The first record of Anancus (Mammalia, Proboscidea) in the late Miocene of Greece and reappraisal of the primitive anancines from Europe

In this article we present the tetralophodont proboscideans from the late Miocene (Turolian) locality Chomateri (Greece), near the classical locality Pikermi. The material consists of juvenile teeth, whose morphological features, such as the dislocation of the half-loph(id)s and the resultant alternate arrangement of the successive loph(id)s (anancoidy), permit the allocation to Anancus. However, the anancoidy is rather weak and the occlusal morphology simple, both regarded as primitive features within anancines. The re-examination of the late Miocene anancines from Europe reveals that they all share primitive molar features (weak anancoidy, simple morphology, thick enamel) with the material from Hohenwarth (Austria) showing further primitive skull features, such as the longer mandibular symphysis compared to other anancines. The proper name to refer to the late Miocene anancines from Europe is Anancus lehmanni (Gaziry, 1997) with type locality Dorn- Dürkheim 1 (Turolian; Germany). The presence of Anancus in Chomateri consists the first late Miocene record of the genus in Greece and the first faunal element that clearly indicates that Chomateri post-dates Pikermi. We discuss the biogeography and the biostratigraphy of the late Miocene anancines of the Old World. Anancus originated possibly at ~9.0–8.5 Ma in Asia and entered Europe during the second half of the Turolian, at ~7.2 Ma (Tortonian/Messinian boundary). The arrival of Anancus in Europe coincides with a faunal turnover in both the eastern and western sector of the European Mediterranean region, and in the Southern Balkans in particular, with the decline of the ‘Pikermian’ large mammal fauna.