taxonID	type	description	language	source
03FA5002830FFFC75A04FBD8FE11FC25.taxon	description	(Fig. 3)	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830FFFC75A04FBD8FE11FC25.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Left m 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5641), left P 4 (IPB- HaR- 5637 and IPB-HaR- 5640), left M 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5638 and IPB-HaR- 5639), incisor fragment (IPB-HaR- 5653).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830FFFC75A04FBD8FE11FC25.taxon	description	MEASUREMENTS. — See Table 1. DESCRIPTIONS I – HaR- 5653 (Fig. 3 A). A fragment of an incisor exhibits the smooth enamel and a rather flattened surface with both lateral edges curved. N m 1 / 2 – HaR- 5641 (Fig. 3 B) Unworn tooth germ showing the original cusp configuration. Rectangular shape, the labial side is slightly shorter than the lingual side. There is a small cusplet on the labial side of the protoconid, below the occlusal surface (Fig. 3 B 2). All the striids reach the base of the tooth. There is some cement in the striids. The metaconid is the highest cusp, followed by the paraconid. The hypoflexid and metaflexid are “ face to face ”. The hypoflexid is oriented posteriorly. The paraflexid and mesoflexid are oriented anteriorly. No roots are developed. P 4 – HaR- 5637 and HaR- 5640 (Fig. 3 C, D) HaR- 5637 (Fig. 3 C) is slightly worn and preserved in a maxillary fragment with no other tooth in situ whereas HaR- 5640 (Fig. 3 D) has an occlusal surface too damaged to determine a wear stage. There is clearly cement in the striae. On HaR- 5637, they all seem to run through the entire height of the tooth. This is not the case on HaR- 5640 where the end of the parastria is visible and the mesostria seems to be closing. The anterior and posterior sides are slightly rounded. The lingual side is shorter than the labial. Although on HaR- 5640, the outer wall is damaged, it seems that its posterior side was flatter than that of HaR- 5637. The hypoflexus and the paraflexus are “ face to face ”. On HaR- 5637, the hypoflexus is curving anteriorly. The mesoflexus and paraflexus are curving anteriorly, then posteriorly and are parallel to each other. The mesoflexus and metaflexus almost reach the posterior wall. On HaR- 5640, the mesoflexus is broken but seems to be curving posteriorly and the metaflexus is not preserved. HaR- 5637 does not have formed roots, the base is still open. On HaR- 5640, this part is not preserved. M 1 / 2 – HaR- 5638 and HaR- 5639 (Fig. 3 E, F) Both teeth are slightly worn. The shape is square with the anterior side slightly rounded and the lingual side slightly smaller than the labial side. Both characteristics are less marked than on the P 4. The hypostria runs through the entire height of the tooth. On the labial side, the parastria is the shortest on HaR- 5638 and the mesostria the longest almost reaching the end of the tooth crown. On HaR- 5639 the metastria is the shortest and the parastria and mesostria are about the same length. There is clearly cement in the striae. The paraflexus and hypoflexus are “ face to face ”. On HaR- 5638, they are both oriented towards the anterior side and on HaR- 5639, the hypoflexus is going anteriorly and the paraflexus is rather straight and horizontal. The mesoflexus changes orientation mid-way to go toward the posterior side and almost reaches the posterior wall, the angle of the curve is close to 90 ° on HaR- 5639. On this tooth, the metaflexus is dipping anteriorly at its mid-point whereas on HaR- 5638, the metaflexus is going slightly posteriorly but is relatively straight and reaches the end of the mesoflexus. The enamel of the hypoflexus is thickened on its anterior side and so is the enamel of the mesoflexus. Both do not have roots.	