Abstract
A restricted collection of suoids from Gebel Zelten was made in the 1990’s by the Spanish-Libyan Palaeontology Expedition. Dr Dolores Soria filmed the specimens with a video camera and took measurements of the teeth with vernier calipers. This paper uses the images from the video, which, even though somewhat limited in terms of picture quality, are of interest because they represent the first known snout of the gigantic suid Megalochoerus khinzikebirus. The images reveal that it is basically an enlarged version of Libycochoerus massai, but with relatively small premolars. The sanithere specimens from the site were photographed with an Olympus 1.4 megapixel digital camera, and the image quality is better than from the video camera. These specimens throw light on the degree of sexual dimorphism exhibited by sanitheres, a feature that was previously inferred from isolated teeth, but which can now be confirmed on the basis of the two mandible fragments from Gebel Zelten. This paper is dedicated to the memory of Dr Soria. This paper takes into account a few undescribed suid post-cranial bones from Gebel Zelten housed in the Natural History Museum, London, collected during the 1960’s by R. Savage.
Highlights
New collections of suoids from Gebel Zelten, limited in quantity, are interesting because they contain the first known snout of the giant kubanochoere Megalochoerus khinzikebirus, hitherto represented only by a maxilla fragment, a mandible and some isolated teeth
Comparisons can be made with Libycochoerus massai and Kubanochoerus gigas of which more complete material has been described
Four undescribed fossils from Gebel Zelten are attributed to the primitive sanithere Diamantohyus africanus
Summary
New collections of suoids from Gebel Zelten, limited in quantity, are interesting because they contain the first known snout of the giant kubanochoere Megalochoerus khinzikebirus, hitherto represented only by a maxilla fragment, a mandible and some isolated teeth. Comparisons can be made with Libycochoerus massai and Kubanochoerus gigas of which more complete material has been described These three genera are basically similar in snout morphology, but there are differences in position of the incisive foramina and in premolar proportions, the largest species having. The central incisor alveoli are mesio-distally elongated with the long axis of the root oriented almost medio-laterally. The alveoli of the central incisors are mesio-distally elongated (ca 25 mm long) and narrow sharply apically (height ca 30 mm). In palatal view they are oriented almost transversely in the premaxillae. The I2/ alveoli are located distal to the lateral portion of the roots of I1/ and the alveolus for I3/ is slightly lateral and distal to that of the I2/, separated from it by a short gap. The dimensions of the distal end are provided in table 2
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