Description and palaeobiology of a new species of Libycosaurus (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of Toros-Menalla, northern Chad

The analysis of a large sample of anthracothere remains discovered by the Mission Paléoanthropologique Franco-Tchadienne at Toros-Menalla (TM), Northern Chad, has revealed the occurrence of a single species with a large intraspecific morphological variability. Taxonomic problems triggered the necess...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of systematic palaeontology 2014-01, Vol.12 (7), p.761-798
Main Authors: Lihoreau, F., Boisserie, J.-R., Blondel, C., Jacques, L., Likius, A., Mackaye, H. T., Vignaud, P., Brunet, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Earth Sciences
Endangered & extinct species
Environmental changes
Genetic variability
Geological time
Mammals
Miocene
Morphology
New species
niche partitioning
Niches
palaeodiet
Paleobiology
Paleontology
Phylogeny
Sciences of the Universe
semi-aquatic
Sexual dimorphism
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Summary:The analysis of a large sample of anthracothere remains discovered by the Mission Paléoanthropologique Franco-Tchadienne at Toros-Menalla (TM), Northern Chad, has revealed the occurrence of a single species with a large intraspecific morphological variability. Taxonomic problems triggered the necessity of naming a new species for the TM anthracotheres, Libycosaurus bahri sp. nov. The description of the craniodental remains and the analysis of their variability indicate a marked sexual dimorphism, most probably induced by sex differential growth, helping to reassess the specific diversity of Libycosaurus and its main evolutionary trends in a phylogenetic perspective. The ecological niche occupied by the new species was also further characterized in its semiaquatic, behavioural, and dietary dimensions. On these grounds we suggest that Late Miocene environmental changes, particularly habitat opening and hydrographic network fragmentation related to increased aridity, played a major role in canalizing semi-aquatic specializations and the extinction of the last African anthracotheres, as well as other bothriodontines. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8C0AD4BD-952D-4A60-94B8-6F7A23332171
ISSN:1477-2019
1478-0941
DOI:10.1080/14772019.2013.838609