New material of Vallesian Late Miocene hipparions (Mammalia, Perissodactyla) from the lower Axios valley, Macedonia, Greece

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
George D. Koufos
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camille Grohe

I describe new specimens of carnivoran mammals from the continental late Miocene Baynunah Formation, exposed in the western coastal region of Abu Dhabi Emirate. New material collected between 2002 and 2014 includes dental specimens of the mustelid Plesiogulo sp. and a large-sized hyaenid, postcranial remains and an upper canine of a large- sized machairodontine felid, postcrania and a tooth of a medium-sized felid, and postcrania of a medium-sized mustelid. The latter two are new taxonomic records for the Baynunah Formation. With a minimum of six species, the carnivoran assemblage from the Baynunah Formation is the richest known from the Miocene of the Arabian Peninsula.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Syromyatnikova ◽  
Igor Danilov

Background. Sakya Bogachev, 1960 is a genus of geoemydid turtles with unusual scalation of the carapace consisting of 9–10 vertebrals and 8–10 pairs of pleurals. It is known from Neogene localities of Eastern Europe and includes two species: Sakya riabinini (Khosatzky, 1946) (= S. pontica Bogachev, 1960), from the late Miocene (MN13) to early Pleistocene of Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine) and Sakya kolakovskii Chkhikvadze, 1968 from the Pliocene of Abkhazia. Attribution of Melanochelys etuliensis Khosatzky and Redkozubov, 1986 from the early Pliocene of Moldova to Sakya is poorly corroborated. Here we report new material of Sakya from the late Miocene of Russia and Ukraine, which, probably, belongs to one or two new species of this genus and expands its stratigraphic distribution. Methods. We examined new material of Sakya, that includes posterior part of carapace and incomplete plastron from Morskaya 2 locality (MN 13, Rostov Province, Russia), incomplete carapace and plastron from Egorovka locality (MN 12, Odessa Province, Ukraine), and fragmentary shell remains from Fortepianka locality (MN 11, Republic of Adygea, Russia). For comparison we used published data and personal observations on other specimens of Sakya. Results. The specimens from Morskaya 2 and Egorovka are assigned to Sakya based on the presence of increased number of vertebrals and pleurals. Both specimens differ from the described species of Sakya by reduced number of vertebrals (seven in the Morskaya 2 specimen, and five in the Egorovka specimen), and extension of the posteriormost vertebral onto pygal. In addition, they differ from S. riabinini in the presence of eight neurals, longer than wide pleurals, and from S. kolakovskii in the presence of two suprapygals and serrated posterior edge of the carapace. The material from Fortepianka is too fragmentary for detailed comparison, but also differs from S. riabinini in the reduced number of vertebrals. Discussion. The reported material may represent one or two new species of Sakya. The reduced number of vertebrals in these forms probably represents a primitive condition, whereas the extension of the posteriormost vertebral onto the pygal may be a synapomorphy, which unites the new forms. Thus, the Morskaya 2 and Egorovka specimens of Sakya may represent a separate primitive lineage of this genus. In this case, S. kolakovskii and S. riabinini form a more advanced clade with increased number of carapacial scales. These issues as well as phylogenetic position of Sakya within Geoemydidae will be checked by future phylogenetic analysis. The Sakya material from Fortepianka (MN11, late Sarmatian) represents the earliest reliable record of this genus, known previously beginning from MN 12 (Meotic).


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 172437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Dewaele ◽  
Carlos Mauricio Peredo ◽  
Pjotr Meyvisch ◽  
Stephen Louwye

