Gaudeamus aegyptius, WOOD, 1968

Antoñanzas, Raquel López, Sen, Sevket & Mein, Pierre, 2004, Systematics and phylogeny of the cane rats (Rodentia: Thryonomyidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 142, pp. 423-444 : 434

GAUDEAMUS AEGYPTIUS WOOD, 1968

This species ( Fig. 4A–C) has been recorded only from an Upper Eocene (?) horizon of the Jebel el Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt.

Two mandibular rami (one of them toothless) from Fayum were first attributed to Phiomys andrewsi by Schlosser (1911: 90–2, pl. 5, fig. 7). Later, Stehlin & Schaub (1951: 266–267) showed that the teeth were much more derived than those of Phiomys andrewsi . The taxon in question was considered new and named Gaudeamus aegyptius by Wood (1968: 68–73). The holotype (CGM 26920) is a lower jaw with d4-m2 and unerupted premolar ( Wood, 1968: fig. 14C–E). The cheek tooth pattern of G. aegyptius is very similar to that of Thryonomys , but the teeth of G. aegyptius are much smaller, shows less developed crests, and were replaced. Gaudeamus aegyptius differs from Paraphiomys pigotti , P. hopwoodi , Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia, P. occidentalis , Epiphiomys coryndoni and Sacaresia moyaeponsi in lacking the metalophulid II on the lower molars. It is smaller and less hypsodont than Neosciuromys africanus and P. simonsi . In contrast to the condition in Apodecter stromeri , P. orangeus , Paraulacodus indicus and Paraulacodus johanesi , G. aegyptius lacks an anterolabial cuspid on the lower molars and has the hypolophid much more obliquely directed.