Raef Minwer-Barakat

• PhD Paleontology
• Researcher at University of Granada

NOW ( New and Old Worlds ) is a global database of fossil mammal occurrences, currently containing around 68,000 locality-species entries. The database spans the last 66 million years, with its primary focus on the last 23 million years. Whereas the database contains records from all continents, the main focus and coverage of the database historica...

Desmaninae (water-moles) are common elements in the late Miocene–Pleistocene mammal assemblages from Europe, but knowledge about this group is still scarce. Here we present the desmanines from several early Pliocene localities of the Granada Basin, southern Spain. The species Desmana marci, sp. nov. is described from the sites Calicasas-3 and 4A, c...

The present contribution details a moderately diverse fauna of freshwater and terrestrial gastropods from Roc de Santa in the Spanish Pyrenees. The strata at this locality, famous for its mammal fauna, have been dated to the early Priabonian (European mammal stage MP17) based on mammals. The molluscan fauna consists of 5 aquatic species, belonging...

During the last decade, field work carried out in the lower Eocene deposits of the Àger Basin (southern Pyrenean basins, northeast Spain) has allowed the publication of new early primate material, including the first identification of plesiadapiform remains in Spain (Arcius ilerdensis from Masia de l’Hereuet) and the description of two new species...

We describe the first known navicular bones for an Eocene euprimate from Europe and assess their implications for early patterns of locomotor evolution in primates. Recovered from the fossil site of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà-3C (Barcelona, Spain), the naviculars are attributed to Anchomomys frontanyensis. The small size of A. frontanyensis allows us...

This paper provides a revised and updated description and identification of the rodents from Santpedor-2 (northeastern Spain). The age of this locality is particularly relevant, because it is one of the few European sites assigned to the early Oligocene that has yielded primate remains. However, the rodent assemblage from this site has never been d...

The South-Central Pyrenean unit has yielded a renowned palaeontological record found in continental successions from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene. However, most of the palaeontological localities are concentrated in the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene epochs, being the Paleocene fossil record intriguingly scarce. The Mesozoic stratigraphic interv...

The scarce primate remains from the late Eocene locality of Roc de Santa (Central Pyrenees, NE Spain) were first documented in 1975. This material included a mandibular fragment with P3-M2 and a maxillary fragment with P3-M3 assigned to Adapis magnus (later transferred to the genus Leptadapis), and an isolated M3 attributed to Necrolemur antiquus....

The knowledge of the Neogene and Quaternary fossil record of the insectivores, the small mammals included in the order Eulipotyphla, has been greatly improved in the last two decades. This improvement, linked to a refinement on the dating of many Spanish fossil localities, allows tracking the evolution of the insectivore assemblages during the last...

New material attributed to Agerinia smithorum from Casa Retjo-1 (early Eocene, NE Iberian Peninsula), consisting of 13 isolated teeth and a fragment of calcaneus, is studied in this work. These fossils allow the first description of the calcaneus and the upper premolars for the genus Agerinia, as well as the first description of the P2 and M2 for A...

Primates reached a great abundance and diversity during the Eocene, favored by warm temperatures and by the development of dense forests throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Here we describe new primate material from La Verrerie de Roches, a Middle Eocene karstic infill situated in the Jura Region (Switzerland), consisting of more than 80 dental rem...

Background The Eocene was the warmest epoch of the Cenozoic and recorded the appearance of several orders of modern mammals, including the first occurrence of Euprimates. During the Eocene, Euprimates were mainly represented by two groups, adapiforms and omomyiforms, which reached great abundance and diversity in the Northern Hemisphere. Despite th...

Constraint tree used for the phylogenetic analyses

List of synapomorphies of different nodes specified in Fig. 9

Character-taxon matrix used for the phylogenetic analyses

The study of Eocene primates is crucial for understanding the evolutionary steps undergone by the earliest members of our lineage and the relationships between extinct and extant taxa. Recently, the description of new material from Spain has improved knowledge of European Paleogene primates considerably, particularly regarding microchoerines. Here...

The new species Agerinia smithorum (Adapiformes, Primates) from the early Eocene of the Iberian Peninsula is erected in this work. An emended diagnosis of the genus is provided, together with a broad description of the new species and comparisons with other samples assigned to Agerinia and other similar medium-sized cercamoniines. The new species i...

