View article

Fossil specimens collected decades, or even centuries ago, are still critically important to modern scientific study. Unfortunately, the preparatory history of these specimens is commonly unrecorded, leading to confusion over morphological features. An excellent example is found in Simocyon primigenius, the type species of the genus Simocyon. This genus is closely related to the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) and lived during the Middle Miocene to the Early Pliocene in North America, Europe, and Asia. The holotype of S. primigenius is a skull with associated lower jaws from the Turolian (Late Miocene) deposits of Pikermi, Greece, and is stored at the Bavarian State Collection of Palaeontology and Geology, Munich. In addition to lateral deformation during fossilization, this holotype has several parts superficially filled by artificial material which partially hide its original morphology. We obtained high resolution three-dimensional data of the holotype using a CT scanner. We were able to identify clear density differences between not only the bone and matrix, but also the reconstructed anatomy – which was impossible to differentiate externally from bone by macroscopy. Artificial fillings are found in the right parietal and temporal (4-5 cm in certain areas), the dorsal premaxilla, nasals, maxilla, most of the left zygomatic arch (temporal), and the left upper and lower canines. As these elements do not constitute original anatomy of this holotype, their potential impact on former systematic studies needs to be checked and future use of the specimen in fossil comparisons, identifications, or studies of the intraspecific variation of Simocyon requires selective …