Early Miocene rodents of Gökler (Kazan Basin, Central Anatolia, Turkey)

Abstract

The rich and relatively diverse fossil mammalian assemblage from Gökler is of special importance for understanding of faunal evolution in Central Anatolia. Large mammals were not recovered, but insectivores and rodents are abundant. The assemblage of rodents is studied in detail and comprises mainly diversified cricetids. Dormice are abundant, but are represented by only one species. Squirrels are represented only by few specimens and also beaver remains were identified. Spanocricetodon sinuosus is referred to a new genus Latocricetodon nov. gen that is tentatively assigned to the Pseudocricetodontinae. Newly named species are Cricetodon goklerensis sp. nov., Democricetodon haltmari sp. nov., Eumyarion lukasi sp. nov. and Glirudinus matusi sp. nov. The rodent assemblage is assigned to local zone C which is correlated to the European biounit MN2 (early Miocene). Our biochronological assessment is supported by radiometric dating from two volcanic ash layers.LatocricetodonLSID http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3414DB1E-0C5E-4154-BE5E-02A9ED183B1ACricetodon goklerensisLSID http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1B658872-6C10-4355-B87C-3E6277AF4EDADemocricetodon haltmariLSID http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9B13F956-7F8C-406A-9970-1F5E999E54C6Eumyarion lukasiLSID http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:34DED87E-855F-4969-AB84-10BED5C572BFGlirudinus matusiLSID http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:798ECB9A-E3B5-4C38-B5B3-FEB17AF734FE