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830FFFC75A04FBD8FE11FC25.taxon	discussion	REMARKS The attribution to Castor fiber was made based on the observation of several characters. Firstly, the smooth enamel of the incisor and its almost flat face (Newton 1902; Fostowicz-Frelik 2008; Cuenca-Bescós et al. 2015) but also the presence of cement (Mayhew 1978) and the lack of roots (Rekovets et al. 2009) as well as the fact that the hypostria runs down the entire height of the tooth, unlike in Trogontherium (Fostowicz-Frelik 2008). Moreover, the size and morphology of the specimens are coherent with other finds, for example from Early Pleistocene sites in Romania and Spain (Olteţ River Valley, Gran Dolina and Sima del Elefante) and from the Middle Pleistocene of Portugal (Gruta da Aroeira) (Cuenca-Bescós et al. 2015; 2021; Terhune et al. 2020) and with recent specimens (personal observations in the collections of the NRM). Castor fiber has previously been reported from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 (MN 16 a) by Mörs et al. (1998). It was also found in the Late Pliocene (MN 16 a) Slovakian locality of Hajnačka I (Sabol et al. 2006). Castor fiber is one of two species of Castor still present today (Stefen 2011). The genus Castor appears in the European fossil record during the Late Miocene (Hugueney 1999), and is already present in Germany at this time (Cuenca-Bescós et al. 2015). The species Castor fiber appears in the middle Villafranchian (Barisone et al. 2006). The quasi absence of wear on HaR- 5641 indicates that it belonged to a really young individual, less than five months old according to the tooth pattern (Stefen 2009).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830DFFCC5BD2FB9AFA58F866.taxon	description	(Figs 4 - 6)	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830DFFCC5BD2FB9AFA58F866.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Left mandibular fragment with incisor to m 2 (IPB-HaR- 5642), right maxillary fragment with P 4 to M 2 (IPB-HaR- 5643). Isolated teeth: left dP 4 (IPB-HaR- 5650), left P 4 (IPB-HaR- 5645), right P 4 (IPB-HaR- 5649), right M 1 / 2 (IPB- HaR- 5652), left M 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5646 and IPB-HaR- 5647), right M 3 (IPB-HaR- 5644 and IPB-HaR- 5651), left M 3 (IPB- HaR- 5648) and incisor fragment (IPB-HaR- 5654).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830DFFCC5BD2FB9AFA58F866.taxon	description	MEASUREMENTS. — See Table 2. DESCRIPTIONS i – HaR- 5642 (Fig. 4) The specimen exhibits the only complete incisor presented here despite several fragments also being found. The rounded enamel band is finely wrinkled but does not show longitudinal grooves. The wear facet is slightly curved and runs from the tip of the incisor to the lower jaw symphysis. m 1 / 2 – HaR- 5642 m 1 and HaR- 5642 m 2 (Fig. 4) The hypostriid reaches the base of the exposed tooth. No cement is in the striids. The anterior half of the tooth is higher than the posterior half. The paraflexid is curving anteriorly. The hypoflexid and mesoflexid seem to be “ face to face ” and meet at the middle of the tooth. The mesoflexid is horizontal and the hypoflexid seems to be oriented posteriorly. The metaflexid is oriented anteriorly. The rectangular shaped m 1 is slightly worn. The tooth is dipping anteriorly (Fig. 4 A, C). The labial side is shorter than the lingual. The entire height of the striids is exposed. The hypostriid closes at the end of the exposed tooth. There is no cement in the striids. The hypoflexid is curving posteriorly. The metaflexid is horizontal and reaches the middle of the tooth. The mesoflexid is short, slightly curving anteriorly. The paraflexid is curving anteriorly, almost reaching the anterior wall. The m 2 is slightly worn. There is no cement in the striids. The tooth morphology identical with the m 1. p 4 – HaR- 5642 (Fig. 4) The p 4 is erupting. It has not reached the occlusal surface yet and is therefore completely unworn. There is no cement in the striids. The hypostriid reaches the base of the exposed tooth. The anterior half is higher than the posterior half. The paraflexid is curving anteriorly. The hypoflexid and mesoflexid seem to be “ face to face ” and meet at mid-length of the tooth. The mesoflexid is horizontal to the width and the hypoflexid seems to be oriented