Cranial evidence for the presence of a second endemic elephant species on Cyprus

Athanassiou, Athanassios; Herridge, Victoria; Reese, David S.; Iliopoulos, George; Roussiakis, Socrates; Mitsopoulou, Vassiliki; Tsiolakis, Efthymios; Θεοδώρου, Γεώργιος

doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2015.05.065

Cited by 15 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(42 reference statements)

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“…(Delos) are excluded because their stratigraphic positions remain unresolved. This also applies to the significantly larger elephant species ( P. xylophagou ) of Cyprus (Athanassiou et al ., , ). The indeterminate Proboscidea and E .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans

Geer

Bergh

Lyras

et al. 2016

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim We investigated the hypothesis that insular body size of fossil elephants is directly related to isolation and surface area of the focal islands. Location Palaeo-islands worldwide. Methods We assembled data on the geographical characteristics (area and isolation) of islands and body size evolution of palaeo-insular species for 22 insular species of fossil elephants across 17 islands. Results Our results support the generality of the island rule in the sense that all but one of the elephants experienced dwarfism on islands. The smallest islands generally harbour the smallest elephants. We found no support for the hypothesis that body size of elephants declines with island isolation. Body size is weakly and positively correlated with island area for proboscideans as a whole, but more strongly correlated for Stegodontidae when considered separately. Average body size decrease is much higher when competitors are present. Main conclusions Body size in insular elephants is not significantly correlated with the isolation of an island. Surface area, however, is a significant predictor of body size. The correlation is positive but relatively weak; c. 23% of the variation is explained by surface area. Body size variation seems most strongly influenced by ecological interactions with competitors, possibly followed by time in isolation. Elephants exhibited far more extreme cases of dwarfism than extant insular mammals, which is consistent with the substantially more extended period of deep geological time that the selective pressures could act on these insular populations. Aim We investigated the hypothesis that insular body size of fossil elephants is 23 directly related to isolation and surface area of the focal islands. 24 Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral SciencesLocation Palaeo-islands worldwide. 25Methods We assembled data on geographic characteristics (area and isolation) of 26 islands and body size evolution of palaeo-insular species for 22 insular species of 27 fossil elephants across 17 islands. 28Results Our results support the generality of the island rule in the sense that all but 29 one of the elephants experienced dwarfism on islands. The smallest islands generally 30 harbour the smallest elephants. We found no support for the hypothesis that body 31 size of elephants declines with island isolation. Body size is weakly and positively 32 correlated with island area for proboscideans as a whole, but more strongly 33 correlated for Stegodontidae when considered separately. Average body size 34 decrease is much higher when competitors are present. 35Main conclusions Body size in insular elephants is not significantly correlated with 36 the isolation of an island. Surface area, however, is a significant predictor of body 37 size. The correlation is positive but relatively weak; about 23% of the variation is 38 explained by surface area. Body size variation seems most strongly influenced by 39 ecological interactions with competitors, possibly followed by by time in isolat...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans

Geer

Bergh

Lyras

et al. 2016

Journal of Biogeography

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“…This in di cates de po si tion within the cli ma tic max i mum of 60 -70,000 years ago (Iliopoulos et al, 2011). The scarce el e phant re mains, ex ca vated at the hippo site at Agia Napa, have been dated at 13,500-11,000 years BP (Athanassiou et al, 2014). The avail able skel e tal ma te rial of the dwarf hippo, Phanourios mi nor Desmarest, 1822, suggests only one pop u la tion on Cy prus, as the size vari a tion falls within the nor mal dis tri bu tion for the ge nus.…”

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertebrate tracks in Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene (?) carbonate aeolianites, Paphos, Cyprus

