CEPHALOGALINI, de Bonis, 2013

Bonis, Louis De, 2013, Ursidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) from the Late Oligocene of the “ Phosphorites du Quercy ” (France) and a reappraisal of the genus Cephalogale Geoffroy, 1862, Geodiversitas 35 (4), pp. 787-814 : 789

Tribe CEPHALOGALINI n. tr.

TYPE GENUS. — Cephalogale Jourdan, 1962 by present designation.

DIAGNOSIS. — Partially coming from the descriptions of Beaumont (1965), Bonis (1973), Hunt (1998), and Teilhard de Chardin (1915).

Digitigrade Hemicyoninae containing several lineages of small (Early Oligocene) to medium sized (Late Oligocene-Early Miocene) primitive ursids (skull length of about 10-20 cm). Dental formula = I3/2-3, C1/1, P4/4, M2/3. Ŋe m2 has a metaconid larger or equal to the protoconid like in the Amphicynodontidae Simpson, 1945 but the Cephalogalini n. tr. are distinguished from them by the m1 which is larger relatively to the premolars and whose metaconid is reduced (open trigonid), trigonid is more bladelike and talonid has a robust elongated hypoconid continuing by a low crest which encloses the talonid basin and continues in the lingual side before gently joining the metaconid without any notch; sometimes a very small entoconid is present in the crest; m2 has a reduced or absent paraconid and a talonid similar to that of m1. Ŋere is an overall evolutionary trend toward an increasing of size, reduction of metaconid of m1 and correlative increasing distance between m1 paraconid and metaconid, increasing relative length of the m2 talonid. Some lineages may be distinguished by the size and shape of the lower premolars which can be laterally compressed and bladelike to somewhat robust and transversely widened depending on the lineage; p1 elongated and knoblike, posterior accessory cuspid often present in p2-3, generally present, although sometimes very small, in p4. No posterior accessory cusps on P1-3. P4 is short relative to the molars with a well developed, more or less posteriorly situated protocone and a short metastyle and sometimes with a very small parastyle. Low cuspidated M1 with postprotocrista joining directly the distal border, except in Adelpharctos Bonis, 1971 , without any contact with the metacone thus the trigone basin is posteriorly open; there is a trend to a sub-quadrate occlusal outline with inflation of the metaconule; large lingual and variable buccal cingulum; M2 smaller and lower cuspidated than M1 with a variable occlusal outline from triangular to oval, buccal cusps being separated or quite fused; ursid basicranium with Type A bulla ( Hunt 1974), well ossified, completely enclosing middle ear, with inflation of medial part of bulla in some species.

GENERA INCLUDED. — Cephalogale , Adelpharctos Bonis, 1971 , Filholictis n. gen., Phoberogale Ginsburg & Morales, 1995 , Cyonarctos n. gen.