Hyracoidea from the Middle Miocene hominoid locality of Paşalar (NW Turkey)

Abstract

Previously available samples of Hyracoidea from Paşalar (MN 6, Middle Miocene), Turkey, have indicated the presence of Pliohyracidae at the site, but the material was too scanty for confident identification. The single upper molar, an upper molar ectoloph fragment and an ascending ramal fragment were too uninformative for determining the taxonomic identity of the fossils, although several names have been proposed in the literature. Additional fossils collected from Paşalar include upper and lower premolars, which help to tie down the affinities of this hyracoid. They are attributed to the genus Prohyrax, but were not named specifically, even though they are somewhat larger than the largest previously described species, Prohyrax hendeyi, from basal Middle Miocene deposits in Namibia. The presence of cingulids on the lower cheek teeth and the strong parastyle in the upper premolars from Paşalar represent important similarities to the other species of Prohyrax, to the exclusion of other genera of Pliohyracidae.