Miotragocerus, Stromer, 1928

Kostopoulos, Dimitris S. & Sen, Sevket, 2016, Suidae, Tragulidae, Giraffidae, and Bovidae, Geodiversitas 38 (2), pp. 273-298 : 293

cf. Miotragocerus sp.

( Fig. 15 )

Tragocerus amaltheus – Malik & Nafiz 1933: 57.

Tragocerus cf. amaltheus – Nicolas 1978: 456.

MATERIAL AND MEASUREMENTS. — Küçükçekmece West:?distal part of horn-core, MNHN.F.TRQ624, TRQ630; part of left M3 TRQ402 (L = c. 22.2 mm, Wp = 18.6 mm); left m1 TRQ403 (L = 17.6 mm, W = 11.1 mm).

Küçükçekmece East: part of right maxilla with P4-M3, ITU359 (P4: L = 12.4 mm, W = 15.3 mm; M1: L = 19.7 mm, W = 18.5 mm; M2: L = 20.7 mm, W = 19.7 mm; M3: L = 20.4 mm, W = 18.8 mm); left M2 ITU no No. (L = 20.5 mm, W = 18.0 mm); part of left mandibular ramus with p3-m1 ITU355 (p3: L = 14.2 mm, W = 7.8 mm; p4: L = 15.2 mm, W = 9.2 mm; m1: L = 17.8 mm, W = 11.5 mm); left p3, ITU377 (L = 14.6 mm, W = 8.4 mm); left m3, MUI22-55 (L = 27.7 mm, W = 11.8 mm, H = 16.6 mm).

DESCRIPTION AND REMARKS

The absence of complete toothrows and other cranial material makes difficult the identification of the Küçükçekmece large bovid, even at genus level. The morphological ( Fig. 15 ) and metrical characters suggest a small boselaphin, similar in size to Miotragocerus pannoniae (Kretzoi, 1941) from Höwenegg and M. valenciennesi (Gaudry, 1861) from Pikermi. The strong development of the paraconid on p3 and p4 (stronger than the parastylid; Fig. 15B ) and its distal curvature, the mesially curved metaconid of the p4, the rather large molars comparatively to the premolars and the rounded hypocone (-id) and protocone (-id) on the molars indicate, however, a different dental pattern than in Miotragocerus Stromer, 1928 ( Fuss et al. 2015; pers. obs.). Similar large size and p3 and p4 pattern appear in several boselaphin specimens from the early Turolian of the Axios valley, Greece, currently referred to as? Miotragocerus sp. (e.g., Kostopoulos 2016). Neverthe- less, the Küçükçekmece species seems to have much more brachydont molars; the hypsodonty index is c. 60 for one m3 (MUI22-55) and c. 78 for an m1 (ITU355) versus c. 100 for Axios valley material.

Malik & Nafiz (1933: 57, pl. IX, fig. 6; pl. X, figs 1, 2) presumably attributed to Tragocerus amaltheus Roth & Wagner, 1854 a few toothrows and a metacarpal from Küçükçekmece East. The teeth are comparable in size and morphology to those described here but the distal epiphysis of the illustrated metacarpal seems to be too extended transversally compared to its length for a boselaphin. Boselaphins are already present in the area from the Vallesian onwards ( Bouvrain 1997; Gentry 2003) but the taxonomic status of their earlier representatives remains doubtful.

Figures

FIG. 15. — cf. Miotragocerus from Küçükçekmece East, Turkey: A, upper toothrow P4-M3 dex, ITU359 in occlusal view; B, p3-m1 sin, ITU355 in occlusal (up), lingual (middle) and buccal (down) views. Scale bars 2 cm.