First record of Sivameryx (Cetartiodactyla, Anthracotheriidae) from the lower Miocene of Israel highlights the importance of the Levantine Corridor as a dispersal route between Eurasia and Africa

ABSTRACTThe genus Sivameryx (Cetartiodactyla: Anthracotheriidae), found in both Asia and Africa, is considered of Asian origin. Recent excavations in the Negev region of southern Israel led to the discovery of a new early Miocene site called Kamus Junction. Among the fossils recovered at Kamus Junction is an upper molar of Sivameryx palaeindicus. Although known species of Sivameryx have often been distinguished by size, comparisons of the new specimen with known Sivameryx teeth from Asia and Africa emphasize the need for caution when assigning Sivameryx fossils to species based on size alone. This record of Sivameryx highlights the importance of the Levant as a corridor connecting Eurasia and Africa. The new find, along with other recent finds, demonstrates that the Levantine Corridor facilitated faunal dispersal events that shaped modern biotas as early as the early Miocene.