Crusafontina, Gibert, 1974

Zazhigin, Vladimir S. & Voyta, Leonid L., 2022, New Neogene anourosoricin shrews from northern Asia, Palaeontologia Electronica (a 29) 25 (3), pp. 1-36 : 16-17

Genus CRUSAFONTINA Gibert, 1974

Type species. Crusafontina endemica Gibert, 1975

1966 Anourosoricodon Topachevsky , p. 91. (? nomen oblitum)

1980 Anouroneomys Hutchison and Bown in Bown, 1980, p. 105, figs. 2d, 3–6, 7d.

Emended diagnosis. See van Dam (2004).

Remarks. VZ has seen type material of Anourosoricodon pidoplitschkoi Topachevsky, 1966 (no. 42-1, a fragment of the right dentary with i1 and m1, and alveoli; see Topachevsky, 1966; Gureev, 1979: 461) from the early Pliocene locality on the left shore of the Kakhovskoie water storage basin near Kamenskoie Village ( Ukraine), stored in the Zoological Institute of the Ukraine Academy of Sciences (Kiev, Ukraine) and revealed the conspecifity between Anourosoricodon Topachevsky, 1966 and Crusafontina Gibert, 1974 . Thus, Anourosoricodon is the senior synonym. According to Article 23 of ICZN (1999) Anourosoricodon is a valid genus name. However, we propose to use point 23.9.3 of ICZN (1999) further refer the matter to the Commission for a ruling under the plenary power with the proposal to use the junior synonym to maintain the stability of the Anourosoricini tribe system because Crusafontina name used 47 years and clearly corresponds to particular European taxa and time span. Previously, van Dam (2004: 763) referred to Nesin and Nadachowski (2001) and used Crusafontina as a synonym of Anourosoricodon without taxonomic remarks.

Type specimen of Anourosoricodon pidoplitschkoi corresponds to C. kormosi in the i1 and m1 qualitative features and size of m1 (L(m1) = 2.6 mm, see Topachevsky, 1966; Gureev, 1979: 461).

Stratigraphic and geographic range. At present, the distribution includes numerous European localities ( Rzebik-Kowalska, 1998; van Dam, 2004), two North American localities ( Bown, 1980) and two Asian localities with two undetermined forms, Crusafontina sp. 1 (Pavlodar 1A, Kazakhstan) and Crusafontina sp. 2 (Selety 1A, Kazakhstan). The stratigraphic range covers an interval between middle Miocene (MN 7/8) to early Pliocene (MN 15) of Europe (see van Dam, 2004: appendix 1); the New World late Miocene late Clarendonian Stage (Juntura Formation) and the early Hemphillian Stage (Ash Hollow Formation; see Bown, 1980); and Asian late Miocene interval restricted by the Turolian Pavlodar (MN 12) and Kedey (MN 12/13) Formations ( Kazakhstan).