New material of Chalicotheriidae (Perissodactyla,Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Axios Valley,Macedonia (Greece) with the description of a new species

Chalicotheriids are rare in the late Miocene mammal localities of Axios Valley, Macedonia (Greece). The new campaign of excavations, since 1972, has provided some specimens, which are studied in this article. They are coming from two different localities. The late early Vallesian locality of Pentalophos 1 (PNT) has provided a skull and a mandible of an Ancylotherium. The morphological characters of the PNT material as the small size, the long snout, the shallow mandibular corpus, the strong cingulum in the teeth, the short tooth rows and the short M3/m3 indicate that it differs from the known Turolian species A. pentelicum and allow the erection of a new species, named Ancylotherium hellenicum n. sp., which can be used as a biostratigraphic marker of the Vallesian. The middle Turolian locality Prochoma 1 (PXM) has provided only one M3, which is determined to the chalicotheriine Anisodon macedonicus. This species was earlier described from the middle Turolian locality Vathylakkos 3 (VAT) and the late Turolian one of Dytiko 3 (DKO) of Axios Valley. The biogeography and biostratigraphy of the late Miocene chalicotheres of the Greco-Iranian Palaeoprovince (GRIP), as well as their palaeoecology are also discussed. The common chalicothere of GRIP is A. pentelicum, expanded from the Balkans to Afganistan and ranging stratigraphically from the early to the late Turolian. Chalicotherium goldfussi is certainly present in GRIP and it also ranges from the early to the late Turolian; its possible Vallesian occurrence needs confirmation. The other two late Miocene chalicotheres of GRIP A. macedonicus and Kalimantsia bulgarica are restricted to the Turolian of the Balkan Peninsula.     

A new Late Miocene ovibovine-like bovid (Bovidae,Mammalia) from the Kassandra Peninsula (Chalkidiki,Northern Greece) and implications to the phylogeography of the group

A new Late Miocene bovid, Urmiatherium kassandriensis sp. nov., from Northern Greece is described. The material comes from the Fourka locality in the Kassandra Peninsula (Chalkidiki), and the included fauna is estimated to be of Vallesian age. The two preserved crania represent a medium-sized taxon with short, conical horn cores, a flat cranial roof (consisting of the posterior part of the frontals, parietal and occipital), thick and porous frontals and pneumatized short parietals, an extremely thick basioccipital with voluminous posterior tuberosities and accessory articular facets for the atlas. The specialized atlanto-occipital joint recalls Pleistocene and extant ovibovines, but the braincase structure as a whole and the horn core features closely match Late Miocene ovibovine-like taxa, especially Plesiaddax and even more Urmiatherium. Nevertheless, the Kassandra bovid differs from representatives of both genera in the simpler horn core morphology and external brain anatomy. Urmiatherium is known to appear first in China and Iran at about 7.8 Ma, whereas its westernmost appearance on Samos Island (Greece) is dated much later. The presence of Urmiatherium kassandriensis sp. nov. in N. Greece suggests a farther west and earlier (Vallesian at least) first appearance of the genus. This would justify a basic geographic and phylogenetic split of Urmiatherium into two main Turolian lineages: a central-eastern Asian one leading to the sister species U. polaki and U. intermedium and a western one leading to U. rugosifrons.     

Late Miocene Proboscidea (Mammalia) from Macedonia and Samos Island, Greece: preliminary results

The abundant Late Miocene proboscidean remains of Greece have never been studied in detail and compared with those of Eurasia in order to determine their taxonomy and their biostratigraphical and palaeoecological significance. The first results of such study are given in this article. During the past decades, several new proboscidean specimens have been added to the old collections, significantly enriching the available material. The Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) proboscidean fossils belong mainly to two species of Choerolophodon: C. anatolicus of early Vallesian age and C. pentelici of late Vallesian–Turolian age. Deinotherium giganteum is rare and recognized only in the late Vallesian locality Ravin de la Pluie of Axios Valley. A zygodont form has also been identified in the Turolian of Axios Valley, attributed to “Mammut” sp. The Late Miocene localities of Nikiti (Macedonia, Greece) revealed several remains of C. pentelici, which are similar to the Turolian ones of Axios Valley. The Samos proboscidean collection includes C. pentelici, “Tetralophodon” atticus, “Mammut” sp. and Deinotherium gigantissimum. The taxonomy of the Late Miocene peri-Mediterranean Choerolophodon is given, and the biostratigraphy and palaeoecology of the Greek Late Miocene proboscideans are discussed.     

