Kolpochoerus, VAN HOEPEN et VAN HOEPEN, 1932

Kolpochoerus maroccanus ( ENNOUCHI, 1954)

Text-figs 3–6

H o l o t y p e. ISCR 83-53, left maxilla fragment with M3/ and ISCR 84-53, left maxilla fragment with P3/–P4/, ISCR 85-53, isolated left upper canine apex, curated at the Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco.

Ty p e l o c a l i t y a n d a g e. Guyot, Morocco, Early

Pleistocene.

R e m a r k. Material labelled as coming from “Bou Hanifia”. Right maxilla containing, P2/, P4/–M3, left mandible fragments containing p/3 and m/3, isolated left lower canine (female). The fossils are accompanied by a partly illegible label of the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle – Paléontologie, on which the word “maxillaire” is almost entirely defaced, but the word “mandibule” can be made out with confidence. The “Niveau” (level) is given as “Vindobonien sup.” (upper Vindobonian) and the “Localité” (Locality) as Bou Hanifia ( Oran) ( Text-figs 2a, 3–6).

D e s c r i p t i o n. Maxilla and upper teeth. The right maxilla is damaged and there is a piece missing between the P4/ and the P2/ ( Text-fig. 3). All the teeth are heavily worn. The P2/ has two roots. The paracone has a precrista descending mesially towards the cervix and distally it is confluent with the metacone. The rear of the crown is broader than the main cusps, and there are small basal cusplets lingually opposite the middle (nascent protocone) and rear (nascent hypocone) of the tooth, the whole imparting a triangular occlusal outline to the tooth.

The P4/ is almost square in occlusal outline, with rounded corners. There are two buccal cusps (paracone, metacone) which are separated by a shallow buccal groove. Lingually there is a prominent protocone anteriorly and a slightly smaller hypocone distally. Between the buccal and lingual cusp pairs there are remnants of sagittal cusplets, separated from the paracone by a mesial groove. In addition, there are remnants of a mesial cingulum.

The M1/ crown is so deeply worn that little remains to be described. The crown is comprised of two lophs with a prominent median accessory cusp in the midline.

The M2/ is also heavily worn, but shows that it is comprised of four main cusps with anterior and median accessory cusps in the midline, the posterior one being eradicated by wear. Parts of the Furchenplan are visible on the paracone, but the other cusps are worn beneath the bases of the Furchen.

The M3/ is broken posteriorly but it is possible to observe that it consists of at least three cusp pairs separated from each other by median and posterior accessory cusplets. The way that the tooth is narrowing distally close to the break indicates that there was probably not an additional cusp pair, and this allowed an estimate of its total length to be made. In addition, there is a well-formed anterior accessory cusplet and mesial cingulum. The accessory cusplets partly intervene between the buccal cusps and lingual cusps. The buccal and lingual notches are not deeply indented, mainly due to the fact that the crown has worn down close to the cervix. On the buccal and lingual sides, the cervix as almost straight and is sub-parallel to the occlusal surface.

Mandible and lower teeth. A left mandible fragment retains the p/3 and the two alveoli of the p/2 along with part of the diastema in front of the p/2 ( Text-fig. 4). The crown of the p/3 is deeply worn but shows a tall main cusp with a broad precristid descending mesio-lingually and a postcristid descending towards the talonid cusplet which is deeply worn.

A second fragment of left mandible contains the m/3 which lacks the mesio-buccal corner of the protoconid ( Text-fig. 5). The buccal side of the mandible is broken, but what is left reveals that the jaw was originally very broad (pachygnathic) with a prominent mandibular canal. The m/3 is deeply worn, to the same stage as the upper M3/ indicating that the individual was fully mature, approaching old age, but not yet senile. The crown consists of three cusp pairs and a distal cusplet. The anterior, median and posterior cusplets in the midline of the crown intervene strongly between the buccal and lingual main cusps. The buccal and lingual notches are relatively broad considering the heavily worn state of the tooth, indicating that it falls into the category of mid-crown hypsodonty. In buccal and lingual views, the cervix is clearly visible and it shows no step or offset beneath the successive cusps and it is sub-parallel to the occlusal surface.

The lower right canine has a low crown (lacking a small part of the apex due to damage), and a root that is about twice as tall as the crown ( Text-fig. 6). The apex of the root is still open. The crown is basically verrucosic in section and the root sports a distal groove. The overall morphology of the canine and its diminutive dimensions indicate that it is likely to be from a female individual.