Deinotherium thraceiensis sp. nov. from the Miocene near Ezerovo ...

hole (No 16; Áðúíêèí, Ñòàí÷åâà, 1965) situated
near the village of Ezerovo, these rocks are covered
by massive limestones, marls, and well-cemented
quartz sandstones. They are referred to the Oligocene
on the basis of rich foraminifer and ostracod fauna.
These rocks pass into the Lower Miocene dark gray
aleurolites and marls with foraminifer and ostracod
fauna similar to the Aquitanian-Burdigalian faunas
reported in France (Áðúíêèí, Ñòàí÷åâà, 1965). The
maximum thickness of the Lower Miocene is about
180 m.
The Palaeogene and Lower Miocene marine sediments
are unconformably covered by fluvial sediments
referred to the Ahmatovo Formation (Êîþìäæèåâà,
Äðàãîìàíîâ, 1979). They crop out at numerous
places in the valley of the river Cherkezitsa.
At the basis there are aleurolites and shales covered
by sands of light rusty colour, alternating with conglomerate
lenses. At places the sand layers are crossbedded.
Petrified trees occur in the sands. The thickness
of the sand layers varies from 1.5 m to 7.5 m;
and that of the conglomerates is up to 1.5 m. The
whole thickness of the sands has been revealed only
by drillings and is up to 515 m. Ahmatovo Formation
is referred to the Maeotian, Pontian and Dacian
regional Paratethys stages. Three macrocycles
have been distinguished (Êîþìäæèåâà, Äðàãîìàíîâ,
1979). The first macrocycle is referred to the
Maeotian (possibly also upper parts of the Sarmatian)
on the basis of Lower to Middle Turolian (“Pikermian”)
mammal fauna. The Pontian age of the
lower parts of the second cycle is determined by Upper
Pikermian (= Upper Turolian) fauna, and the upper
parts of the second cycle are referred to the Dacian
Regional Stage by Ruscinian fossil remains. The
fossil locality of Deinotherium thraceiensis sp. n. belongs
to the first cycle of the Ahmatovo Formation
(Nikolov, 1985, p. 58).
About 800 m west of the village of Ezerovo, right
from the road to the dam, at the fork with the road
for the pumping station, in light medium-grained
sands, D. Kovachev found in 1965 the skeleton of
Deinotherium thraceiensis sp. n. described in the
present paper. It was lying at a depth of ca. 40 m
relatively to the level of borehole No 16. At the same
level, but 50 m to the east, V. Tsankov and I. Vaptzarov
have found in 1956 a part of a skull, determined by
P. Bakalov as Trilophodon angustidens Cuvier. In 1962
St. Stoykov and I. Nikolov found 4—5 m below the
find described here, teeth of Hipparion microtaton
Nikolov and a part of a mandible of Mastodon sp.
They all indicate a Maeotian age. Above the
deinothere have been found teeth of Hipparion mediterraneum
Gervais and Tetralophodon longirostris
Kaup. They unequivocally prove a Pontian age.
After 1965, D. Kovachev collected the following
fossils during numerous field trips:
1. A skull, a mandible and bones from the limbs of
Mastodon sp. In the structure of its molars it resembles
T. angustidens Cuvier, but the tusks and the skull
are different from this species.
2. A whole mandible with a preserved symphysis and
M 3 dext et sin of Choerolophodon sp.
3. Two maxillary fragments with M 3 also belonging
to Choerolophodon sp.
4. M 3 sin et M 2 dext – Choerolophodon sp.
5. Right semimandible with M 3 – Tetralophodon longirostris
Kaup.
6. M 3 sin – Anancus sp.
7. M 2 and M 3 dext and M 3 sin – Zygolophodon borsoni
Hays.
8. M 3 dext – Zygolophodon borsoni Hays.
9. M 3 sin Deinotherium giganteum Kaup.
10. Right semimandible – Microstonyx major.
They will be subject of other publications.
The Neogene sands are covered by a layer of soil
1.0 to 1.5 m thick including isolated rock fragments
of different size. These soils are referred to the Pleistocene.
Palaeontological part
Order Proboscidea Illiger, 1821
Suborder Deinotherioidea Osborn, 1921
Family Deinotheriidae Bonaparte, 1845
Genus Deinotherium Kaup, 1829
Type species of the genus Deinotherium giganteum
Kaup, 1829
Deinotherium thraceiensis sp. n.
(Pl. I – XXII)
Derivatio nominis: thraceiensis from Greek “Thraceia”
– Thrace, the region of the find.
Holotype. As such we design all the bones of the skeleton
– No. 312/1 to No. 312/23-30, collection of the
Museum of Geology and Palaeontology of the Sofia
University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
Locality. Light, medium-grained sands (Ahmatovo
Formation, first cycle) near Ezerovo, Plovdiv region,
just at the turn for the pumping station from the
road to the dam.
Age. Maeotian.
Diagnosis. Large animals, skull short and high. Nasal
bones short, fusing at the anterior ends, curved
and slightly flattened laterally. Large external nares.
Ear area also large and with trapezoid shape. Eye
sockets almost separated from the ear areas. Forehead
high and, compared to the external nares –
short. The occipital bone is high and wide. Symphysis
of the mandible curved downwards and backwards.
Incisors of moderate length, slightly curving
outwards. Their tips end exactly beneath processus
angularis. Neck short, with seven thin cervical vertebrae.
First ones lack processus spinosus, in the last
ones it is weakly developed. Skull and mandible, relatively
to the size of the whole skeleton, are much
smaller than in the other proboscideans. Fingers high,
with large phalanxes – hoofs, strongly developed on
the third finger.
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