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New fossils of small and medium-sized bovids from the Early Site of Shanshenmiaozui in Nihewan Basin, North China
TONG Hao-Wen, ZHANG Bei, CHEN Xi, WANG Xiao-Min
Vertebrata Palasiatica    2022, 60 (2): 134-168.   DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.220413
Abstract   (565 HTML128 PDF(pc) (11536KB)(532)  

Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin in North China is a recently discovered Early Pleistocene site which yields rich and diverse mammalian fossils. In the fauna, the small and medium-sized bovid fossils are well represented and can be referred to the following taxa: Spirocerus wongi, Gazella sinensis, Ovis shantungensis and Megalovis piveteaui respectively, among which G. sinensis is the dominate species. S. wongi and G. sinensis are mainly represented by horn-cores and partial skull bones as well as mandibles; in addition, metacarpal and/or metatarsal bones were also recognized for all of the four species. The horn-cores are easy to be identified to the species level, while the dentitions and the postcranial bones underwent a series of examinations and comparisons before getting properly determined and referred to the most approximate taxa. Among the postcranial bones, the metapodials, especially to the metacarpal bones special attentions were paid, which are crucial not only for taxonomic identification, but also for phylogenetic and paleoecological reconstructions; the previously misidentified metapodial specimens in Nihewan fauna were reconsidered in this paper. In the SSMZ fauna, the bovid guild is dominated by Gazella and Bison, which indicates steppe was the most important biome in Nihewan Basin during Early Pleistocene.


Fig. 10 Maxilla of Megalovis piveteaui (MNHN-NIH 150) from Xiashagou of Nihewan
A. buccal view; B. occlusal view
Extracts from the Article
The genus Megalovis of the Villafranchian are thought by many to be similar to the ancestral form of Ovibos, if not directly ancestral (Crégut-Bonnoure, 1984). Actually, Teilhard de Chardin and Piveteau (1930) had indicated the close affinity of Megalovis piveteaui with Ovibos in the following aspects: cheek teeth without basal pillars, premolars quite hypsodont (Fig. 10A), upper molars with small enamel loops between the lobes at the lingual side (Fig. 10B). Furthermore, the present authors also think the upper molars are quite elongated in crown and the upper premolars with spurs (Fig. 10B). Although the cranial and cornual features are almost completely unknown, the close relationship between Megalovis and ovibovines is verified. On the other hand, the metapodials of Megalovis are also quite stout (Table 4), which resembles those of the recent Ovibos.
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