Discovery and naming
The "Lyra" fossil material was discovered in sediments of the Chinji Formation in the Siwalik Hills of Pakistan. The holotype specimen, YGSP 47357, was discovered in 1994 and comprises a partial skull, including the braincase, basicranium, occipital, and ossicones ("horn-like" structures in giraffids). Four additional ossicone fragments (YGSP 6392, 47192, 49597, and 20651) from other localities in the Chinji Formation were also assigned as paratypes. [1]
In 2024, Ríos & Solounias described "Lyra" sherkana as a new genus and species of giraffids based on these fossil remains. The generic name, Lyra references the lyre string instrument. This name was chosen after the similarity between the shape of the animal's ossicones and the instrument. The specific name, sherkana, honors Tanya Sher Khan, the discoverer of the holotype. [1]
The genus name Lyra is preoccupied by a gastropod named by Mousson in 1872. [2]
In 2025, Solounias and Danowitz provisionally referred three "Lyra" specimens (YGSP 47357, 6392, and 47192) to Decennatherium . However, they also noted differences from this taxon and several similarities to Bramatherium . [3]
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