1 research outputs found
Intraspecific variation and evolutionary trends of Alicornops simorrense (Rhinocerotidae) in Spain
The Spanish material of
Alicornops simorrense
constitutes the best representation of the species
in Western Europe. It provides interesting data on the metrical and morphological
intraspecific variation of
A. simorrense
and its evolutionary trends from late Middle Miocene
to the early Late Miocene. From late Aragonian to early Vallesian, a slight increase in size is
observed, but without clear limits among series. During the late Vallesian,
A. simorrense
evolved in central Spanish basins into a second species,
A. alfambrense
, greater in size and
with more robust proportions. In the Vallés-Penedés basin,
A. simorrense
shows a noticeable
increase in size, while maintaining its proportions, during the Vallesian.
A. simorrense
was a
very abundant species, an open woodland dweller, with gregarious behaviour, whose extinction
was probably linked to the climatic change that took place at the end of the Vallesian
and the beginning of the Turolian.This investigation is partially
included in the Spanish DGICYT Project PB95-0114 and
DGES Project PB97-1250.Peer reviewe