Chalicotheres are unusual clawed perissodactyls with a global fossil record, yet typically are rare elements of fossil assemblages, certainly so in the Siwaliks, Pakistan. Such paucity of material makes determining the evolutionary history and interrelationships of chalicotheres a challenge, and every new find may add new information. Here, we describe new dental remains from four localities within the Chinji and Dhok Pathan formations (14–7 Ma), Lower to Middle Siwaliks of Pakistan, and discuss their importance for understanding the chalicotheres of the region. The material includes five newly collected specimens comprising lower dentition and a terminal phalanx. We attribute the new specimens to Anisodon salinus (previously Chalicotherium salinum). The new specimens add new information about the morphological distinctiveness of A. salinus, and provide data about metrical variations with this species.

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New Dental Remains of Anisodon Salinus from the Potwar Plateau, Pakistan

  • Muhammad Akbar Khan,
  • Sayyed Ghyour Abbas,
  • Khalid Mahmood

摘要

Chalicotheres are unusual clawed perissodactyls with a global fossil record, yet typically are rare elements of fossil assemblages, certainly so in the Siwaliks, Pakistan. Such paucity of material makes determining the evolutionary history and interrelationships of chalicotheres a challenge, and every new find may add new information. Here, we describe new dental remains from four localities within the Chinji and Dhok Pathan formations (14–7 Ma), Lower to Middle Siwaliks of Pakistan, and discuss their importance for understanding the chalicotheres of the region. The material includes five newly collected specimens comprising lower dentition and a terminal phalanx. We attribute the new specimens to Anisodon salinus (previously Chalicotherium salinum). The new specimens add new information about the morphological distinctiveness of A. salinus, and provide data about metrical variations with this species.