For more than a century, many African small anthracothere fossils were referred to a limited number of taxa, particularly Sivameryx moneyi and Sivameryx africanus. Detailed analyses of cranial, mandibular and dental morphology presented in this volume demonstrate that these traditional assignments considerably underestimated the true diversity of the group. Comparative study of material from Africa, Pakistan, India, the Levant and Europe reveals that several previously recognised species represent distinct evolutionary lineages, necessitating extensive taxonomic revision.

The monograph resurrects the genus Merycops as distinct from Sivameryx and establishes the new genera Prolibycosaurus, Maradameryx, Afromerycops and Libycomeryx. It further reassesses the status of Afromeryx, Nacholameryx and other problematic taxa, providing revised diagnoses, systematic relationships and distributional data. The resulting classification recognises a substantially greater diversity of small anthracotheres in the African Neogene than previously appreciated, with at least eleven genera now documented from the Early Miocene of Africa.

Beyond its taxonomic contributions, the study offers important insights into the evolutionary history and palaeobiogeography of anthracotheres. It documents faunal connections between Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent and parts of Europe, while highlighting regional diversification and evolutionary innovation within the African record. The revised phylogenetic framework provides a more robust basis for interpreting dispersal patterns, lineage evolution and faunal exchange across the Old World during the Neogene.

Combining detailed systematic descriptions, comprehensive comparative analyses and high-quality illustrations of fossil specimens, this volume represents the most complete treatment of African small anthracotheres published to date. It provides an essential reference for vertebrate palaeontologists, mammalian taxonomists, evolutionary biologists and researchers interested in Neogene mammalian faunas and Old World biogeography.

By providing a revised systematic framework for one of the least understood groups of Old World anthracotheres, this monograph establishes a taxonomic foundation for future studies of Neogene mammalian evolution, palaeoecology and biogeography.

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In the equine head the the interaction of nasal cavity, the nostrils but especially of the pre­orbital fossa and the nasal diverticulum are examined in detail. This not only allows new insights into the abilities and functions of the nose but also gives insights into the evolution of the anatomy of the equid face.

In the case of the dentition the interaction between the teeth and the vegetation while chewing provides new insights that explain the structure of the teeth. Additionally new theories about hypsodonty give further insight into the anatomy and evolution of the teeth.

His research on the lower limbs of the horse provide the perhaps most striking results. Investigations of embryos andpaelontologic finds support the novel five-digit scenario of the meta­carpals and metatarsals. This reveals misunderstandings and new ideas about monodactyly.

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The majority of the historic grade “Chondrostei” comprise the Palaeoniscimorpha LUND et al. 1995 (= Basal Actinopteri ), which are the main focus of this volume. Today, the Holostei and Teleostei are considered monophyletic taxa a result that differs from PATTERSON (1973) who dismissed the holosteans as a grade and placed the Halecomorphi as sister group of the Teleostei. Currently, we recognize three monophyletic taxa; the Chondrostei, Holostei and Teleostei in the sense of MÜLLER (1845A).

The extant polypterids and chondrosteans are included in this volume together with their fossil relatives and the palaeoniscimorphs. In addition, we will deal with basal actinopterygians and basal osteichthyans, where the placement into Actinopterygii, Sarcopterygii or basal Osteichthyes is debated.

This published work and the nomenclatural acts it contains (replacement of preoccupied names) have been registered in ZooBank, the online registration system for the ICZN. The ZooBank LSIDs (Life Science Identifiers) can be resolved and the associated information viewed through any standard web browser by appending the LSID to the prefix http://zoobank.org/. The LSID for this publication is: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0F2C9D33-9584-4739B914-5C4C243E0B1F.

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