Print ISSN: 0031-0247
Online ISSN: 2274-0333
Frequency: biannual
Abstract book of the 18th Conference of the EAVP
Diversity changes in South American Cenozoic mammals
Partial skeleton of Metaxytherium medium from France
New Gargantuavis specimens from the Late Cretaceous of France
Historical dicoveries of paleogene mammals
Eocene (56) , Quercy Phosphorites (37) , Systematics (31) , Rodents (29) , Mammalia (26)
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Paleobiology of Messel ErinaceomorphsGerhard StorchKeywords: Erinaceomorpha; Germany; Grube Messel; Lipotyphla; Middle Eocene; PaleobiologyAbstract Three erinaceomorph species are known from the early Middle Eocene of Grube Messel near Darmstadt, Germany, which are referred to the family Amphilemuridae. Pholidocercus hassiacus, Macrocranion tupaiodon, and Macrocranion tenerum showed extraordinary adaptations to their different life strategies, and several of their specializations are unknown among living insectivores. Pholídocercus was a well-defended robust animal with an opportunistic feeding strategy. Macrocraníon zupaiodon was a slender forest floor-dweller with saltatorial specializations to escape from predators; fishes were the preferred component of its omnivorous diet. Macrocranion tenerum exhibited a combination of both survival strategies, extremely elongated hind limbs for rapid and even ricochetal flight and a spiny exterior as an effective protective device; it was probably specialized for feeding on ants. Thus, closely related, omnivorous-insectivorous forest floor-dwellers could exploit the Messel ecosystem. Article infos Published in Vol. 25, Fasc. 2-4 (1996) |
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Hexanchiforme nouveau (Neoselachii) du Crétacé inférieur du Sud de la FranceHenri CappettaKeywords: Hexanchiformes; New genera; Southern France; Systematics; ValanginianAbstract The dentition of Welcommia bodeuri nov. gen. nov. sp. from the Valanginian of Southem France is described and reconstructed. Species and genera of Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Hexanchiformes are reviewed and discussed. Article infos Published in Vol. 20, Fasc. 1 (1990) |
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Additions to the elasmobranch assemblage from the Bandah Formation (middle Eocene, Bartonian), Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan, India, and the palaeobiogeographic implications of the faunaRajendra S. Rana, Raman Patel, David J. Cicimurri and Jun A. EbersoleKeywords: Chondrichthyes; Elasmobranchii; Indian Ocean; Palaeogene; South Asiadoi: 10.18563/pv.44.2.e1 Abstract Isolated elasmobranch teeth (sharks and rays) from the middle Eocene (Bartonian) Bandah Formation in the Jaisalmer District of Rajasthan, India are described. The remains improve our knowledge of the environment represented by this lithostratigraphic unit and the ecology preserved therein. Seventeen unequivocal taxa were identified, including Nebrius sp., Striatolamia aff. S. macrota, Brachycarcharias atlasi, B. lerichei, cf. Jaekelotodus sp., Carcharhinus mancinae, Rhizoprionodon sp., Physogaleus sp., Galeocerdo clarkensis, G. eaglesomei, Odontorhytis aff. O. pappenheimi, “Rhinobatos” sp., “Dasyatis” sp., Coupatezia sp., “Aetomylaeus” sp., “Rhinoptera” sp., and Ouledia aff. O. lacuna. Of these, “Aetomylaeus” sp., B. atlasi, C. mancinae, G. clarkensis, G. eaglesomei, cf. Jaekelotodus sp., Nebrius sp., Odontorhytis aff. O. pappenheimi, Ouledia aff. O. lacuna, and “Rhinoptera” sp. are reported from the middle Eocene of India for the first time. The Bandah Formation elasmobranch palaeofauna has close affinities to the Palaeocene-Eocene Tethyan/Paratethyan faunas of Africa, Madagascar, Asia, and Europe, and some taxa indicate a western hemisphere influence from North America. The Bandah Formation palaeofauna indicates that deposition occurred in a moderately shallow marine environment. The Bartonian age is primarily based on foraminifera but is corroborated by the presence of elasmobranch taxa that also occur in contemporaneous deposits elsewhere. The marine regression started during the early Palaeogene, and our study indicates that the sea completely withdrew from the Jaisalmer Basin after the deposition of the Bandah Formation. This event may have been synchronous with the middle Eocene uplift of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau. Article infos Published in 44-2 (2021) |
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Enamel hypoplasia on rhinocerotoid teeth: Does CT-scan imaging detect the defects better than the naked eye?Manon Hullot and Pierre-Olivier AntoineKeywords: fossil teeth; method; micro-CT imaging; Rhinocerotoideadoi: 10.18563/pv.45.1.e2 Abstract Micro-CT imaging is an increasingly popular method in paleontology giving access to internal structures with a high resolution and without destroying precious specimens. However, its potential for the study of hypoplasia defects has only recently been investigated. Here, we propose a preliminary study to test whether hypoplastic defects can be detected with micro-CT (μCT) scan and we assess the costs and benefits of using this method instead of naked eye. To do so, we studied 13 fossil rhinocerotid teeth bearing hypoplasia from Béon 1 (late early Miocene, Southwestern France) as positive control and 11 teeth of the amynodontid Cadurcotherium (Oligocene, Phosphorites du Quercy, Southwestern France), for which enamel was partly or totally obscured by cement. We showed that all macroscopically-spotted defects were retrieved on 3D reconstructions and selected virtual slices. We also detected additional defects using μCT scan compared to naked eye identification. The number of defects detected using μCT was greater in the Cadurcotherium dataset (paired-sample Wilcoxon test, p-value = 0.02724) but not for our control sample (paired-sample Wilcoxon test, p-value = 0.1171). Moreover, it allowed for measuring width and depth of the defects on virtual slices (sometimes linked to stress duration and severity, respectively), which we could not do macroscopically. As μCT imaging is both expensive and time consuming while not drastically improving the results, we recommend a moderate and thoughtful use of this method for hypoplasia investigations, restricted for instance to teeth for which enamel surface is obscured (presence of cement, uncomplete preparation, or unerupted germs). Article infos Published in 45-1 (2022) |
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Dilambodont Molars :a functional interpretation of their evolutionPercy M. ButlerKeywords: Convergent evolution; Dilambdodont; Molar function; Molar teethAbstract In dilambdodont molars the primitive crest between paracone and metacone (centrocrista) is represented by a pair of crests that join the mesostyle (postparacrista, premetacrista). The cutting action of these crests against the crests of the hypoconid is described. Dilambdodonty is a derived adaptation for greater cutting efficiency. It has evolved several times and in more than one way. Article infos Published in Vol. 25, Fasc. 2-4 (1996) |
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Relations phylétiques de Bachitherium filhol, ruminant de l'Oligocène d'Europe Occidentale.Denis Geraads, Geneviève Bouvrain and Jean SudreKeywords: Artiodactyla; Bachitherium; Cladistic analysis; France; Mammalia; Oligocene; RuminantiaAbstract A detailed comparative study of a complete skeleton of Bachitherium and a cladistic analysis of the sub-order Neoselenodontia lead us to propose a cladogram and a new classification of this group. The Tylopoda are the sister-group of the Ruminantia, which are chiefly defined by the fusion of the cuboid and navicular. Within this infra-order, Amphimeryx is the sister genus of a tetraselenodont group, in which the Hypertragulidae are well-separated group from a monophyletic group defined by the loss of trapezium, fusion of capitatum and trapezoid, and the isolation of the hypoconid on lower molars. The most primitive genera of this group, Lophiomeryx and Iberomeryx still have an open trigonid on the lower molars, but this is lingually closed in Archaeomeryx, sister-genus of the higher Ruminantia which have fused metatarsals and more evolved milk teeth. We divide them into two pan/orders : Tragulina (including the recent and miocene Tragulidae, and the North-American Leptomerycidae), and Pecora, with reduced lateral metacarpals and a new crest (telocristid) on the lower premolars. Within the Pecora, the upper molars of Gelocus are more primitive than those of Bachitherium (a genus with many autapomorphies in the dentition) itself more primitive than the group Prodremotherium + Eupecora, with fused metacarpals. We consider the Eupecora (including several genera without frontal appendages) to be monophyletic. Article infos Published in Vol. 17, Fasc. 2 (1987) |
