Publication details
Střednomiocenní chobotnatci z lokality Czujanova pískovna (Mikulov, Česká republika)
| Title in English | Middle Miocene proboscideans from the locality Czujan's sand-pit (Mikulov, Česká republika) |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Citation | |
| Description | Czujan's sand-pit (Mikulov) was a unique site of Miocene mammals in the Czech Republic (Thenius 1951; Seitl 1985). Biostratigraphical comparison of assemblage composed of rhinos, horses, chalicotheres, paleomerycids, deers, bovids and carnivores with clear predominance of proboscideans corresponds to Middle Miocene (astarac, MN Zone 6 - MN 7 + 8). Most species indicates of closed forest environment. However also species preferring more open landscapes can not be excluded (Brezina 2014). The studied locality is exceptional especially by very abundant remains of proboscidean species Z. turicensis, well known mainly based on dentition. Further Proboscidean assemblage also consist of remains Prodeinotherium bavaricum and Gomphotherium angustidens. Morphometric analysis of still unpublished skeletal remains and tusks proboscidea was complemented by a detailed study of Schreger Pattern (Espinoza and Mann 1993; Palombo and Villa 2001; Trapani and Fisher 2008). Study of Schreger Pattern was enabeled by creating of thin sections and polished sections across tusks. Due to significant predominance of teeth of Z. turicensis in the study locality is most likely that most of the skeletal elements belongs to this species. On the lower jaws, tusks, atlases, lunates and astragales were identified typical characters of this species. Study of Schreger Pattern on the thin sections of tusks revealed only qualitative pattern of "V" (Trapani and Fisher 2008), angle values at the surface of the tusk were 53-85° with an average of 66±6° and values of all measured angles in the same range as at the surface of the tusk, with an average of 67±6 °. The absence of mandibular tusks and variability in size of maxillary tusks most likely reflects the sexual dimorphism. This study provides the first comprehensive knowledge of skeletal anatomy and tusk-microstructure of neogene proboscidean Z. turicensis. |