Mammut pacificus sp. nov., a newly recognized species of mastodon from the Pleistocene of western North America

A new species of mastodon from the Pleistocene of western North America, Mammut pacificus sp. nov. is herein recognized, with specimens identified throughout California and from two localities in southern Idaho. This new taxon differs from the contemporaneous M. americanum in having narrower teeth,...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alton C. Dooley Jr, Eric Scott, Jeremy Green, Kathleen B. Springer, Brett S. Dooley, Gregory James Smith
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2019-03-01
Series:PeerJ
Subjects:
Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/6614.pdf
Description
Summary:A new species of mastodon from the Pleistocene of western North America, Mammut pacificus sp. nov. is herein recognized, with specimens identified throughout California and from two localities in southern Idaho. This new taxon differs from the contemporaneous M. americanum in having narrower teeth, most prominently in M3/m3, as well as six sacral vertebrae, femur with a proportionally greater mid-shaft diameter, and no mandibular tusks at any growth stage. All known Pleistocene Mammut remains from California are consistent with our diagnosis of M. pacificus, which indicates that M. americanum was not present in California.
ISSN:2167-8359