Sifrhippus sandrae Gingerich, 1989

Bronnert, Constance & Métais, Grégoire, 2023, Early Eocene hippomorph perissodactyls (Mammalia) from the Paris Basin, Geodiversitas 45 (9), pp. 277-326 : 289-290

cf. Sifrhippus sandrae Gingerich, 1989

cf. Sifrhippus sandrae – Missiaen et al. 2013: 271, fig. 7E-G.

MATERIAL. — m3 (R: IRSNB-M-130) ( Missiaen et al. 2013) .

LOCALITY. — Erquelinnes, Belgium.

DESCRIPTION The paralophid is short. The cristid obliqua is oriented toward the lingual side of the protoconid. The hypolophid is absent. The hypoconulid is small, the lobe is very short. A post-cristid links the hypoconid to the hypoconulid. A small cusp is present lingually to the hypoconulid. The labial cingulum is dimmed close to the hypoconid.

COMPARISONS

The cristid obliqua is oriented toward the protolophid, close to the lingual side of the protoconid, as in Pliolophus quesnoyensis and Sifrhippus sandrae ( Gingerich, 1989) . It is more central in Pliolophus barnesi . The hypolophid is absent, as in some S. sandrae , or the extreme morphotypes of P. quesnoyensis (MNHN-QNY2-2801). The lobe of the hypoconulid is very short, as in S. sandrae and Cymbalophus .

COMMENT

This tooth, the only perissodactyl remains of the lower level from Erquelinnes, is probably the oldest known perissodactyl fossil from Europe. Its morphology is very similar to that of Sifrhippus sandrae ( Gingerich, 1989) , an American hippomorph. However, the dental variability of Cymbalophus cuniculus is poorly known, and we cannot rule out that this tooth belong to this species.