The late Miocene bovids from Platania (Drama Basin,Greece), with description of a new species of Palaeoryx

This study presents the new fossil material of bovids from the recently discovered upper Miocene locality of Platania, Drama (Greece). The material was excavated from 2012 to 2016 and yielded approximately 760 specimens attributed to hipparions, rhinos, cervids, giraffids, suids, proboscideans, hyaenids, and turtles. The bovid material described here includes six taxa of Antilopinae and one of Bovinae. Antilopines are represented by Gazella sp., Gazella cf. ancyrensis, Prostrepsiceros aff. syridisi, cf. Palaeoreas, Palaeoryx minor nov. sp., and Tragoreas? aff. oryxoides. Bovines are recorded by a single boselaphine attributed to Miotragocerus sp. Departing from other Palaeoryx species, the new species P. minor has rather straight and weakly divergent horn-cores tilted backwards, obtuse facial and occipito-parietal angles, and smaller cranial and horn-core size, though associated with a proportionally large toothrow. Miotragocerus sp. from Platania seems to be conspecific to the Miotragocerus sp. from the end-Vallesian Nikiti-1 fauna (Greece). The bovid assemblage of Platania shows a mix of both Vallesian and Turolian taxa indicating a likely late Vallesian-early Turolian age.     

New materials of Dinocrocuta (Percrocutidae, Carnivora) from Lantian, Shaanxi Province, China, and remarks on Chinese Late Miocene biochronology

New materials from the middle part of the Bahe formation are described as Dinocrocuta gigantea. Review of the species reveals that it is derived in the evolutionary lineage of Dinocrocuta, and biochronologically later than Vallesian records from Turkey. The only possibly related Vallesian species from China is Crocuta gigantea xizangensis from Biru, Tibet, which may prove to be conspecific with D. senyureki. Based on the mammalian faunal sequence from Lantian, and with reference to Red Clay paleomagnetic data, the duration of D. gigantea in China should be later late Miocene, rather than the previously postulated early late Miocene (Vallesian equivalent) age.     

Early Miocene cricetids (Rodentia) from the Junggar basin (Xinjiang, China) and their biochronological implications

Among the 14 small mammal species from the early Miocene locality of the northern area of the Junggar basin (northern Xinjiang, China), four species are cricetids (Rodentia): unnamed species of Cricetodon and Eumyarion, and two new species, Karydomys debruijni nov. sp. and Megacricetodon beijiangensis nov. sp. Some aspects of the morphology of Cricetodon sp. are shared by Eucricetodon from the late Oligocene, suggesting that these specimens could be of intermediate form between Eucricetodon and Cricetodon. One tooth of Eumyarion sp. was found, making its determination uncertain, but its morphology is clearly differentiated from the one of Cricetodon sp. The species K. debruijni nov. sp. is established based on its primitive features compared to the species known in Europe and Anatolia, and its specific association of characters compared to Karydomys dzerzhinskii. M. beijiangensis nov. sp. shows many plesiomorphic features compared to the species already described in the middle Miocene of China. Based on both the whole assemblage of rodents and the species of cricetids, the biochronologic position and the age of the locality are discussed. The locality appears to be biochronologically very close to the fauna from the Chul’adyr Formation in Aktau Mountains, but we propose an age slightly older than the one proposed for this fauna, probably equivalent to the MN3 biozone in Europe.     

Groupe de Candona clivosa, nouveau groupe de Candoninae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) et sa diversification dans le Bassin de Turiec (Slovaquie) au Miocène supérieur

The Candona clivosa-group, a new group of Candoninae - is erected on the base of the folded inner lamella observed on the postero-ventral border of the female valve. The elongated sub-triangular and rectangular valves of this group are described from the Miocene and Quaternary deposits of Europe. A folded inner lamella is also observed in 11 species of Candona from the Upper Miocene of the Turiec Basin of which 8 are new - Candona fatrica nov. sp., C. tatrica nov. sp., C. lacustris nov. sp., C. palustris nov. sp., C. stagnosa nov. sp., C. laterisimilis nov. sp., C. jiriceki nov. sp. and C. incurva nov. sp. They show a higher variability of the outline, calcification of the valves and width of the zone of concrescence. The extrinsic and intrinsic aspects of this morphological diversification in the Turiec Basin are discussed.     

