Langebaanweg’s sabertooth guild reveals an African Pliocene evolutionary hotspot for sabertooths (Carnivora

Here, we describe and revise craniodental material from Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry (South Africa, early Pliocene, ∼5.2 Ma), which represents one of the largest and best-preserved collections of sabertooth felids from Mio-Pliocene deposits of Africa. Four taxa, including two new species, are recognized:...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Jiangzuo, Qigao, Rabe, Caitlin, Abella, Juan, Govender, Romala, Valenciano, Alberto
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/87966
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/87966
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:569.74(6)
Biological sciences
Zoology
Paleobiology
Paleontología
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
Descripción
Sumario:Here, we describe and revise craniodental material from Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry (South Africa, early Pliocene, ∼5.2 Ma), which represents one of the largest and best-preserved collections of sabertooth felids from Mio-Pliocene deposits of Africa. Four taxa, including two new species, are recognized: Lokotunjailurus chinsamyae sp. nov., Adeilosmilus aff. kabir, Yoshi obscura, and Dinofelis werdelini sp. nov. The felid guild composition analyzed herein suggests the presence of a mosaic environment with open components in the region, and shows a potential relationship with that of Yuanmou, suggesting a similar environment and/or dispersal route/event. The reassessment of the rich early Pliocene felids from Langebaanweg is a step toward understanding the transition and evolution of the felids in the southern hemisphere during the late Miocene to early Pliocene.