Palaeogiraffa Bonis & Bouvrain, 2003

Kostopoulos, Dimitris S. & Sen, Sevket, 2016, Suidae, Tragulidae, Giraffidae, and Bovidae, Geodiversitas 38 (2), pp. 273-298 : 285-288

Palaeogiraffa Bonis & Bouvrain, 2003

TYPE SPECIES. — Palaeogiraffa macedoniae ( Geraads, 1989) , by subsequent designation ( Bonis & Bouvrain 2003: 10).

Palaeogiraffa pamiri ( Ozansoy, 1965) ( Fig. 7 ; Tables 4, 5, 6, 7)

Samotherium sp. – Nicolas 1978: 456.

, Palaeotragus from Küçükçekmece West;, Palaeogiraffa from Küçükçekmece West;, Samotherium major Bohlin, 1926 ; ¢, Samotherium boissieri Forsyth-Major, 1888 ;, Palaeotragus rouenii Gaudry, 1861 ; D, Palaeotragus Gaudry,1861 specimens referred to as P.coelophrys (Rodler & Weithofer,1890) ;

, P. hoffstetteri Ozansoy, 1965 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED AND MEASUREMENTS. — Küçükçekmece West: Buccal wall of P3/4 MNHN.F.TRQ423; part of right maxilla with M2-M3, TRQ421; left M1, TRQ425; right M2 TRQ422; right M1/2, TRQ428, TRQ424; left M1/2, TRQ429, TRQ426; part of right mandibular ramus with p4-m3,TRQ431; part of left mandibular ramus with p4-m3, TRQ432; part of right mandibular ramus with m1-m3, TRQ430; right m1, TRQ437; left m1, TRQ433; part of lower molarsTRQ435, TRQ436; distal humerus,TRQ443 (TDD = 119.0 mm); proximal radius,TRQ481 (TDP = c. 99 mm; TDM = 67.0 mm); distal radius, TRQ446 (TDM = 67.5 mm; TDD = 99.8 mm); part of ulna,TRQ450 (H olecranon = 150.0 mm); metacarpal, TRQ479; proximal metacarpal,TRQ538; distal metacarpal, TRQ541; distal femur, TRQ441; cubonavicular, TRQ527 (TDmax = 74.0 mm; APDmax = c. 70 mm), TRQ529 (TDmax = 72.7 mm; APDmax = 75.2 mm); astragalus, TRQ520, TRQ523, TRQ524; calcaneum, TRQ513 (L = 187.0 mm; TD at sustentaculum tali = 56.9; APD at coracoids process = 81.8 mm), TRQ512 (L = 186.5 mm; TD at sustentaculum tali = 61.6; APD at coracoids process = 83.3 mm); metatarsal, TRQ435; proximal metatarsal, TRQ535; distal metatarsal, TRQ539, TRQ543; first phalanx,TRQ556, 558, 560, 561, 562, 565, 566; second phalanx, TRQ376, TRQ573, TRQ575, TRQ577, TRQ581, TRQ583, TRQ585, TRQ586, TRQ588, TRQ589, TRQ590, TRQ591; third phalanx, TRQ594 (L = 84.2 mm; H = 47.7 mm).

Küçükçekmece East: astragalus, ITU no No. (×2); second phalanx, ITU no No.

ADDITIONAL MEASUREMENTS. — See Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7.

DESCRIPTION

The upper molars have strong styles, crescents fusing late in wear and no basal pillars. The mesostyle is placed behind the junction point of the fossettes ( Fig. 7B, C ). The posterior flange of the protocone (postprotocrista) is short and curves inwards. A weak cingulum is always present on the mesial face of the molars and in some specimens around the lingual wall of the mesial lobe. An enamel islet is occasionally present to the rear of the distal fossa. The molariform p4 is as high as the m2. In the little worn specimen MNHN.F.TRQ431 ( Fig. 7A ), the protoconid is already fused with the hypoconid (feature referred sometimes as continuous eocristid), the talonid has a continuous lingual wall due to the mesiodistally expanded metaconid, and the entoconid is oblique comparatively to the main axis of the tooth. The mesial fossette (mesosinusid sensu Geraads et al. 2013: fig. 1) is delimited posteriorly by a short transverse cristid (sensu Geraads et al. 2013: fig. 1) that does not reach the lingual wall. In more advanced stage of wear (MNHN.F.TRQ432; Fig. 7C ) the protoconid and the hypoconid rest marginally fused and the distal flange of the metaconid (postmetacristid sensu Geraads et al. 2013: fig. 1) covers the half of the oblique entoconid. The lower molars ( Fig. 7A, C, E ) are narrow comparatively to their length. A weak mesial (goat) fold and a large basal pillar are usually present on m1 but both obliterate towards m3. The parastylid is weak and the metastylid quite strong. The third lobe of the m3 is elliptical, formed by a single semilunar cuspid ( Fig. 7A, C, E ).