In this work, new dental material of Agerinia roselli from its type locality, Les Saleres (NE Spain), is described. An emended diagnosis of the species is provided, together with a redescription of the entire hypodigm from that locality, which was necessary due to some inaccuracies in previous descriptions. The studied material includes 12 teeth (f...

The locality of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalonia, northeastern Spain) includes four fossil-bearing levels with an extraordinary abundance of mammal remains, representing the most significant middle Eocene site from the Iberian Peninsula. Despite this, the fauna from this locality has not been studied in detail. Recent work has m...

Aim: The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) was an extraordinary geological event that affected the whole Mediterranean region as well as the global marine circulation between 5.97 and c. 5.33 Ma. One of its most direct effects was the emersion of land masses and the subsequent establishment of land bridges that led to common terrestrial faunal exchan...

Objectives: The presence of Microchoerus in Sant Cugat de Gavadons (Late Eocene, Ebro Basin, Northeastern Spain) was first noted by M. Crusafont, who described a fragment of maxilla with two teeth that he interpreted as P(4) and M(1) and referred this specimen to the species Microchoerus ornatus. The objective of this work is to study in detail th...

This paper analyses the relationship between the evolution of the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene rodent and insectivore assemblages from the Granada Basin (southern Spain) and climate changes. These climatic changes, in terms of humidity and temperature fluctuations, are inferred from variations of the relative abundances of taxons with definite e...

Objectives The material of Necrolemur (Microchoerinae, Omomyidae, Primates) from the Middle Eocene (Robiacian) locality of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà (Eastern Pyrenees) is described. This is the first confirmable record of this genus from Spain.MethodsA mandible fragment bearing P4-M3 and 15 isolated teeth have been carefully described and compared wi...

The species Pseudoloris parvulus, identified in several Middle and Late Eocene European sites, was previously known in the Iberian Peninsula by a single mandible preserving P4-M3 from Sossís (Southern Pyrenean Basins, northeastern Spain), described in the 1960s. Further field work at this Late Eocene site has led to the recovery of a large number o...

New postcranial discoveries of Allodaposuchus

During the last decade, new discoveries in several Iberian basins, together with the description of previously unpublished finds, have significantly increased the recorded paleodiversity of fossil Primates (Mammalia: Euarchonta) in the Iberian Peninsula. Here we provide an updated compendium of the primate fossil record in Iberia during the Cenozoi...

The species Pseudoloris reguanti (Microchoerinae, Omomyidae, Primates) was described by Miquel Crusafont-Pairó in 1967, based on a single lower molar from the Late Eocene Spanish site Sant Cugat de Gavadons. Sometime later, the holotype and unique material of P. reguanti was lost from the collections of the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel C...

A new genus and species attributed to the tribe Anchomomyini is described from the early Late Eocene locality of Sossís (MP17a), one of the most important Paleogene fossil sites from the Iberian Peninsula. Nievesia sossisensis is characterized by its buccolingually compressed P(4) and its upper molars with no pericone, medium-sized hypocone, straig...

The peculiar red colour of fossil small mammal remains from a late Miocene section in southern Spain suggests an unusual diagenetic alteration. These remains have been studied by means of environmental scanning electron microscope equipped with different detectors, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and an inductively coupled plasma optical emiss...

The oldest Miocene continental fauna in the Guadix-Baza depression from southern Spain is described in this paper. The small mammals remains from Cortijo de la Piedra fossil localities have a latest Vallesian (early Tortonian) age, and provide evidence of late Vallesian continental environments, which were unknown until now in southern Iberia. The...

Minwer‐Barakat, R., García‐Alix, A., Suárez, E.M., Freudenthal, M. & Viseras, C. 2012 xx xx: Micromammal biostratigraphy of the Upper Miocene to lowest Pleistocene continental deposits of the Guadix basin, southern Spain. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 594–614.Recent study of the small mammals (rodents and insectivores) from several fossil‐bearing sites sit...

A new species of Pseudoloris (Primates, Microchoerinae, Omomyidae) is described from the middle Eocene (Robiacian) locality of Mazaterón (Almazán Basin, Spain). Pseudoloris cuestai is characterized by its medium size, high and thick paracristid and absence of a distinct paraconid in the lower molars, large hypoconulid in the m3, well-developed prot...

Garcia et al. (2011) recently discussed early human dispersals into the Iberian Peninsula, describing several putative lithic artifacts (Martínez et al., 2010) recovered from layer 7 of the Vallpara díssection (Madurell-Malapeira et al., 2010) in Terrassa (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain). According to the authors' opinion, such evidence (1)...

