Pronunciation:
Meaning: for Cariocecus
Author/s: Bertozzo et al. (2025)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Sesimbra, Portugal
Discovery Chart Position: #1177
Cariocecus bocagei
[for Cariocecus and du Bocage]
Etymology
Cariocecus is named for the god of war among the Iberian and Lusitanian peoples who lived in what is now central Portugal, alluding to the superficial resemblance to the skull of goats and horses that were typically sacrificed to him in religious rituals. Cariocecus was syncretized in Ares (Greek) and Mars (Roman) after the Roman Empire conquered the region.
The species epithet, bocagei, honours the memory and academic impact of José Vicente Barbosa du Bocage (1823–1907), a nineteenth-century Portuguese naturalist who pioneered zoological research in Portugal.
Zoobank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C02A3840-F7A5-44FA-882D-4403933EAB4C.
Discovery
The remains of Cariocecus were found in the Papo Seco Formation (Lusitanian Basin) near Praia do Areia do Mastro, in the cliffs of Cape Espichel on the Setúbal Penninsula, Sesimbra Municipality, Portugal, by Pedro Marrecas in 2016.
The holotype (SHN.832) is a partial skull.
Preparator
Stephan Berton of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS).