posteriorly. The metaflexid is oriented anteriorly. I – HaR- 5654 (Fig. 5 A) The figured incisor fragment shows the characteristic crenulations and the longitudinal lines. The other incisor fragments from this site which are not figured, also show these features although not as clearly as in this one. All fragments show a convex surface. dP 4 – HaR- 5650 (Fig. 5 B) This medium worn tooth is very low crowned. The shape is close to triangular, although quite rounded. The anterior and posterior sides are rounded and the anterior one is wider. The parastria and the mesostria span the whole preserved height of the tooth, the metastria is almost worn off. The hypostria is longer than the others but does not reach the base of the tooth crown. The paraflexus is facing the hypoflexus although the hypoflexus ends slightly more anteriorly. The mesoflexus is open on both sides of the tooth and creates an indentation on the labial side. The metaflexus is curving anteriorly before dipping posteriorly (with a smaller angle). P 4 – HaR- 5643, HaR- 5645 and HaR- 5649 (Fig. 5 C-G) The three teeth are heavily worn with the hypoflexus closing. HaR- 5643 is preserved in a bone fragment with two other teeth (Fig. 5 C-E). Shape is triangular, the anterior side is rounded and the labial side shorter than the lingual side. The hypostria is the only remaining stria. There is no cement in the fossettes nor the hypoflexus. The enamel of HaR- 5649 (Fig. 5 G) is wrinkled, which is more strongly visible on its antero-lingual side. The hypoflexus meets the parafossette. It is oriented anteriorly on HaR- 5645 (Fig. 5 F) and rather straight on HaR- 5643 and HaR- 5649. On this tooth the fossettes are also rather straight whereas they are more curved on HaR- 5645. Both metafossette and mesofossette are parallel to the anterior wall except on HaR- 5643 where they are tilting postero-labially. They are touching the outer walls of the tooth. The fossettes and the hypoflexus are more or less parallel to each other’s. The enamel of the anterior wall, on the posterior side of the fossettes and of the hypoflexus are thicker. On HaR- 5645 and HaR- 5649, the posterior root is broken off (Fig. 5 F 1; G 1). M 1 / 2 – HaR- 5643, HaR- 5646, HaR- 5647 and HaR- 5652 (Figs 5 C-E; 6 A-C) HaR- 5643 (M 1 and M 2, Fig. 5 C-E), HaR- 5646 (Fig. 6 A) and 5647 (Fig. 6 B) are heavily worn. On HaR- 5643 and HaR- 5647, the hypoflexus is not fully closed yet and the hypostria is still visible on HaR- 5643 although shorter on the M 2 than on the M. HaR- 5652 (Fig. 6 C) is only slightly worn and is the only specimen still retaining striae. The parastria is really short and the mesostria a little longer. The metastria is not observable. On this specimen the hypostria is quite long, although not reaching the base of the tooth. Due to the early wear stage, this tooth still has a relatively triangular shape with a rounded anterior side, wider than the posterior side. The postero-buccal face, below the occlusal surface is damaged. The shape of the other four teeth is close to square with the anterior side rounded and the labial side shorter than the lingual. On HaR- 5646 and 5647, the parafossette and the metafossette are small, although smaller on HaR- 5647. They are also really small on the M 1 and M 2 on HaR- 5643. The hypofossette touches the parafossette. The fossettes are more or less parallel to the anterior side. On HaR- 5643, the fossettes are titling postero-lingually and more or less parallel to the hypoflexus. On these teeth, the hypoflexus is going anteriorly and meeting the parafossette. The parafossette and metafossette of the M 2 on HaR- 5643 are bigger than in the M 1 and hence, the hypoflexus is shorter. The metafossette of HaR- 5647 is a round island (Fig. 6 B 2). On HaR- 5652, only the metafossette is closed and it has a curving shape, pointing toward the anterior side. The hypoflexus is facing the paraflexus and the fold anterior to the hypoflexus is not as wide as the posterior fold. The mesoflexus is curving posteriorly, reaching the labial wall. There is no cement