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Parasorex ibericus from venta del moro (Late miocene, iberian peninsula): A new light on the tribe galericini

Abstract:

The classic site of Venta del Moro (Iberian Peninsula; late Miocene) has yielded the largest collection of Parasorex ibericus published until now with more than 400 remains. This large collection allows for observation of unexpected and significant variability, with features that have not previously been described in this genus and that are typically present in other genera of the tribe Galericini. Due to the variability in Parasorex ibericus from Venta del Moro, a new review of this tribe is necessary. This genus presents primitive features that appear in both Parasorex and Schizogalerix (previously, these characteristics were described as derived features), while Tetracus and Galerix are considered more derived genera. In addition, we include the genus Eogalericius within the Galericini as a possible ancestor of the tribe. This hypothesis allows us to emend the diagnosis of the five genera, simplify them, and reorganize the species according to the new definitions of the genera. Based on this new approach, we propose a new paleobiogeographic hypothesis whereby Galerix and Tetracus have a European-Anatolian origin, while Parasorex and Schizogalerix probably have an Asiatic origin.