DIET AND DENTAL MORPHOLOGY OF 2 COEXISTING AETHOMYS SPECIES (RODENTIA) IN MOZAMBIQUE - IMPLICATIONS FOR DIET RECONSTRUCTION IN RELATED EXTINCT SPECIES FROM SOUTH-AFRICA

The examination of dental morphology of coexisting modern Aethomys nam aquensis Smith, 1834 and A. chrysophilus de Winton, 1896 from Mozambiq ue, whose diet has been studied in the field, shows that the developme nt of stephanodont crests and the multiplication of supplementary cusp s on labial side of the lower molars is associated with a mainly veget arian diet. To the most specialized dentition corresponds the most spe cialized diet. The application of these results to two coexisting Aeth omys species from the fossil site of Langebaanweg (Pliocene, South Afr ica) allows to conclude that their dental differences correspond to di fferent paleodiets. Moreover, the A. namaquensis lineage shows during Plio- Pleistocene times a shift in dental morphology corresponding to an evolution toward a more vegetarian diet. The comparative tooth anat omy seems to be a reliable method for determining diet of extinct rode nts species, their close or less close relatives, when diets of extant species are precisely known.