A NEW GENUS OF THE GALERICINAE (ERINACEIDAE, INSECTIVORA, MAMMALIA) FROM THE MIDDLE EOCENE OF MONGOLIA

Abstract

The earliest member of the subfamily Galericinae, Eogalericius butleri gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle Eocene Khaychin Formation of the Khaychin-Ula 2 locality is described. Eogalericius displays plesiomorphic similarity to Eochenus from the Middle Eocene of China. It is primitive in the following characters: P4-M2 are short, wide, and have small hypocones; the stylar lobes of M 1 and M2 and the parastyle of P4 are large and clearly project; P2 and P3 are nonreduced; P4 is relatively small with a well-developed metaconid and paraconid; in M1, the trigonid is short and the paracristid is subtransversely oriented; M3 has a hypoconulid; and two mental foramina are present.