INDEX
RIASSUNTO
...1ABSTRACT
...6CHAPTER 1 – SIRENIA
...91.1 GENERALITIES...9
1.2 PHYLOGENESIS AND RELATIVES...10
1.3 DISTRIBUTION AND CLASSIFICATION...14
1.3.1 Prorastomidae...15
1.3.2 Protosirenidae...15
1.3.3 Trichechidae...16
1.3.4 Dugongidae...17
CHAPTER 2 - THE NEOGENE EURO-NORTH AFRICAN
SIRENIANS
...23CHAPTER 3 - GEOLOGICAL SETTING
...293.1 INTRODUCTION...29
3.2 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF “HALITHERIUM” BELLUNENSE...31
3.3 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF THE GENUS RYTIODUS AND OF METAXYTHERIUM AQUITANIAE...33
3.4 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF MIOSIREN KOCKI...35
3.5 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF PROHALICORE DUBALENI...38
3.6 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM KRAHULETZI...38
3.7 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM PETERSI...40
3.8 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM CATALAUNICUM...40
3.9 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM MEDIUM...41
3.10 INDETERMINATE MIOCENE SIRENIAN RECORDS...43
3.11 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM SERRESII...46
3.12 THE GEOLOGICAL SETTING OF METAXYTHERIUM SUBAPENNINUM...49
3.13 THE LAST NORTHEASTERN ATLANTIC SIRENIAN RECORD...55
CHAPTER 4 - SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
...594.1 INTRODUCTION...59
4.2 MATERIAL AND METHODS...59
4.3 DESCRIPTION AND COMPARISON...61
4.3.1 Miosiren kocki………..………62
4.3.2 Prohalicore dubaleni………..………….72
4.3.3 “Halitherium” bellunense...74
4.3.4 The genus Rytiodus...83
4.3.5 The genus Metaxytherium...99
4.3.6 The latest northeastern Atlantic sirenian record...161
4.4 CONCLUSIONS...162
CHAPTER 5 - CLADISTIC ANALYSIS
...…...1655.1 INTRODUCTION...165
5.2 MATERIAL AND METHODS...165
5.3 CHARACTERS USED...168
5.4 RESULTS...182
5.5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS...189
CHAPTER 6 – PALAEOECOLOGY
...1936.1 INTRODUCTION...193
6.2 SEAGRASSES...194
6.2.1 Generalities...194
6.2.2 Origin; fossil record and present distribution...197
6.2.3 The Euro-North African seagrasses and their fossil record...200
6.3 MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES...202
6.3.1 Introduction...202
6.3.2 Tusks and other cranial features...203
6.3.3 The Euro-North African Metaxytherium body size and tusk size evolution...211
6.4 STABLE ISOTOPES ANALYSES...217
6.3.1 Introduction...217
6.3.2 Material and methods...219
6.3.3 Results...221
CHAPTER 7 – PALAEOBIOGEOGRAPHY
...233 7.1 INTRODUCTION...233 7.2 EARLY MIOCENE...234 7.3 MIDDLE MIOCENE...236 7.4 LATE MIOCENE...238 7.5 PLIOCENE...2427.6 MAJOR CHANGE IN SIRENIAN DISTRIBUTION AND EVOLUTION...243
