Djourabus Peigné & Bonis & Likius & Mackaye & Vignaud & Brunet 2008, GEN. NOV.

Type species: Djourabus dabba sp. nov.

Etymology: After Djourab, a Saharan erg located in the Chadian depression, in reference to the location of the fossiliferous arera of Toros-Menalla.

Diagnosis: Genus distinguished by its large size; tall and thick mandibular corpus; m1 bunodont, short, and very broad with a trigonid broader than the talonid, transversely orientated paraconid shelf, bases of the metaconid and paraconid connate, short; m1 talonid molarized and short, with squared off distal margin and individualized and low entoconid and hypoconid, and cingulid very reduced and restricted to the mesial margin of the paraconid.

Differential diagnosis: Most of these characters distinguish Djourabus from all of the extant species, and within bunodont fossil otters, from the species of Sivaonyx and Paludolutra. Djourabus differs from Enhydritherium in its larger size, taller mandible, an m1 that is relatively broader with a transversely orientated paraconid, trigonid broader than the talonid, metaconid smaller than the protoconid, and reduced labial cingulid. Djourabus differs from Enhydriodon in its much broader m1 with more bunodont cuspids, enlarged and more transversely orientated paraconid, metaconid that is closer to the protoconid than to the paraconid and talonid that is shallower with a squared off distal margin.