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New postcranial elements of mesonychid mammals from the Ypresian of France: New hypotheses for the radiation and evolution of the mesonychids in Europe

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Abstract

New postcranial elements of two mesonychids that lived during the Ypresian (early Eocene) in Europe are here described. The postcranial bones found at La Borie (France; ≈MP8 + 9) can be confidently ascribed to Hyaenodictis raslanloubatieri, while the astragalus found at Palette (France; ≈MP7) probably represents H. rougierae. Our study demonstrates that H. raslanloubatieri and H. rougierae were digitigrade in posture and relatively cursorial in locomotion. A single lumbar vertebra was recovered at La Borie and referred to H. raslanloubatieri; this element suggests this species was a moderately dorsostable predator. In addition, we illustrate the first maxillary fragment referable to H. raslanloubatieri, also discovered at La Borie. In comparison, we describe the postcranial elements of Pachyaena gigantea partially published in the early twentieth century, probably a plantigrade predator species. Morphological data derived from the La Borie specimens were included in phylogenetic analyses and support the reinstatement and monophyly of Hyaenodictis. Hyaenodictis was considered to be a junior synonym of Dissacus, but here we find that the Hyaenodictis clade includes almost all European mesonychids formerly referred to Dissacus along with the North American Wasatchian species H. willwoodensis.

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© Guy Le Roux. Courtesy of Y. Laurent and G. Le Roux

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank C. Argot, G. Billet, and C. Sagne (MNHN) for the access to the specimens related to the study. We also thank Lilian Caze (MNHN) and N. Vallée-Gillette (RBINS) for the photographs of the specimens. We are grateful to APSO volunteers and the Terreal Society, especially L. Nathan who kindly provided permits, help, and support for paleontological research in La Borie. We are grateful to the Rougier family, who facilitated field work in Palette. We especially appreciate the critical reading by the two anonymous reviewers and the Associate Editor for their help in improving the manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by projects Belspo Brain Pionnier BR/175/PI/CarnAges and Brain Network BR/121/A3/PalEurAfrica of the Belgian Science Policy Office.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, B–1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Floréal Solé & Thierry Smith

  2. Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie – Paris (CR2P, UMR 7207) – CNRS/MNHN/Sorbonne Universités – Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, 57 Rue Cuvier CP 38, F-75005, Paris, France

    Morgane Fournier & Sandrine Ladevèze

  3. Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006, Zurich, Switzerland

    Kévin Le Verger

  4. Ecole Pratique Des Hautes Etudes (EPHE, PSL) – CR2P Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris, CNRS-MNHN-Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CP 38, 8 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Marc Godinot

  5. Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle de Toulouse, 35 Allée Jules Guesde, 31000, Toulouse, France

    Yves Laurent

  6. Association Paléontologique du Sud-Ouest (APSO), 13 Chemin Des Telles, 31360, Roquefort-Sur-Garonne, France

    Yves Laurent

Authors
  1. Floréal Solé
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  2. Morgane Fournier
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  3. Sandrine Ladevèze
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  4. Kévin Le Verger
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  5. Marc Godinot
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  6. Yves Laurent
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  7. Thierry Smith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Floréal Solé.

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Solé, F., Fournier, M., Ladevèze, S. et al. New postcranial elements of mesonychid mammals from the Ypresian of France: New hypotheses for the radiation and evolution of the mesonychids in Europe. J Mammal Evol 30, 371–401 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10914-023-09651-x

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