Search

We thank the reviewers for their insightful comments which allowed to improve this article. We thank all the people who worked with LdB in the locality Itardies. We are grateful to the members of the UMR 7262 (PALEVOPRIM, CNRS and University of Poitiers) and of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, in which this paper was prepared, and especially Camille Grohé for our constructive discussions, Jérôme Surault for taking some of the photos of the fossil specimens and Pablo Peláez-Campomanes for providing access to the microscope to take pictures of the smallest skeletal elements. We also thank Heather F. Smith for kindly providing us the measurements protocol used for the LDA. We thank the Anatomical Collections of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC (especially its curator, Ángel Luis Garvía), and the Museo Anatómico de la Universidad de Valladolid, the Collections of Mammals and Birds of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle – Paris (especially their curators Géraldine Véron, Céline Bens and Aurélie Verguin) for providing the large sample of skeletons of extant carnivorans used for comparison., The research was funded by the French CNRS in the frame of the “Recherche coopérative sur programme : Phosphorites du Quercy”. This work is part of the PhD thesis of AG, who received financial assistance from the UMR 7262 (PALEVOPRIM, CNRS and University of Poitiers), the ASAP project (project n°210724, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France, PI: Olga Otero) and the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation (France). This study is also part of the research project PID2020-112642GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033. Manuel J. Salesa is member of the Research Groups CSIC 641538 (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain), and FOCONTUR (Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis, Teruel, Spain).

This paper provides a detailed description and the functional anatomy of the forelimb of an early Oligocene genet-sized arc-toid carnivoran, Amphicynodon leptorhynchus, to infer its probable lifestyle. This work represents the first insights into the functional anatomy of the postcranial skeleton and palaeoecology of an emblematic member of the first radiation of arctoid carnivorans, the poorly known Amphicynodontidae, a group very likely related to bears. So far, the Amphicynodontidae have only been studied on the basis of their cranial and dental remains. The fossil site of Itardies (MP23, lower Oligocene), in the Quercy Phosphorites (France), have yielded hundreds of postcranial remains attributed to Am. leptorhynchus, allowing a com-plete analysis of its locomotor behaviour in comparison to a large sample of extant carnivorans showing diverse lifestyles. The anatomy of the forelimb of Am. leptorhynchus indicates well-developed climbing skills and grasping abilities. Thus, this early arctoid was probably living mostly in trees, moving on the ground basically for foraging as observed in small modern climb-ing carnivorans such as the red panda or the kinkajou, although some other climbing carnivorans can also live in rocky areas., This research was funded by the French CNRS in the frame of the “Recherche coopérative sur programme : Phosphorites du Quercy”. This work is part of the master’s thesis of AG, who received financial assistance for international mobility: ERASMUS+ grant from the Faculté des Sciences of the Université de Montpellier (France) and AMI grant from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and Innovation.

International audience; The study and reanalysis of late Oligocene and middle Miocene dental material from Thailand provides evidence for long-distance stratigraphic correlations, and thus sheds new light on past terrestrial connections between Southeastern Asia and Europe. Here we report the oldest occurrence of Ursidae in southern Asia – a late Oligocene fossil from Nong Ya Plong previously referred to Mustelida but reattributed here to Cephalogale aff. geoffroyi (Ursidae, Hemicyoninae, Cephalogalini). We also describe a new Viverridae, Semigenetta cf. steinheimensis, from the middle Miocene carnivoran-rich locality of Mae Moh. The presence of these two taxa in Western Europe reinforces stratigraphic correlations of the MP29 and MN7–8 fossil sites with Southeast Asian localities. Members of the tribe Cephalogalini may have migrated several times from Asia to Europe, or vice-versa, during the Oligocene and early Miocene via either a northern route across northern China, or a southern route traversing southern Asia and the Middle East. Semigenetta could have dispersed along a corridor through Central Asia or a southern Asian route into Thailand during the middle Miocene. Our study thus indicates that medium- or large-sized carnivorans constitute a useful tool for reconstructing the paleobiogeography of extinct species.

An isolated mandible of Carnivora (Mammalia) from the phosphorites of Quercy (France) is described as a new genus. It is compared with the amphicyonid genus Cynodictis, some primitive North American amphicyonids, and with European and North American Eocene carnivoraforms. I conclude that it is a primitive amphicyonid which may be dated to the middle or late Eocene.

The study of the bovid assemblage from the primate-bearing site of Xirochori-1 in Axios Valley, Northern Greece, reveals the presence of four taxa, namely Gazella sp., Ouzocerus cf. pentalophosi, Helladorcas sp. and ‘Protoryx’ sp., and allows updating the faunal list of the Xirochori-1 Vallesian mammal fauna, dated at around 9.6 Ma. Gazella sp. from Xirochori-1 is distinct from Gazella sp. from the late Early Vallesian fauna from Pentalophos-1, suggesting the presence of two gazelle lineages in the Vallesian of Greece, the former possibly related to the Turolian Gazella pilgrimi. The solid evidence of Ouzocerus and Helladorcas in Xirochori-1 extends the ranges of these two genera into the Late Vallesian of Greece, whereas the presence of a large bovid of the ‘Protoryx group’ increases the signal of caprine-like bovids in the Vallesian of the area. The revision of the Xirochori-1 bovids allows reconsidering the changes through time of the artiodactyl assemblage associated with the hominoid primate Ouranopithecus.

