封面介绍

《古脊椎动物学报》2015年第53卷第3期
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  封面说明：貘类动物于始新世起源于北美地区，后来成为美洲和欧亚大陆特有动物；但在其演化历史中，在北美和欧洲地区都存在一个中中新世的化石记录间断(tapir vaccum), 而我国却是当时地球上仅存貘类动物的地区；因此，云南貘及其近亲很有可能是晚新生代貘类动物的直接祖先。云南貘比现今的马来貘体型稍小，但其骨骼和牙齿结构却与现代貘已十分接近，尤其是和亚洲地区的化石貘类更为接近。目前所发现的云南貘化石均出自我国云南省的中、晚中新世地层，其中昭通古猿地点的貘类化石最为丰富；迄今已发现残破上颌骨、较为完整的下颌骨及头后骨骼多件，是研究中新世末期貘类动物演化的宝贵素材。详见吉学平等人文。(绘图：许勇)
  
  

  Cover image: Tapirs were originated in North America in Eocene, and finally became the common animal in America and Eurasia. In the history of evolution, there existed a “tapir vaccum” during the period of Middle Miocene both in North America and Europe; but during the time span, tapirs were prosperous in China, therefore Tapirus yunanensis and its kins can be regarded as the direct ancestor of the late Cenozoic tapirs. T. yunnanensis is slightly smaller than the recent Malay tapir in body build, but very close to the latter in dentitions and postcranial bone morphology. The fossils of T. yunnanensis were only recovered from the Middle and Upper Miocene deposits at some localities in Yunnan Province, among which the Shuitangba ape fossil locality in Zhaotong bears the richest fossils of this species; up to now, the recovered fossils include partial maxillae, nearly complete mandibles, isolated teeth and postcranial bones, which are very helpful in the study of the evolution of end-Miocene tapirs. See details in the paper of Ji et al. (Illustrated by Xu Yong)

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