Early Miocene Carnivora of Aktau Mountains, South Eastern Kazakhstan

New material is described ofAktaucyon brachifacialis n. gen., n. sp. (Amphicyonidae, Daphoeninae),Phoberocyon (Cinctocyon n. subgen.)akhmetievi n. sp. (Ursidae, Hemicyoninae), and Mustelidae indet. from the lower Miocene deposits of the middle Member of the Chul’adyr Formation in the Aktau Mountains, Ili Basin, SE Kazakhstan. Daphoenine remnants are reported from Asia for the first time. They are assigned to the new tribe Aktaucyonini, which are middle to large-sized amphicyonids with a shortened facial region; a reduced P/1; enlarged upper canines; an enlarged P4/ with a welldeveloped protocone, paracone and parastyle blade; enlarged M1/ and M2/, which have conical protocones, symmetrical talons, and reduced hypoconules; and an M2/ that is transversely widened with a greatly reduced metacone. The phoberocyonine described here is the first reported from Kazakhstan and for the whole western part of Central Asia. The composition of the carnivore fauna resembles that from Shanwang, eastern China (MN 4–5).