A rare deciduous premolar (DP3) of Tragoportax punjabicus from the Late Miocene Dhok Pathan Formation (Bhandar Bone Bed), Jhelum, Pakistan: taxonomy and comparative morphology

Abstract

Background: The Middle Siwaliks of northern Pakistan preserve one of the most important Late Miocene terrestrial mammal records in Asia, with Bovidae—especially boselaphines—forming a dominant component of Dhok Pathan faunas. Deciduous dentition is rarely recovered and remains under-described despite its taxonomic value. Objective: To describe and diagnose a rare isolated deciduous premolar (DP3) attributed to Tragoportax punjabicus from the Bhandar Bone Bed (Dhok Pathan Formation, Jhelum, Pakistan) and evaluate its systematic significance through comparative morphology and morphometrics. Methods: The specimen (USKT-PC 100923) was collected by surface prospecting, mechanically and chemically cleaned, photographed in standardized views, and measured using digital calipers. Qualitative dental characters and quantitative dimensions were compared with published DP3 datasets and systematic accounts of Siwalik boselaphines. Results: USKT-PC 100923 is a well-preserved left DP3 with smooth to mildly rugose enamel, prominent labial styles and ribs, shallow median valley, deep anterior and posterior fossettes, and an anterior shelf-like cingulum. Measurements (L 18.60 mm; W 12.00 mm; W/L 0.65) align with published Tragoportax DP3 values and support referral to T. punjabicus. Conclusion: This DP3 represents a rare juvenile dental record of T. punjabicus from the Bhandar Bone Bed, refining the Siwalik boselaphine dataset and highlighting the systematic value of deciduous dentition for taxonomic reassessment.