in the fossettes of all the specimens. On HaR- 5646, two roots are preserved. An anterior one, wide, and a small, postero-lingual one (Fig. 6 A 1). On HaR- 5647, only one root is preserved, the postero-lingual one is broken off. On HaR- 5652, no roots are formed but the base of the crown is visible on the anterior side. The roots of the M 2 on HaR- 5643 are more exposed than for the M 1 and a postero-labial small root seem to have been broken off. M 3 – HaR- 5644, HaR- 5648 and HaR- 5651 (Fig. 6 D-F) The shape of the specimens is elongated and triangular. The anterior side is rounded, and the posterior side is narrower than the anterior. HaR- 5644 (Fig. 6 D) and 5648 (Fig. 6 E) are heavily worn with only the hypoflexus not closed. In these two teeth, the height of the hypostria, which is the only stria remaining, indicates that it is closing. HaR- 5651 (Fig. 6 F) is slightly to medium worn. Its parastria and mesostria are visible, although quite short. The metastria is worn off. The hypostria does not span the whole height of the tooth but is clearly visible and about twice the length of the parastria. The parafossette and metafossette of HaR- 5644 and 5648 are rather small and about the same size. There is an additional posterior fossette of approximately the same size (Fig. 6 D 1, E 1). The metafossette and the additional posterior fossette are oriented towards the postero-lingual side. On HaR- 5644, the hypoflexus is oriented towards the anterior side. On HaR- 5648, the hypofossette meets the anterior side of the parafossette. The occlusal surface of HaR- 5651 is different from the other two teeth due to a difference in wear. On this tooth, the paraflexus is facing the hypoflexus and the fold anterior to the hypoflexus is not as wide as the posterior fold. The mesoflexus is open on the whole width of the tooth and forms a small indentation on the labial side. The metaflexus is closed but the metafossette is slightly open on the labial side indicating that the metaflexus was probably spanning the whole width of the occlusal surface. There is a small hole posteriorly, potentially indicating the presence of a posterior fossette. On HaR- 5644, three roots are preserved. The anterior-most one is the widest and is curving like the anterior wall of the tooth. The antero-lingual one is small, erupting from the wider, most anterior root. The third one is located posteriorly. On HaR- 5648, two roots are present. The anterior one is wide and following the anterior curve of the tooth. The posterior one is oval. On HaR- 5651, no roots are preserved but the base of the crown is visible on the anterior side.	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA5002830DFFCC5BD2FB9AFA58F866.taxon	discussion	REMARKS The right maxillary fragment HaR- 5643 and the potentially corresponding M 3, HaR- 5644, have been matched based on size, position, and degree of wear. The similarity in size and wear stages of the two upper tooth rows of Trogontherium (specimens HaR- 5643 to HaR- 5648) indicate that they might have belonged to the same individual. The lack of longitudinal lines on the incisor of HaR- 5642 is probably due to the fact that it is a juvenile specimen and therefore smaller and less developed (Hugueney et al. 1989). The attribution of our material to Trogontherium is based on several characteristics. These are the presence of elongated, cone shaped upper M 3 s, P 4 substantially bigger than the molars and a wrinkled enamel on the incisors (Mayhew 1978) as shown in Fig. 6 G. The taxonomy of smaller species of Trogontherium is very debated but we can safely attribute our material to Trogontherium minus based on stratigraphic age and on size. A comparison with data from different species found in the literature confirms this (Fig. 7). The P 4 in our material are larger than most T. minus which could be a result of wear or of the tendency of the Trogontherium lineage to increase in size (Stefen 2011). We also notice that while the length of our specimens matches the range for T. minus, they are wider and reach the lower