Les Carnivora affichent un large panel d’adaptations écologiques et notamment de comportements locomoteurs : généraliste, grimpeur, coureur, semi-fouisseur, nageur... Une des méthodes utilisées pour inférer le mode de vie des animaux éteints repose sur l’analyse des adaptations locomotrices illustrées par leur squelette. Pendant l’Oligocène ancien, la famille éteinte et probablement paraphylétique des Amphicynodontidae était très diversifiée en Eurasie, et constitue une famille emblématique des sites fossilifères des Phosphorites du Quercy (sud-ouest de la France). Pourtant, leur paléoécologie reste encore largement inconnue. Le site d’Itardies (MP23, environ 30 Ma) est une mine d'or pour l’étude des Amphicynodontidae, car il a livré des centaines de restes fossiles attribués à l’un de ces arctoïdes primitifs, Amphicynodon leptorhynchus. L’étude de nombreux restes post-crâniens appartenant à ce petit carnivore quercynois permet une analyse fonctionnelle détaillée de l’anatomie de ses membres, antérieur et postérieur, et ainsi de réaliser les premiers pas dans l’exploration de la paléoécologie des Amphicynodontidae. En comparant son squelette appendiculaire à ceux de douze carnivores actuels présentant des comportements locomoteurs variés, nous avons mis en évidence des adaptations au grimper chez A. leptorhynchus : mobilité des articulations dans l’espace en trois dimensions, puissante musculature permettant la traction du corps et le contrôle du mouvement sur des supports verticaux, capacités de manipulation développées, ainsi qu’une cheville très mobile permettant de réaliser une rotation du pied. D'après la morphologie de ses membres, A. leptorhynchus était probablement un carnivore grimpeur talentueux, qui se déplaçait avec agilité dans les arbres mais plutôt lentement avec des mouvements bien contrôlés, comme le font de nos jours les carnivores grimpeurs lents comme le kinkajou.Cette recherche a reçu le soutien financier du CNRS dans le cadre de la « Recherche coopérative sur programme : Phosphorites du Quercy”, des bourses d’aides à la mobilité ERASMUS+ de la Faculté des Sciences de l’Université de Montpellier et AMI du Ministère de l’Education Supérieure, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation et enfin du laboratoire PALEVOPRIM (CNRS et Université de Poitiers UMR 7262).

The Amphicynodontidae is a family of early arctoids, whose phylogenetic position within Carnivora is still debated and whose ecology has not been discussed so far, despite their abundance and diversification in the early Oligocene fossil record. This presentation provides the first insights on the ecology and functional anatomy of Amphicynodon leptorhynchus, a member of the first radiation of Arctoidea. Among the numerous localities of the Quercy Phosphorites, Itardies (MP23) is of particular interest in the study of the Amphicynodontidae, as it has yielded hundreds of well-preserved remains that can be attributed to this latter species. We describe in detail the forelimb anatomy of this 30 Myr old genet-sized carnivoran to assess its locomotor behavior, in comparison to 11 extant carnivorans with different locomotor adaptations. Despite general similarities with the digger model, most features shown by the forelimb A. leptorhynchus converge towards adaptations to climbing, such as a great range of mobility of the articulations, grasping abilities, a powerful musculature providing stability and a strong control of the movement when climbing on vertical supports. All those adaptations imply a lifestyle similar to that of small extant climbing carnivorans such as the red panda or the kinkajou, that live mostly in trees, descending to the ground basically for foraging, although some other climbing carnivorans can also live in rocky areas.

We here describe lizards and snakes from the late Miocene (MN 10) of Ravin de la Pluie, near Thessaloniki, Greece, a locality widely known for its hominoid primate Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. The new finds comprise two large-sized lizards (a probable anguine and a varanid) and two snakes (an elapid and a small-sized “colubrine”). Even if the material is represented by few specimens, this is the first record of squamates from the late Miocene MN 10 biozone of southeastern Europe and the third only for the whole continent. The importance of the varanid vertebrae for systematic attributions is discussed. The new varanid limb elements described herein rank among the few such specimens in the fossil record of monitor lizards. Judging from the new and previously published varanid appendicular material, we suggest that Neogene monitor lizards from Europe possessed comparatively short and robustly built limbs. Distinctive scars on one of the limb elements are interpreted as bite marks of a predator or scavenger, offering insights on the palaeoecology of the herpetofauna of the locality.

The rich fossiliferous locality of Rudabanya (Hungary) is dated to the Vallesian (late Miocene, MN 9). It contains several taxa of the order Carnivora. The aim of the present paper is to describe remains belonging to a new genus and species of Ursidae, Miomaci panonnicum. It is represented by upper and lower teeth which are compared to other Miocene ursids. Miomaci nov. gen. is most similar to Indarctos and is attributed to the tribe Indarctini within the sub-family of the Giant Panda, Ailuropodinae. Study of the dental micro-wear, despite the small sample size, shows that its diet was composed by tough food with shearing and less crushing mastication, indicating ecological similarities with the Giant Panda. Its habitat was probably a lakeshore with abundant herbaceous monocots.

