Primates and carnivores from Late Miocene and earliest Late Pliocene sites of Macedonia, Northern Greece

Abstract

Four sites in northern Greece, presented here, are of particular interest, due to the presence of fossil primates and carnivores in Late Miocene and Pliocene assemblages. The Thermopigi site in eastern Macedonia is particularly important, due to its demonstrable Late Miocene assemblage of more than twenty different species of large mammals, including the postcranial remains (humerus, tibia, calcaneus) of the colobine Mesopithecus delsoni. Carnivores from this site, represented by hyenids, felids, and mustelids, are also described here. Among them, the hyper-carnivorous and widely spread Adcrocuta eximia, an important biostratigraphic marker of Late Miocene, is compared with the single skull from the nearby site of Platania (Drama), both of great taphonomic interest. The site of Milia (Grevena), in Western Macedonia, is also of particular importance, as it includes the earliest Villafranchian age assemblage. New primate material, an ulna and tibia attributed to aff. Dolichopithecus sp. are also described here. Among the new carnivore finds, an incomplete distal tibia belongs to a new felid for the Milia locality, most likely attributable to either a female Megantereon or a new species of Puma. Further investigations are necessary to confirm either attribution. Finally, the new Pliocene site at Promachonas (Serres), mentioned here for the first time, yielded dental material, most likely belonging to cf. Dolichopithecus balcanicus. This study of new material from these sites contributes to a better knowledge regarding the occurrence of primates and carnivores and their paleoenvironments in northern Greece.