title: Morphology of a fossil elephant calf (Archidiskodon, Elephantidae) from the Oldowan Muhkai IIa site.
abstract: The skull and lower jaw morphology of a calf of Archidiskodon sp. from the Oldowan (Early Paleolithic) Muhkai IIa site (Akushinskii raion, Dagestan) is described. The Muhkai IIa site is dated more than 1.5 Ma. This is the first record of the skull and lower jaw of calf of this species from the northern Caucasus. A skull fragment and lower jaw with functioning teeth of the DP2/DP3 generation are preserved. The calf is at most 8-10 months of individual age. The finely plicate enamel and formation of a complete enamel loop on DP3 are evidence that the calf belongs to Archidiskodon rather than to the European Elephas lineage.
authors.affiliation: Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow, 117997, Russia. evmash@mail.ru.
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Mashchenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Dm. Ul'yanova 19, Moscow, 117036, Russia.
authors.forename: Kh A
authors.initials: KhA
authors.lastname: Amirkhanov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Archeology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Dm. Ul'yanova 19, Moscow, 117036, Russia.
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Ozherelyev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004606:Elephants / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010163:Paleontology; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology