Title:

Additional material of Namahyrax corvus from the Ypresian/Lutetian of Black Crow, Namibia

Author(s):
Publication Year:
2018
Abstract:

Three teeth of a small hyracoid were found during the 2017 campaign of acid digestion of blocks of limestone from Black Crow, Namibia. The specimens, a left D1/, half an upper premolar and a right p/1 can be attributed with confidence to Namahyrax corvus, up to now the only hyracoid known from the site. The D1/ is more complete than the broken P1/ in the holotype and yields additional information about the crown morphology of the anterior cheek teeth. The p/1 was not previously known for the species. The three teeth underscore the primitive brachyodont morphology of the teeth. The teeth are somewhat more primitive than the corresponding teeth in Dimaitherium patnaiki from the Fayum, Egypt. Direct comparisons cannot be made with Seggeurius amourensis and Bunohyrax matsumotoi because these tooth positions are unknown in these species, but the shape of the p/1 of Namahyrax corresponds with what would be expected from the p/2 morphology in them. Comparisons with Microhyrax lavocati are difficult to make because not even the p/2 is known in that species, but the simplicity of its p/3 (lack of crescentic cusps) suggests a ground plan for the p/1 that could correspond to that observed in the Black Crow specimen. The new specimens of Namahyrax resolve the uncertainty concerning its familial status, indicating that it belongs to the family Geniohyidae. Keywords: Hyracoidea, Geniohyidae, Fossil, Palaeogene, Namibia, Dental morphology.

Publication Title:

Communications of the Geological Survey of Namibia

Publisher:
Geological Survey of Namibia
Volume:
18
Pages:
81-86
Item Type:
Journal Article
Language:
en
Keywords: