Insectivore faunas from the Lower Miocene Anatolia. Part4: The genus Desmanodon (Talpidae) with the description of a new species from the Lower Miocene of Spain

A review is given of the literature on Desmanodon and Paratalpa. These two talpid genera can only be identified on the basis of the morphology of the humerus. Two species of Desmanodon, D. ziegleri n.sp. and D. burkarti n.sp., are described from the Lower Miocene of Anatolia. These species are considered ancestral to the Middle Miocene species of Anatolia. D. ziegleri is also a likely ancestor for the European species of Desmanodon. Desmanodon daamsi n. sp. is described from the Lower Miocene of Spain. The Desmanodon/Paratalpa finds from the Calatayud-Teruel basin (Spain) are discussed. The tribal classification of Desmanodon is problematic, since some species resemble Urotrichini, whereas other are morphologically closer to Scalopini. This suggests that the distinction between the two tribes should be re-evaluated. The stratigraphic and geographic distribution of Desmanodon indicates that the genus immigrated into Europe sometime during the Early Miocene.