Presented here are the deinotheriid dental and postcranial remains from
the Late Miocene localities Pikermi and Halmyropotamos (Greece). The
study and comparison of the available juvenile dental material from
Pikermi with other relevant specimens from Europe showed that it belongs
to the huge-sized Deinotherium proavum (=D. gigantissimum).
Additionally, several postcranial specimens from Pikermi, as well as
from Halmyropotamos, present deinotheriid features, which distinguish
them from elephantoids, and permit their attribution also to D. proavum.
This species is known from the Turolian and represents the terminal
evolutionary stage of the European deinotheres. Its presence in Pikermi
and Halmyropotamos is compatible with the middle Turolian (MN 12) age of
the localities. Additionally, the taxonomy of European deinotheres is
discussed, as well as the biostratigraphical and geographical
distribution of D. proavum. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights
reserved