Gliridae THOMAS, 1897

Tesakov, Alexey S., Titov, Vadim V., Simakova, Alexandra N., Frolov, Pavel D., Syromyatnikova, Elena V., Kurshakov, Sergey V., Volkova, Natalia V., Trikhunkov, Yaroslav I., Sotnikova, Marina V., Kruskop, Sergey V., Zelenkov, Nikita V., Tesakova, Ekaterina M. & Palatov, Dmitry M., 2017, Late Miocene (Early Turolian) Vertebrate Faunas And Associated Biotic Record Of The Northern Caucasus: Geology, Taxonomy, Palaeoenvironment, Biochronology, Fossil Imprint 73 (3 - 4), pp. 383-444 : 411

Family Gliridae THOMAS, 1897

Pl. 11, Figs 10–18

C o m m e n t s. Glirids are represented by three forms: Ramys vel Vasseuromys , Muscardinus , and Paraglirulus schultzi . The glirid association is indicative of wooded landscape. Its composition is peculiar for Eastern Europe combining the widespread European Muscardinus pliocaenicus (Pl. 11, Figs 17–18) typical for early Turolian of Central Europe and Paraglirulus , the common European dormouse of Middle and early Late Miocene. In particular, P. schultzi with its specific extra ridges (Pl. 11, Figs 10–13) has been so far known from the late Vallesian site of Schernham in Austria ( Daxner-Höck and Höck 2009), and possibly in the coeval Suchomasty locality in the Czech Republic ( Fejfar 1990). The Caucasian record of Paraglirulus is the first evidence that this genus survived into the early Turolian. Ramys / Vasseuromys is dominant among dormice in Gaverdovsky and sub-dominant in Volchaya Balka. This form resembles early Vallesian Ramys from Central and Eastern Europe but also shows a variability of the dental pattern reminiscent of Vasseuromys (Pl. 11, Figs 14–16).