Abstract
ABSTRACT A new genus Parameriones is described from the early Pleistocene deposits of the 'Ubeidiya Formation (central Jordan Valley). The species P. obeidiensis (Haas, 1966) was a common large gerbillid in the early and middle Pleistocene of the Middle East (Israel and Syria). The molar pattern of Parameriones contains a mixture of primitive and specialized characters, whereas the cranium exhibits some anatomical characters that are unique. Highly variable crown pattern, two- to four-rooted M2, and two-looped and three-rooted M3 may be considered primitive, whereas a high degree of hypsodonty and complete absence of cusps on molars of young individuals may be regarded as specialized. The special position of the palatine foramina and the zygomatic plate are unique to the genus, which probably represents a dead-end evolutionary line within the gerbillids.
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