Dakkamys zaiani

Antoñanzas, Raquel López, 2009, First Potwarmus from the Miocene of Saudi Arabia and the early phylogeny of murines (Rodentia: Muroidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 156, pp. 664-679 : 669

DAKKAMYS ZAIANI JAEGER, 1977A

This species was erected by Jaeger (1977a) on the basis of 93 isolated cheek teeth, a fragment of mandible, and a piece of maxilla. The holotype is the latter specimen with M1–M2 (C.BR. 793) from the Middle Miocene of Beni Mellal, Morocco. This material is housed at the SGM. As for other species mentioned below (‘ Paradakkamys ’ seboui and ‘ P. ’ ouaichi), there appears to be an inaccuracy of the specific epithet: zaianensis rather than zaiani would have been expected if the species is dedicated to the Zaian country.

The M1 of Dakkamys zaiani differs from AJ 7 in having a new longitudinal crest and an enterostyle connected to the posterior arm of the protocone by a low ridge. In contrast, AJ7 shows only a relict of a ‘normal’ longitudinal crest and an enterostyle that does not connect to the posterior arm of the protocone. With regard to the M2, one of the differences between D. zaiani and AJ11 and AJ12 is the presence of an enterostyle joined with the posterior arm of the protocone in the former, whereas it is isolated in the Arabian specimens. The morphology of the m1 of D. zaiani is very distinct from that of AJ13: the former has the anterior part of the tooth unreduced, a welldeveloped single anteroconid, and a longitudinal crest, which are absent in AJ13.