CAPRINAE Gray, 1821

Hashemi, N, Ashouri, A, Aliabadian, M, M. Gharaie, M, Sánchez Marco, A & Louys, J, 2016, First report of Quaternary mammals from the Qalehjough area, Lut Desert, Eastern Iran, Palaeontologia Electronica 5 (4), pp. 1-12 : 5

Subfamily CAPRINAE Gray, 1821 Caprinae gen.et sp. indet. cf. Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758

Figure 4.11 -13, Table 1

Material. 1 left M 2 (QHJ-5); 1 left mandible (QHJ-44).

Description. In general, discrimination of bone remains from Ovis and Capra is difficult (Boesseneck, 1969). Among the Caprinae remains, putative O. aries samples include a left mandible retaining P 4 ( Figure 4.11 ) and an isolated left M 2 ( Figure 4.12 -13) with a convex mesio-buccal edge (after the buccally projecting flange on the mesial corner). The character states of M 2 are typical of O. aries , whereas in Capra , especially C. hircus ( Linnaeus, 1758) , the mesio-buccal edge is usually concave, and the disto-buccal lobe points in a strong posterior direction ( Halstead et al., 2002; Gillis et al., 2011).

Caprinae indet.

Material. 2 lower right molars (QHJ-32, 33), 5 upper left molars (QHJ-36, 38–41), 1 proximal part of scapula (QHJ-31), 3 proximal parts of humeri (QHJ-27–29), 1 medial part of tibia (QHJ-30), 1 distal part of femur (QHJ-15), 1 distal part of metapodial (QHJ-17), and 2 phalanges (1 st and 2 nd) (QHJ-18, 24).

Remarks. Caprinae indeterminate remains consist of 16 fragmentary cranial and postcranial remains (seven teeth fragments and nine limb bones). Remains of the subfamily Caprinae have been recorded from several palaeontological/archaeological sites in Iran. These sites include Haftovan tappeh (4 ka) and Tuwah Khoshkeh (6 ka) in western Iran, Qazvin plain (Zagheh, 6.3–7.2 ka; Qabrestan, 5–6.2 ka; Sagzabad, 2.4–4 ka), Sialk (4–8 ka), Jiroft (4–6 ka), and Tappeh Hesar (5 ka) in central Iran, and Shahre sokhteh (5 ka) in eastern Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Photographs of selected vertebrate fossils from the Qalehjough fossil site. 1-2, a right P4 of Stephanorhinus cf. kirchbergensis (QHJ-45) in lateral (1) and occlusal (2) views. 3-5, three incisors of Equus (QHJ-12–14) in lateral views. 6-7, a right M3 of Equus (QHJ-22) in lateral (6) and occlusal (7) views. 8-9, a left M3 of Equus (QHJ-42) in lateral (8) and occlusal (9) views. 10, a first phalange of Sus (QHJ-37) in lateral view. 11, a left mandible of Ovis aries with P4 (QHJ-44) in lateral view. 12-13, a left M2 of O. aries (QHJ-5) in lateral (12) and occlusal (13) views. 14, a left mandible of Bos (QHJ-1) in lateral view. 15-16, a horn core (mesiodistal part) of Bos (QHJ-26) in internal (15) and external (16) views. 17-18, a left M2 of Gazella (QHJ-23) in lateral (17) and occlusal (18) views. Scale bars equal 1 mm.