Vulpes chama ( Smith, 1833 )
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.26879/533 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A587E3-FFF2-FFC6-FEFC-2F627C04F999 |
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treatment provided by |
Felipe |
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scientific name |
Vulpes chama ( Smith, 1833 ) |
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Vulpes chama ( Smith, 1833) View in CoL
Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 , Table 3
Referred specimens. DNM 471-1, partial cranium; DNM 471-2, right maxilla preserving C–M 2; DNM 471-3, right mandible preserving P 1 –M 2; DNM 471- 4, left mandible preserving P 4 –M 1; DNM 471-5, atlas; DNM 471-6, axis; DNM 471-7, right distal scapula; DNM 471-14, left p 3.
Description. A total of seven craniodental and postcranial specimens have been recovered from the Drimolen Makondo infill, representing the associated remains of a single subadult individual ( Figure 4 View FIGURE 4 ; Table 3). The retention of the p 3 and the alveolus for an erupted M 3 in the DNM 471- 3 specimen suggests the individual was ~20–27 weeks of age (based on extant Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus, 1758 dental eruption schedule; Linhart, 1968).
The partial cranium (DNM 471-1; Figure 4.1– 2 View FIGURE 4 ) has been crushed both mediolaterally and dorsoventrally, such that the left vault elements (frontal, parietal, interparietal, and squamous temporal) remain in articulation, but the right vault elements are distorted and displaced. Despite damage to the basicranium, the ventral surface of the cranium preserves the left auditory bulla and parts (glenoid fossae and zygomatic processes) of both petrous temporals. Additional basicranial elements may be present within the consolidated sediments within the endocranium. Neither the occipital or rostral cranial portions (e.g., ethmoid, nasals, premaxillae) are preserved. The associated right maxilla (DNM 471-2; Figure 4.3–4 View FIGURE 4 ) preserves the alveolar process supporting the C–M 2. While the specimen preserves a strong fossa immediately dorsal to P 2 / P 3, no part of the infraorbital foramen, and little of the horizontal process, is preserved.
The right mandible (DNM 471-3; Figure 4.5–6 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 ) preserves a nearly complete corpus and ascending
Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Canid Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes chama chama skinneri indet. chama macrotis pallida velox vulpes zerda pattisoni pulcher DNM DNM U.W. 88 a - DN b (N = 32)a (N = 4)a (N = 3)a (N = 9)a (N = 9)a (N = 10)a (N = 1)a (N = 2)c 471-3 471-4 812 981 µ σ µ σ µ σ µ σ µ σ µ σ µ σ µ σ p4 L 6.53 6.71 6.68 6.76 0.59 7.59 0.42 5.62 0.50 7.27 0.64 9.28 0.98 5.11 0.34 7.90 0.50 p4 W 2.83 2.81 3.12 3.16 0.41 3.17 0.34 2.49 0.23 3.21 0.26 4.04 0.48 2.19 0.30 3.20 0.00 m1 L 10.12 10.33 10.26 12.90 10.70 0.77 10.43 0.81 8.74 0.56 11.49 0.65 14.37 1.50 7.40 0.86 13.05 0.95 m 1 Tri L 6.30 6.22 6.33 7.07 0.66 7.48 0.57 5.45 0.76 8.27 0.27 9.62 1.00 5.01 0.40 m 1 W 4.40 6.65 4.88 4.90 4.86 0.51 4.51 0.42 4.00 0.38 4.78 0.35 5.84 0.50 3.47 0.21 4.80 0.20 m 2 L 6.36 6.47 5.79 0.61 4.54 0.25 4.91 0.26 4.92 0.51 6.34 0.42 4.71 0.99 6.96 6.55 0.55 m 2 W 4.27 5.22 4.59 0.55 3.74 0.28 3.18 0.41 4.19 0.37 5.00 0.37 3.52 0.27 5.28 4.70 Sub m1 H 14.65 14.92 16.40 1.29 13.94 1.82 12.54 1.46 15.93 1.51 20.79 1.53 10.82 0.54 Sub m1 W 6.18 5.41 5.27 0.48 5.79 1.46 3.73 0.14 5.67 0.50 6.82 0.73 3.65 0.21 Cor-Ang 30.50 28.03 1.41 25.66 0.79 22.79 2.70 30.01 2.08 37.89 2.25 20.53 0.94 Con-Ang 13.63 13.82 14.42 12.70 1.07 12.01 0.93 10.57 0.51 14.33 1.51 16.69 1.11 9.47 0.44 Con W 9.28 9.44 10.62 10.20 0.78 10.04 0.43 9.06 1.07 11.40 0.57 14.47 1.20 7.80 0.62 Con DV 3.78 3.85 3.79 3.79 0.45 3.83 0.71 3.39 0.28 4.13 0.63 5.46 0.86 2.89 0.32
a From Hartstone-Rose et al., 2013; b from O'Regan and Menter, 2009; c Ewer, 1956.
ramus, including gonion and the condylar process but lacking the coronoid process. The alveolar process is complete from the canine through the molar row (indicating M 3 had erupted), but only the P 1 – M 2 are preserved. There is a distinct diastema between P 2 and p 3 to accommodate the P 3. The corpus possesses two inferior alveolar foramina: one inferior to the P 1 mesial root, the other inferior to the P 2 distal root. The left mandible ( DNM 471-4 ) only preserves the posterior corpus from the alveolus for the p 3 /P 4 to the ascending ramus, including the complete P 4 and M 1, gonion, the condylar process, and most of the coronoid process. The cortex of the medial aspect of the corpus is crushed. An associated isolated left p 3 ( DNM 471-14 ) is morphologically consistent with the right p 3 preserved on the DNM 471- 3 specimen .
Discussion. Several extant and extinct species of Vulpes ( Vulpes pulcher Broom, 1937 ; Vulpes pattisoni Broom, 1948 ; and Vulpes skinneri Hartstone-Rose et al., 2013 ) have previously been documented from South African Plio-Pleistocene karstic deposits; of these, the preserved cranial and dental morphology of the DNM 471 specimens is only consistent with Vulpes chama . The Makondo individual preserves smaller dentition than those remains attributed to both V. pulcher and V. pattisoni ( Table 3; see Ewer, 1956; Hendey, 1974; Hartstone-Rose et al., 2013), and differs from V. skinneri in possessing a strong distal accessory cusp of the DNM 471-3 and 471-4 fourth premolars (the absence of which is an autapomorphy of V. skinneri ; Hartstone-Rose et al., 2013). While metrically DNM 471 falls just outside the lower range for previously measured adult V. chama specimens ( Hartstone-Rose et al. 2013), the non-dental metric differences are not unexpected for a subadult individual. Both metric and morphological features of the Makondo V. chama specimens are consistent with the previously recovered V. chama M 1 (DN 1067) described from the Drimolen Main Quarry, including the more rounded edge of the buccal cingulum ( O’Regan and Menter, 2009).
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