July 2023: publication Palaeoworld
On Procobus Khomenko, 1913 (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae), with new evidence from the Late Miocene of Greece
Procobus is a rare and controversial Late Miocene bovid genus (Artiodactyla, Bovidae), originally known by a few cranial remains from the northern shores of the Black Sea. New material from Dytiko-1 fossil site in Axios Valley, northern Greece expands its geographic and chronological distribution and provides additional craniodental characters for its definition. A thorough description and comparison of all available specimens from Greece, Moldova and Ukraine highlight differences from the similar-sized and sympatric Palaeoryx and permit re-discussing its phylogenetic relationships. Our data reject previously proposed relations with Reduncini and suggests Procobus as a pan-Caprini, unique among Late Miocene bovid genera by the combination of large size and long, paedomorphic horns curving forward. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis indicates Procobus as the sister taxon of crown Caprini+Pantholops (Tibetan antelope) lineage.
Fig. 3. (A) Detail (not in scale) of the preorbital region of cranium LGPUT DTK-352 from Dytiko-1 indicating the relative placement of several bones (Or: orbit; N: nasal; L: lachrymal; M: maxilla; J: Jugal). (B) Frontlet LGPUT DTK-353 of Procobus melania from Dytiko-1, Greece in dorso-frontal view indicating possible bite-marks (b). Scale bar: 5 cm.
References
Kostopoulos D. S., Merceron G. 2023 – On Procobus Khomenko, 1913 (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae), with new evidence from the Late Miocene of Greece, Palaeoworld – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2023.06.008