New skulls of Kolpochoerus phacochoeroides (Suidae: Mammalia) from the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam, Morocco

Abstract

The discovery of two male skulls of Kolpochoerus phacochoeroides from the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam in Morocco, and the revision of the whole collection from this locality, allows us to extend the description of this North African form, to estimate its sexual dimorphism and the extent of individual variation in a large isochronous sample, to reveal some ontogenic changes, and to confirm its distinction as a species on its own, as its cranial proportions (large occipital, short snout) and tooth characters (lack of enamel on upper canines, reduced incisors and premolars, complicated third molars) set it clearly apart from the East and South African forms. A cladistic analysis shows that K. phacochoeroides and Hylochoerus are the terminal branches of the Kolpochoerus clade, which is the sister-group of Potamochoerus.