Microstonyx (Suidae, Artiodactyla) from the Upper Miocene of Hayranli-Haliminhani, Turkey

WOS: 000321228700014The suid remains from localities 58-HAY-2 and 58-HAY-19 in the Late Miocene Derindere Member of the Incesu Formation in the Hayranli-Haliminhani area (Sivas, Turkey) are described and referred to as Microstonyx major (Gervais, 1848-1852). Microstonyx shows changes in incisor morphology, which are interpreted as a further adaptation to rooting. This occurred probably in a short period between 8.7 and 8.121 Ma ago and possibly is a reaction to environmental change. The incisor morphology in locality 58-HAY-2 suggests that it is temporally close to this change, which would imply that this locality and the lithostratigraphically lower 58-HAY-19 belong to the lower part of MN11 and not to MN12. The findings are discussed in the regional context and contribute to the knowledge of the Anatolian fossil mammals.National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [0321893]; Ministerio de Ciencia y Inovacion [CGL2008-03881, CGL2009-12703-C03-01]; Unidades Asociadas Program of the CSICWe would like to thank Prof Tim White and the National Science Foundation (including the Revealing Hominid Origins Initiative/HOMINID program, Grant No. 0321893) for financial support of field and laboratory research. We would also like to thank the Sivas Archaeology Museum Directorate and all the members of Hayranli/Haliminhani Excavation team, especially Associate Prof Dr Nuretdin Kaymakci and Assistant Prof Dr Levent Mesci for valuable stratigraphic comments, as well as the sketch map of fossil localities. Finally, we thank the persons responsible for the collections listed in "Material and methods" for access to material. J. van der Made benefited from support from projects CGL2008-03881 and CGL2009-12703-C03-01 of the Ministerio de Ciencia y Inovacion and the Unidades Asociadas Program of the CSIC