width range of Trogontherium cuvieri that is visible in the figure 3 of Fostowicz-Frelik 2008. This is coherent with the age and the assumption that T. minus and T. cuvieri are two representatives in the same evolutionary lineage proposed by Mayhew (1978) who also stated that only one species of Trogontherium was present at a time. However, Hugueney et al. (1989) have shown that T. cuvieri and T. minus coexisted during the Late Pliocene / Early Pleistocene. Some argue against the lineage hypothesis based on a too great size disparity (Fostowicz-Frelik 2008). However, our specimens show that the size disparity might not be as big as previously thought when compared to the data in the literature (Fostowicz-Frelik 2008, Heinrich 1998). This is mainly observed in the P 4 s as the width of the M 1 / 2 is closer to others found in the literature (Hugueney et al. 1989, Newton 1890). The measurements used for comparison are the maximum occlusal surface and can vary with wear, therefore one of our specimens is much less wide than the rest (Fig. 7). The shape and appearance of the incisor are comparable to that of T. cuvieri described by Newton (1902), although much smaller, further confirming the attribution to T. minus. This species is rare (Hugueney et al. 1989) and less well known than T. cuvieri (Stefen 2011), which makes it hard to compare our material. As stated by Mörs et al. (1998), there are only a few previously reported occurrences of Trogontherium in Germany from the Miocene and Pliocene. T. minus was previously found in deposits from Hambach of the same age (Mörs et al. 1998). It was also reported from the Slovakian MN 16 a locality of Hajnačka I (Sabol et al. 2006) and from the MN 16 of Podpusk-Lebyazh’e (Western Siberia) where the most complete material was found (Vislobokova 1996). Trogontherium aff. minus was reported by Pascari (2021) from the Pliocene of Musaitu in the Taraclia district (Moldova), but the published measurements are inconsistent and were therefore not used here for comparison. Apoltsev & Rekovets (2015) place T. minus in the sub-genus Euroxenomys. However, we follow Hugueney & Duranthon (2012) and Mörs & Tomida (2018) who only place the Miocene Euroxenomys minutus and Euroxenomys nanus in the genus Euroxenomys. Trogontherium is an extinct genus of beavers, found from the Late Miocene (Mayhew 1978) to the Late Pleistocene (Yang et al. 2021). T. minus seems to have been restricted to Europe (Yang et al. 2021). Unlike Castor, Trogontherium is subhypsodont (Hugueney 1999; Stefen 2011), and seems to have a more terrestrial lifestyle (Fostowicz-Frelik 2008). The lower jaw HaR- 5642 belongs to a juvenile individual, according to its erupting P 4 and the early wear stage of the two preserved molars. Tentative age determination was done based on the timing of eruption of the p 4. Different possible ages have been found in the literature based on studies of recent Castor. According to Mayhew (1978) the premolars erupt between six to ten months after birth and according (Heinrich & Maul (2020) p 4 s come into wear around the end of the first year. Hugueney & Escuillié (1996) consider individuals of Steneofiber with erupting p 4 s to be yearlings which correspond to individuals one year old or in their second year. According to these authors, it seems that our individual was around one year old, although probably a little less. However, these estimates are to be taken with caution as we do not know the lifespan nor the postnatal development of fossil species (Stefen & Rummel 2003).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028307FFCE5A25FC3AFB0CF866.taxon	description	(Fig. 8)	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028307FFCE5A25FC3AFB0CF866.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL EXAMINED. — A left M 3 (IPB-HaR- 5636).