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Tapiridae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) of the Swiss Molasse Basin during the Oligocene-Miocene transition

  • Scherler, Laureline Department of Geosciences-Earth Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Section d'archeacuteologie et paléontologie du Jura, Office Cantonal de la Culture, Porrentruy, Switzerland
  • Becker, Damien Section d'archeacuteologie et paléontologie du Jura, Office Cantonal de la Culture, Porrentruy, Switzerland
  • Berger, Jean-Pierre Department of Geosciences-Earth Sciences, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
    11.03.2011
Published in:
  • Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - 2011, vol. 31, no. 2, p. 479—496
English The Tapiridae of the Swiss Molasse Basin from the late Oligocene to the early Miocene are reviewed. Fossil remains that have not previously been described are identified, old descriptions and identifications from previous works are reassessed, and specimens from Switzerland and France are compared, specifically Protapirus bavaricus from Ebnat-Kappel (MP28) and Rüfi bei Schänis (MP29), Protapirus aginensis from La Milloque (France, MP29), Protapirus douvillei from Buchberg 6 (MN4), Paratapirus helvetius from Haslen (Switzerland, MP28-30), Paratapirus intermedius from Saulcet (France, MN1), Höhronen (MN1), and Brüttelen 1 (MN3a), and Eotapirus broennimanni from Wischberg (MN1) and Benken (MN3-4?). These new data enable emended specific diagnoses for Protapirus bavaricus, P. aginensis, and P. douvillei. A late Oligocene (MP28-30) age for the locality of Haslen—the neotype locality of Paratapirus helvetius—is also attributed, based upon the literature and personal observations. Furthermore, a new and precise biostratigraphic range of the European Tapiridae at the species level is proposed for the Oligocene and early Miocene of Western Europe. The paleoecology of tapirs and their diversity and evolution through the Oligocene-Miocene transition are discussed and compared with contemporaneous large mammals such as Rhinocerotoidea, Anthracotheriidae, and Suoidea.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Département de Géosciences
Language
  • English
Classification
Palaeontology
License
License undefined
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/301936
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