Paraphiomys occidentalis

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 : 426-427

PARAPHIOMYS OCCIDENTALIS LAVOCAT, 1961

This species ( Fig. 4N) has been reported from two Middle Miocene sites of Morocco: Beni-Mellal ( Lavocat, 1961: 45; Jaeger, 1977: 121) and Azdal ( Benammi et al., 1995). Limited material of P. occidentalis is known to date. The type (UM Ben. Mel. 340) is a right fragmentary maxilla with P4-M1 ( Lavocat, 1961: pl. 4, fig. 1) from Beni-Mellal and the cotype (UM Ben. Mel. 667) consists of a right m2. The Moroccan site of Azdal has yielded a single right mandibular ramus of P. occidentalis ( Benammi et al., 1995) . Lavocat (1961:

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45–46) distinguished this taxon from P. pigotti by the presence in the former of a vestigial mesolophid (metalophulid II). According to Wood (1968), the metalophulid II is very short and vestigial in both forms and therefore this taxon should be considered a junior synonym of P. pigotti . However, according to Lavocat (1973: 39, 45) the upper teeth are very different from those of P. pigotti because of the absence of a metaloph. We agree with Lavocat (1973) in considering P. occidentalis a valid taxon.

Paraphiomys occidentalis is much larger than nearly all thryonomyids, except for Neosciuromys africanus , P. simonsi and P. pigotti . Paraphiomys occidentalis is distinct from Neosciuromys africanus and P. simonsi in having a metalophulid II on the lower molars.