HERPESTIDES ANTIQUUS 
Table 3 Measurements (in mm) of M, in the holotype of ‘Plesictis’ 
croizeti Pomel, 1847 and ‘Plesictis’ gracilis Pomel, 1853 (BMNH 
26702), and the holotype of ‘Lutra’ minor Lydekker, 1885 (BMNH 
25449). 
BMNH BMNH 
26702 25449 
Length (from anterior-most to posterior-most 
points of crown) 8.7 8.8 
Width (least distance from buccal-most point of crown 
_ to line joining lingual-most points of paraconid wing 
and talonid) 4.6 4.7 
Trigonid length (least distance from anterior-most point 
of crown to line connecting notch between 
protoconid and hypoconid with notch posterior to 
metaconid) 5.9 6.2 
Least distance between buccal and lingual borders of 
crown across carnassial notch 3.8 3.7 
Talonid length (least distance from posterior-most 
point of crown to line connecting notch between 
protoconid and hypoconid with notch posterior to 
metaconid) 2.8 2.6 
| Talonid width (greatest distance between buccal and 
| lingual borders of talonid perpendicular to antero- 
posterior length of tooth) 3a) 3).7/ 
/Paraconid height (least distance from occlusal-most 
point of paraconid to basal margin of crown, 
measured on lingual side) 3.7+ 3.8+ 
Protoconid height (least distance from occlusal-most 
point of protoconid to basal margin of crown, 
measured on buccal side) Salle BO) 
‘Metaconid height (least distance from occlusal-most 
point of metaconid to basal margin of crown, 
| measured on lingual side) 3h57/ 3.6+ 
\Hypoconid height (least distance from occlusal-most 
point of hypoconid to basal margin of crown, 
measured on buccal side) 234 0 DS 
Entoconid height (least distance from occlusal-most 
point of entoconid to basal margin of crown, 
measured on lingual side) 1.9+ 2.0+ 
t . . cae . 
‘+ indicates a minimum measurement on an incomplete structure. 
_ To summarize, the correct name of the type locality of ‘Lutra’ 
Ininor Lydekker, 1885 is Mainz-Mombach in Rhineland-Palatinate, 
western Germany. The exact location of this fossil site is uncertain at 
oresent. Tobien (1980) assigned the fossil fauna from Mainz- 
ombach (his Mombach) to the Hydrobia beds of late Agenian age, 
arly Early Miocene. 
SONSPECIFICITY WITH HERPESTIDES 
\NTIQUUS 
during their taxonomic history, ‘Plesictis’ croizeti, ‘Plesictis’ graci- 
_(s, and “Lutra’ minor have been referred to various arctoid caniform 
enera, including the mustelids Plesictis Pomel, 1846, Lutra 
srunnich, 1771, and Mustela Linnaeus, 1758 (for ‘Plesictis’croizeti: 
-g. Gervais 1852b: 12), the amphictid musteloid Amphictis Pomel, 
853 (for ‘Plesictis’ gracilis; Viret 1929), and the arctoid 
otamotherium Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1833 (= Stephanodon von 
ae 1847; for “Lutra’ minor). However, the fact that they really 
flows to none of those genera needs no elaboration. Their name- 
aring types differ from the characteristics of these genera in most 
pects of their morphology, and more importantly, ‘Plesictis’croizeti 
‘Plesictis’ gracilis) and ‘Lutra’ minor do not belong even to the 
border Caniformia Kretzoi, 1943, which is evidenced below. 
A ‘Plesictis’ croizeti and ‘Plesictis’ gracilis 
BS ‘Lutra’ minor 
6 O Herpestides antiquus 
7 8 9 10 11 
Fig. 3 A diagram of length versus width of M,, showing the distribution 
of individuals in a sample of Herpestides antiquus from the Agenian 
locality Montaigu-le-Blin in France (collection of NMB), compared to 
that of the holotypes of ‘Plesictis’ croizeti, ‘Plesictis’ gracilis, and 
‘Lutra’ minor. 
As seen from the descriptions, illustrations (Figs 1-2), and meas- 
urements (Tables 1—3) presented in this paper, the holotype of 
‘Plesictis’ croizeti and ‘Plesictis’ gracilis and that of ‘Lutra’ minor 
differ only insignificantly from each other, plainly justifying the 
conclusion that they represent the same species. The available 
morphological features of that species unanimously point to its 
affiliation with the viverrid feliform Herpestides de Beaumont, 
1967, known from the lower part (Agenian) of the European Lower 
Miocene. According to de Beaumont (1967), that genus included the 
single, extensively variable species Herpestides antiquus (de 
Blainville, 1842). A comparison of the holotypes of ‘Plesictis’ 
croizeti (and *Plesictis’ gracilis) and ‘Lutra’ minor with the corre- 
sponding portions of dentary and lower dentition of Herpestides 
antiquus from the French locality Montaigu-le-Blin, stored in NMB, 
revealed that both the morphological traits and size of the holotypes 
are well within the variability range observed in Herpestides antiquus 
(Fig. 3). 
To conclude, on the evidence presented above we consider the 
name-bearing types of ‘Plesictis’ croizeti Pomel, 1847, ‘Plesictis’ 
gracilis Pomel, 1853, and ‘Lutra’ minor Lydekker, 1885 to represent 
the species Herpestides antiquus (de Blainville, 1842). Accordingly, 
we synonymize the first three names with the last one that is the valid 
name of the species in conformity with the Principle of Priority. 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Our sincere thanks go to J.J. Hooker (NHM) and 
B. Engesser, P. Jung, C. Médden, and F. Wiedenmayer (NMB) for their aid 
and generous hospitality during our research at those institutions. This study 
was supported by the State Committee for Scientific Research (KBN) grant 
6 P204 051 05, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Alexander von 
Humboldt Foundation, and the German Research Association (DFG) grant 
Ro 143/12-1. 
REFERENCES 
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