Late Miocene Suidae from Eurasia

The nomenclature of Late Miocene suines of Eurasia has been the subject of active debate since 1926, when Pilgrim erected the genera Microstonyx and Dicoryphochoerus. The discovery of additional fossil material at three localities in Spain, Batallones (MN 10) La Roma II (MN 10) and Corral de Lobato (basal MN 13: Ventian) provides fuel for the debate, which supports the interpretation that the two genera are synonyms, and that both names are junior synonyms of Hippopotamodon Lydekker, 1877. The fossils from Batallones, La Roma II and Corral de Lobato are described and interpreted within a wide-ranging revision of the Late Miocene suines of Eurasia. It is increasingly obvious that Late Miocene suines from Indo-Myanmar and China share many morphometric features with suines from Europe, and that a comparable suite of species occurred in the two regions indicating frequent dispersal or even semi-permanent contact between the two areas. Thus, it is no longer valid or realistic to keep using distinct species names for Indo-Myanmar and Chinese fossils which are morphometrically similar to taxa from Europe. The presence of frequent synonymy in current literature obscures the biogeographic relationships of the two regions and renders biostratigraphy difficult.