IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Spassov, N.; Geraads, D. | |
| A New Felid from the Late Miocene of the Balkans and the Contents of the Genus _Metailurus_ Zdansky, 1924 (Carnivora, Felidae) | |
| 2015 Journal of Mammalian Evolution (22): 45-56 | |
A well-preserved felid skull from the Turolian (late Miocene) of Karaslari (FY Republic of Macedonia) is described and assigned to a new taxon, _Yoshi garevskii_, gen. et sp. nov. The new genus _Yoshi_ is characterized by a round, short, and deep skull, and short canines that are somewhat transversely compressed but are not serrated. We assign to the same genus the poorly preserved skulls from the Aegean region described as _Metailurus parvulus_ (Hensel, 1862), the Chinese type of "_Metailurus"_ _minor_ Zdansky, 1924, as well as some other skulls from China. The latter name thus becomes _Y. minor_ (Zdansky, 1924), but the former name is a nomen dubium. The genus _Metailurus_ Zdansky, 1924, is represented by the type-species _M. major_ Zdansky, 1924; it considerably differs from the forms here referred to the new genus, and is closer to the Machairodontinae. Although definitely more plesiomorphic in dental features, _Yoshi_, especially _Y. garevskii_, reaches a high specialization in its skull shape, parallel to that of the cheetah, suggesting that it represents the first attempt towards the morpho-functional model of this modern felid. |
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