The upper incisor lingual morphology of the late Miocene Greek hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis was almost unknown, as the described earlier maxillary remains preserve only worn incisors. During the most recent excavations in the type locality of Ouranopithecus, Ravin de la Pluie (RPl) of Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece), four little-worn upper central incisors were recovered. This material and a few additional worn upper incisors, discovered recently, are described and compared in this article. Even though a morphological comparison with the old RPl material, lacking unworn or little worn incisors, is impossible, the metrical comparison and the monospecific character of the RPl hominoid sample suggest that the described incisors can be assigned to Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. The described upper central incisors are separated in two size-groups which in general have similar morphology except for some minor differences such as the presence of a pronounced mesial lingual pillar in the small-sized specimens. The observed significant size difference among the studied incisors is attributed to the strong sexual dimorphism of Ouranopithecus, which is also well expressed in the other teeth. The lingual morphology of the upper incisors of Ouranopithecus are not identical to those of extant great apes, though they have some similarities with those of the African great apes (Gorilla and Pan), while they are clearly different from those of the Asian great ape (Pongo). Even though they have some morphological similarities, the O. macedoniensis central incisors are probably not identical to those of the Eurasian Miocene hominoids; the most similar central incisor is that of Ouranopithecus turkae. Among the known African Miocene hominoids, Nakalipithecus upper central incisor is quite similar in morphology and size to that of Ouranopithecus.

OBJECTIVES This study aims to virtually reconstruct the deformed face (XIR-1) and maxilla (RPl-128) of the Late Miocene hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis from Greece, through the application of mirror-imaging and segmentation. Additionally, analysis was conducted through 3D geometric morphometrics, utilizing a comparative sample of fossil hominoids, extant great apes (Gorilla, Pan, and Pongo) and humans, so as to explore shape variation and phenetic similarities between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS High-resolution computed tomography was used to create digital representations of the XIR-1 and RPl-128 specimens. The virtual reconstruction of the XIR-1 cranium was achieved by mirror-imaging, while the RPl-128 maxilla was virtually segmented and reattached in a correct anatomical position. Anatomical landmarks were registered in three dimensions on a comparative sample of adult crania of extant great apes, humans and fossil hominoids. The data were processed with Procrustes superimposition and analyzed using multivariate statistics methods. RESULTS Results show that Ouranopithecus macedoniensis falls within or close to the Gorilla convex hull in the principal component analyses, and it is closer to the mean Procrustes shape distance of primarily Gorilla. Both specimens, XIR-1 and RPl-128, are classified as Gorilla based on discriminant function analyses. DISCUSSION The results of our geometric morphometrics analyses indicate that Ouranopithecus macedoniensis is morphologically more similar to Gorilla than to Homo, Pan, or Pongo, results that can contribute to the evaluation of existing hypotheses about its phylogenetic position.

New hominoid teeth from the late Miocene locality Ravin de la Pluie (RPl) of the Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) are studied in this article. Their morphology, dimensions and proportions are similar to the hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, allowing their attribution to this taxon. The studied material provides some new morphological characters for the female P3 (small asymmetry, small mesiobuccal crown projection, paracone higher than protocone) and the lower canine (mesial groove: large in the male and small in the female, distobuccal fovea: large in the female and small in the male). The new material enriches the collection of O. macedoniensis. The estimated degree of sexual dimorphism of the RPl O. macedoniensis, calculated by the multivariate size dimorphism method, is compared with those of extant hominoids (Gorilla, Pan, Pongo) and of the late Miocene Lufengpithecus lufengensis from China, which is considered as more dimorphic than any living hominoid. The results suggest that Ouranopithecus multivariate size dimorphism for the premolar, molar and post-canine row is similar to those of Pongo and Lufengpithecus, slightly higher than that of Gorilla and clearly higher than that of Pan. Therefore, O. macedoniensis is apparently one of the most sexually dimorphic hominoids and the RPl assemblage is monospecific.

Stephane Peigne nous a quittes le 4 Decembre 2017 apres avoir lutte avec courage pendant des mois contre une terrible maladie. Il avait espere l'avoir vaincue en 2016 mais elle l'a rattrape inexorablement. Il etait ne en 1973 dans une petite commune de l'Est de la France et avait suivi sa scolarite dans la region jusqu'a son Baccalaureat. Il commenca des etudes superieures a l'universite de Nancy, dans un cursus en Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, pour les poursuivre a l'Universite de Bourgogne par une licence de Biologie suivie d'une maitrise d'Ecologie. Cependant cette orientation vers la recherche en biologie evolutive et ecologique ne lui suffisait plus et, desireux d'inclure le temps dans les processus evolutifs, il decida de bifurquer vers la paleontologie, en particulier celle des vertebres, en s'inscrivant au Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies (DEA) en Paleontologie de l'Universite de Montpellier. C'est ce changement de direction qui lui permit de rencontrer Thanh Thuyh Nguyen Tu, sa future epouse et mere de ses deux enfants. Il s'orienta ensuite en 1996 vers l'Universite de Poitiers pour commencer, sous la direction de l'un de nous (LdeB) une these qu'il termina avec succes en 2000. C'est aussi a Poitiers qu'il obtint, 10 ans plus tard, son Habilitation a Diriger des Recherches (HDR).

