New muroid rodent and Sivapithecus dental remains from the Lower Siwalik deposits of Ramnagar (J&K, India): Age implication

Abstract

This paper reports a murid rodent Antemus chinjiensis and a cricetid rodent Megacricetodon cf. sivalensis, in addition to Sivapithecus from the famous Miocene Ape locality of Ramnagar (Jammu and Kashmir, India). In the absence of numerical dates, mammalian biochronology in general and rodent biochronology in particular provides good temporal resolution for terrestrial fossil sites. By using the well-established high resolution Siwalik rodent biochronology, the Ramnagar assemblage can now be constrained between at least ∼13.2 and ∼13.8 Ma. This preliminary biochronological framework has the potential of increasing the First Appearance Datum (FAD) of Sivapithecus from the presently estimated 12.8 Ma to at least 13.2 Ma.