Vallesian rodents from Sheikh Abdallah, Western Desert, Egypt

Abstract

The aim of this contribution is to describe and interpret the fossil rodents from the Vallesian spelean breccias of the Sheikh Abdallah paleocave system, Western Desert, Egypt. Among the 1239 rodent teeth studied, there are three new genera and five new species. The fauna contains the earliest known murine in the world (four specimens), the earliest recorded hystricid in Africa and Europe (one specimen) and a primitive lophiomyine (15 specimens). The assemblage is dominated by Myocricetodon, of which there are four species comprising more than 1000 specimens, followed by a new genus of gerbilline (80 teeth), Africanomys (30 specimens), two genera of dendromurines (45 specimens), the squirrel Atlantoxerus (two specimens), glirids (five specimens), the gerbil Protatera (three specimens) and an indeterminate murid (two specimens). No lagomorphs were found in samples. New rodent taxa described are Faraframys heissigi, Ameuromys grandis, Steatomys bartheli, Saharamys misrensis and Africanomys bahariyaensis.

Keywords:

• Late Miocene
• Egypt
• paleokarst
• rodents
• paleoenvironment
• desertification

Acknowledgements

The authors are anxious to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff in the Faculty of Science and the Geology Department at the University of Menoufia, Shibin-el-Kom, Egypt (Prof. M. Eweada, Prof. Mohamed Al Khalifa, Dr Hosny Soliman and Dr Hamdallah Wanas), for authorisation to carry out research in Egypt and for help in the field and laboratory. We thank Dr Loïc Ségalen (University of Paris VI), Prof. Y. El-Sayed (University of Cairo) and Martine Faure (University of Lyon I). Funding for this research was provided by Prof. A. de Ricqlès (Collège de France), the University of Paris VI, and the CNRS. We are grateful to the organisers of NAVEP1 in Marrakech, Morocco, and to the editors of Historical Biology.

Notes

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Pierre Mein

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