Eulipotyphla WADDELL, OKADA et HASEGAWA, 1999

Tesakov, Alexey S., Titov, Vadim V., Simakova, Alexandra N., Frolov, Pavel D., Syromyatnikova, Elena V., Kurshakov, Sergey V., Volkova, Natalia V., Trikhunkov, Yaroslav I., Sotnikova, Marina V., Kruskop, Sergey V., Zelenkov, Nikita V., Tesakova, Ekaterina M. & Palatov, Dmitry M., 2017, Late Miocene (Early Turolian) Vertebrate Faunas And Associated Biotic Record Of The Northern Caucasus: Geology, Taxonomy, Palaeoenvironment, Biochronology, Fossil Imprint 73 (3 - 4), pp. 383-444 : 404

Order Eulipotyphla WADDELL, OKADA et HASEGAWA, 1999

The insectivoran assemblage is identical for both sites and is not very diverse. It includes Talpa sp. , Desmanella sp. , Blarinella dubia (BACHMAYER et WILSON, 1970) , Paenelimnoecus repenningi (BACHMAYER et WILSON, 1970) , and Amblycoptus oligodon KORMOS, 1926 . The assemblage is dominated by remains of Talpidae . Most abundant are remains of Talpa sp. , a medium-size mole smaller in dental and humeral structure than the modern species of the genus Talpa . Among soricids, common in both sites are remains of Amblycoptus oligodon with the typical basal features in dentition ( Text-fig. 10 ) including the lack of cusp-like parastyle and moderately developed protocone in A1, well protruding parastyle and strong posterior emargination in P4, and poorly developed mesostyle in M1. Morphologically the Caucasian forms are very similar to forms from Hungarian karstic sites Polgárdy 2 and Tardosbanya ( Kormos 1926, Meszaros 1998) attributed to late and middle Turolian. Recently records of Amblycoptus were reported from late Vallesian/early Turolian sites in Moldova and Ukraine ( Nesin and Nadachowski 2001, Rzebik-Kowalska and Lungu 2009, Rzebik-Kowalska and Nesin 2010, Sinitsa 2012). Smaller soricid from both sites clearly correspond with the morphology of Paenelimnoecus repenningi , with well developed entoconid and lack of entoconid crest in m1, condylar structure, etc.

Figures

Text-fig. 10. Amblycoptus oligodon, Late Miocene deposits, North Caucasus. a – A1, sin, GIN-1143-182; b – P4, sin, GIN- 1143-183; c – M1, dex, GIN-1143-184; d – I sup, sin, labial view, GIN-1143-181; e – i inf, sin, labial view, GIN-1143-186; f – fragment of mandible with m1–m2, dex, occlusal view, GIN- 1144-181; g – fragment of mandible, dex, condilar view, GIN- 1143-185.