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| Hispanodorcas longdongica Wu, Wang, Liang, Guo, Sun, Liu, Duan & Chen, 2024 |
Asbtract
As a small to middle-sized bovid, Hispanodorcas had previously only been found in the pan-Mediterranean region and South Asia. Its taxonomic classification at the tribe level has been a subject of debate, with possible associations to Antilopini, Reduncini, or Oiocerini. Here, we report on the first discovery of Hispanodorcas in East Asia, H. longdongica sp. nov. from the Daidian Locality in China, dating to the early Baodean age (~8-7 Ma). The new material consists of five skulls with varying states of preservation and provides the most complete osteological information on Hispanodorcas to date. It features a long, slender, and posteriorly curved horncore with a weak homonymous twist and both laterodorsal and medioventral grooves, which is characteristic of Hispanodorcas. This new species is characterized by having the smallest size amongst all known Hispanodorcas species, a weakly curved brain case in the facial region, and poorly developed posterior and anterior basilar tuberosities. These primitive characteristics suggest that H. longdongica may represent an early evolutionary stage of this genus. Furthermore, they indicate that Hispanodorcas might have directly evolved from the Gazella stock. The homonymous twist in the horncore, which aligns with Oiocerini, may be a case of homoplasy.
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| Cranium (A−D) and mandible (E) of Hispanodorcas longdongica from Daidian Locality, Qingyang A. GGM GSKY 22010, the type specimen, in lateral (A1), ventral (A2), and caudal (A3) views;B. GGM GSKY 22012, in dorsal view; C. GGM GSKY 22014, in dorsal (C1) and lateral (C2) views;D. GGM GSKY 22011, in ventral (D1) and lateral (D2) views;E. GGM GSKY 22013, in lateral (E1) and occlusal (E2) views. |
Family Bovidae Gray, 1821
Subfamily Antilopinae Gray, 1821
Hispanodorcas Thomas et al., 1982
Hispanodorcas longdongica sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Hispanodorcas of small size (size close to living Oribi, Ourebia ourebi); horncore long and slender, posteriorly curved, slightly diverge, moderately compressed, with a weak homonymous twist (1/2 circle); laterodorsal and medioventral grooves present (with variation); post cornual fossa round and deep, supraorbital foramen oval and deep. Cranial bent weak, resulting in a small angle between the horncore and dorsal cranium; occiput low; basioccipital and basisphenoid thin with relatively weak posterior and anterior basilar tuberosities. Tympanic bullae large, ellipsoid, with poorly developed lamina vaginalis; lacrimal fossa shallow, poorly defined. Cheek teeth high-crowned, lacking ecto/entostylies.
Etymology The species name derives from the region name, Longdong, where the new specimens were discovered.
WU Yong, WANG Shi-Qi, LIANG Zhi-Yong, GUO Ding-Ge, SUN Bo-Yang, LIU Long, DUAN Kai and CHEN Guo-Zhong. 2024. First Report of Hispanodorcas from the Late Miocene of China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 62(2); 135-155. DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.240123