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028307FFCE5A25FC3AFB0CF866.taxon	description	MEASUREMENTS. — See Table 3. DESCRIPTION M 3 – HaR- 5636 (Fig. 8 A) This tooth is triangular and has a deep trigon basin with rugose enamel. The protocone is very marked with no accessory inner loph. The anterior valley delimited by the parallel anteroloph and protoloph, exhibits some rugosity although less marked than in the trigon basin. The paracone and metacone, while also marked, are dominated by the protocone. The protocone is linked to the paracone by a low protoloph and to the metacone by a low posteroloph. The anteroloph is low as well and the parastyle is very small. There is no mesostyle. Two roots are preserved, one is broken, one is under the protocone and the other is on the posterior side of the tooth. Both are tilting posteriorly but the root under the protocone has more length preserved. The posterior root seems to be oval.	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028307FFCE5A25FC3AFB0CF866.taxon	discussion	REMARKS The small size, simple morphology coupled with the lack of metaloph on the M 3, and the granulated enamel (Mein 1970) of this specimen easily permit its attribution to the genus Blackia, a genus of small sized flying squirrels. Because our specimen is an M 3 whereas most specimens in the literature are M 1 / 2 and m 1 / 2 comparisons are difficult. We found that its dimensions are similar to those of the left M 3 of Blackia miocaenica from the Late Miocene (MN 9) of Richardhof-Golfplatz in Daxner-Höck (2004) and the M 3 s from the Miocene of Oberdorf (de Bruijn 1998) as well as the Miocene tooth from La Grive mentioned in Mein (1970). It is smaller than the ones from the Early Miocene of Aliveri (de Bruijn et al. 1980). de Bruijn (1999) accepts only two species in this genus, B. miocaenica Mein, 1970 and Blackia woelfersheimensis Mein, 1970. Additionally, in the original diagnoses of the species, (Mein 1970) states that B. woelfersheimensis is slightly bigger than B. miocaenica. However, this is inconsistent in the more recent literature. For example, the molar in Fejfar & Storch (1990) from the Pliocene of Gundersheim is assigned to B. woelfersheimensis despite being in the range of B. miocaenica and smaller than the specimens of de Bruijn et al. (1980) from the Early Miocene of Aliveri, assigned to B. miocaenica. Considering the similarity in size ranges and the lack of strong morphological differences between the two species (Daxner-Höck 1975), we follow here Dahlmann (2001) and consider these two species synonymous, with B. woelfersheimensis being the junior synonym. This interpretation is the one followed by Daxner-Höck (2004), Hellmund & Ziegler (2012) and us. Therefore, and since its size fits well into the species (Daxner-Höck 2004), we attribute the M 2 of Blackia aff. woelfersheimensis from the Pliocene of Hambach in Mörs et al. (1998) to B. miocaenica instead. Blackia has been found in the Late Miocene of Eichkogel (MN 11) in Austria (Daxner-Höck 1975) as well as in the Pliocene Sondershausen Lower Muschelkalk fissure filling (MN 15) in Thuringia, Germany (Hellmund & Ziegler 2012). Both findings have been attributed to B. miocaenica for the reasons discussed above. Blackia has also, as mentioned previously, already been found in the Pliocene of Gundersheim, Wölfersheim, Hambach, and Frechen (Fejfar & Storch 1990; Mörs et al. 1998; Kolfschoten et al. 1998; Dahlmann 2001). These are the only four other recorded occurrences of Blackia in the Pliocene. Blackia is a rare genus in the German Neogene (Mörs et al. 1998) with most findings of Miocene age. In the Pliocene, where it finally gets extinct, it seems to be especially rare (Hellmund & Ziegler 2012). Blackia is considered to be relatively stable in size and morphology from the lower Miocene and throughout the Pliocene (Daxner-Höck 2004). The occurrence in Hambach 11 C is one of the youngest of the genus Blackia, alongside that reported in Mörs et al. (1998) from Hambach 11 and that reported by Kolfschoten et al. (1998) from Frechen, which is the youngest record (MN 16 b).