Protophiomys durattalahensis, Jaeger & Marivaux & Salem & Bilal & Benammi & Chaimanee & Duringer & Marandat & Métais & Schuster & Valentin & Brunet, 2010

Jaeger, Jean-Jacques, Marivaux, Laurent, Salem, Mustapha, Bilal, Awad Abolhassan, Benammi, Mouloud, Chaimanee, Yaowalak, Duringer, Philippe, Marandat, Bernard, Métais, Eddy, Schuster, Mathieu, Valentin, Xavier & Brunet, Michel, 2010, New rodent assemblages from the Eocene Dur At-Talah escarpment (Sahara of central Libya): systematic, biochronological, and palaeobiogeographical implications, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160 (1), pp. 195-213 : 205

PROTOPHIOMYS DURATTALAHENSIS SP. NOV.

Holotype: DT1-013, a left M 1 (Fig. 5M).

Referred material: DT1-012, left DP 4; DT1-014, left M 2; DT1-015, right M 3; DT1-016, left DP 4; DT1-017, left M 1; DT1-018, left M 2; DT1-019, right M 3 (Fig. 5L–S).

Type locality and horizon: DT-Loc.1 (DT1), Idam Unit (‘Bioturbated Unit’) of the Dur At-Talah escarpment in central Libya.

Etymology: The species name refers to Dur At-Talah, the geographical provenance of this species.

Diagnosis: Species of the size of Protophiomys algeriensis . Differs from Pr. algeriensis in having upper molars with stronger transverse crests, notably a better development of the mesoloph (which reaches the mesostyle buccally), an incipient mure, a lesser development of the posterior arm of the protocone (endoloph), and with a stronger and longer development of the anterior arm of the hypocone. The P 4 differs also in the much wider talonid with a short but complete hypolophid.