Milàn

Θεοδώρου²,

Loope

et al. 2015

ASGP

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Ab stract: In 2005, nu mer ous ver te brate tracks were dis cov ered in car bon ate aeolianites in and around the town of Paphos, in the south west ern part of Cy prus. The main track-bear ing ex po sure is lo cated in a pro tected ar chae o log i cal site near the Agia Solomoni Church in side the city of Paphos, where cross-sec tions through tracks are abun dant in ver ti cal ex po sures of the aeolianite along Apostolou Pavlou Av e nue. Some ex po sures show as many as 10 tracks per m 2 of ver ti cal ex po sure. Sev eral ad di tional tracks were found in the ex ten sive sub ter ra nean tomb com plex, the Tombs of the Kings, just out side Paphos. The ae olian de posit was formed when west erly to southwest erly winds drove fine-to me dium-grained cal car e ous sand on shore from the beach. This gen er ated low coastal dunes, rep re sented by 1-2-m-thick, cross-bed ded sets made up of grainflow and wind-rip ple strata, and sand sheets com posed en tirely of wind-rip ple strata. The sed i ment does not yet have an ab so lute date, but is con sid ered to be of Late Pleis to cene to Early Ho lo cene age, as are many other coastal aeolianites in the Med i ter ra nean area. The Late Pleis to cene en demic fauna in Cy prus was lim ited to the dwarf hip po pot a mus Phanourios mi nor Desmarest, 1822, the dwarf el e phant Elephas cypriotes Bate, 1902, a small car ni vore Genetta plesictoides Bate, 1903, and (pos si bly) hu mans. The ex posed tracks are 5-15 cm in di am e ter, with a few tracks up to 23 cm in size. This range of size cor re lates well with the es ti mated foot size of dwarf hip po pot ami and dwarf el e phants. This low-di ver sity, en demic is land fauna pro vides a unique op por tu nity to cor re late tracks with trackmakers.

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“…Cyprus is an oceanic island in the Eastern Mediterranean that displayed unbalanced mammal fauna during Pleistocene–Holocene. This fauna was comprised of a pygmy hippopotamus, two dwarf elephants, a genet, a murid, a shrew, and several species of bats (Athanassiou et al, 2015; Boekschoten & Sondaar, 1972; Marra, 2005a; van der Geer et al, 2010). However, the most abundant species was the extremely dwarfed hippopotamus Phanourios minor , which is also referred to as the Cypriot hippo, although this expression has no significance in terms of systematics or ecology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional morphology of the hindlimb of fossilized pygmy hippopotamus from Ayia Napa (Cyprus)

Georgitsis

Liakopoulou

Θεοδώρου

et al. 2022

Journal of Morphology

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We studied the functional morphology of the postcranial skeleton of the endemic hippopotamus Phanourios minor, derived from the Upper Pleistocene site of Ayia Napa. The deposit, which consists of a hard limestone substrate on which the species moved, has yielded a great abundance of hippopotamus material, making the Ayia Napa locality one of the most important paleontological sites in Cyprus. The immigration of the large‐sized mainland Hippopotamus to Cyprus led to the emergence of a new insular species with its main characteristic being the extremely reduced body size. In this study, all the hindlimb elements of the Cypriot hippo are described in detail and compared with those of the modern species, with the extant Hippopotamus amphibius being considered similar to the possible ancestor of P. minor. In some cases, the morphological comparison is reinforced using bones of other extinct insular and mainland hippos. Additionally, we provided a functional analysis of the hindlimb joints, suggesting specific locomotor habits for the species. The anatomical examination reveals that the elements in P. minor are robust with marked muscular insertion areas resembling those found in Hippopotamus. However, there are also similarities with Choeropsis liberiensis in certain morphofunctional traits. P. minor adapted to slow but powerful locomotion with remarkable stabilization, particularly in the zeugopodium and the autopodium. The knee was less mobile in the craniocaudal direction compared with that in recent hippos, while the abduction–adduction movements of the thigh were advanced. The pes presented good mobility in the sagittal plane and limitation in transversal movements. Thus, P. minor displayed modifications to its limbs, influenced by the mountainous island environment and the body size reduction, resulting in specialized locomotion, which was different from that of extant hippopotamuses.

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Cranial evidence for the presence of a second endemic elephant species on Cyprus

Cited by 15 publications

References 37 publications

The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans

The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans

Vertebrate tracks in Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene (?) carbonate aeolianites, Paphos, Cyprus

Functional morphology of the hindlimb of fossilized pygmy hippopotamus from Ayia Napa (Cyprus)

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