Africanomys sp.

Africanomys sp.

Fig. 4 C – E View Figure 4

Material and measurements.

One left DP 4 (L: 2.24; W: 1.93) ( IPS-PAM 207-14 ); one left DP 4 (L: 2.09; W: 1.86) ( IPS-PAM 207-09 ); one right M 1-2 (L: ca. 2.64; W: 2.70) ( IPS-PAM 207-08 ).

Description.

DP 4 (Fig. 4 C, D View Figure 4 ). The available specimens are highly worn. The anteroloph is still present in IPS-PAM 207-14 (Fig. 4 C View Figure 4 ), separated from the protoloph by a small anterosinus. In IPS-PAM 207-09 (Fig. 4 D View Figure 4 ), the anteroloph, protoloph, and paracone are fused. A deep mesosinus is present, directed backwards. A very shallow anteriorly directed sinus is also present. An obliquus to transverse longitudinal ridge is observable. The metacone and hypocone are widely connected. A small labial posterolophid delimits a very small posterosinus.

M 1-2 (Fig. 4 E View Figure 4 ). The dental pattern is very simple, formed by two lobes: an anterior lobe (including the anteroloph, protocone, and paracone) and a posterior lobe (including the metacone, hypocone, and posteroloph). A small posterosinus is present between the hypocone and the posteroloph. Both lobes are connected by an oblique longitudinal ridge. The sinus is short and directed forward. The mesosinus is deep and directed backwards.

Remarks.

The teeth of Africanomys from PAM 207 correspond to a very large species, largely exceeding the size of Africanomys pulcher , Africanomys minor , and Africanomys kettarati (see Lavocat 1961; Jaeger 1977). They fall within the upper limits of variability of A. major from the site of Pataniak 6 ( Jaeger 1977; Gunnell et al. 2016). To date, the youngest record of Africanomys is from the Vallesian site of Oued Zra, with A. kettarati ( Jaeger 1977) . However, the presence of Africanomys sp. at PAM 207 indicates that some representatives of this genus persisted into the early Turolian. Africanomys sp. from PAM 207 can be clearly distinguished from the representatives of the genus Irhoudia ( Jaeger 1977; Mahboubi et al. 2022) by the presence of anterosinus and posterosinus.