Two new species of Electra (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata) from the Miocene of the Aquitaine Basin, France

Post-Cretaceous examples of Electridae, a primitive family of cheilostome bryozoans, are poorly represented in the fossil record, probably because of their thinly calcified zooids and preference for nearshore environments. Two new electrid species are here described from the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian) of Pontpourquey, Aquitaine, France: Electra triaurata nov. sp. and Electra aquitanica nov. sp. Both species belong to extant species groups, the E. indica and E. biscuta groups, respectively, that presently occur in the Indo-Pacific; both are the only fossil examples of these species groups. Whereas E. triaurata nov. sp. has uniserial colonies, zooids with porous gymnocysts, three flattened spines and basal windows allowing etching of the substrate to produce the trace fossil Leptichnus, E. aquitanica nov. sp. has multiserial colonies and zooids with a proximal gymnocyst bearing 2 to 5 spines.     

Gymnocranius superciliosus and Gymnocranius satoi, two new large-eye breams (Sparoidea: Lethrinidae) from the Coral Sea and adjacent regions

Two related perciform fish species of the subfamily Monotaxinae (Sparoidea: Lethrinidae) Gymnocranius superciliosus sp. nov. and Gymnocranius satoi sp. nov. are described from specimens and tissue samples from the Coral Sea and adjacent regions. G. superciliosus sp. nov. is distinct from all other known Gymnocranius spp. by the following combination of characters: body elongated (depth 2.7–3.1 in standard length), caudal fin moderately forked with a subtle middle notch, its lobes slightly convex inside, distinctive blackish eyebrow, snout and cheek with blue speckles, and dorsal, pectoral, anal and caudal fins reddish. G. satoi sp. nov. is the red-finned ‘Gymnocranius sp.’ depicted in previous taxonomic revisions. While colour patterns are similar between the two species, G. satoi sp. nov. is distinct from G. superciliosus sp. nov. by the ratio of standard length to body depth (2.4–2.5 vs. 2.7–3.1) and by the shape of the caudal fin, which is more shallowly forked, its lobes convex inside and their extremities rounded. The two species are genetically distinct from each other and they are genetically distinct from G. elongatus, G. euanus, G. grandoculis, and G. oblongus sampled from the Coral Sea and adjacent regions.     

Discosorids and Oncocerids (Cephalopoda) of the Middle Ordovician Kunda and Aseri Regional Stages of Baltoscandia and the early evolution of these groups

Discosorid and oncocerid cephalopods of the Kunda and Aseri Regional Stage (Darriwilian, Middle Ordovician) from Öland Island, Sweden and North Estonia are described for the first time. We demonstrate that a high generic and specific diversity of Oncocerida was already established in the earliest Darriwilian. The new oncocerid species Neumatoceras borense nov. sp., N. breviborense nov. sp., Paramiamoceras breviventrum nov. sp., Richardsonoceras gastroscopium nov. sp., R. gerhardi nov. sp., R. goldmanni nov. sp., R. haelluddenense nov. sp., Richardsonoceroides kingi nov. sp., R. oelandense nov. sp., and R. rhytium nov. sp. are erected; Richardsonoceroides schiefferdeckeri (Dewitz) is revised. The new graciloceratid Kundoceras evansi nov. gen., nov. sp. is erected. A review of records of early oncocerids from China shows that Richardsonoceras Foerste is probably the most primitive oncocerid and supports the hypothesis that oncocerids evolved in the early Floian or latest Tremadocian from a Bassleroceras Ulrich and Foerste-like ancestor. The new discosorid genus Paldoceras nov. gen. and species Paldoceras paldiskense nov. sp. and P. neptunsakerense nov. sp. are erected. These discosorids record the morphological link between the late Darriwilian Ruedemannoceras Flower and the early Floian Apocrinoceras Teichert and Glenister, which is considered to be the earliest discosorid.     

First identification of Decennatherium Crusafont, 1952 (Mammalia,Ruminantia, Pecora) in the Siwaliks of Pakistan

Previously undescribed remains of a new large giraffid have been identified from the late Miocene Siwaliks Hills of the Potwar Plateau in Pakistan. This taxon is very intimately related to the late Miocene giraffid genus Decennatherium, previously only certainly identified in the Iberian Peninsula, and with some possible remains assigned to Decennatherium crusafonti from Aliäbäd (Iran). The new material collected in the Siwaliks Hills shows a high morphological similarity with the Spanish remains of the genus, especially the early Vallesian Decennatherium pachecoi. Two previously undescribed ossicone fragments from the same area are also described and identified as cf. Decennatherium. These findings represent the easternmost occurrence of the genus Decennatherium and show a late Miocene migration of the genus throughout the Iberian Peninsula and Southern Asia.     