In this paper, the rodents from the composite section of Torrent de Vallparadís (Terrassa, northeastern Spain) are described, with particular emphasis on the arvicolines. Due to their wide geographical distributions and rapid evolutionary rates, arvicolines are especially useful for biostratigraphical purposes. Eight stratigraphic layers have yield...

: This paper reports the first record of Desmanella (Mammalia, Soricomorpha) from the Granada Basin in southern Iberian Peninsula, which represents its south-westernmost occurrence in all Eurasia. It is a controversial taxon whose systematic assignment has been discussed for a long time. This genus belongs to the family Talpidae, a group of insecti...

The genus Stephanomys (Muridae, Rodentia) is one of the most common elements in the late Miocene to Early Pleistocene mammal faunas from the Ibero-Occitan region. Its geographic distribution is limited to this area with only two mentions in the late Miocene of Italy (de Giuli, 1989) and Algeria (Coiffait et al., 1985). The genus has been subject of...

The late Early to early Middle Pleistocene section from Torrent de Vallparadís is a 20 m-thick, composite section with multiple stratigraphic horizons, which have yielded close to 30,000 remains of large and small vertebrates, as well as macrobotanical remains of non-carbonized wood and a complete pollen record. This series is well correlated on th...

In this article we describe a new species of Pseudoloris (Omomyidae, Primates) from the Robiacian (middle Eocene) locality of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain). Pseudoloris pyrenaicus is characterized by its medium size, thickened paracristid, absence of a distinct paraconid, and well-developed buccal cingulid in the lower molars, l...

The fossil shrews (Soricidae, Lipotyphla, Mammalia) from the Pliocene continental deposits of Tollo de Chiclana (Guadix Basin, southern Spain) are described. Remains of Asoriculus gibberodon, Blarinoides aliciae, Petenyia hungarica, Paenelimnoecus pannonicus, Myosorex meini, and an indeterminated species of Soricidae have been recognized. With the...

A rich and diverse micromammal fauna from the late Turolian (MN13) locality of Negratin-1 (Guadix Basin, southern Spain) is described. The faunal list of this site includes Apodemus gudrunae, Occitanomys alcalai, Stephanomys dubari, Paraethomys meini, Myocricetodon jaegeri, Debruijnimys almenarensis, Apocricetus alberti, Ruscinomys sp., Eliomys sp....

The Pliocene and Pleistocene continental sedimentary records of the western sector of the Granada Basin, southern Spain, consist of alternating fluvial and lacustrine/palustrine sediments. Two Quaternary sections from this sector have been sampled: Huétor Tájar and Tojaire. They have yielded remains of rodents, insectivores and lagomorphs. The pres...

The drainage system of the Granada Basin in southern Spain has evolved from endorheic to exorheic since the basin emerged and became continental in the latest Tortonian (late Miocene). The age of implementation for the recent exorheic, east-west drainage can now be identified by small mammal dating. This drainage configuration began in the latest P...

Correspondence analysis (CA) is frequently used in the interpretation of palaeontological data, but little is known about the minimum requirements for a result to be valid. Far from being a fundamental mathematical study of CA, this paper aims to present a tool, which may serve to evaluate results obtained in (palaeontological) praxis. We created m...

The fauna from Rambla de Chimeneas-3 (RCH-3), a new uppermost Miocene micro-mammal site from the Guadix Basin, is described. This level has yielded remains of Paraethomys meini, Occitanomys alcalai, Stephanomys cf. dubari, Cricetinae indet., Erinaceidae indet., and Soricidae indet. This faunal assemblage call be assigned to the Upper Turolian (MN 1...

The Late Miocene and Pliocene continental sediments in the Granada Basin (southern Spain) have yielded large amounts of fossil small mammals in 37 localities from 11 sections. The aim of this paper is to integrate faunistic, stratigraphic, and sedimentary criteria to unravel the geological history of the continental infilling of the basin. The pala...

The Arvicolinae from the latest Ruscinian and early Villanyian sites of the section of Tollo de Chiclana (Southern Spain) are re-examined in the light of new material and exhaustive comparisons with other European popu-lations. The uppermost Ruscinian population from TCH-1B, previously assigned to Mimomys stehlini, is now ascribed to M. hassiacus,...

