Myocricetodon, AFOUDENSIS

Antoñanzas, Raquel López, 2009, First Potwarmus from the Miocene of Saudi Arabia and the early phylogeny of murines (Rodentia: Muroidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 156 (3), pp. 664-679 : 672

MYOCRICETODON AFOUDENSIS ( BENAMMI, 2001)

This species was erected on the basis of five upper molars and a single second lower molar ( Benammi, 2001). The holotype of this species (AF6-47) is a right M1 from the Late Miocene site of Afoud 6, Aït Kandoula Formation, Aït Kandoula Basin, Morocco. This species was originally placed in the genus Myocricetodon , but it is uncertain how close a relative of the type-species of Myocricetodon , Myocricetodon cherifiensis , it is.

The morphology of the teeth of ‘ Myocricetodon ’ afoudensis differs greatly from that of P. flynni sp. nov. The M1s of ‘ M. ’ afoudensis have a mesoloph, a new longitudinal crest, strongly alternating main cusps, and a large enterostyle that joins the protocone. AJ7 has a relict of a ‘normal’ longitudinal crest, the main cusps are slightly alternating, the enterostyle isolated, and lacks the mesoloph. The M2s of ‘ M. ’ afoudensis have a new longitudinal crest (absent on AJ11 and AJ12) and a large enterostyle connected to the protocone (smaller and isolated in the Arabian specimens).