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The Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Robinson Cave, Overton County, TennesseeJ. E. Guilday, H. W. Hamilton and A. D. Mc CradyKeywords: Fauna; Mammalia; Pleistocene; Tennesseedoi: 10.18563/pv.2.2.25-75 Abstract A late Pleistocene deposit of 60 species of vertebrates and 12 of invertebrates is described from Robinson Cave, Overton County, Tennessee, U.S.A. Forty-eight species of mammals are represented by at least 2,483 individuals; 10 % are extinct, 10 % occur in the state only as boreal relicts in the Great Smoky Mountains; 23 % no longer occur as far south as Tennessee; 57 % occur at or near the site today. Nínety-one percent of the Recent mammal species can be found living today in the Minnesota-Wisconsin area, approximately 10 degrees farther north. Fluorine analysis suggests a long period of accumulation. The following 10 mammalian species are recorded from Tennessee for the first time. Sorex arcticus, Microsorex hoyi, Citellus tridecemlineatus, Clethrionomys gapperi, Microtus pennsylvanicus, Synaptomys cooperi, Synaptomys borealis, Zapus nudsonius, Napaeozapus insignis, Martes americana. Six additional species are present as boreal relicts in the Great Smoky Mountains of eastern Tennessee but not at the site today : Sorex cinereus, Sorex dispar, Sorex palustris, Parascalops breweri, Glaucomys sabrinus, Mustela nivalis. Six forms are extinct: Canis dirus, Ursus americanus amplidens, Sangamona furtiva, Dasypus bellus, Mammut americanus,Megalonyx jeffersoni. Twenty-six additional species of mammals, all of the snails, birds, reptiles, and amphibians recovered from the fauna still inhabit the area today: The fauna is indicative of a cold-temperate climatic episode associated with the Wisconsin glaciation, but may be chronologically mixed. Article infos Published in Vol. 02, Fasc. 2 (1969) |
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The geologically youngest remains of an ornithocheirid pterosaur from the late Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous) of northeastern Mexico with implications on the paleogeography and extinction of Late Cretaceous ornithocheiridsEberhard D. Frey, Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, David M. Martill, Héctor E. Rivera-Sylva and Héctor Porras MúzquizKeywords: Coahuila; Late Cenomanian; north-eastern Mexico; Ornithocheiridae; Pterosauriadoi: 10.18563/pv.43.1.e4 Abstract Ornithocheirid pterosaurs were the largest of the toothed pterodactyloids and had a worldwide distribution, although their fossil record is fragmentary, with the exception of the north-eastern Brazilian Crato and Santana Formations (Aptian, ?Albian, Early Cretaceous). With Istiodactylidae, they were also the only toothed pterosaurs that survived into the Cenomanian (Late Cretaceous), becoming extinct at the end of this period. Here we report on an ornithocheirid metacapus from the Late Cenomanian laminated limestone of north-eastern Mexico discovered about 120 km north-west of Ciudad Acuña, northern Coahuila at the south banks of Rio Bravo. The specimen comprises a fragmentary distal syncarpal, a crushed but complete metacarpal IV, two fragmentary preaxial metacarpals and a possible fragmentary terminal left wing finger phalanx. It represents the geologically youngest known ornithocheirid worldwide. We suggest that ornithocheirid pterosaurs may have become extinct because of massive sea level fluctuations during the mid to late Cretaceous that may have obliterated their breeding sites on coastal plains and low lying islands. Article infos Published in Vol 43-1 (2020) |
