The proboscidean fauna (Mammalia) from the middle Miocene lignites of Gračanica near Bugojno (Bosnia–Herzegovina)

Abstract

Presented here is a middle Miocene proboscidean fauna—deinotheres and gomphotheres—from lignites of the coal mine in Gracanica (Bugojno Basin) in Bosnia–Herzegovina. The material, which exclusively comprises teeth (n = 42), is described and systematically discussed. The majority of the studied fossils represent Prodeinotherium bavaricum, but gomphotheres are also a common faunal element and are identified as Gomphotherium angustidens and tentatively as cf. Gomphotherium subtapiroideum. Noteworthy is the occurrence of an amebelodontine, identified as cf. Protanancus, and represented in the present material only by a single milk tooth. Protanancus is generally known from Africa and Asia and extremely rarely documented in southeastern Europe so far. The Gracanica fauna is supposed to correlate with the Mammalian Neogene unit late MN5 or early MN6.