Note on the presence of Hystrix (Mammalia, Rodentia) in the Malawi Chiwondo Beds (Plio-Pleistocene): taphonomical and palaeoecological implications

Geodiversitas

Fernando Ramirez Rozzi¹  Timothy G. Bromage¹  Friedemann Schrenk¹  Ottmar Kullmer¹  Christiane Denys¹  Oliver Sandrock¹ 

关键词: Mammalia;    Rodentia;    Hystrix;    Rift valley;    Malawi lake;    Taphonomy;    Africa;    Plio-Pleistocene;    Hominid site;    Mammalia;    Rodentia;    Hystrix;    vallée du Rift;    Lac Malawi;    Taphonomie;    Afrique;    Plio-pléistocène;    sites àHominidae;   

DOI  :  10.5252/g2011n4a8

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Museum National d Histoire Naturelle

【 摘 要 】

WeevaluatethetaxonomicaffinitiesofanHystricidfromthePlio-PleistocenehominidsiteofUraha(ChiwondoBeds),northernMalawi.AtthecrossroadsbetweeneasternandsouthernAfrica,thesedepositsarebothuniqueandinterestingbecauseoftheirage(theyencompassaperiodofmajorclimaticchangeandhaveyieldedearlyHomoremains).WedescribeherethethirduppermolarfoundinUrahaandcompareitwithHystrixleakeyiDenys,1987andH.makapanensisGreenwood,1958specimens.ThenewspecimenissmallerthanH.makapanensisandH.leakeyi.Italsodiffersfromthefossilspeciesbytheabsenceofposterolophandasmallerlingualsinusandobliquelabiallophs.ThenewHystrixLinnaeus,1758specimenhasasmallsizeandisbunodont,whichdifferentiatesitfromthemodernspeciesfoundinMalawitodaylikeH.cristataLinnaeus,1758andH.africaeaustralisPeters,1852.Itcouldbelongeithertoanewspeciesorenterintothevariabilityofthedescribedones,butduetothelowdegreeofknowledgeofHystrixmolarmorphologyandvariabilityaswellastheverylownumberofspecimensforcomparison,weretainanindeterminatestatusforthisspecimen.Further,weascribetheabsenceofsmallmammalsandespeciallysmallrodentsintheselake-shoredepositstotaphonomicandpalaeoecologicalphenomena.

【 授权许可】

Unknown