Hoplitomeryx minutus, Mazza & Rustioni, 2011

Mazza, Paul P. A. & Rustioni, Marco, 2011, Five new species of Hoplitomeryx from the Neogene of Abruzzo and Apulia (central and southern Italy) with revision of the genus and of Hoplitomeryx matthei Leinders, 1983, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (4), pp. 1304-1333 : 1306-1312

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00737.x

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10545876

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03E0692F-BC33-FFFC-FEF4-EC30D3D3FD59

treatment provided by

Valdenar

scientific name

Hoplitomeryx minutus
status

sp. nov.

HOPLITOMERYX MINUTUS SP. NOV.

( TABLE 1, FIGS 1 View Figure 1 , 5 View Figure 5 )

Holotype: Right hemimandible SCT 77.

Paratypes: Mandibles SCT 60, SCT 73, SCT 78, SCT 155, RGM 261.147 View Materials , RGM 261.136 View Materials .

Type locality and horizon: Holotype and paratypes tagged SCT from the Tortonian Scontrone Member of the Lithothamnium Limestone ( Patacca et al., 2008; 41°45′15.54″N, 14°2′13.14″E), outskirts of Scontrone , southern border of the National Park of Abruzzi, L’Aquila, central Italy GoogleMaps . Paratype RGM 261.147 View Materials from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Chiro 29 in the limestone quarry Chiro, and paratype RGM 261.136 View Materials from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Nazario 4 in the limestone quarry Nazario. Both quarries between Apricena and Poggio Imperiale, Foggia, Gargano promontory, south-eastern Italy (41°48′12″N, 15°23′04″E) GoogleMaps .

Preservation and deposition of type specimens: Scontrone specimens: Soprintendenza Archeologica dell’Abruzzo ( Chieti , central Italy); Gargano specimens: Museum Naturalis, Leiden (the Netherlands) .

Etymology: The name refers to the small dimensions of the species.

Diagnosis: Apomorphies of species: mandible with horizontal ramus slender and sinuous, and with uniformly convex ventral profile; lower cheek dental formula: 3– 3 in the Scontrone specimens, 2–3 in the Gargano specimens; brachyodont lateral dentition ( HI = 0.67); lower premolars very small with no paraconid, robust and salient metaconid and strong entoconid; lower molars with widely spaced, triangular labial conids, flattened mesial enamel walls, isolated hypoconid, even in heavily worn teeth, strong metastylids, postentocristids, and ectostylids; distal margin of hypoconulid separated from entoconulid towards the occlusal edge of the crown and fused with it towards the collar; lingual enamel wall smooth, labial enamel wall moderately corrugated; molars with cingulum on the mesiolabial base of protoconids.

Differential diagnosis: See Table 1.

Description of holotype: Fragment of horizontal ramus, fairly low and slender, with sharp ventral border. Mandibular scissure barely marked. The specimen preserves the three lower molars. Labial conids markedly triangular, inclined outwards and backwards and fairly widely separated from one another. Mesial walls flat. Preprotocristid abruptly bent lingually forming a marked angle. Mesial fossette opened lingually. Postprotocristid never fused to other structures keeping free all the way down to base of crown. Hypoconid isolated from other conids. Robust wear-resistant lingual ribs and stylids, which give teeth high occlusal relieves. Ectostylids in all molars. Well-developed mesiolabial cingula at the base of protoconids. In m3 distal margin of hypoconulid occlusally separated from entoconulid, rapidly fused to it towards base of tooth. Labial enamel moderately corrugated, lingual enamel smooth.

Additional characters shown by paratypes: Horizontal ramus tapers gradually rostrally. Lower premolar to molar ratio: p2-p4/m1-m3: 0.50; p3-p4/ m1-m3: 0.38 in the Scontrone specimens; not assessable in the available Gargano specimens. Very thin film of cementum-like veneer occasionally present in labial valleys of lower molars.

p2. Tooth stout, somewhat compressed mesiodistally and enlarged labiolingually. Parastylid well developed, paraconid absent. Metaconid the highest cuspid, it protrudes considerably lingually. Entoconid well developed, entostylid absent. Lingual enamel wall smooth.

p3–p4. Morphologically similar to p2, but larger and proportionally more elongated mesiodistally. Parastylid well developed, paraconid rudimentary and

Hoplitomeryx

(genus characters) H. minutus H. falcidens H. apulicus H. matthei H. apruthiensis H. magnus

Check teeth brachyodont Brachyodont lateral Mesodont Brachyodont lateral Mesodont Mesodont or mesodont dentition dentition

Lower cheek dental Lower cheek dental Lower cheek dental Lower dental formula: in Lower cheek dental formula: 3– 3 in the formula: 3– 3 in the formula: 3– 3 in the Gargano specimens: formula: 2–3 Scontrone specimens, Scontrone specimens, Scontrone specimens, 2–3, unknown in

2–3 in the Gargano 2–3 in the Gargano 2–3 in the Gargano Scontrone specimens specimens specimens representatives at the moment