International audience

International audience; The late middle Miocene fossil-bearing lignite zones of the Mae Moh Basin, northern Thailand, have yielded a rich vertebrate fauna, including two species of Carnivora described thus far: the bunodont otter Siamogale thailandica (known from over a 100 specimens) and the large amphicyonid Maemohcyon potisati. Here we describe additional carnivoran material from Mae Moh comprising new remains of Maemohcyon potisati as well as remains of seven new carnivorans belonging to at least four families: a new species of Siamogale (S. bounosa), a new species of another otter (Vishnuonyx maemohensis), one representative of the genus Pseudarctos (a small amphicyonid), a new genus of Asian palm civet, Siamictis, one representative of another civet (cf. Viverra sp.), a new species of mongoose (Leptoplesictis peignei) and a Feliformia indet. This carnivoran assemblage constitutes one of the richest for the middle Miocene of eastern Asia and by far the richest for the Neogene of Southeast Asia. While the presence of new species indicates a certain degree of endemism for the Mae Moh Basin, paleobiogeographic cluster analyses conducted on carnivoran faunas from the middle and late Miocene of Asia indicates that a southern Asian biogeographic province, analogous to the current Oriental Realm, has existed since at least the middle Miocene. These results strengthen the observation that the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau constitute significant physical barriers as well as an important climatic barrier (through the strengthening of monsoon systems) preventing north-south mammal dispersals in Asia since at least the middle Miocene.

International audience; We describe here several specimens of the genus Theropithecus from the southern shore of Lake Assal in the Republic of Djibouti; they are the first record of the genus from this country. We assign them to a derived stage of T. oswaldi. This identification has implications for the age of the informal ‘Formation 1’ from this area, which should probably be assigned to the Middle Pleistocene. In addition, the presence of T. oswaldi close to the Bab el Mandeb Strait strongly suggests that the species followed this route to India, rather than a more northern one.

International audience; The middle Eocene Pondaung Formation in Myanmar has yielded a rich mammalian fauna including several Primate taxa. Hyaenodonta are known by the genera Kyawdawia, Yarshea, Orienspterodon, and two other indeterminate taxa. We describe here new material of Kyawdawia, including some morphological details, a new species of the hypercarnivorous genus Propterodon and an indeterminate species, different from those described earlier in Myanmar, and characterized by a reduction of m3 and would belong to a third lineage with the same evolutionary trend as Galecyon and the Limnocyoninae. The hyainailourines (Orienspterodon) and hyaenodontines (Propterodon) are recorded for the first time in Southeast Asia and these subfamilies appeared in quasi the same time in Europe illustrating probably a profound change in the carnivorous fauna among Laurasia.; La formation de l’Éocène moyen de Pondaung, en Myanmar, a livré une riche faune mammalienne, dans laquelle on a signalé plusieurs taxons de Primates. Parmi les autres ordres de mammifères, celui des Hyaenodonta était connu jusqu’à présent par les genres Kyawdawia, Yarshea, Orienspterodon et deux autres taxons indéterminés. Nous décrivons dans cet article du nouveau matériel de Kyawdawia, qui apporte des précisions sur certains détails morphologiques, une nouvelle espèce du genre hypercarnivore Propterodon ainsi qu’une forme indéterminée, qui diffère de toutes les espèces décrites à ce jour en Birmanie. Elle se caractérise, en particulier, par la réduction de m3, et peut représenter une troisième lignée montrant la même tendance évolutive que les Limnocyoninae et Galecyon. Les hyainailourinés (Orienspterodon) et les hyaenodontinés (Propterodon) sont les plus anciens connus dans le Sud-Est asiatique. Ces sous-familles apparaissent quasiment à la même époque en Europe, et la fin de l’Éocène moyen pourrait correspondre à un changement majeur de la faune de carnassiers en Eurasie.

International audience; The late Miocene fossil-bearing localities of Toros Menalla (Chad) have yielded a huge amount of vertebrate remains with, in particular, the hominid Sahelanthropus tchadensis Brunet et al., 2002. The order Carnivora is well represented in the fauna (with up to 23 species) and we describe here a new genus and species together with a species not previously recorded in the fauna. Both species belong to the saber-toothed felids. The new genus, size of a lynx, is known by jaws and several post-cranial bones. It displays in the upper canines, mandible and bones of the fore limb some features indicating machairodont affinities. The second genus, size of a leopard and well known in Africa, is only present through a characteristic upper canine. The presence of eight species of Felidae into 23 species of carnivorans is much rare into the Miocene carnivoran assemblages and is discussed in the conclusions.

