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The Late Miocene Mammal Faunas of the Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece: New Collection - 4

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The Late Miocene Mammal Faunas of the Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece: New Collection - 4 ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Beiträge zur Paläontologie Jahr/Year: 2009 Band/Volume: 31 Autor(en)/Author(s): Vasileiadou Katerina, Sylvestrou Ioanna A. Artikel/Article: The Late Miocene Mammal Faunas of the Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece: New Collection - 4. Micromammals 37-55 ©Verein zur Förderung der Paläontologie am Institut für Paläontologie, Geozentrum Wien Beitr. Paläont., 31:37-55, Wien 2009 The Late Miocene Mammal Faunas of the Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece: New Collection 4. Micromammals by Katerina Vasileiadou1) & Ioanna A. Sylvestrou2) V a s i l e i a d o u , K. &S y l v e s t r o u , I. A., 2009. The Late Miocene Mammal Faunas of the Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece: New Collection. 4. Micromammals. — Beitr. Palaont., 31:37-55, Wien. Abstract S chilisselworte: Obermiozan, Samos, Griechenland, Kleinsauger, Systematik. The small number of micromammalian fossils found in the Samos Middle Turolian localities M T L A and MTLB are identified as Pseudomeriones pythagorasi, ‘Karnimata’ 1. Introduction provocator, Spermophilinus cf. bredai and Pliospalax cf. sotirisi. The presence of these species on Samos gives ad­ Samos Island has some of the richest known late Miocene ditional information on the size and morphological varia­ mammal localities of Greece and Europe. Even though tion within the species, which are known only from a few the Samos collection of macromammals is extremely large, localities {Spermophilinus bredai excepted). Additionally, the micromammalian fossils are certainly underrepre­ three of them suggest a dry, open environment for Samos sented. Most of them, coming from the micromammalian during the Middle Turolian. locality S3, were reported byB l a c k et al. (1980). The recent sampling expeditions, organised since 1990 by Prof. Keywords: Late Miocene, Samos, Greece, Micromam­ G. Koufos [Geology Department, Aristotle University mals, Systematics. of Thessaloniki Greece (AUTH)], have yielded a small number of micromammalian fossils from the fossiliferous localities M T L A and MTLB. The locality S3 is located in Zusammenfassung the Potamies ravine, at the lower part of the Main Bone Beds member of the Mytilinii Formation (B l a c k et al., Unter den wenigen Kleinsäugerfunden aus mittelturo- 1980, S o l o u n i a s , 1981, S w i s h e r , 1996; B e r n o r et al., lischen Fundstellen (MTLA und MTLB) aus Samos 1996; K o s t o p o u l o s et al., 2003), whereas the localities konnten Pseudomeriones pythagorasi, ,.Karnimata provo­ M T L A and MTLB are located in the Adrianos ravine, at cator, Spermophilinus cf. bredai und Pliospalax cf. sotirisi the middle-upper part of the Main Bone Beds(K o u f o s identifiziert werden. Die Anwesenheit dieser Arten et al., 1997; K o s t o p o u l o s et al., 2003). The stratigraphic ergibt zusätzliche Informationen über die Größe und and sedimentologic characteristics of the region are given die morphologische Variation innerhalb dieser Arten, in K o s t o p o u l o s et al. (this volume). die nur aus einigen Lokalitäten bekannt sind (mit Aus­ B l a c k et al. (1980) reported the presence of one insecti- nahme von Spermophilinus bredai). Drei Taxa sprechen vore and six rodent species, one of which Pseudomeriones( für eine trockene offene Landschaft auf Samos während pythagorasi) was new. The new collection includes only des mittleren Turoliums. four of the previously reported rodents, including the gerbilline Pseudomeriones pythagorasi. The study of the new collection provides additional information about the presence of these four rodents in the late Miocene of :) Dr. Katerina Vasileiadou, Natural History Museum of the Samos and the Eastern Mediterranean region. Lesvos Petrified Forest, Sigri 81103, Lesvos, Greece, e-mail: [email protected] 2. Methodology 2) Dr. Ioanna A. Sylvestrou, Aristotle University of Thessa­ loniki, Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geology & The matrix sampled has been screen-washed, through Paleontology, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece, e-mail: sylvest@ sieves of mesh size 0.5 mm. The residue was dried at room geo.auth.gr temperature. The micromammalian elements were picked ©Verein zur Förderung der Paläontologie am Institut