Molayan (Afghanistan) and the Khaur Siwaliks of Pakistan: an example of biogeographic isolation of Late Miocene mammalian faunas

Abstract

The mammalian fauna from Molayan (Afghanistan) is compared with that of the Khaur Siwaliks of Pakistan. The detailed comparison reveals that, in spite of the geographical proximity of the two faunas, there is no recorded species in common between them. The differences cannot be attributed to a chronological gap; they can be partly explained by a difference in the palaeoenvironments. Another cause of the faunal differences must have been the existence of a mountain barrier separating the Indian subcontinent from Afghanistan. As a consequence, the Late Miocene hominoid primates from the Indian subcontinent were isolated from the Greek and Turkish ones.