Abstract
The Carnivora (Mammalia) yielded in the coal mine Gračanica in Bosnia and Herzegovina are composed of the caniform families Amphicyonidae (Amphicyon giganteus), Ursidae (Hemicyon goeriachensis, Ursavus brevirhinus) and Mustelidae (indet.) and the feliform family Percrocutidae (Percrocuta miocenica). The site is of middle Miocene age and the biostratigraphical interpretation based on molluscs indicates Langhium, correlating Mammal Zone MN 5. The carnivore faunal assemblage suggests a possible assignement to MN 6 defined by the late occurrence of A. giganteus and the early occurrence of H. goeriachensis and P. miocenica. Despite the scarcity of remains belonging to the order Carnivora, the fossils suggest a diverse fauna including omnivores, mesocarnivores and hypercarnivores of a meat/bone diet as well as Carnivora of small (Mustelidae indet.) to large size (A. giganteus). Faunal similarities can be found with Prebreza (Serbia), Mordoğan, Çandır, Paşalar and Inönü (all Turkey), which are of comparable age. The absence of Felidae is worthy of remark, but could be explained by the general scarcity of carnivoran fossils. Gračanica records the most eastern European occurrence of H. goeriachensis and the first occurrence of A. giganteus outside central Europe except for Namibia (Africa). The Gračanica Carnivora fauna is mostly composed of European elements.
Highlights
New material belonging to the order Carnivora from the middle Miocene locality Gračanica (Bugojno Basin, GornjiThis article is a contribution to the special issue BThe drowning swamp of Gračanica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) - a diversity hotspot from the middle Miocene in the Bugojno Basin^Vakuf, Bosnia and Herzegovina) is presented
The lacustrine deposits overlying the lignite deposits in the Gračanica mine contain a mollusc fauna typical of the early middle Miocene of the Dinaride Lake System (Mandic et al 2016; Mandic et al in prep., this issue); this age was confined to the early Langhian, correlating Mammal Zone MN 5 (Harzhauser et al in press, this issue)
The Carnivora remains from Gračanica are sparse and palaeoecological interpretations are limited
Summary
New material belonging to the order Carnivora from the middle Miocene locality Gračanica This article is a contribution to the special issue BThe drowning swamp of Gračanica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) - a diversity hotspot from the middle Miocene in the Bugojno Basin^. The lower half of the section in the Gračanica coal mine, of about 20 m thickness, contains the intercalations of lignite deposits, exploited by the mining company. The mammalian remains come from the lignite rich, lower half of the section, which is indicated by the predominantly dark brownish colour of the fossils. The lacustrine deposits overlying the lignite deposits in the Gračanica mine contain a mollusc fauna typical of the early middle Miocene of the Dinaride Lake System (Mandic et al 2016; Mandic et al in prep., this issue); this age was confined to the early Langhian, correlating Mammal Zone MN 5 (Harzhauser et al in press, this issue). The scanty small mammal fauna from the lignite-bearing deposits in the Gračanica section indicates an age ranging between the Mammal Zones MN4 and MN5 (Wessels et al in press, this issue)
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