Gazella cf. capricornis (Wagner, 1848)

Geraads, Denis, Spassov, Nikolaï, Hristova, Latinka, Markov, Georgi N. & Tzankov, Tzanko, 2011, Upper Miocene mammals from Strumyani, South-Western Bulgaria, Geodiversitas 33 (3), pp. 451-484 : 476

Gazella cf. capricornis (Wagner, 1848)

The gazelles are well represented in both Strumyani localities. The material includes:FM-2424, a neurocranium with the bases of the horn-cores (max. occipital W = 62; min. post-orbital W = 52); a frontlet, FM-2105, with damaged horn cores; a partial skull, FM-2328, with the base of the left horn core; the basal half of a horn core, FM-2466; three mandibles (FM-2098, FM-2099 and FM- 2267) and a number of postcranials, including some metapodials (Table 6).

The horn-cores are poorly preserved, but they were moderately long, moderately divergent at the base, curved backwards, little compressed, and they bear strong grooves. These features suggest that they could belong to G. capricornis , known at Pikermi, Samos, AkkasdaĞI, etc., but the systematics of Upper Miocene gazelles is still uncertain despite recent improvements (e.g., Kostopoulos 2005, 2006, 2009a) and, above all, the Strumyani material is too scarce for definite assignment.