Abstract:

A skull with mandible and several cervicals of a new species of Huerzelerimys, H. asiaticus, collected from the Late Miocene Liushu Formation in Linxia Basin, Gansu Province, is described in this paper. The skull is the first one ever found for the genus Huerzelerimys. Its main characters are: size small; skull broad and short with stout rostrum; interorbital roof narrow; premaxillary laterodorsal crest well developed; frontal crests weak and subparallel; incisive foramina long, with their posterior ends lined up with anterior root of M1; posterior palatal foramina located mesial to M2; caudal border of hard palate lying posterior to M3; interpterygoid foramen absent; alisphenoid canal bony; bulla large and inflated; internal carotid foramen located near the basilar tubercle; mandible having low horizontal ramus and deeply concave diastema; anterior end of masseteric ridge lined up with anterior margin of m1; mental foramen situated slightly anterior to masseteric ridge and anteroventral to m1, near to mandibular diastema; upper incisors orthodont; M1 having slightly anteriorly located t1; in M1 and M2 t6 and t9 connected by distinct crest and t12 crest-like; t1 and t3 of M2 and t1 of M3 connected to t5; M3 having t3 and a large isolated t8; small Acc of m1 connected with both Alc and Abc; m1 and m2 having distinct buccal cingula, larger c2 attached to protoconid, and low crest-like posterior heel; m2 and m3 having isolated Abc; c1 absent in m3. The evolutionary level of the described skull tends to show that the age of the upper part of the Liushu Formation yielding H. asiaticus may belong to late Bahean, corresponding to European upper MN11 or lower MN12.

Key words: Hezheng, Gansu, Late Miocene, Liushu Formation, Huerzelerimys, Murinae

摘要：

描述了甘肃临夏盆地晚中新世柳树组中采集到的一件鼠亚科具下颌骨的头骨和数节颈椎化石(IVPP V 16288)。该头骨代表许氏鼠的一新种,被命名为亚洲许氏鼠(Huerzelerimys asiaticus sp. nov.)。这是许氏鼠头骨的首次发现。其主要特征是：个体较小;头骨较宽短,具较宽短的吻部和较窄的眶间区;有较发达的前颌骨侧背嵴;两额嵴弱,近于平行;门齿孔长,向后延伸至M1前齿根舌侧;后颚孔位于M2舌侧;硬颚后缘位于M3之后;无翼间孔;具骨质的翼蝶管和膨大的听泡;内颈动脉孔的位置靠近基结节;下颌骨水平支较低,齿隙凹入较深;咬肌嵴伸至m1前缘下方;颏孔位于m1的前下方,咬肌嵴前方,靠近齿隙;I2为垂直伸型;M1的t1位置较H. exiguus靠前;M1和M2的t6和t9的连接脊明显,t12为低的脊形;M2的t1和t3以及M3的t1均与t5连;M3有t3和较大而孤立的t8; m1的下前中尖(Acc)明显,与颊侧下前边尖(Abc)和舌侧下前边尖(Alc)连;m1和m2颊侧齿带明显,有较大的c2与下原尖相连,后根为低弱的脊形;m2和m3的Abc孤立;m3无c1等。根据H. asiaticus的进化程度,H. aisaticus的产出时代可能比H. exiguus的稍晚,为灞河期晚期,大致与欧洲MN11上部或MN12下部的时代相当。

关键词: 甘肃和政, 晚中新世, 柳树组, 许氏鼠, 鼠亚科