陕西蓝田晚中新世灞河组鼠科化石

详细描述了陕西蓝田晚中新世灞河组发现的两种鼠科化石 :中华原裔鼠Progonomyssinensissp .nov .和Muridaegen .etsp .indet.。新种的特征是 :个体通常比ProgonomyscathalaiSchaub ,1 938大 ;下臼齿的唇侧齿带和附属尖很弱 ;三分之二的m1具有一很小的中间前边尖(tma) ;M1的t1和t3偶见后刺 ,在个别的m1中有一短的中间脊 ;臼齿的尺寸落入P .woelferi的变异范围 ,但t6～t9间的连接没有该种那样常见 ,而t1 2较为明显。新种产于灞河组下部层位 ,其牙齿的大小和形态特征介于ProgonomyscathalaiSchaub ,1 938与P .woelferiBachmayeretWilson ,1 970之间。据此可证实 ,把灞河组下部层位的时代置于晚中新世早期 ,相当欧洲瓦里士期晚期或MN1 0的时代比较恰当。新种的重要意义不仅在于它具有狭义Progonomys属的特征 ,而且是我国现知鼠科动物最古老的一种。未定种产于灞河组较上部层位 ,牙齿形态与Progonomyssinensis的相似 ,很可能与其有较接近的亲缘关系。     

New material of Muntiacinae (Artiodactyla,Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Recent expeditions in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau have produced additional mammalian fossils from the Lower Baodean (equivalent to Vallesian, Late Miocene), and, significantly, a new large and the earliest muntjac, Muntiacus noringenensis sp. nov. It is phylogenetically closer to the Late Pliocene M. fenghoensis and extant M. vuqangensis than the other fossil and extant muntjacs are. The existence of this muntjac and other folivores in the Late Miocene Qaidam Basin suggests a forested period in the basin and the evolution from a forested and humid environment to a desert one today. Such a dramatic evolution in environments is an evidence of the effect of the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and of its influence on continental climates.     

New material of Carnivora (Mammalia) from the Late Miocene of Axios Valley,Macedonia, Greece

A new collection of carnivores from the Late Miocene deposits of Axios Valley, Macedonia, Greece was collected in 2004–2009 at the localities named Xirochori 1 (XIR) and Ravin de la Pluie (RPl), dated to the Late Vallesian (MN 10), as well as at Ravin des Zouaves 5 (RZO), dated to the Early Turolian (MN 11). The studied material is described and compared morphologically and biometrically with other materials from Greece and its neighboring area. The following species are determined: XIR: Dinocrocuta sp.; RPl: Eomellivora wimani, Adcrocuta eximia leptoryncha, ?Hyaenictis sp., Metailurus parvulus; RZO: Plioviverrops orbignyi, Machairodus giganteus. This collection is interesting because it includes the upper deciduous dentition of A. eximia and Dinocrocuta, which are only known from limited material until now, especially the latter taxon. E. wimani is recognized for the first time in Greece and the Balkans, while M. parvulus is identified for the first time in the Vallesian of Greece. The possible presence of Hyaenictis in RPl is the first indication of its presence in the Vallesian. The guild structure diagrams of the carnivore fauna from the three studied localities provide some indications of their palaeoenvironment, which fits quite well with the results of previous studies on the palaeoenvironments of these localities and of the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.     

Ruminants from the Early Miocene of Napak,Uganda

Since the late 1950's, many ruminant specimens have been recovered from the Early Miocene volcano-sedimentary succession at Napak, Uganda. Beginning in 1958 when the first fossils were recognised by J.G. Wilson, and the subsequent surveys of Bishop and colleagues, more than 340 specimens have been found. Preliminary publications in the 1960's identified three species, Dorcatherium songhorensis, Dorcatherium ? chappuisi, and Palaeomeryx africanus. Napak material hitherto identified as Dorcatherium ? chappuisi represents a new species of tragulid smaller than D. chappuisi, and is here identified as Dorcatherium iririensis nov. sp., while material previously assigned to Palaeomeryx is transferred to Walangania. A new finding for the site is the tiny tragulid, Dorcatherium parvum. There are thus four species of ruminants at Napak.     