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028305FFD15B9EFEB4FEA0FB64.taxon	materials_examined	MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Right m 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5614 and IPB- HaR- 5627), left m 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5625), left m 3 (IPB-HaR- 5628), right P 4 (IPB-HaR- 5629), left P 4 (IPB-HaR- 5631), left M 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5632, IPB-HaR- 5634 and IPB-HaR- 5635), right M 1 / 2 (IPB-HaR- 5633).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028305FFD15B9EFEB4FEA0FB64.taxon	description	MEASUREMENTS. — see Table 3. DESCRIPTIONS m 1 / 2 – HaR- 5614, HaR- 5625 and HaR- 5627 (Fig. 8 B-D) Outline almost square but the anterior side is slightly less wide than the posterior side. The enamel is smooth. On HaR- 5614 (Fig. 8 B), the labial side is also longer than the lingual side and there is a contact facet on the anterior side. This specimen also shows a wear facet on top of the protoconid and the mesostylid also shows signs of wear. HaR- 5627 (Fig. 8 D) is more worn with the anterior and posterior side showing contact facets. The metaconid, protoconid, and hypoconid exhibit wear facets. The facet on the hypoconid is smaller than the other two. The mesoconid of HaR- 5627 as well as the postero-lingual side of the hypoconid and the protoconid seem quite worn. The metalophid is very low on all specimens although less in HaR- 5614. The anterolophid is low. The talonid basin is large and deep, and the trigonid basin is also quite large although on HaR- 5625 (Fig. 8 C), the metalophid is so faint that it does not close the trigonid basin. On this specimen, there is also a small basin delimited at the posterior part by the posterolophid and the entolophid. On HaR- 5614, a small lophid is erupting towards the talonid basin from the lophid between the hypoconid and mesoconid. The protoconid and hypoconid are high and dominate the lower mesostylid, mesoconid and entoconid. There is no anteroconid. The syncline between the mesostylid and entoconid is quite wide, deep and its walls are steep. The mesostylid is linked to a high metaconid by a pronounced lophid. No roots are preserved on HaR- 5614 and 5625. On HaR- 5627 however, four roots are preserved. The one on the labial side is the most prominent. The anterior roots go straight down and are quite round whereas the posterior ones are dipping posteriorly. The lingual root is more oval. The posterior roots are fused at the crown base (at least 1 / 3 rd of their length). The anterior roots are completely separated and more broken off. m 3 – HaR- 5628 (Fig. 8 E) The surface of the enamel is smooth. This specimen is broken mid protoconid. The anterior arc, including the metaconid, is missing. The anterior wall of the protoconid is preserved as well as the hypoconid, entoconid, and mesostylid. The lophid between metaconid and hypoconid is quite worn as well as the syncline between the entoconid and the mesostylid. The anterior part of the entoconid is also worn and the labial side of the mesostylid shows a small wear facet. The protoconid is high, dominating the three remaining cusps and has a wear facet on its top. The lophid going from the mesostylid to the labial side creates a basin. No roots are preserved. P 4 – HaR- 5629 and HaR- 5631 (Fig. 8 F, G) The outline is triangular and the enamel smooth. The hypocone is very weak. The protocone and the paracone are high although the highest is the protocone. On HaR- 5629 (Fig. 8 F), the paracone exhibits a wear facet on its anterior side and so does the parastyle, which also bears scratches, although on its posterior side. There is also a big wear facet on the lingual side of the protocone of this specimen. On this specimen, the metaconule and protoconule also appear worn. The mesostyle is well defined and on HaR- 5631 (Fig. 8 G), linked to the metacone by a very small loph. The mesostyle appears worn on HaR- 5629. The metaconule is well delimited and is separated by a syncline from the protocone on HaR- 5631. The trigon basin is deep but narrow. There is a deep valley between the paracone and the parastyle. The small protoconule is separated from the paracone by a small syncline. A posterior lophule erupts