REMARKS

The material represents a medium-sized giraffid with moderately slender metapodials, close dimensionally to the wellknown samotheres from the Turolian of the Balkano-Iranian province (especially Samotherium boissieri from Samos and S. neumayri (Rodler & Weithofer, 1890) from Maragheh). Nevertheless, the large premolars (judging from the size of p4 compared to m1), the large talonid in comparison with the trigonid on p4 and its continuous eocristid, the weak and symmetrical paracone rib on the upper molars and the assignment of the mesostyle to the distal lobe, and the presence of a fairly strong ectostylid on m1 prevent attributing the Küçükçekmece large giraffid to Samotherium (and palaeotragines in general) and indicate relations with sivatheriines ( Hamilton 1978; Geraads 1986; Montoya & Morales 1991). The studied form differs from the Turolian Helladotherium Gaudry, 1860 / Bramatherium Falconer, 1845 (see discussion in Geraads & Güleç 1999 about their possible synonymy) and the Pleistocene Sivatherium Cautley & Falconer, 1835 in the significantly smaller size and the much slenderer metapodials. The Küçükçekmece species agrees in size and morphology with Decennatherium Crusafont, 1952 , Birgerbohlinia Crusafont, 1952 and Palaeogiraffa Bonis & Bouvrain 2003 , even though Solounias (2007) recently proposed removing the first two genera from sivatheriines. Teeth dimensions of both Birgerbohlinia and Decennatherium from Spain are about 20% larger than the Küçükçekmece ones, whereas the p4 of the former taxon shows no continuous eocristid ( Alcalá & Montoya 1994: fig. 4d). Furthermore, the limb proportions of the Küçükçekmece species are significantly different from those of the Span- ish forms; the metacarpals appear to be longer than those of Birgerbohlinia schaubi Crusafont, 1952 and wider that those of Decennatherium pachecoi Crusafont, 1952 ; the metatarsals are as long as those of D. pachecoi but as wide as those of B. schaubi , and the astragali are shorter than those of B. schaubi and wider distally than in D. pachecoi ( Crusafont 1952; Montoya & Morales 1991).

Geraads (1979, 1989) recorded in the Vallesian faunas of the Axios valley, N. Greece, two species provisionally ascribed to Decennatherium : D.? cf. pachecoi from Ravin de la Pluie and D.? macedoniae Geraads, 1989 from Pentalophos, emphasizing, however, that these two species could belong to a different sub-generic group than the Spanish D. pachecoi and B. schaubi . He also suggested relationships between Samotherium pamiri Ozansoy, 1965 from Yassiören and the Pentalophos species. More recently, Bonis & Bouvrain (2003) created for this group of Eastern Mediterranean Vallesian giraffids the genus Palaeogiraffa , recognizing three species: P. macedoniae ( Geraads, 1989) in Pentalophos, P. pamiri ( Ozansoy, 1965) in Yassiören and Xirochori (Axios valley, Greece) and P. major Bonis & Bouvrain, 2003 in Ravin de la Pluie. At the same time Gentry (2003) described as Decennatherium macedoniae some more material from Loc. 4 of Middle Sinap and Geraads et al. (2005) referred to as? Palaeogiraffa cf. macedoniae several postcranials from the Vallesian fauna of Yulaflı in European Turkey. The last authors also claimed that referring all these eastern forms to the same genus is uncertain since resemblances mostly rest upon primitive dental features, and they consequently suggested retaining Palaeogiraffa for the Pentalophos species only.

Direct comparison of the Küçükçekmece West species with the Eastern Mediterranean ones shows that it is slightly smaller than the Ravin de la Pluie giraffid and similar in size to both the Xirochori and Pentalophos species. Unlike most other giraffids except of the Spanish Decennatherium ( Morales & Soria 1981; Alcalá & Montoya 1994), the presence of a continuous eocristid on the p4 is a significant resemblance between the Küçükçekmece West and the Pentalophos giraffe, and a strong evidence for their common generic assignment. In contrast, however, to P. macedoniae from Pentalophos, the upper molars of the Küçükçekmece giraffid bear a hypoconal islet and have stronger buccal and lingual cingula, the p4 has a longer and obliquely set entoconid, and the lower molars have stronger mesiobuccal cingulum. Most of these features appear in the Xirochori, Yassiören and Loc. 4 of Middle Sinap giraffids ( Ozansoy 1965; Bonis & Bouvrain 2003; Gentry 2003), validating – in our opinion – their distinction from the Pentalophos species.

The Küçükçekmece West preserved postcranials ( Fig. 7 F- I) appear slightly longer but more robust than those of Palaeotragus from the same site ( Fig. 6 ). Geraads et al. (2005) recorded at Yulaflı three complete metacarpals. Although a direct comparison with the Küçükçekmece West material is not possible because of the incompatibility of the available specimens, it seems that the size and proportions of both the Yulaflı and the Küçükçekmece West metapodials are close to those of P. macedoniae from Pentalophos. The Küçükçekmece distal humerus MNHN.F.TRQ443 ( Fig. 7F ) and the preserved parts of radii (MNHN.F.TRQ481, TRQ446) are also dimensionally and morphologically similar to those of P. macedoniae described by Geraads (1989).

Figures

FIG. 7. — Palaeogiraffa pamiri (Ozansoy,1965) from Küçükçekmece West,Turkey:A, right mandible,MNHN.F.TRQ431 in occlusal (up, reversed) and lingual (down) views; B, M1 sin, MNHN.F.TRQ425 in occlusal view; C, M2-M3 dex, MNHN.F.TRQ421 in occlusal view; D, left mandible, MNHN.F.TRQ432 in buccal view; E, m1- m3 dex, MNHN.F.TRQ430 in occlusal view; F, distal humerus, MNHN.F.TRQ441 in dorsal view; G, astragalus, MNHN.F.TRQ524 in plantar view; H, calcaneum, MNHN.F.TRQ513 in medial view; I, juvenile metacarpal, MNHN.F.TRQ479 in proximal and dorsal view. Scale bars: 2 cm.

FIG. 6. — Metrical comparison of astragali of several late Miocene giraffids: