Re-Appraisal of ‘Felis’ pamiri Ozansoy, 1959 (Carnivora, Felidae) from the Upper Miocene of Turkey: the Earliest Pantherin Cat?

Abstract

Although the divergence of the Panthera clade from other Felidae might be as old as the earliest middle Miocene, its fossil record before the Pliocene is virtually non-existent. Here we reassess the affinities of a felid from the early upper Miocene of Turkey, known by well-preserved associated upper and lower dentitions. We conclude that it belongs to the same genus (Miopanthera Kretzoi, 1938) as the middle Miocene 'Styriofelis' lorteti (Gaillard, 1899), and that this genus is close to, if not part of, the Panthera clade.

Functional and Systematic Implications of the Postcranial Anatomy of a Late Miocene Feline (Carnivora, Felidae) from Batallones-1 (Madrid, Spain)

“…Of these three lineages, at least the first two had a continuity in the late Miocene, with Promegantereon ogygia (a primitive saber-toothed felid very similar to Ps. quadridentatus) and M. pamiri, which would be very close to the pantherin felid clade (Geraads and Peigné 2016). In both cases, several dental and skeletal similarities support a phylogenetic relationship between those forms included in the same lineage (de Beaumont 1975;Ginsburg 1983;Salesa et al 2010bSalesa et al , 2012Peigné 2012;Geraads and Peigné 2016), but the assumption of S. vallesiensis as being part of the S. turnauensis lineage is quite doubtful, as now it is clear that both species represent two different felid models characterized by a combination of unique dental and skeletal features.…”

“…quadridentatus) and M. pamiri, which would be very close to the pantherin felid clade (Geraads and Peigné 2016). In both cases, several dental and skeletal similarities support a phylogenetic relationship between those forms included in the same lineage (de Beaumont 1975;Ginsburg 1983;Salesa et al 2010bSalesa et al , 2012Peigné 2012;Geraads and Peigné 2016), but the assumption of S. vallesiensis as being part of the S. turnauensis lineage is quite doubtful, as now it is clear that both species represent two different felid models characterized by a combination of unique dental and skeletal features. Besides this, the other late Miocene feline known in the European faunas, the larger P. attica shows a more derived dentition than that of S. vallesiensis, which points towards a different generic status (Salesa et al 2012).…”

“…Recently, Geraads and Peigné (2016) have discussed the status of the genus Styriofelis, proposing the inclusion of the species lorteti in the genus Miopanthera, which would also include the late Miocene Felis pamiri as M. pamiri. This increases the previously assumed diversity of the felids from the middle Miocene, as at least three different taxa were present at this time: the primitive machairodontine Pseudaelurus quadridentatus, the lynx-sized feline Miopanthera lorteti, and the wild cat-sized feline Styriofelis turnauensis.…”

“…turnauensis, andMiopanthera Kretzoi, 1938, for Ps. lorteti (Geraads and Peigné 2016). To summarize, in the middle Miocene at least three different taxa are known in Western Europe: the primitive machairodontine Ps.…”

Who killed Micromeryx flourensianus ? A case study of taphonomy and predation on ruminants in the middle Miocene of France

“…They are represented by at least 18 different species and comprise a wide range of body sizes (Table , Fig. ) (Ginsburg ; Ginsburg & Morales ; Argot ; Peigné ; Geraads & Peigné ).…”