Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, 39(1) 1996
A new eumyarionine cricetid from Pakistan
Abstract:
Miocene deposits in four areas of Pakistan (the Potwar Plateau, Trans-Indus area, Sulaiman foothills, and Baluchistan) have produced a rich and diverse record of cricetid rodents that spans an interval of about 12.5 Ma (20 to 7.5 Ma). This interval apparently spans the “cricetid vacuums” of Europe (about 18-20 Ma) and North America (about 17-19 Ma); the Pakistan record fills a critical gap in the history of Palearctic cricetid rodents and enriches our understanding of their evolution. A new species of Eumyarioninae cricetid, Eumyarion kowalskii, n. sp., is described from the Sulaiman foothills of Pakistan. E. kowalskii probably gave rise to Prokanisamys and the rest of the Rhizomyidae. In addition to Eumyarion, the Eucricetodontinae cricetids are represented in Pakistan by two species of Primus; the Democricetodontinae are represented by three species of Spanocricetodon and eight species of Democricetodon. The Megacricetodontinae are represented in Pakistan by four species of Megacricetodon and two species of Punjabemys. The Myocricetodontinae are represented in Pakistan by two species of Myocricetodon and three species of Dakkamyoides. The Dendromurinae are represented by one species of Potwarmus, one species of Paradakkamys and two species of Dakkamys. The Miocene record of these six informal taxonomic groups of cricetid rodents in Pakistan represents an important chapter in the history of muroid rodents.
