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The Fossil Record of Hyaenids (Mammalia: Carnivora: Hyaenidae) in Greece

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Fossil Vertebrates of Greece Vol. 2

Abstract

The fossil hyaenids are abundant and diverse, in the Greek fossil record. The hyaenids originate from Viverridae and occur at the beginning of Miocene with some small-sized and dog-like arboreal forms. The earliest hyaenids of Greece appeared in the early/middle Miocene with the genus Protictitherium. During the late Miocene, more than ten species of hyaenids have been recognized. The ictitheriines Hyaenictitherium wongii and Ictitherium viverrinum, as well as the hyanine Adcrocuta eximia predominate in the late Miocene faunas. The small-sized primitive hyaenid Plioviverrops orbignyi is also common in the late Miocene faunas of Greece. The Plio–Pleistocene fossil record of hyaenids includes large-sized hunting and bone cracking hyaenas of the genera Chasmaporthetes, Pliocrocuta, Pachycrocuta, and Crocuta, but the known material is scarce. The total number of the Greek hyaenids includes eleven genera, 14 valid and one questionable species, among which there are two new genera and seven new species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Laboratory of Geology and Paleontology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    George D. Koufos

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  1. George D. Koufos
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Correspondence to George D. Koufos .

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  1. Museo Paleontólogico Egidio Feruglio, CONICET, Trelew, Chubut, Argentina

    Evangelos Vlachos

Appendix

Appendix

List of the Greek localities containing hyaenid fossils. Type localities are marked with bold. Locality numbers refer to the collection numbers of the PaleoBiology Database (PBDB)

LocalitiesPBDB No

Age (MN; GPTS in Ma)

Taxon

Loutra Almopias Cave203847

Late Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta spelaea1

Maronia Cave

Late Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta spelaea2

Megalopolis Basin

Late Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta spelaea3

Ktisti Cave Ermionis

Late Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta spelaea4

Agios Georgios Cave207192

Late Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta spelaea5

Petralona Cave183123

Late M. Pleistocene

Crocuta crocuta6

Pachycrocuta brevirostris7

Pliocrocuta perrieri8

Tsiotra Vrissi192004

Late Villafranchian (MNQ18; 1.78–1.50)

Pachycrocuta brevirostris9

Kalamoto200084

Late Villafranchian

Pachycrocuta brevirostris10

Libakos34764

?Late Villafranchian

Pachycrocuta brevirostris11

Haliakmon Basin

Villafranchian

Crocuta crocuta spelaea12

Apollonia 1197942

Epivillafranchian (MN20)

Pachycrocuta brevirostris13

Gerakarou 1134617

Late Villafranchian (MNQ18)

Pachycrocuta brevirostris14

Pliocrocuta perrieri14

Sesklon34614

Middle Villafranchian (MNQ17)

Pliocrocuta perrieri15

Dafnero 134594

Middle Villafranchian (MNQ17; 2.4–2.3)

Chasmaporthetes lunensis16

Maramena32189

Miocene/Pliocene (MN13/14)

Chasmaporthetes sp.17

Dytiko 132374

Late Turolian (MN13; 7.0–6.0)

Chasmaporthetes bonisi18

Dytiko 332376

Late Turolian (MN13; 7.0–6.0)

Protictitherium crassum19

Samos Q595690

Late Turolian (MN13; 6.9–6.7)

Adcrocuta eximia20

Hyaenictitherium wongii20

Kryopigi157582

Middle–Late Turolian (MN12–13; 7.3–6.4)

Adcrocuta eximia21

Ictitherium viverrinum21

Plioviverrops orbignyi21

Samos A206461

Middle Turolian (MN12)

Adcrocuta eximia20

Mytilinii 1A202215

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.1)

Adcrocuta eximia23

Hyaenictitherium wongii23

Mytilinii 1B202216

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.1)

Hyaenictitherium wongii23

Plioviverrops orbignyi23

Mytilinii 1C202217

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.1)

Hyaenictitherium wongii23

Samos Q195691

Middle Turolian (MN12; 7.3–7.1)

Adcrocuta eximia20

Hyaenictitherium wongii20

Ictitherium viverrinum20

Plioviverrops orbignyi20

Samos S3205351

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.3)

Hyaenictitherium wongii20

Adcrocuta eximia20

Vathylakkos 2202703

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.3)

Hyaenictitherium wongii23

Plioviverrops orbignyi23

Vathylakkos 3182750

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.3)

