Circamustela Petter 1967

Genus Circamustela Petter, 1967

TYPE SPECIES. — Circamustela dechaseauxi Petter, 1967 by original designation.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Can Llobateres, Vallès Penedès Basin, Catalonia (Spain, late Miocene, MN 9).

INCLUDED SPECIES. — Circamustela peignei n. sp., from Batallones; Circamustela sp. from Dorn-Dürkheim.

AGE. — Late Miocene Vallesian and early Turolian (MN9-11).

DIAGNOSIS. — American marten-sized mustelid with a hypercarnivorous dentition, including a reduction of upper and lower molars; M1 mesiodistally narrow, with both mesial and distal walls straight, small metacone and short lingual platform, such as a crest-like protocone; m1 shows a higher protoconid than paraconid, and a reduced m1 talonid in both length and width, with a low entocristid; low and lingually bevelled m1 hypoconid.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS. — Differs from Martes, and the late Miocene Pekania, and Paramartes in smaller size, reduced lingual platform of the M1, and more reduced m1 talonid comprising a very shallow basin, and a reduction of both m1 entocristid and the m2; Differs from Sinictis in a more developed P4 protocone; M1 with enlarged stylar area, smaller and cuspid-like protocone; lower and smaller p4 distal accessory cuspid; m1 with shorter paraconid-protoconid edge; and relatively more robust hypoconid and entocristid.