Systematics and phylogeny of Vasseuromys (Mammalia,Rodentia, Gliridae) with a description of a new species from the late Miocene of eastern Europe

Vasseuromys is a species‐rich genus of small‐ to medium‐sized glirids spanning the latest Oligocene to late Miocene of Europe and western Asia. Despite extensive discoveries over the past 50 years, little phylogenetic work has been done on Vasseuromys. This study presents the first phylogenetic analysis of the genus that includes all the described species and a new taxon Vasseuromys tectus sp. nov. from the late Miocene of eastern Europe, providing the first insights into the evolutionary relationships within the clade. Results suggest that the genus is clearly paraphyletic. Two strongly supported genus‐level clades are recognized within ‘Vasseuromys’: a restricted Vasseuromys clade (containing the three species, V. pannonicus, V. rugosus and V. tectus) and the Glirulus clade that includes ‘Vasseuromys’ duplex. The remaining ‘Vasseuromys’ species are found to constitute a set of paraphyletic taxa, with the polyphyletic ‘Ramys’ nested within it. The genus Gliruloides is synonymized with Glirulus. Vasseuromys tectus sp. nov. is the most derived member of the genus in having a greater number of cheek teeth ridges including constantly present anterotrope, centrotrope, second prototrope on M1–2, third metatrope on M2, two to three posterotropids on p4 and strong ectolophids on lower molars. The results of the study confirm a European origin for Vasseuromys while suggesting that the late Miocene species of the genus dispersed from the east in the early Turolian.     

The Miocene mammal record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia)

The land mammal record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, NE Spain) ranges from the early Miocene (Ramblian) to the late Miocene (Turolian), that is from about 20 to 7 Ma. Here we present an updated review of the mammal succession focusing on biochronology as well as on environmental and faunal changes. Based on faunal similarities with central Europe, we interpret this basin as a transitional zone between the forested environments of northern regions and the more arid landscapes of the inner Iberian Peninsula. The quality of the Vallès-Penedès record and its chronostratigraphic control is clearly better for the late Aragonian and the Vallesian (between 12.6–9.0 Ma), especially for small mammals. Therefore, we analyze small mammal diversity dynamics during this interval. Contrary to previous analyses, which found an abrupt extinction event coinciding with the early/late Vallesian boundary (the Vallesian Crisis), our results show that this pattern is due to uneven sampling. Instead, taxonomic richness slowly decreased since the late Vallesian as a result of a series of extinctions that mostly affected forest-dwelling taxa.     

A revision of the fossil Canidae (Mammalia) of north‐western Africa

Abstract: The fossil record of the Canidae in North‐western Africa begins near the Miocene–Pliocene boundary with a form close to Nyctereutes, a genus best known in the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam. This site yields two other canids. Vulpes hassani sp. nov. is a small fox, probably ancestral to the modern V. rueppelli, recorded from the Middle Pleistocene onwards. Lupulella paralius sp. nov. is a primitive jackal that probably belongs to the clade of modern African jackals. In the middle Pleistocene, the most common canid is Lupulella mohibi sp. nov., remarkable by its Nyctereutes‐like dentition and primitive skull‐features. These are all endemic forms, but V. vulpes and C. aureus, of northern origin, appear in the course of the middle Pleistocene. Lycaon has a sparse record in the middle and late Pleistocene.     

A new large barn owl (Aves, Strigiformes, Tytonidae) from the Middle Pleistocene of Sicily, Italy, and its taphonomical significance

A new species of Tytonidae, Tyto mourerchauvireae, is described from the Sicilian cave deposits of Spinagallo, Luparello and Marasà, which have yielded a common vertebrate fossil assemblages referred to the early Middle Pleistocene. T. mourerchauvireae nov. sp. shows a pronounced increase in body size compared to other congeneric taxa. It is larger than the extant Tyto alba and the extinct Tyto balearica and Tyto sanctialbani and comparable in size among the Mediterranean taxa only with the extinct Tyto robusta, which differs in some morphological characteristics of the long bones. The insular adaptations of T. mourerchauvireae nov. sp. and the differences from the other forms of the genus Tyto which spread through the Mediterranean area during Neogene and Pleistocene are discussed. The fossil assemblages of the early Middle Pleistocene of Sicily are dominated by extinct giant Gliridae of the genus Leithia and Maltamys; these taxa are regarded as the primary prey items of T. mourerchauvireae nov. sp. The Gliridae remains were analysed microscopically to detect possible modifications of bones and teeth caused by ingestion and digestion processes. This type of analysis, together with the qualitative study of the fossil assemblages, allows to show the taphonomical importance of T. mourerchauvireae nov. sp. as agent of accumulation in such Sicilian fossil assemblages. Incidentally the taxonomic validity of T. robusta is discussed and confirmed.