with premolars 3 and 4 and molars 1 and 2.