Paraethomys meini ( Michaux, 1969 )

Colombero, Simone, Pavia, Giulio & Carnevale, Giorgio, 2014, Messinian rodents from Moncucco Torinese, NW Italy: palaeobiodiversity and biochronology, Geodiversitas 36 (3), pp. 421-475 : 431-434

Paraethomys meini ( Michaux, 1969) ( Fig. 4 A-F)

Anthracomys meini Michaux, 1969: 14 , pl. 2, figs 6-9.

Occitanomys anomalus de Bruijn, Dawson & Mein, 1970: 548 , pl. 2, figs 7-12.

Paraethomys miocaenicus Jaeger, Michaux & Thaler, 1975: 1674 , pl. 1, figs 1-12.

Paraethomys anomalus – De Giuli 1989: 204, pl. 2, figs 3-14.

Paraethomys cf. anomalus – Cavallo et al. 1993: 15, fig. 7.

Paraethomys meini – Minwer-Barakat et al. 2009a: 98, fig. 2; 2009b: 860, fig. 7. (cum syn.). — Colombero et al. 2013: 116, fig. 4A-C, J-L.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Sète, France.

OCCURRENCE IN THE STUDIED LAYERS. — MCC3, MCC4, MCC5, MCC7.

REFERRED MATERIAL. — Nine maxillary fragments bearing M1 and M2; two maxillary fragments bearing M2 and M3; a single mandibular fragment bearing m2 and m3; 32 isolated M1; 26 isolated M2; 20 isolated M3; 30 isolated m1; 31 isolated m2; 13 isolated m3. See Appendix 1 for further details.

MEASUREMENTS. — Table 2.

DESCRIPTION.

M1

t1 and t3 exhibit a posterior spur directed to the t5; t3 smaller than t1; well developed t6 protruding from the labial margin; t4-t5-t6-t9-t8 form a partially developed stephanodont crest since t4 and t8 are not connected; t9 reduced; t12 very poorly developed.

M2

t5 and t8 very well developed; t3 much smaller than t1; t9 absent or strongly reduced; t12 absent.

M3

t3 absent or represented by a small bulge arising on the enamel; t8 usually isolated; a feeble connection with t4 can occasionally occur; three roots.

m1

tma present in 15% of specimens as a tiny cusplet formed by a slight swelling of the enamel; c1 always present; labial cingulum with one or two additional cusplets.

m2

Stout anterolabial cuspid; c1 always present; a second cusplet develops occasionally close to the protoconid.

m3

An accessory cusplet rarely occurs on the labial side; posterior complex isolated or labially connected to the anterior one.

REMARKS

The studied material can be assigned to the genus Paraethomys Petter, 1968 primarily due to the mod- erately stephanodont molars and the absence or the presence of reduced t 9 in M1 and M2. The size of the specimens of Paraethomys from MCC fits well with the range of Paraethomys meini ( Michaux, 1969) from the type locality of Sète ( Michaux 1969), being also consistent with those of many Late Turolian and Ruscinian European localities, including Purcal 4, 7, 13, Calicasas 3B, La Mina 4 from the Granada Basin (García-Alix et al. 2008b), Negratín-1 and Rambla de Chimeneas 3 (Minwer- Barakat et al. 2009a, 2009b), Mont-Hélène ( Aguilar et al. 1991), Villalba Alta Río, Peralejos E, Orrios, Celadas 9 and La Gloria 4 from the Teruel Basin ( Adrover et al. 1988, 1993a) and Verduno (Colombero et al. 2013). The morphology of the teeth of P. meini from MCC is very similar to that of the teeth from Sète, even if the posterior spurs of the available M1 are MCC usually slightly more developed. Moreover, material referred to P. meini from other localities, particularly La Dehesa 4A and 4B (García-Alix et al. 2008b), is extremely similar to that from MCC. Therefore, the mate- rial from MCC is referred herein to Paraethomys meini . Direct comparative analysis carried out on Paraethomys teeth from the localities of Amama 2 and Albacete housed in the UCBL collections and previously assigned to Paraethomys miocaenicus Jaeger, Michaux & Thaler, 1975 revealed only small differences, mostly related to the lesser development of the spurs on the t3, and the lower t6-t9 connections in the M1 from those localities. The material of P. meini from Brisighella ( De Giuli 1989) and Maritsa ( de Bruijn et al. 1970), formerly assigned to Paraethomys anomalus ( de Bruijn, Dawson & Mein, 1970) shows remarkable affinities with the material from MCC, especially in the development of the spurs on the t3 of the M1, in the close position of the t1 with the t5, as well as in the number of cusplets on the labial cingulum (generally two) of the m1. Thus, there is no relevant argument to support a well-defined distinction between these assemblages and P. meini . Therefore, as already suggested by several authors ( van de Weerd 1976; Montenat & de Bruijn 1976; García-Alix et al. 2008b; Minwer-Barakat et al. 2009a, b), it is reasonable to conclude that P. miocaenicus and P. anomalus are junior synonyms of P. meini . On the contrary, a separate status is maintained for Paraethomys abaigari Adrover, Mein & Moissenet, 1988 , a Ruscinian species rarely reported from Spain, since it differs from P. meini in having a larger size and more developed spurs on the t3 of M1.

The earliest European record of P.meini is reported from Spain, thereby suggesting that this species entered Europe from North-Western Africa at the end of the Turolian ( Agustí & Llenas 1996; van Dam et al. 2001; Agustí et al. 2006a). At the beginning of the Ruscinian, its geographical range broadened to the Eastern sector of the Mediterranean, as testified by the Maritsa record ( de Bruijn et al. 1970).

Figures

FIG. 4. — Isolated teeth of Paraethomys Petter, 1968, Occitanomys Michaux,1969, Centralomys De Giuli,1989 and Micromys Dehne, 1841 from Moncucco Torinese. A-F, Paraethomys meini (Michaux, 1969); A, MGPT-PU128032, M1 dex.; B, MGPT-PU128040, M2 sin.; C, MGPT-PU127602, M3 sin.; D, MGPT-PU127146, m1 sin.; E, MGPT-PU127302, m2 sin.; F, MGPT-PU127603, m3 sin.; G-L, Occitanomys brailloni Michaux, 1969; G, MGPT-PU127062, M1 sin.; H, MGPT-PU127447, M2 dex.; I, MGPT-PU127657, M3 dex.;J, MGPT- MGPTPU127166,m1 dex.; K, MGPT-PU127305,m2 dex.; L, MGPT-PU127658,m3 sin.;M-R, Centralomys benericettii (De Giuli, 1989); M, MGPT-PU128090, M1 sin.; N, MGPT-PU128278, M2 sin.; O, MGPT-PU128115, M3 sin.; P, MGPT-PU128272, m1 sin.; Q, MGPT-PU128321, m2 sin.; R, MGPT-PU128144, m3 dex.; S-V, Micromys bendai van de Weerd, 1979; S, MGPT-PU127434, M1 dex.; T, MGPT-PU127251, M2 dex.; U, MGPT-PU127600, m1 dex.; V, MGPT-PU127601, m2 sin. Scale bar: 1 mm.