Adcrocuta eximia24

Hyaenictitherium wongii24

Ictitherium viverrinum24

Plioviverrops orbignyi24

Plioviverrops cf. guerini24

Perivolaki194879

Middle Turolian (MN12; 7.3–7.1)

Adcrocuta eximia26

Plioviverrops orbignyi26

Ictitherium sp.26

Kerassia 3195435

Middle Turolian (MN12)

Plioviverrops sp.27

cf. Ictitherium pannonicum27

Kerassia 4195435

Middle Turolian

Adcrocuta eximia27

Pikermi182754

Middle Turolian (MN12; 7.33–7.29)

Adcrocuta eximia28

Hyaenictis graeca29

Ictitherium viverrinum28

Lycyaena chaeretis30

Hyaenictitherium wongii31

Plioviverrops orbignyi32

Prochoma 1202222

Middle Turolian (MN12; ~7.4)

Ictitherium viverrinum33

Plioviverrops orbignyi24

Adcrocuta eximia33

Samos A206461

Middle Turolian (MN12)

Lycyaena chaeretis20

Ictitherium viverrinum20

Plioviverrops orbignyi20

Halmyropotamos202213

?Middle Turolian (?MN12)

Adcrocuta eximia34

Thermopigi73553

?Middle Turolian (?MN12)

Adcrocuta eximia35

Samos Q495689

Early Turolian (MN11; ~7.5)

Adcrocuta eximia20

Hyaenictitherium wongii20

Mytilinii 4202219

Late Early Turolian (MN11; ~7.5)

Protictitherium crassum26

Hyaenictitherium cf. wongii26

Nikiti 273869

Early Turolian (MN11; 8.7–8.2)

Adcrocuta eximia36

Ravin des Zouaves 5195489

Early Turolian (MN11; ~8.2)

Adcrocuta eximia23

Chasmaporthetes bonisi37

Hyaenictitherium wongii23

Ictitherium viverrinum33

Plioviverrops orbignyi38

Ravin X182745

?Early Turolian (?MN11)

Adcrocuta eximia22

Ravin de la Pluie191070

Late Vallesian (MN10; ~9.3)

Adcrocuta eximia leptoruncha24

Protictitherium thessalonikensis38

?Hyaenictis sp.38

Protictitherium cf. intermedium33

Xirochori 1195490

Late Vallesian (MN10; ~9.6)

Adcrocuta eximia34,

Protictitherium crassum33

Ravin des Zouaves 1182746

Late Vallesian (MN10)

Adcrocuta eximia33

Hyaenictitherium wongii34

Pentalophos 1202119

Early Vallesian (MN9)

Protictitherium cf. crassum24

Dinocrocuta gigantea39

Antonios73861

Early/Middle Miocene (MN4/5)

Protictitherium gaillardi40

Protictitherium cf. crassum40

  1. GPTS Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale
  2. 1Tsoukala et al. (2006), 2Pavlides et al. (2005), 3Melentis (1964), 4Mitzopoulos (1960), 5Tsoukala (1991), 6Kanellis (1962), 7Baryshnikov and Tsoukala (2010), 8Sickenberg (1971), 9Konidaris et al. (2015), 10Tsoukala and Chatzopoulou (2005), 11Steensma (1988), 12Melentis (1966), 13Koufos and Kostopoulos (1997), 14Koufos (1992), 15Athanassiou (1998), 16Koufos (1993), 17Scmidt-Kittler (1995), 18Koufos (1987), 19Koufos (1980), 20Solounias (1981), 21Lazarides (2015), 22Koufos (2009), 23de Bonis et al. (1973), 24Arambourg and Piveteau (1929), 25de Bonis and Koufos (1991), 26Koufos (2006), 27Roussiakis and Theodorou (2003), 28Roth and Wagner (1854), 29Gaudry (1846–50), 30Gaudry (1861), 31Gaudry (1862–67), 32Gaydry and Lartet (1856), 33Koufos (2000), 34Melentis (1967), 35Geraads et al. (2007), 36Koufos (2016), 37de Bonis and Koufos (1994), 38Koufos (2012), 39Koufos (1995); 40Koufos (2008)

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Koufos, G.D. (2022). The Fossil Record of Hyaenids (Mammalia: Carnivora: Hyaenidae) in Greece. In: Vlachos, E. (eds) Fossil Vertebrates of Greece Vol. 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68442-6_19

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