While the diversity of ‘southern seals’, or Monachinae, in the North Atlantic realm is currently limited to the Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus , their diversity was much higher during the late Miocene and Pliocene. Although the fossil record of Monachinae from the North Atlantic is mainly composed of isolated specimens, many taxa have been erected on the basis of fragmentary and incomparable specimens. The humerus is commonly considered the most diagnostic postcranial bone. The research presented in this study limits the selection of type specimens for different fossil Monachinae to humeri and questions fossil taxa that have other types of bones as type specimens, such as for Terranectes parvus . In addition, it is essential that the humeri selected as type specimens are (almost) complete. This questions the validity of partial humeri selected as type specimens, such as for Terranectes magnus . This study revises Callophoca obscura , Homiphoca capensis and Pliophoca etrusca , all purportedly known from the Lee Creek Mine, Aurora, North Carolina, in addition to their respective type localities in Belgium, South Africa and Italy, respectively. C. obscura is retained as a monachine seal taxon that lived both on the east coast of North America and in the North Sea Basin. However, H. capensis from North America cannot be identified beyond the genus level, and specimens previously assigned to Pl. etrusca from North America clearly belong to different taxa. Indeed, we also present new material and describe two new genera of late Miocene and Pliocene Monachinae from the east coast of North America: Auroraphoca atlantica nov. gen. et nov. sp., and Virginiaphoca magurai nov. gen. et nov. sp. This suggests less faunal interchange of late Neogene Monachinae between the east and west coasts of the North Atlantic than previously expected.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Syromyatnikova ◽  
Igor Danilov

Background. Sakya Bogachev, 1960 is a genus of geoemydid turtles with unusual scalation of the carapace consisting of 9–10 vertebrals and 8–10 pairs of pleurals. It is known from Neogene localities of Eastern Europe and includes two species: Sakya riabinini (Khosatzky, 1946) (= S. pontica Bogachev, 1960), from the late Miocene (MN13) to early Pleistocene of Eastern Europe (Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine) and Sakya kolakovskii Chkhikvadze, 1968 from the Pliocene of Abkhazia. Attribution of Melanochelys etuliensis Khosatzky and Redkozubov, 1986 from the early Pliocene of Moldova to Sakya is poorly corroborated. Here we report new material of Sakya from the late Miocene of Russia and Ukraine, which, probably, belongs to one or two new species of this genus and expands its stratigraphic distribution. Methods. We examined new material of Sakya, that includes posterior part of carapace and incomplete plastron from Morskaya 2 locality (MN 13, Rostov Province, Russia), incomplete carapace and plastron from Egorovka locality (MN 12, Odessa Province, Ukraine), and fragmentary shell remains from Fortepianka locality (MN 11, Republic of Adygea, Russia). For comparison we used published data and personal observations on other specimens of Sakya. Results. The specimens from Morskaya 2 and Egorovka are assigned to Sakya based on the presence of increased number of vertebrals and pleurals. Both specimens differ from the described species of Sakya by reduced number of vertebrals (seven in the Morskaya 2 specimen, and five in the Egorovka specimen), and extension of the posteriormost vertebral onto pygal. In addition, they differ from S. riabinini in the presence of eight neurals, longer than wide pleurals, and from S. kolakovskii in the presence of two suprapygals and serrated posterior edge of the carapace. The material from Fortepianka is too fragmentary for detailed comparison, but also differs from S. riabinini in the reduced number of vertebrals. Discussion. The reported material may represent one or two new species of Sakya. The reduced number of vertebrals in these forms probably represents a primitive condition, whereas the extension of the posteriormost vertebral onto the pygal may be a synapomorphy, which unites the new forms. Thus, the Morskaya 2 and Egorovka specimens of Sakya may represent a separate primitive lineage of this genus. In this case, S. kolakovskii and S. riabinini form a more advanced clade with increased number of carapacial scales. These issues as well as phylogenetic position of Sakya within Geoemydidae will be checked by future phylogenetic analysis. The Sakya material from Fortepianka (MN11, late Sarmatian) represents the earliest reliable record of this genus, known previously beginning from MN 12 (Meotic).


2017 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Vlachos ◽  
E. Tsoukala

In this paper we describe a new Neogene mammalian site and one of the latest discoveries of a fossil tortoise in Greece, from Platania locality, in Drama basin, Northern Greece. The preliminary study of the numerous fossil mammal remains shows that the recovered fauna is of Late Miocene age. The tortoise material consists of a partial shell and a limb bone that belong to the same individual. They are attributed to the Testudo cf. graeca, and are members of the Testudo s.s. lineage, characterized by the presence of a hypo–xiphiplastral hinge. This new material indicates that the presence of T. graeca in Greece could expand into the Late Miocene. Comparisons with other fossils of the genus Testudo s.s. from Greece, allowed the revision of previously published specimens of T. graeca.


1997 ◽  
Vol 1997 (5) ◽  
pp. 255-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis De Bonis ◽  
Genevieve Bouvrain ◽  
Denis Geraads ◽  
George D. Koufos
Keyword(s):  

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