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1 July 2015 Complete Description of the Skull and Mandible of the Giant Mustelid Eomellivora piveteaui Ozansoy, 1965 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae), from Batallones (Mn10), Late Miocene (Madrid, Spain)
Alberto Valenciano, Juan Abella, Oscar Sanisidro, Adam Hartstone-Rose, María ÁNgeles Álvarez-Sierra, Jorge Morales
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Abstract

We describe cranial, mandibular, and dental remains of five individuals of the giant mustelid Eomellivora piveteaui Ozansoy, 1965, from the late Miocene (MN10) site of Cerro de los Batallones (Madrid, Spain)—the first complete cranial remains recorded for this species and the most complete remains of the genus. This new sample enables a review of the systematic status of Eomellivora, leading us to accept as valid the species E. piveteaui Ozansoy, 1965, E. wimani Zdansky, 1924, E. ursogulo (Orlov, 1948), and E. hungarica Kretzoi, 1942. Our phylogenetic hypothesis indicates that Eomellivora is the sister taxon of the extant Mellivora capensis and E. piveteaui had a common ancestor within the crown group E. wimaniE. ursogulo. Eomellivora piveteaui was specialized for a more hypercarnivorous diet than the largest extant terrestrial mustelids, although it also had some derived bone-crushing adaptations. Eomellivora piveteaui had an active predatory role in the late Miocene carnivore faunas, exploiting both small and relatively large prey.

© by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Alberto Valenciano, Juan Abella, Oscar Sanisidro, Adam Hartstone-Rose, María ÁNgeles Álvarez-Sierra, and Jorge Morales "Complete Description of the Skull and Mandible of the Giant Mustelid Eomellivora piveteaui Ozansoy, 1965 (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae), from Batallones (Mn10), Late Miocene (Madrid, Spain)," Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35(4), (1 July 2015). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2014.934570
Received: 2 September 2013; Accepted: 1 May 2014; Published: 1 July 2015
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