A fossil chrysochlorid skull in the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History: Robert Broom’s missing specimen unearthed?

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dc.contributor.authorMason, Matthew J.
dc.contributor.authorBennett, Nigel C.
dc.contributor.authorPickford, Martin
dc.date.accessioned2019-04-17T14:29:43Z
dc.date.available2019-04-17T14:29:43Z
dc.date.issued2019-04
dc.description.abstractAn unlabelled, fossilized skull of a golden mole from the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, was examined through micro-computed tomography. Reconstructions show that the species in question has alveoli for nine teeth in each upper jaw, although only six teeth in total remain. The skull resembles those of the extant chrysochlorids Amblysomus and Calcochloris, which also have nine teeth, but in most respects it is closer to Amblysomus. The ear region, examined in detail, also proved to be very similar to that of Amblysomus. Damage to the teeth and palate are consistent with the brief descriptions of a fossil golden mole skull first mentioned by Robert Broom in 1948. This specimen, dating from the Plio-Pleistocene and provisionally identified as Proamblysomus antiquus, subsequently went missing. We argue that the skull described here is Broom’s lost specimen, but whether this fossil species really deserves generic distinction from extant groups remains unclear.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianJNC2019en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipSorbonne Université –CR2P,MNHN,CNRS,UPMC–Paris VI National Research Foundationen_ZA
dc.funderPalaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST)en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn2410-4418
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/26819
dc.journal.titlePalaeontologia africanaen_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.orcid.id0000-0001-7845-0720en_ZA
dc.publisherEvolutionary Studies Instituteen_ZA
dc.rightsCopyright 2019 the Authorsen_ZA
dc.subjectgolden moleen_ZA
dc.subjectchrysochloridaeen_ZA
dc.subjectAfrotheriaen_ZA
dc.subjectProamblysomusen_ZA
dc.subjectinner earen_ZA
dc.subjectmalleusen_ZA
dc.titleA fossil chrysochlorid skull in the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History: Robert Broom’s missing specimen unearthed?en_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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