Paraphiomys, Antoñanzas & Sen & Mein, 2004

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 : 431

PARAPHIOMYS SP. NOV. FROM SAUDI ARABIA

(LÓPEZ- ANTOÑANZAS & SEN, IN PRESS)

The material of this species, which is currently housed in the MNHN, comes from the Early Miocene locality of As-Sarrar, Dam Formation, Saudi Arabia. Thomas et al. (1982: 129) provisionally assigned it to Paraphiomys sp. They briefly described this taxon as pentalophodont with well-developed mesolophs and mesolophids. Flynn, Jacobs & Sen (1983) described and illustrated the right lower molar AS 8-1100, announcing on the basis of this the presence of a plesiomorphic thryonomyid in the As-Sarrar fauna. Later, Winkler (1992: 244) considered this taxon to be possibly new, at the species or even genus level. Finally, a detailed study of this thryonomyid material (López-Antoñanzas & Sen, in press) has proved this species to be a new representative of the genus Paraphiomys . It will be referred to in the present work as Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia ( Fig. 3J, K). Its holotype, AS 8-1100, is a right m1-m2 (López-Antoñanzas & Sen, in press). The Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia has been also possibly recorded in the coeval Nari Formation in Pakistan (as ‘ Kochalia sp. ’ by de Bruijn & Hussain, 1985). In addition, the Early Miocene thryonomyid material from Jebel Zelten ( Libya) described by Wessels et al. (2003) is very close in morphology and size to Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia and therefore could belong to this species.

Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia, differs from Gaudeamus aegyptius , Neosciuromys africanus , Apodecter stromeri , P. orangeus , P. renelavocati sp. nov., P. simonsi , P. shipmani , P. afarensis , P. roessneri , P. australis , Kochalia geespei , Paraulacodus indicus , Paraulacodus johanesi and the two living species of Thryonomys notably in having metalophulid II on the lower molars. It is distinct from P. pigotti and P. occidentalis in being much smaller than these and from Epiphiomys coryndoni in having a much shorter metalophulid II. Paraphiomys sp. nov. from Saudi Arabia differs from P. hopwoodi in being smaller, having the upper molars more antero-posteriorly compressed and in showing a more labially displaced hypocone. Finally, this species is distinct from Sacaresia moyaeponsi in having the teeth semibunodont whereas the latter species is hyperlophodont with slender lophs.