Chalicotheriidae

Abstract

The skull and some mandibular fragments with deciduous dentition of a chalicothere are studied in the present article. The studied material is described and compared with the known material from other localities of Greece and neighboring areas. The comparisons indicate that the studied material shares morphological and metrical similarities with the well-known ancylothere of Greece, Ancylotherium pentelicum (Gaudry and Lartet, 1856). The geographic and stratigraphic distribution of the genus and species are also discussed. Ancylotherium shows a wide expansion covering much of the Old World. The species Ancylotherium pentelicum is well distributed in the Greco-Iranian Province but its main occurrence involves the Balkans and Asia Minor; although it was recognized in Central Asia, its occurrence appears unusual based on current knowledge, but ongoing research in this area will possibly unveil more A. pentelicum-bearing sites in the future. Despite its great expansion, the known material of A. pentelicum is scarce in comparison to the other large members of the associated fauna. In Eurasia, A. pentelicum is known mainly from the Turolian, while recently Ancylotherium was recognized in the Vallesian of the Eastern Mediterranean region as a new species: A. hellenicum. In addition there are some limited evidences for its presence in the Vallesian of Spain.