RT Journal Article
T1 A new genus of badger from Pikermi (Greece) and a review of the systematics and evolution of Miocene Melinae (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae)
A1 Kargopoulos, Nikolaos
A1 Valenciano Vaquero, Alberto
A1 Svorligkou, Georgia
A1 Liakopoulou, Dionysia
A1 Gerakakis, Nikolaos
A1 Kampouridis, Panagiotis
A1 Paparizos, Nikolaos
A1 Svorligkou, Georgia
A1 Filis, Panagiotis
A1 Sklavounou, Stamatina
AB The evolution of Mustelidae has been a topic of debate, obscured by a complex system of convergences between phylogenetically distant groups. In this work, we present a new genus and species of mustelid, Archaeomeles neglecta gen. et sp. nov., from the classical Turolian locality of Pikermi (Greece, Late Miocene, MN12). The material consists of a skull with the associated mandible and shows distinct features that clearly differentiate it from all other known mustelid genera. These characteristics include a long and narrow rostrum, the absence of developed sagittal and supraorbital crest, relatively slender mandibular corpus, enamel folds on the lower canines, the wide P3 and p4, and the moderately enlarged M1 talon and m1 talonid. Morphometrical comparisons and phylogenetic analysis suggest that Archaeomeles is a stem member of the Melinae along with the other Turolian mustelids Promeles, Polgardia and Melodon from Eurasia. Ecomorphological comparisons indicate intermediate dietary habits between the plesiomorphic gulonines and the derived extant badgers, suggesting a diet that is based on small vertebrates and invertebrates as well as plant material.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 1477-2019
YR 2026
FD 2026-04-24
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/136667
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/136667
LA eng
NO Kargopoulos, N., Valenciano, A., Jiangzuo, Q., Liakopoulou, D., Gerakakis, N., Kampouridis, P., Paparizos, N., Svorligkou, G., Filis, P., Sklavounou, S., & Roussiakis, S. (2026). A new genus of badger from Pikermi (Greece) and a review of the systematics and evolution of Miocene Melinae (Mammalia, carnivora, mustelidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 24(1), 2647483. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2026.2647483
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
NO American Museum of Natural History
NO Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
NO MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 may 2026