Leptobos is an extinct genus of large bovine, known from the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene of Eurasia, extending from the Iberian Peninsula to northern China.[1] Species of Leptobos weighed on average 320 kilograms (710 lb).[2] The dietary preference across the genus includes species that were browsers,[3] grazers[4] and mixed feeders (both browsing and grazing).[5] The first appearance of Leptobos in Europe around 3.6-3.5 million years ago is considered to define the beginning of the Villafranchian European faunal stage.[6] Leptobos is considered to be closely related to the insular genus Epileptobos from the Pleistocene of Java[7], and is considered to be ancestral to Bison.[1][8] Leptobos became extinct after being replaced by their descendant Bison during the Early Pleistocene, after a period of temporal overlap.[1][8] "Leptobos" syrticus from Libya likely belongs in a different genus.[7]

Leptobos
Temporal range: Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene 3.5–0.8 Ma
Skeleton of Leptobos etruscus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Bovinae
Genus: Leptobos
Rütimeyer, 1878
Species

See text

Species edit

  • Leptobos brevicornis (China)
  • Leptobos crassus (China)
  • Leptobos falconeri (Pakistan)
  • Leptobos stenometopon (France and Italy)
  • Leptobos merlai (France and Italy)
  • Leptobos furtivus (France also possibly Italy)
  • Leptobos etruscus (France, Italy, and Spain)
  • Leptobos vallisarni (Italy and China)
 
Leptobos etruscus lower jaw and silhouette

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Sorbelli, Leonardo; Alba, David M.; Cherin, Marco; Moullé, Pierre-Élie; Brugal, Jean-Philip; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan (June 2021). "A review on Bison schoetensacki and its closest relatives through the early-Middle Pleistocene transition: Insights from the Vallparadís Section (NE Iberian Peninsula) and other European localities". Quaternary Science Reviews. 261: 106933. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106933. S2CID 235527116.
  2. ^ Brugal, Jean‑Philip; Croitor, Roman (2007-06-01). "Evolution, ecology and biochronology of herbivore associations in Europe during the last 3 million years". Quaternaire. 18 (2): 129152. doi:10.4000/quaternaire.1014. ISSN 1142-2904.
  3. ^ Haiduc, Bogdan S.; Răţoi, Bogdan G.; Semprebon, Gina M. (2018-02-22). "Dietary reconstruction of Plio-Pleistocene proboscideans from the Carpathian Basin of Romania using enamel microwear". Quaternary International. 467: 222–229. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2018.01.039. ISSN 1040-6182.
  4. ^ Zhao, LingXia; Zhang, LiZhao; Zhang, FuSong; Wu, XinZhi (2011-09-12). "Enamel carbon isotope evidence of diet and habitat of Gigantopithecus blacki and associated mammalian megafauna in the Early Pleistocene of South China". Chinese Science Bulletin. 56 (33): 3590–3595. doi:10.1007/s11434-011-4732-4. ISSN 1001-6538. S2CID 129987242.
  5. ^ Strani, Flavia; DeMiguel, Daniel; Sardella, Raffaele; Bellucci, Luca (July 2018). "Resource and niche differentiation mechanisms by sympatric Early Pleistocene ungulates: the case study of Coste San Giacomo". Quaternary International. 481: 157–163. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2017.08.064. S2CID 90466225.
  6. ^ van Kolfschoten, T. (2013-01-01), "QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY | Continental Biostratigraphy", in Elias, Scott A.; Mock, Cary J. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (Second Edition), Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 206–214, ISBN 978-0-444-53642-6, retrieved 2021-10-31
  7. ^ a b Mead, Jim I.; Jin, Changzhu; Wei, Guangbiao; Sun, Chengkai; Wang, Yuan; Swift, Sandra L.; Zheng, Longting (December 2014). "New data on Leptobos crassus (Artiodactyla, Bovidae) from Renzidong Cave, Early Pleistocene (Nihewanian) of Anhui, China, and an overview of the genus". Quaternary International. 354: 139–146. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.02.019.
  8. ^ a b Sorbelli, Leonardo; Cherin, Marco; Kostopoulos, Dimitris S.; Sardella, Raffaele; Mecozzi, Beniamino; Plotnikov, Valerii; Prat-Vericat, Maria; Azzarà, Beatrice; Bartolini-Lucenti, Saverio; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan (February 2023). "Earliest bison dispersal in Western Palearctic: Insights from the Eobison record from Pietrafitta (Early Pleistocene, central Italy)". Quaternary Science Reviews. 301: 107923. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107923.

External links edit