The first record of Anancus (Mammalia, Proboscidea) in the late Miocene of Greece and reappraisal of the primitive anancines from Europe

ABSTRACT

In this article, we present the proboscideans from the late Miocene (Turolian) locality Chomateri, Greece, near the classical locality Pikermi. The material consists of juvenile teeth, whose morphological features, such as the dislocation of the half-loph(id)s and the resultant alternate arrangement of the successive loph(id)s (anancoidy), permit assignment to the tetralophodont gomphothere Anancus. However, the anancoidy is rather weak and the occlusal morphology simple, both regarded as primitive features within anancines. Reexamination of the late Miocene anancines from Europe reveals that they all share primitive molar features (weak anancoidy, simple morphology, thick enamel) with the material from Hohenwarth, Austria, showing further primitive skull features, such as the longer mandibular symphysis compared with other anancines. The proper name to refer to the late Miocene anancines from Europe is Anancus lehmanni (Gaziry, 1997), with type locality Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Turolian; Germany). The presence of Anancus in Chomateri constitutes the first late Miocene record of the genus in Greece, and the first faunal element that clearly indicates that Chomateri postdates the classical Pikermi. Finally, we discuss the biostratigraphy and the biogeography of the late Miocene anancines of the Old World. Anancus originated possibly at ∼9.0–8.5 Ma in Asia and entered Europe during the second half of the Turolian, at ∼7.2 Ma (Tortonian-Messinian boundary). The arrival of Anancus in Europe coincides with a faunal turnover in both the eastern and western sectors of the European Mediterranean region, and in the southern Balkans in particular, with the decline of the ‘Pikermian’ large-mammal fauna.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the following persons for allowing us access to collections under their care and/or discussions on several aspects of the manuscript: D. Berthet (ML), M. Böhme (University of Tübingen), U. Göhlich (NHMW), L. Kordos (HGI), A. Prieur (FSL), G. Rössner (SNSB-BSPG), O. Sandrock (HLMD), P. Tassy and S. Sen (MNHN), and O. Kullmer and C. Hemm (SMF). G.K. was financially supported by the European Union–funded Integrated Activities grant SYNTHESYS (AT-TAF-3825, HU-TAF-1683) and by the European Research Council Consolidator Grant no. 724703 (CROSSROADS). Research at Pikermi has been supported by the Special Account for Research Grants of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, by the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermi, EYDAP, ELPEN, and private sponsors (70/3/9494, 70/3/10437, 70/4/3570, 70/4/11078, and 70/3/12977). Editor F. Bibi and reviewers S.-Q. Wang and J. Saarinen made constructive comments and suggestions for improvement of the manuscript.

ORCID

George E. Konidaris http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7041-233X