• Fossil gibbons (Mammalia, Hylobatidae) from the Pleistocene of Chongzuo, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

    分类: 地球科学 >> 地质学 提交时间: 2018-04-04 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》

    摘要: Recent fieldwork at Pleistocene cave sites in the Chongzuo area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has yielded 33 isolated teeth of fossil hylobatids. Comparisons indicate that the teeth can all be referred to a single species of Nomascus, but the material is insufficient to assign it to a particular species. The molars are slightly larger on average than those of extant species of Nomascus, but unlike contemporary great apes from the Pleistocene of southern China, the hylobatids do not seem to have undergone a change in dental size through time. Nomascus is not present in the Chongzuo area today, but historical records indicate that the genus may have been widely distributed across southern China in the recent past.

  • Platacanthomyid remains from the late Cenozoic deposits of East China

    分类: 地球科学 >> 地质学 提交时间: 2017-08-24 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》

    摘要: Remains of Platacanthomyidae from a late Cenozoic fissure in Fanchang, Anhui, and from the Miocene deposits of Sihong, Jiangsu, China are described. Three species and two genera, including two new species are recognized. They are Neocometes sinensis sp. nov. from Fanchang and Sihong, and N. magna sp. nov. and Typhlomys sp. from Fanchang. The Fanchang assemblage is a mixed sample with elements probably representing an interval spanning from the Early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Judging from fossil content and coloration in the sample, the two species of Neocometes are inferred to be Miocene in age, while the Typhlomys to be later. The joint occurrence of some typical Miocene elements in the assemblage seems to indicate that the Fanchang sample includes an association which can be closely correlated with the Early Miocene Sihong Fauna and the Shanwang Fauna of China, and with the Miocene faunas known from Thailand. Dental characters of Neocomets appear to suggest that the Asian species of the genus have undergone a rapid increase of size, heightening of dental crown, strengthening of ridges, and gradually development of ectoloph in the upper molars and endolophid in the lower molars, representing an evolutionary lineage different from that of Europe. 描述了安徽繁昌和江苏泗洪新发现的晚新生代堆积物中的刺山鼠科化石。化石共有两属3种,即产自安徽、江苏的中华新来鼠(新种) (Neocometes sinensis sp. nov.)和产自安徽的大新来鼠(新种) (N. magna sp. nov.)及猪尾鼠未定种(Typhlomys sp.)。安徽繁昌的材料来自裂隙堆积,采样时未作分层处理,对单个化石属种很难进行准确的时代确定;但根据所采集化石的组分和上下层位保存的颜色与埋葬方式上的差异,推测Neocometes的时代为中新世,而Typhlomys可能较晚。Neocometes属的出现和典型中新世动物成员的存在,表明繁昌这一含古猿的裂隙堆积中含有大致与江苏泗洪动物群和山东山旺动物群相当、甚至可与泰国中新世动物群对比的啮齿动物组合。新种牙齿的形态特征显示,Neocometes属在亚洲经历了个体迅速增大,齿冠增高,齿脊增强,上臼齿外脊和下臼齿内脊逐渐发育的过程,与该属在欧洲的演化趋势有所不同。

  • Sciurid remains from the Late Cenozoic fssure-fllings of Fanchang, Anhui, China

    分类: 地球科学 >> 地质学 提交时间: 2017-08-11 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》

    摘要: Remains of sciurids from a late Cenozoic fissure in Anhui, China are described. Six taxa, including one new genus and two new species, representing five genera and four tribes in the subfamily Sciurinae are recognized. They are Sciurus sp., Tamias sp., Plesiosciurus zhengi sp. nov., Sciurotamias wangi Qiu, 2002, S. teilhardi Zheng, 1993, and Pseudoratufa wanensis gen. et sp. nov. The material described was collected from four levels of the fissure fillings. On the basis of the fossil content and coloration, the collection is considered to be a mixed sample with elements representing a rather long interval, probably ranging from the Early Miocene to the Pleistocene. The assemblage shows similar traits of the late Cenozoic sciurine faunas from central and southern China, and contains an intriguing genus Pseudoratufa. Characters of the latter’s dentition clearly demonstrate that the new-comer of ratufin is a tree squirrel; Pseudoratufa is probably coeval with the Fanchang hominoid, and with Diatomys and beavers found in this fissure. The joint occurrence of these taxa seems to be indicative of existence of forest biotopes once in this district during the earlier Miocene. 描述了安徽繁昌癞痢山塘口晚新生代裂隙堆积物中发现的松鼠类材料。化石代表松鼠亚科的4个族,共有5属6种,其中包括一个新属和两个新种,即树松鼠族的Sciurus sp., 花鼠族的Tamias sp.和Plesiosciurus zhengi sp. nov., 旱獭族的Sciurotamias wangi Qiu, 2002和S. teilhardi Zheng, 1993, 以及巨松鼠族的Pseudoratufa wanensis gen. et sp. nov.。所研究的材料系混合地采自同一裂隙堆积的4个不同层位,化石的组分可能代表从早中新世至更新世的不同时段。繁昌的这一松鼠组合具有中国中南部晚新生代松鼠动物群的特色,并含有稀奇的Pseudoratufa属。该新属的牙齿形态显示了其树栖松鼠的特征,而且可以归入甚为稀有的巨松鼠族。其遗骸具有与该地点发现的古猿、硅藻鼠和河狸类化石相似的石化和堆积过程,似乎表明这些动物属于时代相同或较接近的群体,它们的共存也说明了繁昌地区在中新世时有过相对湿润的森林生境。