Bramiscus
| Bramiscus | |
|---|---|
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| Bramiscus holotype | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Giraffidae |
| Genus: | †Bramiscus Ríos et al., 2024 |
| Species: | †B. micros
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| Binomial name | |
| †Bramiscus micros Ríos et al., 2024
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Bramiscus is an extinct genus of giraffid artiodactyl ungulates from the Miocene Chinji and Dhok Pathan formations of Pakistan. The genus contains a single species, B. micros, known from several partial skeletons.
Discovery and naming
[edit]Most of the Bramiscus fossil material was discovered in sediments of the Chinji Formation (Astaracian age), including frontals with ossicones ("horn-like" structures in giraffids), teeth, and a mandibular fragment. Among these is the holotype (PUPC 22/01), which consists of a frontal fragment with both fused ossicones, and the paratype (PUPC 13/375), which consists of a pair of ossicones. The proximal end of a right metatarsal (Y-GSP-14999) was also referred to Bramiscus, discovered in sediments of the Dhok Pathan Formation (Vallesian age). All of the known material was found in the Lower–Middle Siwaliks near Punjab, Pakistan.[1]
In 2024, Ríos et al. described Bramiscus micros as a new genus and species of early giraffids based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Bramiscus, combines a reference to the morphologically similar but distantly related giraffid Bramatherium, with the Greek suffix "-iscus", meaning "very small". In turn, the name Bramatherium references Brahma, the Hindu creator god.[2] The specific name, micros, is taken from the Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós), meaning "small", in reference to the smaller size of Bramiscus compared to similar taxa.[1]
Classification
[edit]In their phylogenetic analyses, Ríos et al. (2024) recovered Bramiscus as one of the basalmost giraffids, in a polytomy with Georgiomeryx. Their results are displayed in the cladogram below:[1]
| Giraffidae |
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c Ríos, M.; Abbas, S. G.; Khan, M. A.; Solounias, N. (2024). "A new giraffid Bramiscus micros nov. gen. nov. sp. (Ruminantia, Giraffidae) from the Miocene of northern Pakistan". Palaeontologia Electronica. 27 (2). 27.2.a29. doi:10.26879/1243.
- ^ Bramatherium, Mindat.org, retrieved 2024-06-09