Additional material of the enigmatic Early Miocene mammal Kelba and its relationship to the order Ptolemaiida.

ABSTRACT: Kelba quadeemae, a fossil mammal from the Early Miocene of East Africa, was originally named on the basis of three isolated upper molars. Kelba has previously been interpreted as a creodont, a pantolestid, an insectivoran, and a hemigaline viverrid. The true affinities of this taxon have remained unclear because of the limited material and its unique morphology relative to other Miocene African mammals. New material of Kelba from several East African Miocene localities, most notably a skull from the Early Miocene locality of Songhor in Western Kenya, permits analysis of the affinities of Kelba and documents the lower dentition of this taxon. Morphological comparison of this new material clearly demonstrates that Kelba is a member of the order Ptolemaiida, a poorly understood group whose fo

SUBMITTER: Cote S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1838468 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature