The Early Miocene Carnivores from Sabuncubeli, Turkey

Thanks to collobarative studies that have started from 1970’s, numerous Early Miocene localities that have produced abundant micromammal fossils were found in Turkey. These micromammal fossil discoveries have added greatly to our knowledge in terms of distribution and paleoecology of these taxons. However, due to substantial sampling and collecting bias against macromammals, only very limited and somehow diverse artiodactyl fossils from the localities Hancili (MN1), Harami (2), Kilcak (MN1), Keseköy (MN3b) and Semsettin (MN4) are the total findings. This case has changed as a new locality, Sabuncubeli, which is situated along the road between the village of Sarnic and Sabuncubeli crossroad, 15 km NW of Izmir, was exposed near a small valley after an artificial cutting for the construction of the road in 1998. Collecting procedure from fine conglomerate lenses during 2000-2006 yielded numerous carnivore and relatively rich artio and perissodactyl fossils. Based on its previously collected micromammal assemblages, Sabuncubeli fauna is dated as Early Miocene (MN3a). Here, three new and three common taxa of carnivorous mammals from Sabuncubeli will be described.
   The carnivore fauna comprises of an amphicyonid (Cynelos nov.sp.), a procyonid (Broiliana nov.sp.), three viverrids (Viverridae, new genus, new species; Euboictis aliveriensis, Semigenetta elegans), a mustelid (Palaeogale sp.) and undetermined Felidae which can not be yet formally assessed to any genus. European originated Cynelos is the widespread genera common to localities around Eurasia, Africa and America throughout Early-Middle Miocene. The new Sabuncubeli Cynelos has common similarities with Cynelos macrodon, C. helbingi and C. bohemicus, but has proportional as well as morphological differences in dentition. So far, Euboictis is a unique faunal element which has a sole record from the middle Orleanian (MN4) locality of Aliveri, Evia Island, Greece. For the first time, Sabuncubeli fossils provides lower dentition of this genera which remarks on the affinities between Euboictis and Sivanasua ssp. The oldest procyonid Broiliana is not a common element of Orleanian localities and hereby its represented by a new species. Semigenetta elegans from Sabuncubeli is similar to the holotype from Winterhoft-West (MN3a) but is slightly smaller. Besides Euboictis, Palaeogale is the second genera that have records in both Aliveri (MN4) and Sabuncubeli. Most interesting part of Sabuncubeli carnivore fauna is the new Viverid genera which closely resemble that of enigmatic viverrids Kichechia and Legetetia and marks clear affinities with Euboictis-Sivanasua group. Although, Creodonts are quite common in Early Miocene faunas of Africa and somehow Europe, they are absent in Sabuncubeli.
   Although, small mammals clearly show that Anatolia and Europe were different bioprovinces during the Early Miocene, the carnivore fauna of Sabuncubeli marks a unique composition in having European and African (?) (Viverridae, new genus) affinities together. In the light of new taxa, different migration scenarios will be discussed in terms of faunal similarities.