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Vertebrata Palasiatica ›› 2018, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (1): 25-44.

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A new species of Brontotheriidae from the Middle Eocene of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China

Li Shuo   

  • Online:2018-03-15 Published:2018-03-15

准噶尔盆地三个泉始新世雷兽(奇蹄目、雷兽科)一新种

李硕   

Abstract:  A new species of large Irdinmanhan brontothere, Epimanteoceras mae sp. nov., is described based on an incomplete skull which was collected from the Üqbulak Formation of Sangequan site, Junggar Basin of XinjiangUygur Autonomous Region. The new specimen can be assigned to the genus Epimanteoceras by the largesuperorbital processes, the broad frontal bone, the shallow central fossae on the molars, and the absence of the anterolingual cingular cusp on molars and the hypocone on M3. E. mae is characterized by the slightly laterally bowed zygomatic arches, the medially arched parasagittal ridges, the posteromedially angled external auditory pseudomeatus, and the prominent occipital pillar processes. E. mae and E. formosus are closely related. It is uncertain whether E. mae or E. formosus forms the sister group to Brontotheriina, but both of them are the basal group of the latter in the phylogenetic analysis. They are both closed to the Irdinmanhan brontothere Protitan grangeri from Nei Mongol but much primitive than Aktautitan hippopotamopus from Kazakhstan. The discovery of E. mae in Sangequan indicates that the age of Üqbulak Formation is Middle Eocene, and earlier than that of Kyzylbulak Formation bearing A. hippopotamopus in Kazakhstan. Moreover, the discovery of E. mae in Xinjiang expanded the distribution of the genus Epimanteoceras, which was only found in Nei Mongol previously.  

摘要: 新疆准噶尔盆地三个泉中始新世依希白拉组内发现的晚叉额雷兽属新种-马氏晚叉额雷兽(Epimanteoceras mae sp. nov.)是新疆目前发现保存最好的雷兽头骨化石。标本为一件不完整的头骨,缺失鼻骨,前颌骨,部分上颌骨和泪骨。新种具有眶上突较粗大,额骨宽阔平坦,臼齿有中心窝,臼齿舌侧齿带前部上的齿尖不发育,M3无次尖等晚叉额雷兽属的特征。新种的颧弓成向外扩的弓形,额顶嵴在后侧向内收缩弯曲的弧度更大,外耳道较为倾斜,枕柱上方有舌状的突起,与唯一的属型种娇晩叉额雷兽(Epimanteoceras formosus)明显不同。马氏晚叉额雷兽同属型种关系最近,两者在系统发育分析中同为雷兽亚族(Brontotheriina)的基干类群,但是两者是否为后者的姊妹类群尚无法确定。和属型种一样,马氏晚叉额雷兽在演化程度上与内蒙古伊尔丁曼哈期的谷氏原雷兽(Protitan grangeri)接近,但与同时期地理位置更近的哈萨克斯坦的雷兽Aktautitan hippopotamopus相比,马氏晚叉额雷兽较原始,表明新种所在的地层时代很可能要早于发现A. hippopotamopus地层。三个泉剖面依希白拉组伊尔丁曼哈期内以前发现的化石较少,此次马氏晚叉额雷兽的发现,不仅扩大了晚叉额雷兽属的地理分布,亦为依希白拉组内存在伊尔丁曼哈期的沉积提供了新的佐证。