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Neolicaphrium recens Frenguelli,1921,the only surviving proterotheriidae (Litopterna, Mammalia) into the south american Pleistocene.Mariano Bond, Daniel Perea, Martin Ubilla and Adan TauberKeywords: Litopterna; Neolicaphrium recens; Pleistocene; Proterotheriidae; South AmericaAbstract The litoptem Proterotheriidae are extinct endemic South American ungulates frequently used as an example of evolutionary convergence with the horses. They were considered to be exclusively Tertiary representatives with the youngest record being in the late Pliocene, before the appearence of the equids and cervids during the Great American Interchange. Two undoubted Pleistocene records in Argentina and the specimen here described from Uruguay, confirm the persistence of the proterotherids into that period. In the Quaternary, these ungulates are found outside the typical pampean region and probably were confined to a few northern and warmer more forested relictual microhabitats. Article infos Published in Vol. 30, Fasc. 1-2 (2001) |
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Diversity among north african dinosaur eggshells.Monique Vianey-Liaud and Géraldine GarciaKeywords: Cretaceous; Dinosaurs diversity; Eggshells; Maastrichtian; Morocco; North Africa; taxonomyAbstract Until the discovery of dinosaur eggshells locality in the Oukdiksou syncline, (Middle Atlas, Morocco) in 1999 (Garcia et al. this volume) the maastrichtian reptiles faunas were unknown in North Africa. Additional material from Achlouj-2 allows us to describe five oospecies, belonging to four oofamilies. The Megaloolithidae is recorded by Megaloolithus maghrebiellsis Garcia el al. and Pseudomegaloolithus atlasi oogen. novo oospec. nov. Tipoolithus achloujensis Garcia et al. is questionably considered as a Subtiliolithidae. A relatively small Elongatoloolithidae is represented by Rodolphoolithus arioul oogen. nov. oospec. nov. A thin Prismatoolithidae is described as a new oospecies of ? Pseudogeckoolithus Vianey-Liaud & Lopez-Martinez, 1997: P. tirboulensis. The diversity of these oospecies indicates that the dinosaur fauna comprises at least five dinosaur oospecies, with perhaps one sauropod and three theropods. Article infos Published in Vol. 32, Fasc. 2-4 (2003) |
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Nouveaux Mammifères Eocènes du Sahara OccidentalJean SudreKeywords: Eocene; Mammals; Occidental SaharaAbstract The fossil mammals collected from the Eocene of Hammada du Dra (northwest Sahara. Algeria) and two fragmentary teeth from the Lutetian of M'Bodione Dadere (Senegal) are described. Article infos Published in Vol. 09, Fasc. 3 (1979) |
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New murids and gerbillids (Rodentia, Mammalia) from Pliocene Siwalik sediments of India.Rajeev PatnaikKeywords: Dental morphology; evolution; new species of murids and gerbillids; phylogenetic relationships; SystematicsAbstract Murids and gerbillids (Rodentia, Mammalia) recovered from four Upper Siwalik localities; Moginand (around 3.5-4.5 m.y.), Kanthro (around 2.5 m.y.), Ghaggar (around 2 m.y.) and Nadah (around 1.8-2 m.y.) are described herein. A comparison of Mus linnaeusi sp. nov. reveals its close relationship towards the house mouse Mus musculus. In contradiction to earlier proposals that Golunda migrated to the Indian subcontinent from Africa sometime during Late Pliocene, it is suggested here that Golunda (in the form of Golunda tatroticus sp. nov.) evolved from Parapelomys robertsí of Late Miocene deposits of Siwaliks. Golunda tatroticus sp. nov. exhibits a progressive relationship to the extant Indian Bush Rat Golunda ellioti through Golunda kelleri and Golunda sp. Tatera pinjoricus sp. nov. is considered here to be a link between the extinct Abudhabia kabulense and the extant Tatera indica. Article infos Published in Vol. 26, Fasc. 1-4 (1997) |
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Modification du statut générique de quelques espèces de sélaciens crétacés et tertiairesHenri CappettaKeywords: Cretaceous; Selachians; TertiaryAbstract The re-examination of six fossil selachian species has involved the creation of six new genera: Squatiscyllium, Protolamna, Parotodus, Abdounia, Physogaleus, Hypolophodon and of one new species : Prozolamna sokolovi. The modification of the generic statute of these species allows to clarify their systematic position and to define their relationships at a familial level. Article infos Published in Vol. 10, Fasc. 1 (1980) |
