Taylor and Francis Group, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 6(31), p. 1397-1403
DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2011.618155
Full text: Unavailable
Remains of the Miocene moschid Hispanomeryx have been discovered in fossil sites from Spain, Caucasus and Turkey, but were hithertho unknown from Asian deposits. However, the fossil ruminant collections of the AMNH (New York, USA) store a yet-undescribed fine sample of Hispanomeryx fossils from the late middle Miocene site of Wolf Camp (Tunggur Formation, China), excavated in 1930. We assign these remains to the new species Hispanomeryx andrewsi sp. nov. This species constitutes the very first evidence of an Asian Hispanomeryx, invalidating the classic view of the genus as a strictly European taxon. The phylogenetic analysis show that H. andrewsi clusters between the basal H. aragonensis and the clade H. daamsi + H. duriensis. The dental morphology of H. andrewsi poses some intriguing evolutionary problems, taking into consideration the tendency of this species towards the autoapomorphic acquisition of new structures (relatively prominent ribs, styles and stylids) which were unknown to occur in the remaining Hispanomeryx forms. It also demonstrates that Hispanomeryx was more morphologically heterogeneous than previously thought.