Hoplitomeryx falcidens Mazza & Rustioni 2011, SP. NOV.
Creators: name: Mazza, Paul P. A.
name: Rustioni, Marco
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Mammalia
Artiodactyla
Hoplitomerycidae
Hoplitomeryx
Hoplitomeryx falcidens

description: HOPLITOMERYX FALCIDENS SP. NOV.  (TABLE 1, FIGS 1, 2, 5)   Holotype: Left hemimandible SCT 177.   
 Paratypes: Maxillaries SCT 70, RGM 260.941, RGM 261.447, RGM 425.201; mandibles SCT 103, SCT 82, RGM 261.133, RGM 178.568, RGM 178.630, RGM 215.000, RGM 261.132; one uncatalogued mandible fragment.   
 Type locality and horizon: Holotype and paratypes tagged SCT from the Tortonian Scontrone Member of the Lithothamnium Limestone (Patacca et al., 2008; 41°45′15.54″N, 14°2′13.14″E), outskirts of Scontrone, southern border of the National Park of Abruzzi, L’Aquila, central Italy. Paratypes RGM 215.000, RGM 260.941, and RGM 425.201 from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called S. Giovannino in a homonymous limestone quarry; paratypes RGM 261.133 and RGM 261.132 from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Nazario; paratype RGM 261.447 from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Chiro 28 in the limestone quarry Chiro; paratype RGM 178.568 from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Pizzicoli 4 in the limestone quarry Pizzicoli; paratype RGM 178.630 from the Messinian karstic fissure filling called Fina E in the limestone quarry Fina. All the quarries are located between Apricena and Poggio Imperiale, Foggia, Gargano promontory, south-eastern Italy (41°48′12″N, 15°23′04″E).   
 Preservation and deposition of type specimens: Scontrone specimens: Soprintendenza Archeologica dell’Abruzzo (Chieti, central Italy); Gargano specimens: Museum Naturalis, Leiden (the Netherlands).   
 Etymology: The species is characterized by sabre-like upper canines.   
 Diagnosis: Apomorphies of species: small-sized, mesodont species (HI = 1.06) with strong, slender, and sharp upper canines. Premolar to molar ratio in lower cheek toothrows: p2-p4/m1-m3: 0.50 (alveolar measurement) in the Scontrone specimens; p3-p4/m1-m3: not computable in the available specimens from both localities. Lingual cusps very tightly spaced in M1, somewhat more separated in M2 and M3; metacone sometimes with small pillars on labial face of upper molars; entostyle absent; mandible slender, with moderately sinuous horizontal ramus and convex ventral profile under cheek teeth corpus; mandibular scissure slightly marked; lower cheek dental formula: 3– 3 in the Scontrone specimens, 2–3 in the Gargano specimens; paraconid absent or present only in unworn lower premolars; in p2 protoconid and metaconid of same height; p4 compressed mesiodistally, with enlarged and fairly complicated mesial trigonid and relatively small talonid; in lower molars labial cuspids triangular, widely spaced and somewhat backward-verging; metastylids and postentocristids well developed and protruding lingually in all lower molars but m3, in which postentocristid is hardly developed; ectostylid low and robust in m1, low and blunt in other molars; hypoconulid and entoconulid with distal margins separated to halfway along the crown height; enamel smooth; weak cingulum at the base of the protoconid in m1 and m2.   
 Differential diagnosis: See Table 1.   
