1. The first carnivoran fauna from the Ruscinium (Early Pliocene, MN 15) of Germany
- Author
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Martin Kundrát and Michael Morlo
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,Fauna ,Mustelidae ,Paleontology ,Zoology ,Biology ,biology.organism_classification ,Ursus minimus ,01 natural sciences ,Intraspecific competition ,Taxon ,Ailuridae ,Taxonomy (biology) ,Ardea ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
The first detailed description and comparative information is given for the carnivoran fauna from Wolfersheim (Hesse), the only Ruscinian (MN 15) fauna thus far known from Germany. The Carnivora is represented by 31 specimens which belong to the following taxa:Ursus minimus boeckhi n. comb., cf.Pannonictis, Enhydrictis ardea, Baranogale sp.,Mustela plioerminea, andParailurus anglicus. The specimens ofUrsus, Enhydrictis, andMustela show the most plesiomorphic states of tooth morphology hitherto known in these genera. With a total of 18 specimens,Parailurus is the most common carnivoran in Wolfersheim and makes the collection the second largest assemblage of fossil ailurids. It provides new information about intraspecific dental variability which allows placement of all specimens described asP. hungaricus into the type speciesP. anglicus. Furthermore, we offer additional support for the validity of the genusParailurus. One controversial specimen is interpreted as a dP4/ ofP. anglicus instead of as an aberrant Ml/ of a newParailurus species.
- Published
- 2001
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