Material of Hispanomys (Rodentia, Cricetodontinae) is described from various localities at Batallones (MN10) (Madrid, Spain). All of it belongs to a

Recent extensive field prospecting conducted in the Upper Miocene of Lebanon resulted in the discovery of several new fossiliferous localities. One of these, situated in the Zahleh area (Bekaa Valley, central Lebanon) has yielded a particularly diverse vertebrate fauna. Micromammals constitute an important part of this assemblage because not only do they represent the first Neogene rodents and insectivores from Lebanon, but they are also the only ones from the early Late Miocene of the Arabian Peninsula and circumambient areas. Analyses of the murines from Zahleh reveal that they belong to a small-sized early Progonomys, which cannot be assigned to any of the species of the genus hitherto described. They are, thereby, shown to represent a new species: Progonomys manolo. Morphometric analyses of the outline of the first upper molars of this species suggest a generalist and omnivorous diet. This record sheds new light onto a major phenomenon in the evolutionary history of rodents, which is the earliest dispersal of mice. It suggests that the arrival of murines in Africa got under way through the Levant rather than via southern Europe and was monitored by the ecological requirements of Progonomys.

The subfamily Ctenodactylinae is known from the Early Miocene to the present. Today this group comprises five species, restricted to north and east equatorial areas in Africa. However, in Miocene times the ctenodactylines experienced their greatest diversification and widest distribution, from Asia, their land of origin, to Africa, which they entered during the Middle Miocene at the latest. So far 24 species can be referred to this group: Ctenodactylus gundi, C. vali, Massoutiera mzabi, Felovia vae, Pectinator spekei, Pellegrinia panormensis, Sayimys obliquidens, S. baskini, S. giganteus, S. assarrarensis, S. intermedius, S. sivalensis, Metasayimys curvidens, Africanomys pulcher, A. major, A. minor, A. kettarati, Irhoudia bohlini, I. robinsoni, Pireddamys rayi, Sardomys dawnsonae, S. antoniettae, Akzharomys mallos and Prosayimys flynni. A cladistic analysis involving all of the above-mentioned species has been carried out. P. flynni emerged as the most basal species of the ingroup. The genus Sayimys did not appear monophyletic. This analysis also provided information on the origin not only of the African ctenodactylines, found to be the Indian subcontinent, but also the origin of European ctenodactylines: Asiatic for Sardinian species, African for Sicilian species.

The family Thryonomyidae is known from the Eocene up to the present. Today, this group comprises just two closely related species, which are restrict

The subfamily Rhizomyinae is known from the Late Oligocene up to the present. Today this group comprises six species, which live in southern Asia and eastern Africa. Despite the current moderate diversity of the rhizomyines, they had a greater diversification and wider distribution in the past: from Asia, their land of origin, to Africa, which they entered during the Early Miocene. So far 33 fossil species can be referred to this group. A cladistic analysis involving fossil and living species has been carried out. Prokanisamys spp. turned out to be the most basal taxa of the ingroup. This analysis calls into question the monophyly of several genera, and allows the proposal of a phylogenetic definition of the tribes Tachyoryctini and Rhizomyini. It also provides information about the origin of the African rhizomyines and allows inferring multiple dispersal phenomena from Asia to Africa in Early and Late Miocene times.