This paper analyses the relationship between the evolution of the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene rodent and insectivore assemblages from the Granada Basin (southern Spain) and climate changes. These climatic changes, in terms of humidity and temperature fluctuations, are inferred from variations of the relative abundances of taxons with definite e...

The record of Mio-Pliocene continental sediments is very complete in the Granada Basin (southern Spain), and many fossiliferous localities have yielded material of Rodentia, Lipotyphla and Lagomorpha. The most diversified and numerous are rodents, more specifically the family Muridae. Seventeen murid species, belonging to eight genera (Castromys, O...

The fossil Desmaninae (water-moles) from the Pliocene continental deposits of Tollo de Chiclana (Guadix Basin, Southern Spain) are described. A new species, Archaeodesmana elvirae, is defined from the locality of Tollo de Chiclana-1 (upper Ruscinian). This species is characterized by relatively small canines and premolars (except the P4) and large...

The genus Micromys includes a single extant species, Micromys minutus (Pallas, 1771), which lives in Europe and North Asia. This genus is known in the fossil record since the late Miocene; eight fossil species have been described in Europe and Asia, most of them of late Miocene and early Pliocene age. The evolution of this genus during the late Pli...

Several Miocene and Pliocene continental fossiliferous localities in the Granada and Guadix basins have yielded fossil micromammals. Cricetids and glirids are known from most of these localities. This paper deals with the genera Apocricetus, Ruscinomys, Blancomys and Eliomys. The Cricetidae are important biostratigraphical markers, especially Apocr...

The Neogene deposits of the Valencia-Llíria basin (province of Valencia, Spain) have been divided in two cartographic units. These units are mapped on the geological map of Spain, sheet 696- Burjassot (where the fossiliferous site is located), 746-Llombay, 722-Valencia, 747-Sueca and 721- Cheste. The limit between the units corresponds to the marin...

The species Myosorex meini Jammot, 1977 was a nomen nudum because it was named in an unpublished dissertation. The species is here revised using the new material found in the Late Pliocene fissure infillings of Almenara-Casablanca 1 and 4 (province of Castelló, East of Spain) and from the Tollo de Chiclana localities 1B, 3, 10, and 10B in the Guadi...

This paper tries to amplify the information about the poorly known fossil beaver Dipoides problematicus (Schlosser, 1902). This species has been found in several localities near the Mio-Pliocene boundary of the Granada Basin (southern Spain). During that time span, beavers are very scarce in southern Spain, but abundant in the Teruel region (northe...

Sciurids are very scarce in the fossil record, especially in the basins of southern Spain. The aim of this paper is to review the Sciuridae record in these basins. The Granada and Guadix basins have yielded specimens of Xerini and Pteromyinae, which represent the largest collection of fossil Sciuridae in southern Spain from the Middle Turolian to t...

A new species of Blarinoides (Soricidae, Mammalia), Blarinoides aliciae, is described from the Pliocene of Tollo de Chiclana (Guadix Basin, southeastern Spain). It is notably smaller than the single species of this genus known until now, B. mariae. B. aliciae is recorded from several other Spanish localities, but the sample from Tollo de Chiclana-3...

Th is paper tries to amplify the information about the poorly known fossil beaver Dipoides problematicus (Schlosser, 1902). Th is species has been found in several localities near the Mio-Pliocene boundary of the Granada Basin (southern Spain). During that time span, beavers are very scarce in southern Spain, but abundant in the Teruel region (nort...

In the continental deposits of the area of Tollo de Chiclana (Guadix Basin, south-eastern Spain), several new fossiliferous Pliocene localities yield a rich rodent and insectivore fauna. Of the various rodent families that occur in these sites, Muridae are the most abundant and diversified. Eleven species belonging to seven different genera (Occita...

Tesis Univ. Granada. Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología. Leída el 23 de enero de 2006

Several new fossiliferous Pliocene localities have been identified in the continental deposits of the area of Tollo de Chiclana (Guadix Basin, SE Spain), that have yielded a rich rodent and insectivore fauna. In this paper, we study the Arvicolidae from these localities. Remains adscribed to the genera Dolomys, Mimomys and Kislangia have been found...

In this paper we present a preliminary report of the Primates (Mammalia) from the Robiacian (middle Eocene) site of Mazaterón (Almazán Basin, Soria, Spain). Three different forms have been found from this locality. The most abundant is a small adapid assigned to the tribe Anchomomyini, which shows clear morphological and biometrical differences wit...