Original paper
New cranial material of Miotragocerus monacensis (Mammalia: Bovidae) from the late Miocene hominid locality Hammerschmiede (Germany)
Hartung, Josephina; Lechner, Thomas; Böhme, Madelaine
Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen Band 298 Heft 3 (2020), p. 269 - 284
64 references
published: Dec 18, 2020
manuscript accepted: Oct 20, 2020
manuscript received: Jul 31, 2020
ArtNo. ESP155029803002, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Here we report on a partial skull and isolated horn core material of the boselaphin bovid Miotragocerus monacensis Stromer von Reichenbach, 1928 from the late Miocene hominid locality Hammerschmiede in southern Germany (HAM). The partial skull comprises the most complete cranial remains of M. monacensis so far. Using µCT analysis, we demonstrate the unique morphology of the basicranium of M. monacensis, compared to closely related boselaphin bovids like M. pannoniae Kretzoi, 1941, M. valenciennesi Gaudry, 1861 and Tragoportax rugosifrons Schlosser, 1904, all from the late Miocene. In addition, the µCT data of the cranium provide insight into the morphology of the cornual diverticulum (frontal sinus) supporting the presence of frontal sinuses within basal bovids. Besides the cranium, we describe further isolated horn core material from both the HAM 5 horizon (11.62 Ma) and for the first time the HAM 4 horizon (11.44 Ma), being the stratigraphic youngest record of this species.
Keywords
Bovidae • Boselaphini • basicranium • frontal sinus • taxonomy • late Miocene