New suoid specimens from Gebel Zelten, Libya

M. Pickford

doi:10.3989/egeol.0662147

Authors

M. Pickford Collège de France

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/egeol.0662147

Keywords:

Suoidea, Middle Miocene, Libya, Megalochoerus, Libycochoerus, Diamantohyus, sexual dimorphism

Abstract

A restricted collection of suoids from Gebel Zelten was made in the 1990’s by the Spanish-Libyan Palaeontology Expedition. Dr Dolores Soria filmed the specimens with a video camera and took measurements of the teeth with vernier calipers. This paper uses the images from the video, which, even though somewhat limited in terms of picture quality, are of interest because they represent the first known snout of the gigantic suid Megalochoerus khinzikebirus. The images reveal that it is basically an enlarged version of Libycochoerus massai, but with relatively small premolars. The sanithere specimens from the site were photographed with an Olympus 1.4 megapixel digital camera, and the image quality is better than from the video camera. These specimens throw light on the degree of sexual dimorphism exhibited by sanitheres, a feature that was previously inferred from isolated teeth, but which can now be confirmed on the basis of the two mandible fragments from Gebel Zelten. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr Soria. This paper takes into account a few undescribed suid post-cranial bones from Gebel Zelten housed in the Natural History Museum, London, collected during the 1960’s by R. Savage.

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