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Systematic Paleontology of Hipparionini (Mammalia, Equidae) from Central and Western Anatolia
Abstract
Anatolia has functioned as a gateway for mostly Eurasian and African faunas during most of its paleogeographic history. The faunas are known to have exchanged throughout successive migration events during the Late Miocene and are particularly worth studying. Ungulates, mainly Equids, were dominant groups at different stages of Late Miocene fauna development, while the equid Tribe “Hipparionini”, which includes the North American (Cormohipparion, Nannippus, Neohipparion and Pseudohipparion), Eurasian and African taxa (Cormohipparion, Hippotherium, Cremohipparion, Hipparion s.s., Sivalhippus, Plesiohipparion, Proboscidipparion, Eurygnathohippus, Shanxihippus and Baryhipparion), is the most represented group of this era.
Since the taxonomy of hipparion is complicated and remains highly controversial, the species-level taxonomy of this group has been particularly inconsistent. Considering this, the main objective of this study is to provide morphological and metric analyses of cranial and dental hipparion material collected from Western (Mugla, Yatagan-Serefkoy, MN12) and Central Anatolia (Ankara, Kazan-Sinap, MN9) fossil localities for the last 30 years to determine the systematics of Anatolian Hipparion taxa.
The preliminary study on the specimens that have been housed at Natural History Museum of Ege University has yielded significant results. Specifically, it has been observed that the specimens from Mugla (Yatagan-Serefkoy, MN12) display discernible morphological traits that are indicative of taxonomic distinctions. The smaller specimens, characterized by simple pli caballin and enamel plication in the upper cheek teeth, bear resemblance to Cremohipparion matthewi. Conversely, the larger specimens exhibiting double pli caballin and complex enamel plication in the upper cheek teeth share affinities with Hippotherium brachypus. The Hipparionini specimens recovered from Ankara (Kazan-Sinap, MN9), consisting of a nearly complete cranium, display close resemblances to Hippotherium giganteum. In particular, the cranium exhibits double or multiple pli caballin, as well as complex enamel plication in the upper cheek teeth and a relatively elongated snout. Notably, Hippotherium giganteum was initially identified in this study from collections of Sinap Excavations.
With ongoing research on the systematic taxonomy of these aforementioned samples and more, the aim of this study is to resolve a more thorough understanding of Hipparionini taxonomy in Anatolian records. This study was supported by BAP (project number: 26312).
The Hayranlı-Haliminhanı excavation site is located on the eastern side of the Hayranlı highway, on the hills of the Late Miocene aged along the Sivas-Ankara highway. It stands out as one of Turkey's richest vertebrate fossil beds, encompassing a habitat of shrubland and forest. The percentage of large mammal communities in Hayranlı indicates a Pikermian Chronofauna characterized by the dominance of Late Miocene open-terrain mammal species. Hipparion horses, known as a subgroup of the Equinae subfamily, are an extinct genus of horses that lived approximately 23 to 5 million years ago during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. Hipparion horses, which became extinct in the New World about 5 million years ago, continued to survive in Eurasia and Africa until 11.4 to 1 million years ago. This thesis includes a systematic analysis of the Hipparion species at the Hayranlı/Haliminhanı fossil locality 19 aged MN11 (8.9-7.6 myö). The Hayranlı-Haliminhanı locality exhibits diversity not only in terms of other macro mammals but also among Hipparion horses. Although the locality resembles the typical Pikermian Savanna habitat and fauna, it is more closely related to Samos, Maragheh and Akkaş localities regarding Hipparion horses. Moreover, the enamel morphology of upper teeth, muzzle and metapod index analyses of Hipparion horses in the Hayranlı locality suggest that it likely hosted open rural biotopes along with probably seasonally transitioning dense woodland habitats. The Hayranlı locality reveals the coexistence of Hipparion species with different feeding types, preferring either open grasslands, semi-closed ecosystems (dense shrubland and woodland), or both habitats.
As a result of this thesis, the following species were diagnosed at the Hayranlı/Haliminhanı 19 Locality: Cremohipparion aff. moldavicum, Cremohipparion cf. moldavicum Cremohipparion sp. (Large-sized form), Cremohipparion aff. proboscideum, Hipparion sp. (Hippotherium) (Large-sized form), Hipparion sp. (Medium-sized forms A, B, C), Cremohipparion sp. (Dwarf form).
Key Words: Systematic analysis, Hipparion, Late Miocene, Hayranlı
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