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Vertebrata Palasiatica ›› 2010, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2): 119-132.

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NEWLY DISCOVERED SCHLOSSERIA MAGISTER SKULLS FROM CENTRAL NEI MONGOL, CHINA

Li Ping, Wang Yuan-Qing   

  • Online:2010-06-15 Published:2010-06-15

内蒙古中部新发现的Schlosseria magister头骨材料

李萍,王元青   

Abstract: Juvenile skull and skull fragment, together with an adult skull of Schlosseria magister, discovered in Nei Mongol, are described in this paper. The juvenile skull comes from the Arshanto Formation, Huheboerhe section, and represents the first known lophialetid juvenile skull. The adult specimen was discovered in the basal white layer of Erden (Urtyn) Obo, and is the first adult skull of Schlosseria magister ever described. The major differences between the juvenile and adult S. magister skulls lie in the contact of certain bones, the shape of the rostrum, and in some features related to masticatory function. Overall, adult S. magister and Lophialetes expeditus exhibit only minor differences in cranial characteristics. Problems in the classification of lophialetid skulls are also discussed in this paper. 

摘要: 记述了产自内蒙古呼和勃尔和剖面阿山头组的始施氏貘(Schlosseria magister)幼年头骨、头骨碎片及产自额尔登敖包底白层的S. magister成年头骨。幼年头骨在脊齿貘科属首次描述,成年头骨材料也是目前S. magister中首次描述。幼年头骨主要特征如下:头骨细长,脑颅部略有扩张,有眶后突,眶后收缩明显,矢状脊轻微发育;鼻切迹浅,位于前臼齿列之前,由前颌骨和鼻骨构成;眼眶大,眶前缘位于M1后部上方,眶下孔位于DP3?4之上;基蝶骨向后向中央逐渐加厚,末端隆起;翼蝶骨很大,从腹面看向后向背侧扩展,末端形成三角形的翼蝶骨突,覆盖在卵圆孔上;岩骨岬部表面有内颈动脉及其分支留下的3条沟痕;最内侧的为内颈动脉内侧沟,沿着岬部弯曲前行至最前部;镫骨动脉沟短小,横跨在圆窗前腹侧;岬动脉沟最长,起始于卵圆窗前内侧,沿岬部向前延伸;弓形下窝所在位置平滑,无凹陷。S. magister乳颊齿主要特征如下:DP2冠面大致呈三角形,前窄后宽,前缘较尖,长明显大于宽;外脊上仅有一个中央主尖前尖,一个非常不明显的小棱(可能为雏形的原脊)紧贴在前尖后舌侧壁上;前、后附尖不明显。DP3冠面呈梯形,与DP2相比明显增大,亚臼齿化,前附尖和后附尖略大,原、后脊明显。前尖大,后尖尚未分离;原尖很弱,几乎无法辨认,原脊低且不发育;次尖大而钝,比原尖更靠舌侧,后脊比原脊略发育,中部具小的后小尖;后脊在次尖处拐向后唇侧,使得磨蚀面呈V形。DP4冠面近方形,完全臼齿化,后尖已从外脊上分化出来,比前尖稍小,向舌侧倾斜,后尖肋明显;舌侧尖、脊发育完好,原尖和次尖大而钝,原脊、后脊近乎平行,比DP3的更高更长;两条脊分别在原尖和后尖处拐向后唇侧方,形成V形的磨蚀面。 S. magister在由幼年向成年转变的过程中,主要变化趋势如下:1) 吻部特征不同,主要表现为鼻切迹的位置、形态以及与之相关的前颌骨、上颌骨形态的差异。幼年头骨的鼻切迹位于前臼齿列之前,由前颌骨和鼻骨组成;成年头骨的鼻切迹后缩至M1?2之上,由鼻骨和上颌骨组成,并且因鼻切迹后缩造成鼻骨不与前颌骨接触。幼年和成年个体上颌骨的整体形态,眶前窝、眶下孔的位置和形态都差异显著。2) 与咀嚼功能相关的结构改变。幼年个体的矢状脊微弱,而成年个体的则高且突起,暗示了后者具有相对强大的颞肌,以适应咀嚼功能。对比发现,S. magister与Lophialetes expeditus成年头骨在大小、整体形态和一些具有分类意义的特征上(如鼻骨和泪骨、前颌骨的接触方式,眶后突、关节后突、下颌关节窝的形状,矢状脊的高度等)非常接近。参照童永生、雷奕振(1984)对脊齿貘类头骨的划分方法,将Schlosseria magister的头骨与L. expeditus的划为一组,同时纠正了原有划分方案中存在的问题。