 Description of holotype: Low, slender horizontal ramus, mandibular scissure practically absent. Toothrow including only p2 to m1, m2, and m3 broken off during recovery. p2 short, quite compressed mesiodistally and enlarged labiolingually. Paraconid absent, parastylid robust. Protoconid and metaconid of same height. Entoconid, entostylid and hypoconid very reduced. p3 subtriangular, quite larger and proportionally somewhat more elongated mesiodistally and slender labiolingually than p2. Parastylid well developed, paraconid absent. Protoconid and metaconid of the same height. Entoconid well developed and inclined backwards. Hypoconid prominent on labial enamel wall. Entostylid small. p4 larger than p3, with labiolingually enlarged and mesiodistally compressed trigonid, proportionally smaller talonid and particularly long, lingually bent mesial lophid connecting paraconid and parastylid to protoconid. Parastylid well LD2 – upper D2 (second deciduous premolar) length, BD2 – upper D2 breadth, LD3 – upper D3 (third deciduous premolar) length, BD3 – upper D3 breadth, LD4 – upper D4 (fourth deciduous premolar) length, BD4 – upper D4 breadth, LP 2 – upper P2 (second premolar) length, BP2 – upper P2 breadth, LP 3 – upper P3 (third premolar) length, BP3 – upper P3 breadth, LP 4 – upper P4 (fourth premolar) length, BP4 – upper P4 breadth, LM1 – upper M1 (first molar) length, BM 1 – upper M1 breadth, LM2 – upper M2 (second molar) length, BM 2 – upper M2 breadth, LM3 – upper M3 (third molar) length, BM 3 – upper M3 breadth, LD3-M3 – upper D3-M3 tooth row length, LM1-M3 – upper M1-M3 tooth row length, L p2 – lower p2 (second premolar) length, Bp2 – lower p2 breadth, L p3 – lower p3 (third premolar) length, B p3 – lower p3 breadth, L p4 – lower p4 (fourth premolar) length, B p4 – lower p4 breadth, L m1 – lower m1 (first molar) length, B m1 – lower m1 breadth, L m2 – lower m2 (second molar) length, B m2 – lower m2 breadth, L m3 – lower m3 (third molar) length, B m3 – lower m3 breadth, L p2-p4 – lower p2-p4 premolar row length, L p3-p4 – lower p3-p4 premolar row length, L p2-m3 – lower p2-m3 tooth row length, L p3-m3 – lower p3–m3 tooth row length, L m1-m3 – lower m1–m3 molar row length, H – crown height.   
developed, paraconid absent. Metaconid robust, with postmetacristid flattened against the entoconid. Protoconid very protruding labially with an incipient distally verging cristid. Hypoconid also very prominent on labial wall and separated from protoconid by deep incisure. Entoconid well developed and inclined backwards and lingually. Entostylid also well developed and elongated. Vertical groove on posterolingual region of the tooth. m1 with labial cuspids fairly triangular, both approximately the same size, very inclined backwards and fairly spaced, with low robust ectostylid in between. Preprotocristid and premetacristid in contact, but not fused. Metastylid and entostylid well developed and prominent lingually. Moderately developed cingulum at the mesiolabial border of the protoconid. Enamel walls smooth.  
 Additional characters shown by paratypes: (RGM 260.941 and RGM 425.201 juvenile specimens, perhaps both of a single individual. RGM 260.941 right maxillary still preserving long upper canine).   
C. Upper canines very long, sabre-like, slender, and pointed, triangular in cross section with extremely sharp edges. Roots seem open, and therefore tusks may have been ever-growing, but all specimens examined broken in that region.  
DP2–DP3. Bi-lobed, brachyodont with prominent styles and weak cusp ribs. DP3 larger than DP2, with more selenodont lingual cusps. Strong spur in metaconule.  
P4. Tooth preserved only in RGM 260.941, but not erupted. Large metacone, two robust styles, slightly visible ribs and very strong spur.  
M1. Styles and ribs very strong. Metaconule with well-developed spur. Lingual cusps in tight contact with one another. No entostyle.  
M2–M3. Very similar to M1. Small enamel pillars at the base of the metacone. M3 with large metaconule. p4. Paraconid well developed in unworn fourth premolars.  
m2. (From the Gargano specimen 261.133; not preserved on the Scontrone specimens.) Labial cuspids triangular, approximately the same size, very inclined backwards and spaced, with low, small, blunt ectostylid in between. Preprotocristid protruding lingually and in contact with premetacristid. Metastylid and entostylid both well developed and prominent lingually. Enamel walls smooth. Weak cingulum at mesiolabial border of protoconid.  
m3. (Only preserved on the Scontrone specimen SCT 82. The two mesial cuspids are not preserved.) Hypoconid markedly triangular and very inclined backwards. Entoconid fairly swollen at base of crown but postentocristid barely developed. Low, blunt ectostylid. Hypoconulid and entoconulid both tear-shaped and about the same size. Distal margins of these two conulids keep separated until about halfway the height of the crown.  
 Measurements: See Table 2.
description: Published as part of Mazza, Paul P. A. & Rustioni, Marco, 2011, Five new species of Hoplitomeryx from the Neogene of Abruzzo and Apulia (central and southern Italy) with revision of the genus and of Hoplitomeryx matthei Leinders, 1983, pp. 1304-1333 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 163 (4) on pages 1312-1318, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00737.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5442183