Rhinocerotidae from the early Miocene of the Negev (Israel) and implications for the dispersal of early Neogene rhinoceroses

Luca Pandolfi,Ari Grossman,Ran Calvo,Rivka Rabinovich

doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.64

Abstract

AbstractA revision of the rhinocerotid material from the Negev (Israel), dating back to the early Miocene (MN3 in the European Mammal Biochronology), highlights the presence of Brachypotherium and a taxon close to Gaindatherium in the Levantine corridor. A juvenile mandible, investigated using CT scanning, displays morphologically distinct characters consistent with Brachypotherium cf. B. snowi rather than with other Eurasian representatives of this genus. Some postcranial remains from the Negev, such as a humerus, display features that distinguish it among Miocene taxa. We attribute these postcrania to cf. Gaindatherium sp., a taxon never recorded outside the Siwaliks until now. This taxon dispersed into the Levantine region during the late early Miocene, following a pattern similar to other South Asian taxa. Brachypotherium cf. B. snowi probably occurred in the Levantine region and then in North Africa during the early Miocene because its remains are known from slightly younger localities such as Moghara (Egypt) and Jebel Zelten (Libya). The occurrence cf. Gaindatherium sp. represents a previously unrecorded range expansion out of Southeast Asia. These new records demonstrate the paleogeographic importance of the Levantine region showcasing the complex role of the Levantine corridor in intercontinental dispersals between Asia and Europe as well as Eurasia and Africa.

Highlights

IntroductionThe fossil assemblages collected in the Negev Desert (Fig. 1) represent an important record for the paleobiogeography and evolution of early Neogene mammals occupying the area located in the Levantine corridor, between Africa and Eurasia (Tchernov et al, 1987; López-Antoñanzas et al, 2016; Grossman et al, 2019)
A diverse early Miocene fauna (Mammal Neogene Zone 3 = MN3) was reported from the Negev district of Israel during the 1960s to 1980s (Neev, 1960; Savage and Tchernov, 1968; Goldsmith et al, 1982, 1988; Tchernov et al, 1987)
The fossil assemblages collected in the Negev Desert (Fig. 1) represent an important record for the paleobiogeography and evolution of early Neogene mammals occupying the area located in the Levantine corridor, between Africa and Eurasia (Tchernov et al, 1987; López-Antoñanzas et al, 2016; Grossman et al, 2019)

Summary

Introduction

The fossil assemblages collected in the Negev Desert (Fig. 1) represent an important record for the paleobiogeography and evolution of early Neogene mammals occupying the area located in the Levantine corridor, between Africa and Eurasia (Tchernov et al, 1987; López-Antoñanzas et al, 2016; Grossman et al, 2019). The reconstructed geological setting is based on a terrestrial fluviatile and lacustrine sedimentary unit, the Hazeva Formation (Calvo and Bartov, 2001), which was deposited during the early to middle Miocene (Zilberman and Calvo, 2013; Bar and Zilberman, 2016). This formation is preserved in the Negev

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Discussion

Conclusion