International audience; A taxonomic revision of the Rhinocerotidae from the latest Oligocene locality of Thézels in SW France is provided, based on comparative description of several hundreds of mandibular, dental, and postcranial specimens. In terms of abundance, the small-sized and slender-limbed rhinocerotine Mesaceratherium gaimersheimense Heissig, 1969 widely outnumbers the medium-sized and shorter-limbed teleocera-tine Diaceratherium aff. lemanense. The material from Thézels in particular adds to the knowledge of M. gaimersheimense in providing for the first time valuable information on most elements of its appen-dicular skeleton, virtually unknown thus far. This work further confirms that M. gaimersheimense is restricted to the latest Oligocene interval, whereas M. paulhiacense (Richard, 1937) also first occurring in latest Oligocene deposits, survives during the earliest Miocene (Aquitanian standard age; Agenian European Land Mammal Age). The Agen area in SW France (type area of the Agenian ELMA) provides a well-documented sequence for latest Oligocene-earliest Miocene rhinocerotids of Western Europe with Thézels (MP30), Paulhiac (MN1), and Laugnac (MN2). Mesaceratherium gaimersheimense shows several postcranial differences with M. paulhiacense (shape of articular facets on central metapodials; slenderer astragalus but less slender metapodials) suggesting a still more cursorial locomotory mode for the latter species.

Many karstic fissure fillings from the Quercy (France) constitute fossil bearing localities which give an exceptional open laboratory for the study of evolution of vertebrates and especially mammals from the Eocene to the Early Miocene. A couple of localities from the Late Oligocene (MP 28 = 24.9-24.5 Ma) have yielded, among several taxa, the best sample ever found of a hemicyonine ursid. This sample corresponds to a new species and allows a reappraisal of several other species belonging to lineages attributed to a new tribe (Cephalogalini n. tr.). The latter occupied in Europe along the Oligocene and the lower Miocene some canid-like ecological niches. This tribe was replaced at the end of the Lower Miocene by the Hemicyonini, another tribe of Hemicyoninae (Ursidae).

Eurasia was home to a great radiation of hominoid primates during the Miocene. All were extinct by the end of the Miocene in Western Eurasia. Here, we investigate the hypothesis of climate and vegetation changes at a local scale when the cercopithecoid Mesopithecus replaced the hominoid Ouranopithecus along the Axios River, Greece. Because they are herbivorous and were much more abundant than primates, bovids are preferred to primates to study climate change in the Balkans as a cause of hominoid extinction. By measuring carbon stable isotope ratios of bovid enamel, we conclude that Ouranopithecus and Mesopithecus both evolved in pure C3 environments. However, the large range of δ13C values of apatite carbonate from bovids combined with their molar microwear and mesowear patterns preclude the presence of dense forested landscapes in northern Greece. Instead, these bovids evolved in rather open landscapes with abundant grasses in the herbaceous layer. Coldest monthly estimated temperatures were below 10 °C and warmest monthly temperatures rose close to or above 20 °C for the two time intervals. Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate from bulk samples did not show significant differences between sites but did show between-species variation within each site. Different factors influence oxygen isotope composition in this context, including water provenience, feeding ecology, body mass, and rate of amelogenesis. We discuss this latter factor in regard to the high intra-tooth variations in δ18Op reflecting important amplitudes of seasonal variations in temperature. These estimations fit with paleobotanical data and differ slightly from estimations based on climate models. This study found no significant change in climate before and after the extinction of Ouranopithecus along the Axios River. However, strong seasonal variations with relatively cold winters were indicated, conditions quite usual for extant monkeys but unusual for great apes distributed today in inter-tropical regions.

The small-sized feliforms (Viverridae, Herpestidae, Felidae) from the Late Miocene fossiliferous area of Toros-Menalla, Chad, are described. The Viverridae are represented by dental and postcranial remains of two species: a new, large-sized viverrid, Sahelictis korei n. gen. n. sp., which is characterized by a more trenchant dentition than in Viverra spp., and an indeterminate species similar in size to Viverra howelli. The Herpestidae are represented by a subcomplete mandible with partial dentition assigned to Herpestes sp., similar in size to the smallest individuals of the extant Herpestes naso and H. ichneumon. Felids are known from two, possibly three small-sized species. Fragmentary dental and postcranial remains indicate the presence of one or two species of the size of the golden cat (Profelis aurata). A partial skeleton of a wildcat-sized species assigned to Felis sp. is also described; this record is by far the earliest record for the genus in Africa.

International audience

Resume Les trois gisements de vertebres fossiles de Dytiko (Dytiko 1 = DTK, Dytiko 2 = DIT et Dytiko 3 = DKO) sur la rive droite de la basse vallee de l’Axios (Macedoine, Grece) ont ete dates du Miocene superieur terminal (Turolien, MN 13). La faune a deja ete partiellement decrite dans plusieurs publications. Les ruminants y occupent une place importante et leur etude est ici completee par la description de specimens inedits dont une nouvelle espece de Bovidae, Dytikodorcas longicornis n. g., n. sp.. A cote des girafes Bohlinia attica et Palaeotragus rouenii , on y trouve des Bovidae, des Cervidae et des Tragulidae. Chez les premiers il faut noter, parmi les Boselaphini, l’abondance de Dystychoceras et la rarete de Tragoportax alors que l’inverse est constate pour les autres gisements du Miocene superieur de Grece. Cette particularite pourrait provenir d’un habitat different, avec un couvert vegetal boise plus important. La meme raison pourrait etre invoquee pour la presence de Cervidae et de Tragulidae pour lesquels il faut signaler qu’il s’agit de la derniere apparition en Europe du genre Dorcatherium , une relique du Miocene moyen. L’ensemble de la faune de ruminants correspond a la province faunique greco-iranienne mais on y retrouve des elements de repartition plus septentrionale qui n’appartiennent pas seulement a cette province.