für Paläontologie, Geozentrum Wien 38 Beitr. Palaont., 31, Wien, 2009 out of the residue and studied under a light microscope curved backwards at its tip, even in advanced stages of wear. at various magnifications. The measurements were taken The mesosinus is very shallow, wide and transverse to the using a Wild Photomakroskop M4000, at the Depart­ longitudinal axis of the tooth. There is a posteroloph in the ment of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, unworn teeth which also remains after some degree of wear. Greece (AUTH) and are given in tenths of millimeters There is a strong anteroloph on the unworn specimens. (0.1 mm). The teeth were photographed uncoated, using There are two anterior and one posterior roots, a LEO 1455VP Scanning Electron Microscope with m l (Plate lg-h, j & Fig. 1.11-1.15): It is relatively wide a solid backscattered detector, at the Natural History with an advanced degree of wear. The alternation of the Museum, London, United Kingdom (NHM). The draw­ cuspids shows a “cricetid” pattern. The anteroconid is ings were made using a light microscope with a camera crescent-shaped even in advanced stages of wear. It has a lucida attached, at the Department of Geology, Aristotle strong labial arm that reaches the base of the protoconid University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Greece. (a character better noticeable in the new collection). The The terminology and the measuring method used for each metaconid is narrower than the protoconid in early stages taxon are according to the following authors: T o n g (1989) of wear. The lobe formed by the hypoconid and the ento- and S en (2001) for the Gerbillinae, v a n d e W e e r d (1976) conid (posterior lobe) is large. The posterolophid appears for the Murinae and Sciuridae and T o p a c h e v s k i (1969) as an oblique short ridge and disappears only in advanced for the Spalacidae. A ll the material is stored at the Aegean stages of wear. Museum of Natural History (Samos; NHM A). m2 (Plate li-j &Fig. 1.15-1.16): It is formed by two lobes. Lingually, there is a deep mesosinusid that curves strongly anteriorly in early stages of wear and becomes almost 3. Taxonomy transverse in more advanced stages of wear. Labially, there are two sinusids; the protosinusid is shallower than the Order: Rodentia B o w d i c h , 1821 posterior sinusid. The protosinusid seems to become deeper Family: Muridae G r a y , 1821 with wear. In the worn teeth the antero-external cuspid, Subfamily: Gerbillinae G r a y , 1825 seems to be well separated and curves posteriorly. Mandible (Fig. 2a): The anterior tip of the incisor is situated Genus: Pseudomeriones S c h a u b , 1934 below the alveolar level of the molars. The mental foramen is situated directly under the deepest point of the diastema Pseudomerionespythagorasi Black, K rishtalka & and is marked posteriorly by a rather strong tubercle, which S olounias, 1980 Pseudomeriones Length Width Length/Width pythagorasi Type species: Pseudomeriones abbreviatus (T e il h a r d de C h a r d i n , 1926) M l Holotype: m l dex (CM 36305) sin MTLA-1 23.48 16.50 1.42 Type locality: S3 (Old collection) dex MTLB-1 24.50 17.01 1.44 Type material: M l dex, CM 36303; M l dex, CM 36304; M l dex, CM 36307; M l dex, CM 36284 - not available; dex CM36304 26.35 16.79 1.57 m l, CM 36306 - not available; m l dex, CM 36298. dex CM36307 25.92 17.16 1.51 Locality: Mytilinii-lA, B (MTLA, MTLB) Adrianos dex CM36303 24.49 17.09 1.43 ravine, Mytilinii Basin, Samos, Greece. M 2 Material: sin M TLA-4 13.44 15.53 0.87 M TLA: M l sin, M T LA-1; M 2 sin, M TLA-4; m l sin, M TLA-2; m l dex, M TLA-3; anterior part of right man­ dex MTLB-2 14.78 15.51 0.95 dible with incisor, m l-m2, M TLA-5. sin MTLB-3 13.97 15.76 0.89 MTLB: M l dex, M TLB-1; M2 sin, M TLB-3; M 2 dex, dex MTLB-4 13.01 13.86 0.94 M TLB-2; M 2 dex, M TLB-4; m2 dex, M TLB-5. ml Age: Middle Turolian, MN12 (late Miocene); 7.1-7.0 sin MTLA-2 23.40 15.12 1.55 Ma Measurements: The measurements are given in Table1 . dex MTLA-5 23.53 15.34 1.53 dex MTLA-3 22.94 15.85 1.45 Description: dex CM 36305 24.10 14.89 1.62 M l (Plate la-b & Fig. 1.1-1.6): The anterocone is trian­ dex CM36298 22.71 13.98 1.62 gular in shape. The cusps are alternating from moderate m2 to strong. The anteroloph and the neoloph are parallel to each other and oblique to the longitudinal axis of the tooth. dex MTLA-5 15.41 15.92 0.97 There is a posteroloph in early stage of wear. Three main dex MTLB-5 15.33 15.31 1.00 roots are present. M 2 (Plate lc -f & Fig. 1.7-1.10): It is formed by two lobes, Table 1.
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