First description of fossil remains of the giant mustelid Eomellivora (Mammalia, Carnivora) from the Late Miocene of the Shouyang Basin (China)

Abstract

We describe three unpublished Eomellivora cranial specimens from the Late Miocene (ca. MN12–13) sites of Ta Tung Kou and Nan Ho, both in the Shouyang Basin (Shanxi Province, China), uncovered by Frick collectors (reposited in the fossil mammal collections of the American Museum of Natural History) between 1933 and 1936. The specimens consist of a fragmented cranium (AMNH F:AM 50570), a maxilla (AMNH F:AM 50569), and a nearly complete cranium (AMNH F:AM 144525). By means of morphological comparison and multivariate analysis (PCA with Mosimann-transformed dentition variables), AMNH F:AM 50570 is identified as E. wimani, exhibiting a relative elongation of the premolars. This finding enhances the understanding of intraspecific variability within the species. Specimens AMNH F:AM 50569 and AMNH F:AM 144525 are classified conservatively as Eomellivora sp., as they lack diagnostic features at the species level. These new discoveries contribute to a deeper understanding of the Late Miocene fauna of the Shouyang Basin, an area that has been less extensively studied in China compared to the nearby Baode and Yushe Basins. In addition, a re-examination of the dental remains from the earlier sites of Zhupeng and Xiaohe (Yunnan Province, China, ca. MN11), which had previously been identified as Eomellivora cf. wimani, permits their reclassification as Eomellivora cf. E. piveteaui.