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CONTRIBUTIONS TO FLORIDA

VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY




pApER No. X


A HEW SPECIES OF OSTEOBORUS FROM

THE BONE VALLEY FORMATION OF FLORIDA



By
s. J. Ol.on





Juno e, 1l o
































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PLATE 1
Ok.'usrbi~l G.Z.c / .../,-d FOIG3 /, P.-/S i-- -f
O.Oeob5crajsipineatv,01 F.n G.S.NVS644X]I









A NEW SPECIES OF OSTEOBORUS FROM

THE BONE VALLEY FORMATION OF FLORIDA

S. J. Olsen
Vertebrate Paleontologist
Florida Geological Survey

The phosphate pits of Floridahave produced many inter-
esting and scientifically important vertebrate fossils in the
past and specimens recently acquired by the Florida Geolog-
ical Survey indicate that more new forms may indeed turn up
n the future from these mineral deposits.

Due to themethods employedinthe mining of phosphates,
it is only through the keen observations of the men engaged
m ths work that anyof the larger vertebratesare saved from
complete destruct-on by the mnnog machinery.

Although Dr. T. E. White described a borophagme skull
from the Bone Valley gravels, this is the first additional
material representing these carnivores that is complete
enough for a comparison to be made between it and other
related forms.

Faily CANIDAE

Subfamily BOROPHAGINAE
Osteoborus crasa n. sp.

Referred material. F.G.S. V-5644 (plate 1). Partial right
mandible lacking anterior portion of syphysis and
ascending ramus. C, P-M present and alveolus of PY

Horizon and ocalty Bon Valley formatlonI. Pit of the
American Agricultural Chemical Company, Pierce, Polk
County, Florida.

i Investigatons are underwayto deter the exact age of
the Bone Valley formation but present ndlcations place
this formation m the middle and upper Miocene. The re-
ferred specimen was collected with insufficient data to
pinpoint it stratlgraphlcally, but because of its distrbu-
tional importance i s worthy of recording.

64746






FLo11101 GOLOGICIL IsuREY

Characters. Aboophagne havng .th.e s.me e.s




Discussion. White erected a new genus for the borophagne
that hT described from the same beds n which 0. crassa-
.occurred. His description was based on-the char-
acters of the skull, all denttiion except p3 being absent
(Whlte 1941).

Among the unidentified specimens m the collections of
the Florida GeologIcal Survey was a lower Jaw of a camd;
although fragmentary, it is important enough to warrant
descript-on. In view of the fact that enough of the lower den-
titlon of this new form is present to definitely place it in the
genus Osteoborus, a re-exu nation and comparison of
Pou may abolish this genus and place Whlte's species in
the genus Osteoborus.

DOripto The mandibl of O crassaetus when com-
pared with other members of this genus is more massive
and heavier in build than 0. cyonode (U.C.Mus. Pal. 30663)
and more closely approaches 0. hill m size (Johnston 1939).

0. validus has similar massive characteristics, but has
an overall se which is considerably larger. ThIs form was
first des.ribeda a mutationbecauseof the shorter andmore
crowded premolar region, the reduction of the tubercular
teeth, and the slight enlargement of the carnassial (Matthew
and Cook 1909). Mditional material of this carnivore was
collected from the Pliocene of Texas and described by C. S.
Johnston (1939).

The canine was not preserved m either of these speci-
mens, but the a1vealus of the camnne was preserved in the
Teas form, indicating a smaller tooth proportionally than
that which is present n O.crassa pineatus.

Although the -terior portion of the symphystal surface
has been restored, the root of the canine is in place, estab-
lishing its position in the jaw. The huge canine is completely
outside the observed ranges of variation for any sample of






CoTu,1uTIONS To FLOR,- A VERTeSR-TE P*LEONTOtoY a

borophagine dogs and may be just an anmalous individual
that wouldn't be representative of theborophaginepopulation
from the Bone Valley formation. Enough of the bottom of the
alveolus of the double rooted P3 is preserved to restore it
as indicated (p. 1, fig. 2). Thealveolus of P2 was restored
by comparing with that of 0. cyo de P is a subtrigonid
tooth with the principal cusp pitched backward. The heel is
a wide transvere crest having a posterior accessory cusp
which is small ad close to the heel crest and tends to fuse
with it. These characters, along with the metaconid on MI.
which is present in the referred specimen, were listed as
S., des by Drs. Matthew
S ...y. y of this material by
S- in erectmg the new
genus Osteoborus for these specimens (Richey 1938).

CHART

Measurements (in millimeters) of Mandible and teeth

0. 0. 0.
cyonoides hill crassapmeatus

Depth of jaw below P4 27.5 34.9 34.5

Width of jaw below P4 16.7 18.7 17.5

Depth of jaw below MI 31.6 36.4 33.0

Width of jaw below M1 16.7 18.2 16.5

Anteroposterior diameter P4 16.5 19.0 18.0

Trasverse diameter P4 11.0 12.8 13.0

Anteroposterior dieter Ml 27.7 30.0 31.0

Trasverse diameter MI 12.7 12.0 13.0


A more thorough check of the phosphate pits of Pol
Couty, Florida, may n tue yield more of this interesting
carnivore and help in establishing its phyletic position.







FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL sURvEY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I grateful to Dr. H. Gunter for his permission to
describe this specimen and to Dr. R.A. Stirton for the oan
of a specimen of O. cyonoides for comparison. I also wish
to thank Dr. D.E. Savage for his helpful suggestions in pre-
paring this description.

The figure is the work of Adrew Janson, Scientific Illus-
trator of the Florida Geological Survey.

REFERENCES

Johnston, C. 5.
1939 Preliminary rort on the late middle Plio-
c0ne, A0tel lo it, and the dOesto ofa
ew meber of th lgns Osteoborus: Am.
Jour. Sci., ol. 13, pp. 895-898.

1939 A skull of Osteoborus -alidus from the early
middle Plioceneof Texas: Jour. Paleontology,
vol. 13, pp. 526-538.

Matthew, W. D.
1909 (and Cook, J. H.) A Pliocene fauna from
western Nebraska: m. Mus. Nat. History
Bull. vo. 26, art. 27, pp. 361-414.

1930 (and Stirton, R. o I .

19, pp. 171-216.

Richy, K. A.
1938 Osteoborus diabloensis, a new d from the
Black Hawk Ranch fauna, Mt. Diablo, Cal-
fornia. California Univ., Dept. Geol. Sci.,
Bull., vol. 24. pp. 303-308.
Stirton, A.
93 (and Vanderhoof, V. L.) Osteoborus, a new
00of d20,aa.nd0tsrelations toBoophisg
COe: CaliforniaUniv., Dept. Geol. Sc., Bull.,
vo. 23, pp. 175-182.







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