The fossil-bearing locality of Gunzenheim (Germany) has yielded a vertebrate fauna known since the first part of the 20th century. Dehm (1931) gave a list of the mammals in which he reported Amphic...

Resume Il s'agit du premier article scientifique de P. Teilhard de Chardin sur les mammiferes fossiles, le premier d'une longue serie. Le materiel, provenant des exploitations de phosphates effectuees au XIX e siecle dans des cavites karstiques, est melange dans les collections sans tenir compte de la provenance exacte et donc sans reperes biochronologiques. Teilhard a effectue une analyse minutieuse des caracteres discriminants de ces fossiles afin d'etablir des series evolutives permettant de passer progressivement d'un type morphologique a un autre. Les observations reposent essentiellement sur l'etude des mâchoires inferieures, abondamment representees dans les collections, et conduisent quelquefois a des conclusions erronees en rapprochant des especes radicalement differentes si l'on considere d'autres elements. Cela provient aussi bien de la rarete des restes crâniens que de leur etude quelque peu sommaire. Cependant Teilhard, malgre l'absence de reperes temporels, a parfaitement saisi l'enchainement des faunes successives de carnivores depuis l'Eocene jusqu'a la fin de l'Oligocene. Ses descriptions de restes dentaires sont restees un modele et l'article a marque une date importante dans l'etude des carnivores fossiles et, sur un plan plus general, il a apporte une contribution majeure a l'idee meme d'evolution qui, au debut du XX e siecle, pouvait encore etre discutee.

During the last five years our continued excavations in the known late Miocene mammal localities of Macedonia (Greece) provided several new specimens of the hominoid primate Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. This new material includes maxillary and mandibular remains and it is described and compared to the old material of Ouranopithecus in the present article. The material of Ouranopithecus from the three known localities “Ravin de la Pluie” (RPl), “Xirochori 1” (XIR) and “Nikiti 1” (NKT) includes a complete series of tooth rows representing all wearing stages. Thus, the study of the dental wear of Ouranopithecus upper and lower teeth is studied and compared to that of the recent hominoids Gorilla and Pan, as well as to Australopithecus afarensis. The latter species is well known by a series of tooth rows of different wearing stages. The canine’s attrition of Ouranopithecus has a more derived pattern than that of the recent hominoids (Gorilla and Pan) and less derived than A. afarensis. The p3 of Ouranopithecus has similar attrition to that of A. afarensis, the attrition of the molars in Ouranopithecus, A. afarensis and Pan follows a similar pattern, while in Gorilla it is different.

A new species of Hyaenidae, Hyaenictitherium minimum , is described in the carnivore fauna of the Late Miocene layers of Toros-Menalla (Chad). Its size is similar to that of a jackal and it had probably a similar ecological niche. It is found in several fossil-bearing localities of this area. The genus Hyaenictitherium is known from the early Late Miocene in Eurasia from China to Spain; the Chadian material is, perhaps with some specimens from Sahabi and Lothagam, the earliest occurrence of the genus in Africa. It results certainly from Eurasian migration, which will have to be taken into account for the analysis of the bulk of the fauna. To cite this article: L. de Bonis et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005) .

This study deals with the paleoenvironmental changes in northern Greece during the late Vallesian and the early Turolian, before and after the last occurrence of the hominoid Ouranopithecus macedoniensis. Dental microwear of fossil bovids yields information on paleodiet; thus, inferences can be drawn about floristic composition and paleoenvironmental changes. The microwear pattern of the fossil species is compared with that of extant species from the database “Ungulates” (20 extant species and 471 wild-shot specimens) in a multivariate analysis. The bovids of the late Vallesian “Ravin de la Pluie” locality show a dental microwear pattern similar to that of the extant grazers. This attests to the presence of open landscapes with an important grassy herbaceous layer in northern Greece during the late Vallesian. The bovids from the early Turolian also grazed. Nevertheless, Tragoportax rugosifrons, which constitutes the largest sample from the Turolian “Ravin des Zouaves 5” locality, was a mixed feeder. These dietary adaptations indicate an environment of bushy and/or wooded areas with a grassy herbaceous layer. The abundance of the mixed feeders in the ungulate assemblage of this latter locality also points out strong seasonal fluctuations in food availabilities.

Two Late Miocene hominoids are known from Greece. The first, Graecopithecus freybergi , is known by a single mandible with the worn m2 from the locality of Pyrgos Vassilissis, near Athens. The other, Ouranopithecus macedoniensis , is known from Axios Valley and Chalkidiki (Macedonia, Greece) by a partial skull and a set of maxillary and mandibular remains. Some authors consider these two hominoids as synonyms and in the present article a detailed comparison of them is given. The morphology and size of the symphysis, the more robust mandible, the more open dental arcade of Ouranopithecus distinguishes it clearly from Graecopithecus . Moreover, the incompleteness of the mandible of Graecopithecus with the doubtful morphology and size, the limited material and the uncertain geological age of the locality cannot allow precise and clear comparisons with the rest extant and extinct hominoids. Thus in our opinion there are not enough data to support the similarity, and therefore, the synonymy of the two genera. The Pyrgos mandible must remain as a separate and isolated genus with one species, which only includes this sole mandible.

