A revision of the genus Crocuta (Mammalia, Hyaenidae)

The genus Crocuta evolved in Africa no later than 4 Ma and dispersed from that continent between 2.5 and 2 Ma. At its peak in the late Pleistocene, Crocuta had a geographic distribution that encompassed most of the Old World, except for the northernmost parts of Siberia. Herein, we describe new material of Crocuta from Africa, review the fossil record of the genus in the rest of the world, and revise its species-level taxonomy on the basis of metric and morphological data. We conclude that the genus comprises at least seven extinct species in addition to the extant C crocuta and that the fossil record includes a number of transitional specimens that cannot be classified to species. Extinct African species are C. venustula (synonyms: C. dietrichi, C. dbaa; early Pliocene - early Pleistocene), C. ultra (early - middle Pleistocene), and C. eturono (late Pliocene). Asian species are C. honanensis (early Pleistocene) and C. ultima (middle - late Pleistocene), possibly with an unnamed species in the early Pleistocene of India and Pakistan. European species are C. intermedia (middle Pleistocene) and C. spelaea (middle - late Pleistocene).