ABSTRACT A new genus and species of otter-like mustelid, Teruelictis riparius, is created on the ... more ABSTRACT A new genus and species of otter-like mustelid, Teruelictis riparius, is created on the basis of a partial skeleton from the Late Miocene (Vallesian age, MN 10) locality of La Roma 2 (Teruel, Spain), including several postcranial elements, the skull, and the mandible. The combination of a typically lutrine dentition, similar to that of other fossil otters such as Paralutra jaegeri, with a very slender postcranial skeleton, including a long back and gracile long bones and metacarpals, thus lacking any aquatic adaptations, was previously unknown in the fossil record. This mosaic of features strongly suggests the possibility that the aquatic lifestyle of otters could have appeared after the initial development of the distinctive dental morphology of this specialized group of mustelids.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Publication details, including instructions for authors and su... more Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
We describe and discuss several aspects of the functional anatomy of the shoulder of the Miocene ... more We describe and discuss several aspects of the functional anatomy of the shoulder of the Miocene amphicyonid Magericyon anceps, focusing on the scapula and proximal half of the humerus. This species, only known from the late Miocene (Vallesian, MN 10) site of Batallones-1 (Madrid, Spain), is the last amphicyonid known in the fossil record of Western Europe. Magericyon anceps combines a more hypercarnivorous dentition than previous amphicyonids (including relatively more flattened canines) with primitive features on its shoulder region: its scapulo-humeral region shows a reduced caudoventral projection of the acromion, the postscapular fossa, and the teres major process, suggesting some differentiation from the two morphotypes exhibited by other derived amphicyonids, and showing similarities with primitive, generalized, medium-sized species of this family. This unique combination of a derived dentition and a relatively generalized shoulder region points towards M. anceps being a different ecological morphotype from that showed by other amphicyonids such as the larger, bear-like amphicyonines from the European middle Miocene and the markedly cursorial North American temnocyonines and daphoenines.
Several new fossil remains of Felidae from the late Miocene (Turolian age, MN 13, local zone M2) ... more Several new fossil remains of Felidae from the late Miocene (Turolian age, MN 13, local zone M2) locality of Las Casiones (near the village of Villalba Baja, Teruel, Spain) are studied in the present paper. This felid community includes the machairodontines Amphimachairodus giganteus, Paramachaerodus orientalis, and Metailurus major, and the felines Pristifelis attica and a small, undetermined species, previously unknown in the late Miocene. With this high diversity of felids, the environment of Las Casiones was probably relatively vegetated, with shrubs and trees that allowed smaller felid species to avoid dangerous encounters with the larger ones.
Royo-Torres, R., Gascó, F. & Alcalá, L. coord. (2012). 10th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists. ¡Fundamental! 20: 239-242.
ABSTRACT A new genus and species of otter-like mustelid, Teruelictis riparius, is created on the ... more ABSTRACT A new genus and species of otter-like mustelid, Teruelictis riparius, is created on the basis of a partial skeleton from the Late Miocene (Vallesian age, MN 10) locality of La Roma 2 (Teruel, Spain), including several postcranial elements, the skull, and the mandible. The combination of a typically lutrine dentition, similar to that of other fossil otters such as Paralutra jaegeri, with a very slender postcranial skeleton, including a long back and gracile long bones and metacarpals, thus lacking any aquatic adaptations, was previously unknown in the fossil record. This mosaic of features strongly suggests the possibility that the aquatic lifestyle of otters could have appeared after the initial development of the distinctive dental morphology of this specialized group of mustelids.
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Publication details, including instructions for authors and su... more Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
We describe and discuss several aspects of the functional anatomy of the shoulder of the Miocene ... more We describe and discuss several aspects of the functional anatomy of the shoulder of the Miocene amphicyonid Magericyon anceps, focusing on the scapula and proximal half of the humerus. This species, only known from the late Miocene (Vallesian, MN 10) site of Batallones-1 (Madrid, Spain), is the last amphicyonid known in the fossil record of Western Europe. Magericyon anceps combines a more hypercarnivorous dentition than previous amphicyonids (including relatively more flattened canines) with primitive features on its shoulder region: its scapulo-humeral region shows a reduced caudoventral projection of the acromion, the postscapular fossa, and the teres major process, suggesting some differentiation from the two morphotypes exhibited by other derived amphicyonids, and showing similarities with primitive, generalized, medium-sized species of this family. This unique combination of a derived dentition and a relatively generalized shoulder region points towards M. anceps being a different ecological morphotype from that showed by other amphicyonids such as the larger, bear-like amphicyonines from the European middle Miocene and the markedly cursorial North American temnocyonines and daphoenines.
Several new fossil remains of Felidae from the late Miocene (Turolian age, MN 13, local zone M2) ... more Several new fossil remains of Felidae from the late Miocene (Turolian age, MN 13, local zone M2) locality of Las Casiones (near the village of Villalba Baja, Teruel, Spain) are studied in the present paper. This felid community includes the machairodontines Amphimachairodus giganteus, Paramachaerodus orientalis, and Metailurus major, and the felines Pristifelis attica and a small, undetermined species, previously unknown in the late Miocene. With this high diversity of felids, the environment of Las Casiones was probably relatively vegetated, with shrubs and trees that allowed smaller felid species to avoid dangerous encounters with the larger ones.
Royo-Torres, R., Gascó, F. & Alcalá, L. coord. (2012). 10th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists. ¡Fundamental! 20: 239-242.
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