Recent discoveries of the late Miocene hominoid Ouranopithecus shed new light on the evolution of hominids. These discoveries result from the strategy of the Allied armies during the First World War. In the midst of “the war to end all wars,” the North African soldiers of Camille Arambourg excavated the first mammalian fossils found in northern Greece, in the region of Macedonia, the country of Alexander the Great. On the tracks of these strange paleontological pioneers, a modern French and Greek team has unearthed a large hominoid primate, a missing link between fossilapes and primitive Australopithecus, which lived in southeastern Europe 9 to 10 million years ago. A reconstruction of Ouranopithecus and its surroundings gives us a rare glimpse into the world of the earliest hominids.

We report on the earliest modern mongooses of Africa, from the late Miocene (ca. 7 Ma) of the hominid locality TM 266, Toros-Menalla, Chad. The material is based on fragmentary dentitions of three individuals. The main diagnostic feature of the Chadian species is the great development of the shear in the carnassials, which distinguishes the Chadian specimens from all extant herpestids except Herpestes and Galerella. In comparison with most extinct and extant Herpestes, the species from Toros-Menalla differs by a markedly smaller size and, depending on the species, relatively more elongated carnassials, more transversely elongated M1 and more reduced p4. On the basis of a great morphological similarity and the absence of significant differences, we assign our material to Galerella sanguinea; the Chadian finding therefore represents the earliest appearance of an extant species of Herpestidae. This record ties the first appearance of the genus to a minimum age of ca. 7 Ma, which is consistent with the estimated divergence date of 11.4 Ma known from the literature for the species of Galerella.

Machairodus kabir n. sp., described here, comes from the Late Miocene hominid locality of TM 266, Toros-Menalla, Chad. This species is more derived than the previously described Machairodus in having a more developed mental apophysis and more reduced premolars relatively to m1. Machairodus kabir n. sp. is the largest mammalian predator from the Toros-Menalla fossiliferous area, with an estimated body mass reaching 350–490 kg, which certainly allowed this felid to prey on large herbivores present at Toros-Menalla. To cite this article: S. Peigne et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005) .

The dental microwear pattern of fossil ungulates furnishes precise information on their feeding preferences and by extension on the dominant vegetation of past landscapes. Here, the molar microwear pattern of six bovid species from the Late Turolian “Dytiko” localities in Northern Greece is compared with that of twenty well-known extant ungulates (471 wild shot specimens). These extant species constitute the “UNGULATE” comparative database. This permits the precise correlation between food properties on the one hand and microwear pattern on the other. The shearing facet of second permanent molars was digitized in 256 gray levels using a tri-CCD camera. Scratches and pits were recorded and measured on a 0.09 mm2 square on the center of the facets. Microwear variables of extant species were analyzed using principal component analysis. Data from fossil species were added as supplementary data. With the exception of one species, the fossil bovids have high numbers of scratches and pits. The comparisons with extant species suggest that the fossil species were either variable grazers or mixed feeders. These data support the presence of wooded or bushy vegetation with some grassy plants. Comparison with faunal, floristic, marine, and isotopic evidence comforts the existence of wooded landscapes in Northern Greece during the Messinian.

Resume Les etudes de biologie moleculaire permettent de calculer des distances entre les etres vivants a partir des differences qu'ils presentent au niveau moleculaire, de les traduire par une serie de dichotomies et d'en tirer des conclusions sur leurs relations phyletiques. En s'appuyant sur certaines donnees paleontologiques qui precisent l'âge geologique d'une des dichotomies, ces etudes visent a donner la date de toutes les autres (horloge moleculaire). Quelle que soit la methode utilisee, les resultats sont concordants en ce qui concerne la phylogenie, mais tres variables, pour ce qui est des datations. Le primate hominoide Ouranopithecus possede un certain nombre de caracteres derives qu'il partage avec les australopitheques, et donc avec l'homme, qui incitent a le placer dans le clade des Homininae avec ceux-ci. Dans ce cas, la separation du clade humain et de celui des chimpanzes devrait etre plus ancienne que ce fossile, c'est-a-dire plus ancienne que 9,6 Ma. Pour citer cet article : L. de Bonis, G.D. Koufos, C. R. Palevol 3 (2004).

This study examined enamel thickness and dental development in Graecopithecus freybergi (=Ouranopithecus macedoniensis), a late Miocene hominoid from Greece. Comparative emphasis was placed on Proconsul, Afropithecus, Dryopithecus, Lufengpithecus, and Gigantopithecus, fossil apes that vary in enamel thickness and patterns of development. In addition, comparisons were made with Paranthropus to investigate reported similarities in enamel thickness. Several sections of a right lower third molar were generated, from which enamel thickness and aspects of the enamel and dentine microstructure were determined. Data from parallel sections shed light on the effects of section obliquity, which may influence determination of both enamel thickness and crown formation time. Graecopithecus has relatively thick enamel, greater than any fossil ape but less than Paranthropus, with which it does show similarity in prism path and Hunter-Schreger band morphology. Aspects of enamel microstructure, including the periodicity and daily secretion rate, are similar to most extant and fossil apes, especially Afropithecus. Total crown formation time was estimated to be 3.5 years, which is greater than published values for modern Homo, similar to Pan, and less than Gigantopithecus. Data on dentine secretion and extension rates suggest that coronal dentine formation was relatively slow, but comparative data are very limited. Graecopithecus shares a crown formation pattern with several thick-enamelled hominoids, in which cuspal enamel makes up a very large portion of crown area, is formed by a large cell cohort, and is formed in less than half of the total time of formation. In Paranthropus, this pattern appears to be even more extreme, which may result in thicker enamel formed in an even shorter time. Developmental similarities between Paranthropus and Graecopithecus are interpreted to be parallelisms due to similarities in the mechanical demands of their diets.

