Table of Content

15 December 2003, Volume 41 Issue 04

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ZELOMYIDAE, A NEW FAMILY OF RODENTIA (MAMMALIA) FROM THE EOCENE OF ASIA

Mary R Dawson, HUANG XueShi, LI ChuanKui,WANG BanYue

2003, 41(04):  249-270. 

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Six Eocene localities in eastern China, ranging geographically fromJilin to Jiangsu provinces and in age from Irdinmanhan to late Sharamurunian or Ergilian, have yielded four genera (Haozi, Suomys, and Andersomys named as new here and Zelomys) assigned to the new rodent family Zelomyidae. The family is characterized by a primitive protrogomorphous2sciurognathous zygomasseteric structure and pauciserial incisor enamel, but the cheek teeth are precocious in development of hypocone and hypolophid. Later members of the family exhibit a development of buccal flattening to selenodonty of the cusps of the cheek teeth. Relationships of the new family are unclear, although some dental similarities suggest affinities with the Eomyidae. On the other hand, differences from eomyids may suggest that the zelomyids are an independently derived Asian Eocene family.

NOTE ON TWO NEW MAMMALIAN SPECIES FROM THE LATE PALEOCENE OF NANXIONG, GUANGDONG

HUANG XueShi, ZHENGJiaJian

2003, 41(04):  271-277. 

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Two new species of Mammalia from the Late Paleocene of Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong Province are described in the present paper. The new forms enrich the member of the type Nongshan Two new species of Mammalia from the Late Paleocene of Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong Province are described in the present paper. The new forms enrich the member of the type Nongshan.

A NEW SPECIES OF INDARCTOS FROM BAODE, CHINA

QIU ZhanXiang, R. H. Tedford

2003, 41(04):  278-288. 

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While studying the Carnivora material from the Yushe area a few years ago, Tedford noticed a well preserved Indarctos skull from Baode, China, in the Frick Collection housed in the AMNH. The skull in association with its mandibles and atlas was sent to Frick by one of his agents, Mr. Liu Hsi Ku, in 1934. Qiu, while visiting to the AMNH in 2001, together with Tedford, studied this specimen and found that it belonged evidently to a new species of the genus Indarctos, widely diffe2 rent from the two known species in China. So far more or less complete skulls have been known only from two European localities (Can Llobateres and Samos). No complete skull has ever been described in China. In view of its importance for our understanding of the Chinese Indarctos, it is described here.

FOSSIL CHARDINOMYS (MURIDAE, RODENTIA , MAMMALIA) FROM LEIJIAHE SECTIONS , LINGTAI, GANSU

CUI Ning

2003, 41(04):  289-305. 

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Totally 394 specimens of Chardinomys were collected from 3 sections which ranging from latest Miocene to early Pleistocene near Leijiahe Village , Lingtai County , Gansu Province by screen2 washing during 1997～1999 field work seasons. These well stratigraphically calibrated specimens, representing all the forms known in China and 2 new primitive forms of this genus, give an unprecedented chance to revise all the known species and to study systematically the evolutionary relationships of the species in the genus. In addition, the relationships of Chardinomys with Occitanomys and Orientalomys are also discussed in this paper.

PLIOCENE MICROMAMMALIAN BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF NIHEWAN BASIN, WITH COMMENTS ON THE STRATIGRAPHIC DIVISION

ZHANG ZhaoQun, ZHENG ShaoHua, LIU JianBo

2003, 41(04):  306-313. 

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Summary can be seen in PDF.

RECENT ADVANCES OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SHANWANG STAGE IN THE CHINESE NEOGENE

DENG Tao, WANG Wei, Ming YUE LePing

2003, 41(04):  314-323. 

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The Shanwang Stage, a chronostratigraphic unit of the Chinese Neogene, corresponds to the Shanwang Mammal Age (Deng, 2002). The defined biostratigraphic zones of the Shanwang Stage correspond to MN3 ～ MN5 of the European mammal ages , and its lower boundary should be at 2015 Ma according to the paleomagnetic dating of the lower boundary of MN3 (Steininger, 1999) . On the basis of the principles of the modern stratigraphy for the stage establishment, the Shanwang Formation is studied on the biostratigraphy and dated by paleomagnetic and isotopic methods. The new dating indicates that the lower boundary of the Shanwang Formation is at 18 Ma. As a result, the age of the Shanwang mammalian fauna is advanced to correspond to MN4 of the European mammal ages from MN5 in the traditional viewpoint (Qiu et al., 1999). Actually, Qiu et al. (1985a, 1985b, 1991) considered that Palaeomeryx tricornis, Ursavus orientalis, Thaumastocyoninae gen. et sp. indet., and Plesiotapirus yagii from the Shanwang fauna should imply an age corresponding to MN4. Liu et al. (2002) indicated that Hyotherium penisulus of the Shanwang fauna should be referred into Listriodontinae, and it has the same age with MN4, the earliest appearance of this subfamily. On the other hand, the mammalian fauna corresponding to MN3 in the lower part of the defined Shanwang Stage is still absent on the section of the Shanwang Formation. There are no deposits of the early Shanwang Age from 20. 5 Ma to 18 Ma so that the lower boundary of the Shanwang Stage cannot be found in the Shanwang section. International Stratigraphic Guide advocates basically determing the lower boundary2stratotype in order to establish a chronostratigraphic unit, and its upper boundary should be determined by the lower boundary of its overlying unit (Salvador, 1994). In the Lanzhou Basin and Qin’an Area of Gansu Province, the thick deposits from the Oligocene to the Miocene are well exposed, with the mammalian fossils of the lower part of the Shanwang Stage and fit deposits for the paleomagnetic dating (Qiu et al., 1997; Guo et al., 2002). Consequently, they are favorable localities to establish the lower boundary2stratotype of the Shanwang Stage.

NOTE ON A HADROSAUR FOOTPRINT FROM HEILONGJIANG RIVER AREA OF CHINA

DONG ZhiMing, ZHOU ZhongLi, WU ShaoYuan

2003, 41(04):  324-326. 

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A new record of hadrosaur, Jiayinosauropus johnsoni ichnogen. et ichnosp. nov. , was established on the basis of a well preserved footprint . The specimen was collected from the Yong’ancun Formation of Jiayin Group of early Late Cretaceous. The site is situated on the right bank of the Heilongjiang River , near Jiayin County , Heilongjiang Province. It was a pedal impression of a hadrosaur. It appeared a broadly tridactyl foot and possessed wide and thick digital . There are webs between the digits. The first hadrosaur, Mandschurosaurus amurensis (Riabinin , 1925 ,1930) , was reported on the south bank of Heilongjiang River. It showed that the duck-bill dinosaurs existed in the region during the Cretaceous age. This footprint, Jiayinosauropus, is the first record of hadrosaur footprint in China.

FIRST PHAREODUS (OSTEOGLOSSOMORPHA : OSTEOGLOSSIDAE) FROM CHINA

ZHANG JiangYong

2003, 41(04):  327-331. 

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EARLY PLEISTOCENE CHALICOTHERE FOSSILS FROM HUANGJIAWAN, ZHEN’AN, SHAANXI, CHINA

LI XiaoChen, DENG Kai

2003, 41(04):  332-336. 

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A lot of large mammal fossils were collected from a fluvial deposit in Huangjiawan, Zhen’an, Shaanxi, China. Two species of chalicotheres from this fauna are described in this paper.