Distinction of Sivatherium from Libytherium and a new species of Libytherium (Giraffidae, Ruminantia, Mammalia) from the Siwaliks of Pakistan (Miocene)
2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 74; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.geobios.2022.06.002
ISSN1777-5728
AutoresMaría Ríos, Sayyed Ghyour Abbas, Muhammad Akbar Khan, Nikos Solounias,
Tópico(s)Morphological variations and asymmetry
Resumo• All morphological and biometrical data point to a de-synonymization of the genera Libytherium and Sivatherium . • This is based mainly on characters of the skull and ossicones, particularly the unique presence of internal canals in the ossicones of Libytherium . • We describe a new species of the genus Libytherium , Libytherium proton nov. sp. from the Chinji Formation (late middle Miocene) of the Siwalik Group. • This extends the biogeographic and biostratigraphic range of Libytherium because this taxon had never been reported from the Siwaliks, Asia and the Miocene before this study. This study deals with the issues around the synonymization of the large extinct giraffid genera Libytherium and Sivatherium . We performed a morphological and biometrical analysis of the cranial remains of these giraffid genera and resolved this question by formulating criteria to distinguish Libytherium from Sivatherium , and to justify their systematic position within the Giraffidae. The present study also reports a new species of the genus Libytherium , Libytherium proton nov. sp. from the Chinji Formation (late Middle Miocene) and the Dhok Pathan Formation (Late Miocene) of the Siwalik Group of the Indian subcontinent. This extends the biogeographic and biostratigraphic range of Libytherium because this taxon had never been reported from the Siwaliks, Asia and the Miocene before this study. This study also initiates a detailed reassessment of the African and Siwalik material currently attributed to genus Sivatherium (and some other genera) and their proper allocation within the Giraffidae.
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