Mustelictis Lange, 1969

Bonis, Louis de, Gardin, Axelle & Blondel, Cécile, 2019, Carnivora from the early Oligocene of the ‘ Phosphorites du Quercy’ in southwestern France, Geodiversitas 41 (15), pp. 601-621 : 612-614

Genus Mustelictis Lange, 1969

TYPE SPECIES. —? Plesictis robustus Filhol in Teilhard, 1915 ( 1915: 58, pl. VII, fig. 13), by original designation.

REMARKS

The genus Plesictis Pomel, 1846 was created for small mustelids from late Oligocene and lower Miocene localities of France. Several species were described, especially in Europe, and among them some specimens from the old collections of the Quercy phosphorites. However, some of them do not bear all the characters of Plesictis. Thus, an isolated skull from the old collection, and considered as a Plesictis, was assigned to a new genus, Mustelictis , by Lange (1969, 1970). However, it was described without any comparison either with other specimens or with the literature ( Lange 1970), although it was figured by Teilhard as Plesictis robustus ( Teilhard 1915: pl. VII, fig. 13, 13a). Teilhard noted that this skull was similar to another skull figured by Filhol (1890) as Viverra schlosseri. We could not find the latter and thus V. schlosseri, without type specimen, becomes a nomen dubium. However, the skull did not bear the characters of Plesictis. In particular, it does not display the double fronto-parietal crests that are characteristic in Plesictis (see for instance Viret 1929) as can readily be seen in Teilhard’s figure, even if the parietal bones had been removed, probably to observe the brain endocast before Lange’s study and thus it truly belongs to a different genus.

The same skull is also de facto holotype of a new species, M. piveteaui Lange, 1969, but what can we say about the species name? Viverra schlosseri is a nomen dubium and the other name, Plesictis robustus Pomel, 1848, was created for late Oligocene and early Miocene carnivores that are true Plesictis and is not available for this Quercy specimen. Unfortunately, Teilhard did use the binomen Plesictis robustus for fossils from the Quercy. In fact, true Plesictis existed in late Oligocene localities in Quercy but not in the early Oligocene ones. The first robustus is a hemi-mandible considered Plesictis robustus by Filhol (1877: 49, 50). Filhol later (1882) changed his mind and called this specimen Cynodictis leptorhynchus viverroides (1882: 59-62, pl. VI, figs 3-5, pl. VII, figs 7-10). These specimens were figured again by Teilhard (1915: pl. VIII, figs 9, 10) and are housed in the MNHN Paris. We designate here the mandible of Teilhard (1915: pl. VIII, fig. 9), MNHN.F.QU9233, as lectotype of Mustelictis robustus.

The mandible corresponding to the skull is at present unknown, but another species, Mustelictis olivieri Bonis, 1997 was described from a skull associated with mandibular remains and may help in elucidating the morphology of the lower teeth of other species of Mustelictis . The new material includes a mandible probably belonging to the same genus as the type and adds new specimens of M. olivieri.