New Carnivoran (Mammalia: Carnivora) specimens from the Siwaliks of Pakistan and India and their faunal and evolutionary implications

ABSTRACT

Recently collected carnivoran specimens from the Siwalik Group of Pakistan are described and discussed. These specimens add to our knowledge of the previously known taxa while also adding to our biogeographic, stratigraphic, and temporal knowledge of the carnivorans from the Siwaliks. At least eight distinct taxa are identified, and although most specimens are fragmentary, some hyaenid specimens are identified further (e.g. Lycyaena and Ictitherium). We identify and describe the first herpestid fossils from the Chinji Formation, the first hyaenid (Lycyaena cf. L. dubia) from the Tatrot Formation, and the first definitive occurrence of Ictitherium (Ictitherium cf. I. viverrinum) from the Dhok Pathan Formation. We report the first occurrences of several taxa from various sites in the Siwaliks of Pakistan, including the first reports of any carnivorans from Dhok Milan, Kohtehra, and Lawa. Individual sites show a wide range of carnivoran biodiversity, however larger scale trends are more discernible when comparing those between formations in the Siwaliks. Several taxa disappear over time from the carnivoran fauna of the Siwaliks, starting with barbourofelines, and continuing with amphicyonids (and non-carnivoran hyaenodontids). Felids and mustelids are the most diverse carnivorans in the Siwaliks, while caniforms become more prevalent through time.

KEYWORDS:

• Carnivora
• Siwaliks
• Neogene
• Hyaenidae
• Herpestidae
• biodiversity

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the curators and collections managers who have provided us access to specimens utilised directly with the current research and for comparative material under their care, including D. L. Brinkman (Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History), R. O’Leary (American Museum of Natural History), and B. Schubert and A. Nye (East Tennessee State University Museum of Natural History). Drs. Lars Werdelin, Peter Dodson, Xiaoming Wang, Steven Wallace, and Leigha Lynch are thanked for helpful discussions on carnivorans. We also thank all those who helped in the collection, including the hosts and guides of the fossil collection areas, and care of the specimens.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).