A new species of Plesiogulo (Mustelidae: Carnivora) from the Late Miocene of Africa
Date
2004
Authors
Haile-Selassie, Yohannes
Hlusko, Leslea J.
Howell, F. Clark
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BERNARD PRICE INSTITUTE FOR PALAEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Abstract
A new species of Plesiogulo (Plesiogulo botori sp. nov.) is described from 5.5–6.0 Ma deposits in East Africa. This new fossil material comes
from two localities: Lemudong’o in southern Kenya, and Adu Dora, in the Afar Depression of Ethiopia. The new mustelid species is
larger than all known OldWorld Plesiogulo species and extends the temporal and spatial range of the genus inAfrica. Plesiogulo botori sp.
nov. documents the earliest occurrence of the genus in Africa in general and the first evidence of its occurrence in late Miocene deposits
of eastern Africa. Associated mammalian fauna at both localities where the species has been found indicate a closed/wooded habitat for
the genus. This and other occurrences of the genus across Europe, Asia, and the New World indicate that the genus Plesiogulo was
geographically widely dispersed during the upper Tertiary.