Hippotragus sp.

Herries, AIR, Menter, CG & Adams, JW, 2015, First description of in situ primate and faunal remains from the Plio-Pleistocene Drimolen Makondo palaeocave infill, Gauteng, South Africa, Palaeontologia Electronica (Basel, Switzerland) 28 (6), pp. 1-21 : 15

Hippotragus sp.

Figure 7

Referred material. DNM 143-1, left partial horn core; DNM 143-2 -143-9, small horn core fragments.

Description. DNM 143 is a left horn core of at least a Class III bovid ( Brain, 1974), represented by a single large portion (DNM 143-1) and eight small non-articulating fragments likely from a single element ( Figure 7.1–2 ). The larger section preserves the core at the pedicle and a very small portion of the frontal bone external cortex rostral to the core (no postcornual region is preserved). There are no distinguishable sutures, keeling, or transverse ridges. Unfortunately, the preservation of the core does not allow for confident evaluation of core hollowing or the presence/absence of cranial sinuses. The specimen is mediolaterally flattened and the angle between the pedicle and frontal bone does not suggest significant lateral divergence.

Discussion. Although the DNM 143 horn core is fragmentary, the apparent mediolaterally-flattened morphology and minimal lateral divergence (combined with the absence of keeling and transverse ridges) is consistent with the specimen representing Hippotragus ( Gentry, 2010) . Although hippotragins have not been previously described from Drimolen, the tribe and/or genus Hippotragus is frequently recovered in karstic deposits in the region ( Vrba, 1973; Brain, 1981).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla from the Drimolen Makondo assemblage. 1 and 2, DNM 143-1, Hippotragus sp. partial horn core; 1, lateral and 2, anterior views. 3–5, DNM 57, Metridiochoerus sp. right maxillary third premolar; 3, lingual, 4, occlusal, and 5, buccal views. 6 and 7, cf. Eurygnathohippus cornelianus left proximal fourth metatarsal; 6, medial and 7, posterior views. Scale bars equal 1 cm.