Variously developed parastyle and mesostyle in upper cheek teeth

Sabre-like upper canines Strong, slender, and can Sometimes be sharp upper Canines present Premolars compressed mesiodistally and enlarged labiolingually Upper molars often Molars elongated wider than they are mesiodistally and long somewhat compressed labiolingually

P3 with centrally situated and lingually directed protocone

P4 and M3 with large metaconule Upper molars with Upper molars very triangular protocone similar to one another, and trapezoidal with trapezoidal, metaconule closely packed lingual crescents

Lingual cusps very tightly spaced in M1,

somewhat more separated in M2 and

M3

Protocone somewhat smaller than metacone Metacone sometimes Weak external rib of with small pillars on metacone labial face of upper molars

Labial wall of metacone almost flat

Strong external paracone Paracone supported by rib prominent median rib Mesodont

Lower cheek dental formula: unknown at the moment in the Scontrone representatives, 2–3 in Gargano specimens

Presence of upper canines

External rib of metacone absent

Paracone supported by robust and prominent median rib

Hoplitomeryx

(genus characters) H. minutus H. falcidens H. apulicus H. matthei H. apruthiensis H. magnus

Incipient entostyle Entostyle (in upper No entostyles (in upper Tiny entostyle on second occasionally from teeth absent) teeth) molars mesial wall of metaconule of first and second upper molars

Cingula absent in upper Thin cementum cover cheek teeth

Lower molars with In lower molars labial Labial conids closely widely spaced labial cuspids widely spaced conids, spaced and somewhat backward-verging

Lower molars with In lower molars labial Labial conids triangular labial cuspids triangular markedly triangular conids,

Flattened mesial Flattened mesial walls enamel walls

Check teeth with globose cuspids and stylids not prominent lower molars with swollen lingual enamel walls and with cuspids that remain isolated even in worn teeth

Check teeth with occlusal surfaces markedly inclined outwards because of strong differential wear between inner and outer cuspids

M1 with very reduced entostyle

Cementum absent and overall smooth enamel in upper cheek teeth

Lower molars with lingual cuspids relatively less worn than labial cuspids

Lower molars with widely spaced, triangular, backward-verging labial cuspids

Flattened mesial enamel walls

In worn molars protoconid connected mesially with metaconid and distally with entoconid, and hypoconid connected with postprotocristid and postentocristid

p4 nonmolarized Elongated Mesiodistally Elongated Compressed Compressed compressed trigonid and small talonid

Lingually open mesial fossette Small paraconid Lower premolars very Paraconid absent or Paraconid sometimes Paraconid present in Paraconid absent or occasionally present small with no present only in present in unworn unworn or poorly worn rudimentary paraconid, robust unworn lower lower premolars lower premolars and salient premolars entoconid well metaconid, and developed in lower strong entoconid premolars

In p2 protoconid and metaconid of same height

In p3 protoconid larger than metaconid,

opposite in p4

Isolated hypoconid Hypoconid well developed in lower premolars

Parastylid well developed in lower premolars

Metastylid generally Strong metastylids Metastylids well Metastylids well Poorly developed stylids Metastylid strong well developed in developed and developed but not lower molars protruding lingually protruding lingually

Ectostylid occasionally Strong ectostylids Ectostylid low and Ectostylid very small Ectostylid small in m1, Small extostylid on each present, sometimes robust in m1, low in m1, absent in absent in m2 and m3 lower molar quite developed, on and blunt in other other molars lower molars molars

Complete postentocristid Strong postentocristids Postentocristids well Postentocristids well Postentocristids not Postentocristid strong in lower molars developed and developed but not protruding lingually protruding lingually protruding lingually

(in m3

postentocristid hardly developed)

Infrequent mesiolabial Molars with cingulum Weak cingulum at the Cingulum absent (in Cingula absent (in lower Cingula absent in lower cingulum on the mesiolabial base of the lower teeth) teeth) cheek teeth base of protoconids protoconid in m1

and m2

Third lower molars with wide, mesiolingually open mesial fossette Elongated

In p3 and p4 paraconid barely developed or totally absent

Protoconid and metaconid of same height protoconid isolated in unworn molars

Hypoconid isolated in unworn molars

Metastylid prominent, but blunt

Ectostylids blunt and robust

Postentocristid prominent, but blunt

Protoconids with faint traces of cingulum at their base present only in barely worn teeth, otherwise totally absent; metaconid robust, very salient, exceeding in height the cupsids of all lower premolars, and in contact with protoconid. Entoconid well developed and protruding lingually. Entostylid also well developed. Lingual enamel wall smooth.

m1. Tooth tightly in contact with fourth premolar. External rib of metaconid and entoconid strong, metastylid and postentocristid also quite robust. Robust ectostylid. Mesiolabial cingulum variously developed and at times supporting tiny cuspule.

m2. Labial cuspids widely separated from one another with low, blunt ectostylid in between.

m3. Low, pillar-like enamel structure sometimes present where distal margins of hypo- and entoconulid meet.

Measurements: See Table 2.

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