First sirenian remains from the Palaeogene of Crimea

ABSTRACT

Fragmentary remains, including two anterior premolars, axis fragment, a phalanx, and rib fragments from the Middle Eocene (late Bartonian) Ak-Kaya locality represent the first sirenian fossils from the Paleogene of Crimea. The lower p3 shows some similarity with p3 in the dugongid Eotheroides sp. from the Eocene of North America. The axis is similar in proportions to the axis of the stem sirenian Sobrarbesiren from the Middle Eocene of Spain. The manual(?) phalanx suggests a semiaquatic adaptation of the Crimean sirenian. These remains are identified as Sirenia indet. with possible affinities with the Dugongidae.

KEYWORDS:

• Sea cows
• Sirenia
• Eocene
• Crimea

Acknowledgments

We thank H.-D. Sues and D.P. Domning for access to the specimens of fossil sirenians in the USNM collection and V.A. Musatov for the determination of the biozone of calcareous nannofossils by sample of rock from the Ak-Kaya locality. We also grateful to D.P. Domning for reviewing of the paper and useful suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

AOA received support from the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences [project АААА-А19-119032590102-7] and Russian Foundation for Basic Research [project 19-04-00057].