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A primitive Emballonurid bat (Chiroptera, Mammalia) from the Earliest Eocene of EnglandJerry J. HookerKeywords: bats; Early Eocene; Emballonuridae; Origins; PHYLOGENYAbstract A new genus, Eppsillycteris, is erected for Adapisorex? allglicus COOPER, 1932, from the earliest Eocene Blackheath Beds of Abbey Wood, London, England. Various derived character states indicate that it belongs to the order Chiroptera (bats) rather than to the extinct "insectivore" family Adapisoricidae. Other derived character states are shared with fossil and modern members of the family Emballonuridae. Placement of the new genus in this family extends the record of the Emballonuridae back in time by about 10 million years. It is the earliest record of a modern bat family and one of the earliest bats. This implies that the differentiation of at least some modern bat families took place in the Palaeocene, where no authenticated records of bats yet exist. The primitive characters of the earliest bats make the family Nyctitheriidae an unlikely stem group for the order Chiroptera. A tentative plausible alternative exists in some unnamed upper molars from the Palaeocene of Walbeck, Germany. Wyollycteris chalix, described as a bat from the Late Palaeocene of Wyoming, U,S.A., fits better in the family Nyctitheriidae. Article infos Published in Vol. 25, Fasc. 2-4 (1996) |
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The skull of Tetraceratops insignis (Synapsida, Sphenacodontia)Frederik SpindlerKeywords: cranium; pelycosaur; Permian; therapsid originsdoi: 10.18563/pv.43.1.e1 Abstract Tetraceratops insignis is known from a single, crushed skull from the Lower Permian of Texas. Its unique proportions and osteological details gained central meaning in the question of the origins of Therapsida since this early synapsid has been determined as the oldest and less derived therapsid. Apart from Tetraceratops, the ‘mammal-like’ Therapsida and their sister, the pelycosaur-grade Sphenacodontidae, are separated by one of the longest ghost lineages in tetrapod fossil record. However, the minor, though well justified critique faced insistent publication regarding the therapsid hypothesis. A carefull re-evaluation of the holotypic skull reveals that therapsid traits cannot be supported, including a rejection of the formerly supposed adductor shelf in the temporal fenestra. Increased understanding of ‘pelycosaur’ character variation underlines a haptodontine-grade or, less likely, sphenacodontid position for Tetraceratops. Article infos Published in Vol 43-1 (2020) |
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Skeleton of early Eocene Homogalax and the origin of PerissodactylaKenneth D. RoseKeywords: Eocene; Homogalax; Perissodactyla; Skeletal AnatomyAbstract The first good skeletal remains of Homogalax protapirinus from the Wasatchian of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, indicate that this primitive tapiromorph was more plesiomorphic in many features than primitive equoids including Hyracotherium. Compared to Hyracotherium, Homogalax more closely resembles Phenacodonta (the closest outgroup of Perissodactyla for which postcrania are known) in various details of articular surfaces, muscle attachments, and proportions of the humerus, manus, and pes.Among known taxa, Homogalax most nearly approximates the plesiomorphic postcranial skeletal anatomy of Perissodactyla. Article infos Published in Vol. 25, Fasc. 2-4 (1996) |
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Arvicolinae (Rodentia) du Pliocène terminal et du quaternaire ancien de France et d'Espagne.Jacques MichauxKeywords: Arvicolinae; France; Pleistocene; Pliocene; Spaindoi: 10.18563/pv.4.5.137-214 Abstract Two steps can be distinguished in the history of the first invasion of western and south western Europe by the arvicolines. The first step corresponds to the installation of these rodents with the immigration of Promimonys inxuliferus Kowalski, then of Mimomys stehlini Kormos and of Mimomys gracilis (Kretzoi). The second is characterized by the establishment of a geographic differentiation in the arvicoline fauna between the south of France and Spain, from where are described new species of Mimomys (Mimamys cappettai, Mimomys septimanus, Mimonys medasensis), and the rest of France, where are found only elements already known from central Europe or England (Mimomys polonicus Kowalski, Mimomys pliocaenicus