| Oioceros Temporal range: lateMiocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Oioceros rothii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Artiodactyla |
| Family: | Bovidae |
| Genus: | †Oioceros Gaillard, 1901 |
| Type species | |
| †Oioceros rothii | |
| Species | |
O. rothii | |
Oioceros is an extinct genus of spiral-hornedantelope from the lateMiocene. Its fossils have been found inGreece,[1]China,[2]Iran, andAfrica. It was first discovered by Wagner in 1857, and contains nine species,O. rothii,O. atropatenes,O. jiulongkouensis,O. noverca,O. robustus,O. stenocephalus,O. lishanensis,O. wegneri, andO. tanyceras. Former species includeO. grangeri (Pilgrim, 1934), now recognized as the genusSinomegoceros, andO. xiejiaensis (Li and Qui; 1980), now recognized as the genusSinopalaeoceros.[2]
Oioceros somewhat resembled agazelle.[3]
In 1997, an almost complete skull ofO. rothii proved that it was similar toSamotragus praecursor, with a short face, compared to its relatively longbraincase, and isolated horn cores.[1] However, unlikeS. praecursor,O. rothii had a jaw of primarilypremolar teeth, which were longer than the molars found in the latter.[1] Pilgrim and Hopwood described the genus as being "small size with long slender muzzle; face bent down on basicranial axis either slightly or to a moderate extent; orbits with expanded orbital roof; horn-cores twisted counter-clockwise in a fairly close spiral of one or two revolutions, widely separate, tilted backward or fairly upright, divergent, with a cross-section almost circular or elliptical, keeled either anteriorly or posteriorly or both; dentition moderately hypsodont, premolar series rather long and slender, molars broad with ribs of medium strength" (Pilgrim and Hopwood, 1928, p. 24). The horn cores ofOioceros have atorsion.[4]