from the metacone and almost reaches the low posteroloph forming depressions and there is a depression on the posterior side of the metacone. No roots are preserved. M 1 / 2 – HaR- 5632, HaR- 5633, HaR- 5634 and HaR- 5635 (Fig. 8 H-K) The specimens have a square / rhomb shape, the enamel is smooth, and the posterior side is slightly less wide than the anterior one. This difference is more marked on HaR- 5635 (Fig. 8 K). On HaR- 5632 (Fig. 8 H), small wear facets are visible on the anterior side of the paracone and the metacone. Moreover, the protoloph shows signs of wear. The presence of a wear facet is observed on the anterior side of the paracone on HaR- 5633 (Fig. 8 I). On HaR- 5634 (Fig. 8 J), there are wear facets on the paracone (posterior side), the metacone (anterior side) and two small ones on the parastyle as well as on the metaconule. On HaR- 5635, there is a big wear facet visible on the parastyle and one postero-lingually on the paracone and the metacone seems worn. The anterior sides of HaR- 5634 and 5635 appear more worn than on the other two specimens. The anteroloph is very faintly crenulated on HaR- 5633. The protocone is the highest cusp. The protoconule is, when present, very faint and the protoloph is slightly curving posteriorly on HaR- 5632. A deep and wide valley separates the paracone and parastyle. The latter is higher and more developed on HaR- 5634 and 5635 than on HaR- 5632 and 5633. The mesostyle is less expressed than on the P 4 s and most visible on HaR- 5634. It is separated from the metacone on HaR- 5632 and 5634, by a medium syncline. The hypocone is present. The posteroloph is very low. A posterior lophule erupts from the metaconule and reaches the posteroloph forming depressions on both sides. A small depression is visible on the posterior side of the metacone. No roots are preserved, except in HaR- 5633 where a small part of three roots is present.	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
03FA50028305FFD15B9EFEB4FEA0FB64.taxon	discussion	REMARKS The relatively large size coupled with the complex morphology of our specimens are fitting into the Pliopetaurista genus (Mörs et al. 1998). Moreover, the smooth enamel differs from Miopetaurista where it is wrinkled or “ chagriné ” (Mein 1970) and the convergent protoloph and metaloph on the upper molars further confirm this identification (Mein 1970; Qiu & Li 2016). The dimensions of our specimens fit into the range of Pliopetaurista pliocaenica (Fig. 9) and are bigger than other species such as Pliopetaurista dehneli Sulimski, 1964 (Mein 1970) as confirmed by Fig. 9. This species is the closest in size and morphology to P. pliocaenica (Mörs et al. 1998; Gárcia-Alix et al. 2007; Mansino et al. 2018). Moreover, we observe the presence of a faint but present mesostyle or bulged mesostylar crests that is absent in P. dehneli (Gárcia-Alix et al. 2007). The low metalophids and the presence of hypocones on the molars also point in the direction of P. pliocaenica. It is not attributed to Pliopetaurista cf. pliocaenica sensu de Bruijn (1995) and Gárcia-Alix et al. (2007) because our specimens are not large enough (Fig. 9 A). All these observations allow us to attribute the specimens to P. pliocaenica. This species ranges from the latest Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene (Colombero & Carnevale 2016) which is coherent with the age of our locality. There are only four previous records of Pliopetaurista in the Pliocene of Germany, from three different localities. Mein (1970) and Dahlmann (2001) both described specimens from Wölfersheim, Fejfar & Storch (1990) reported an isolated molar from Gundersheim and Mörs et al. (1998) reported several specimens from Hambach. Most of these reports are of P. pliocaenica, with the exception of the specimens of P. raui Dahlmann, 2001 in Dahlmann (2001).	en	Laere, Gaëlle Van, Mörs, Thomas (2023): Beavers and flying squirrels (Rodentia: Castoridae, Pteromyini) from the Late Pliocene of Hambach 11 C, Germany. Geodiversitas 45 (7): 223-241, DOI: 10.5252/geodiversitas2023v45a7