F. Major, Mimomys reidi Hinton, or forms very close to the latter). This geographic differentiation, which is very certainly the consequence of the division of Europe into distinct climatic provinces, one of them being the southern province comprising at least Spain and southern France, could result from a cladogenetic evolution of Mimomys stehlini and Mimomys gracilis after their immigration. The present work is also a contribution to the search for correlations between the diverse micromammal localities of the latest Pliocene (or early Villafranchian) and of the early Quaternary of Europe. Article infos Published in Vol. 04, Fasc. 5 (1971) |
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Contribution à la classification des Pistes de Vertébrés du Trias : les types du Stormberg d'Afrique du Sud (2 ème Partie: le Stormberg supérieur - 1. Le biome de la zone B/1 ou niveau de Moyeni: ses biocénoses).Paul EllenbergerKeywords: biocenosis; Footprints; South Africa; Stormberg; TriasAbstract Les Pistes de Vertébrés du Stormberg Supérieur ("Trias terminal à Rhétien"), ou Quthingien Article infos Published in Vol. 6, Ext (1974) |
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Insectivores pliocènes du Sud de la France (Languedoc-Roussillon) et du Nord-Est de l'Espagne.Jean-Yves CrochetKeywords: Biostratigraphy; Insectivora; Languedoc; Pliocene; Spain; SystematicsAbstract The first lists of Insectivores (Erinaceidae, Talpidae and Soricidae) from the Pliocene beds of Southern France and North-East Spain are given in this paper. The material from twelve localities is studied. These localities are geographically situated in Languedoc (Celleneuve, Vendargues, Nîmes, Sète, Balaruc 2 and Seynes), in Roussillon (Terrats, Serrats-d'en-Vacquer, Château d'eau and Mont-Hélène) and in North-East Spain (Layna, Medas Islands and Puebla de Valverde). These faunas correspond to the Early, Middle and Late Pliocene. 1 to 8 taxa are identified in these localities and 14 specific taxa are presently listed for this period in this area. Two new specific taxa are described as Galerix depereti nov. sp. from all the Early Pliocene localities in the North-Pyrenean area and as Desmanella gardiolensis nov. sp. from Balaruc 2. For this small mammals, two faunal assemblages are recognized. The first one is dated from the Early Pliocene (F 1, 2 and 3 zones in Aguilar et Michaux) and is characterized by Galerix depereti and rare and little diversified Soricids. The second one is Late Pliocene in age (zones G 2 and G 3). The fossils of the genus Talpa are relatively abundant and the Soricids are diversified and very abundant. The Middle Pliocene (zone G 1) is a transitional period. ln these faunas, most of the insectivore genera are known from the European Late Miocene beds (8 on 10). This fact demonstrates a relative continuity between the invectivore faunas from the Late Miocene to the Early Pliocene. In conclusion, somme paleoecological considerations are suggested. Article infos Published in Vol. 16, Fasc. 3 (1986) |
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Mammals of the Eocene locality Toru Ajgyr (Kyrgyzstan)Jorg Erfurt and Alexander AverianovKeywords: Eocene; Kyrgyzstan; Mammalia; Olsenia; Palaeoecology; Stratigraphy; taxonomyAbstract Morphological descriptions are given of Eocene mammals from the locality Toru Ajgyr (NEKyrgyzstan) that were excavated in 1997 and 1998 in a cooperation between the Martin-Luther-University Halle (Germany), the Zoological Institute in St. Petersburg (Russia) and the Seismological Institute in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan). The species found belong mostly to perissodactyls, as Lophialetes sp., Teleolophus sp. and brontotheres. The primitive ungulate family Olseniidae is represented by a complete foot skeleton of cf. Olsenia sp. In addition, postcranial materials of Gobiatherium mirificum (Dinocerata) and of artiodactyls have been collected and are described herein. Based on mammals, the locality is part of the Asian Land Mammal Age Arshantan and is stratigraphically equivalent with the Bridgerian Land Mammal Age in North America and with the lower and middle Geiseltalian of the European Middle Eocene. Article infos Published in Vol. 34, Fasc. 3-4 (2006) |
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