Epiphiomys coryndoni, LAVOCAT, 1973

Antoñanzas, Raquel López, Sen, Sevket & Mein, Pierre, 2004, Systematics and phylogeny of the cane rats (Rodentia: Thryonomyidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 142, pp. 423-444 : 434

EPIPHIOMYS CORYNDONI LAVOCAT, 1973

The holotype of this species (KNM RU 2253) is a left mandibular fragment with m1-m2 from the Lower Miocene of Rusinga, Kenya ( Lavocat, 1973: 46). According to Lavocat (1973), this species has also been found at Songhor ( Kenya) and Napak ( Uganda). Incidentally, the specific epithet was dedicated ‘À la famille Coryndon et à Mrs Coryndon Savage’ ( Lavocat, 1973: 46). This suggests that this name should have been declined as ‘ coryndonorum ’ ( International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999: art. 31.1.2).

One of the differences between E. coryndoni and Paraphiomys occidentalis and P. pigotti is the size, which is much smaller in E. coryndoni . Another dissimilarity is the more developed metalophulid II of E. coryndoni . Epiphiomys coryndoni has the metalophulid II much more developed than in P. hopwoodi or Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia. Epiphiomys coryndoni is distinct from Sacaresia moyaeponsi , for example, in being less lophodont and in having four lophed upper molars. It differs from Gaudeamus aegyptius , Neosciuromys africanus , Apodecter stromeri , Kochalia geespei , P. renelavocati sp. nov., P. roessneri , P. australis , P. shipmani , P. orangeus , P. afarensis , Paraulacodus johanesi and Paraulacodus indicus , among many other characters, in the presence of a metalophulid II on the lower molars.