New fossil remains of Bovids from the Middle Siwaliks of Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

ABSTRACT A detailed taxonomic study of fossil mammals from five different localities including Nagri, Padhri, Markhal, Dhok Pathan type locality and Hasnot, from the Miocene of Middle Siwalik, Punjab, Pakistan, has been conducted. Bovidae described here are represented by thirty-six specimens including horns core, isolated teeth, fragments of maxilla and mandibles. Thirteen specimens belong to Gazella lydekkeri, including one horn core which are described first time from the Padhri and Markhal localities. Additionally, ten specimens belong to Pachyportax latidens and three specimens belong to Selenoportax vexillarius. Quantitatively, the bovids were more distributed than other taxa, provide evidence of medium (Gazella) size bovids from the Middle Miocene mammalian fauna. The palaeoenvironment of Nagri Formation was most humid with extensive forest and grasslands, while Dhok Pathan Formation has fluvial deposits indicating a wetland environment with mosaic of marshes, forests and woodlands. The dominance of fossil specimens of family Bovidae suggests an extremely moist environment with small, abundant standing water bodies. Biogeographically, the Miocene mammalian fauna of the Middle Siwalik resembled to Eurasian and African Miocene fossil localities. The composition of fauna from our studied sites suggests Late Miocene age. The described fossil remains indicate that large-sized fauna was present here during the Miocene.