Two skulls, two mandibles and some postcranials ofMesopithecus from the locality “Vathylakkos 2” of Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) enlarge our knowledge about the genus and its differentiation. The new material together with an old skull from the same locality is compared with the Pikermi, “Ravin des Zouaves 5” (Axios Valley), and Maramena (Serres basin) samples. It is concluded that the VathylakkosMesopithecus resemblesM. pentelicus from Pikermi, as wellM. delsoni from “Ravin des Zouaves 5” and it is referred asMesopithecus sp. aff.M. pentelicus. The biochronological age of “Vathylakkos 2” has been considered as MN 12, while recent magnetostratigraphic data indicate an age of about 7.5 Ma. This age confirms the position of the VathylakkosMesopithecus between Pikermi and “Ravin des Zouaves 5”. Some dental indices compared with those of the RecentCercopithecus suggest that the Vathylakkos sample is monospecific.

Two well preserved phalanges, one proximal and one intermediate, are identified and described. They constitute the first postcrania ever described of Ouranopithecus macedoniensis (Primates, Hominoidea) from the late Miocene locality of Ravin de la Pluie (RPl), Macedonia (Greece). They are isolated specimens, and the only ones known for their genus. The hypotheses that these specimens derive either from the hand or from the foot were tested. Comparisons with living apes of known positional behaviour were made to assess the functional signal in these specimens. The proximal phalanx, either manual or pedal, closely matches the proximal phalanges of terrestrial quadrupedal primates or the bipedal primate Homo. With respect to the intermediate phalanx we show that it closely matches phalanges of quadrupedal terrestrial primates. The terrestriality of Ouranopithecus, here reconstructed from phalangeal remains, is in agreement with our previous results of dental studies (thick check teeth enamel and microwear pattern of incisors and molars), which indicate that it was a hard object feeder living near the ground.

The new mammal locality of Akkasdagi yielded a rich fauna dated as Middle Turolian. It is situated in the southern part of the Cankiri-Corum Basin in central Anatolia. In the Akkasdagi area, the sedimentary deposits, mapped as the Kizilirmak Formation, consist of tuffs and lacustrine limestones intercalated with clastic deposits, whilst in its type section situated to the north near Kizilirmak town, this formation is mainly formed of fluviatile deposits. Facies distribution and geological observations led to conclude that during the Miocene, depositional centers migrated from the north to the south of this basin.

The discovery of new remains assigned to Stenoplesictis (Feliformia, Carnivora) in the deposit of Quercy (France) allows a more precise study of this genus. S. cayluxi Filhol, 1880 and S. minor Filhol, 1882, two species previously described by Filhol, are synonymized. A new species, Stenoplesictis crocheti, is described. It is represented by dental remains and two well preserved skulls. The basicranial anatomy is studied with special focus on the auditory region. Stenoplesictis may be a primitive feloid, like the extant Nandinia binotata. Some other material recently assigned to the genus is discussed. The African and Asian material differs from the European specimens, especially the morphology of the teeth and is excluded from the genus. Therefore, an Asian origin of the genus can not be demonstrated and the presence of Stenoplesictis in Asia remains to be confirmed.

The fossil vertebrate locality of Laugnac is the type locality of the Neogene mammalian zone MN2b. It has yielded many remains of Suoidea belonging to two different genera.Xenohyus venitor is characterized by its large size and especially its large central upper incisors, I1/ and I2/. It is quite difficult to know its phyletic relationships because the material is not abundant.Hyotherium cf.meisneri is more abundant with a quite good skull, pieces of skull, jaws and isolated teeth. It belongs to a peculiar lineage different from that ofH. major from Saint Gerand-le-Puy, France. It has some similarities withAureliachoerus aurelianensis from later geological levels (MN3-MN5).

New discovery of an upper tooth row of the hominoid primate Ouranopithecus macedoniensis in a late Miocene locality of Macedonia (Greece) allows a better comparison with other Miocene hominoid primates as well as with Plio-Pleistocene australcpithecines. This analysis confirms the striking morphological similarities with the latter and reinforces the hypothesis of a sister group relationship.

Resume Un crâne et des mandibules provenant des phosphorites du Quercy permettent de definir une nouvelleespece de Mustelidae (Carnivora): Mustelictis olivieri nov. sp. qui se distingue de l'espece-type du genre par une taille plus faible et certains caracteres morphologiques. L'âge oligocene inferieur de ces fossiles montre que la famille des Mustelidae apparait a une date precoce et que ses origines, certainement plus anciennes, pourraient remonter jusqu'a l'Eocene.