Paraphiomys roessneri

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 : 429

PARAPHIOMYS ROESSNERI MEIN, PICKFORD ET SENUT ,

2000

In a preliminary study of the late Miocene micromammals from the Harasib deposits of Namibia, Senut et al. (1992: 730) mentioned cf. Apodecter . A subsequent detailed study of the material, which consists of 399 complete isolated teeth, has shown that it represents a new species that Mein, Pickford & Senut (2000) named P. roessneri ( Fig. 3D, E). The holotype is an upper left molar (GSW Ari 2). Paraphiomys roessneri differs most importantly from Kochalia geespei in the absence of dental replacement, in lacking a welldeveloped anteroconid, and in having a, generally complete, metaloph. Paraphiomys roessneri is different from P. shipmani in being larger and in lacking the prominent labial cuspid on the lower molars. Paraphiomys roessneri mainly differs from Apodecter stromeri in having the m3 less reduced and the cheek teeth appreciably longer than wide (whereas in Apodecter stromeri they are relatively broad). Paraphiomys roessneri is distinct from P. renelavocati sp. nov. in having the anterolabial cingulum of the p4 less developed than in the latter, in having higher crowned teeth, and in the absence of a mesoloph in the P4 and M1. Paraphiomys roessneri differs from P. orangeus in lacking mesoloph in the P4 and M1. Paraphiomys roessneri is distinct from P. hopwoodi and from Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia mainly in lacking metalophulid II on the lower molars. One difference of P. roessneri from Neosciuromys africanus , P. occidentalis , P. pigotti and P. simonsi is its much smaller size.