Table of Content

15 September 2009, Volume 47 Issue 3

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A REVISION AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF GUIZHOUCOELACANTHUS (SARCOPTERYGII, ACTINISTIA) FROM THE TRIASSIC OF CHINA

GENG Bing-He, ZHU Min, JIN Fan

2009, 47(3):  165-177. 

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We re-describe the coelacanth Guizhoucoelacanthus guanlingensis Liu et al. 2006, mainly based on a new articulated specimen from the Middle Triassic of Fuyuan, Yunnan Province,China. It is characterized by its small orbital openings, and the postorbital spanning the intracranial joint. The phylogenetic analysis suggests that Guizhoucoelacanthus is the sister taxon of Whiteia +Piveteauia. Guizhoucoelacanthus is assigned to the family Whiteiidae with derived characters including: anterior and posterior pairs of parietals of similar size; fin rays in anterior dorsal fin less than eight.

ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE ICHTHYOSAUR SHASTASAURUS IN THE GUANLING BIOTA (LATE TRIASSIC), GUIZHOU, CHINA

SHANG Qing-Hua, LI Chun

2009, 47(3):  178-193. 

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A completely articulated ichthyosaur skeleton from the Guanling biota, Guizhou is described. The well preserved postcranial skeleton demonstrates that Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae,a large Triassic ichthyosaurid species previously described fromGuizhou, should be referred to Shastasaurus. Enough materials were found to make possible a satisfactory determination of the systematic position of the large Guanling ichthyosaur species, although both the genus Shastasaurus and the family Shastasauridae have long been hard to define due to the fragmentary nature of the type specimens. The postcranial characters of Shastasaurus tangaeare described in detail based on the new skeleton, the holotype ofGuizhouichthyosaurus tangae and other associated Guanling large ichthyosaur materials. The trunk is very long, with more then 60 presacral vertebrae and a ventrally bent tail. The scapula is broad sickle-shaped. The humerus is anteriorly notched, with a short shaft. The radius is nearly rectangular, with a small notch in the anterior edge, and a very slightly concave posterior edge. The ulna is much smaller than the radius, with a slightly concave anterior edge and bluntly rounded posterior and distal edges. The forefin and hindfin have four principal digits.

A NEW SPECIES OF THE BASAL BIRD SAPEORNIS FROM THE EARLY CRETACEOUS OF LIAONING, CHINA

Pauline PROVINI, ZHOU Zhong-He, ZHANG Fu-Cheng

2009, 47(3):  194-207. 

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 A new species of the avian Sapeornis is described based on a specimen discovered from the Early Cretaceous lacustrine Jiufotang Formation in Dapingfang, Chaoyang,Liaoning Province, Northeast China. The new species Sapeornis angustis is relatively small compared to the type species, S. chaoyangensis, and distinguishable from the latter in possessing 5–6 sacrals, a distinct narrow humeral deltoid crest with a less acute dorso-distal process, narrower furcular rami, a shorter hypocleidum, a relatively longer Metacarpal I and a shorter pubic symphysis. Like in Archaeopteryx and other known specimens of Sapeornis, the new species preserves no uncinate process or sternum, suggesting that both structures are ossified in a late stage of development and none of the known specimens of Archaeopteryx and Sapeornis is fully adult. The discovery of a new species of Sapeornis provides more anatomical information about this basal avian, and documents the trend of size increase and some morphological specializations in its evolutionary history. Furthermore, it also adds to our understanding of the differentiation and diversity of birds in the Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem.

THE MIOCENE MAMMALS FROM DINGSHANYANCHI FORMATION OF NORTH JUNGGAR BASIN, XINJIANG

WU Wen-Yu, MENG Jin, YE Jie, NI Xi-Jun, BI Shun-Dong, WEI Yong-Peng

2009, 47(3):  208-233. 

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Fossil mammals from two levels of the Dinshanyanchi Formation are described. The fauna from basal beds of the formation consists of 22 small and 4 large mammal species belonging to 16 families of 7 mammalian orders, inclusive of a new species Cricetodon volkeri. The basal Dinshanyanchi fuana is correlative to the Moergen fauna of Nei Mongol, Quantougou fauna of Gansu, assemblages from the Chetougou and Xianshuihe formations of Xining Basin, and is middle Tunggurian in age, i.e. middle Middle Miocene, roughly equivalent to the early period of the European land mammal age MN7+8. A fragmentary cheek tooth of a probable Hipparion (Plesiohipparion) houfenense is the only identifiable specimen from the upper level of the Dingshanyanchi Fm., indicating an age of late Late Miocene or Pliocene of the sediments. However, a preliminary identification of the small mammals collected from the top level of the Dingshanyanchi Formation in the 2008 field season precludes from an age of Pliocene of the sediments. The Dingshanyanchi Formation spans therefore a time periord from middle Middle Miocene to late Late Miocene.

A NEW GALEASPID AGNATHAN FROM LOWER DEVONIAN OF GUANGXI, CHINA

WANG Jun-Qing, WANG Shi-Tao, ZHU Min

2009, 47(3):  234-239. 

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A new galeaspid agnathan, Diploholcaspis daleensis gen. et sp. nov., was collected from the middle part of the Dayaoshan Group of Dale, Xiangzhou County, Guangxi, China. The Dayaoshan Group is more than one thousand meters in thickness, but yields rare fossils. It isunconformable with pre-Devonian deposits whose age is likely to be the Cambrian(Bai et al.,1982). Based on the depositional sequence and the age of the overlying strata, the Dayaoshan Group was referred to the Lochkovian(Early Devonian) in age(Bai et al.,1982; Hou and Wang,1988). Diploholcaspis daleensis represents the first finding of early vertebrates in theDayaoshan Group, and provides new data for the regional stratigraphic correlation of Guangxi.

ARDYNOMYS (CYLINDRODONTIDAE, RODENTIA) FROM NEI MONGOL, CHINA

WANG Ban-Yue, MENG Jin

2009, 47(3):  240-244. 

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Ardynomys,a genus of Cylindrodontidae, is well known from the Paleogene of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and North America, but less so from China. Dawson (1968) and Wang and Wang (1991) reported some Ardynomys specimens from Nei Mongol, but they did not describe them in detail. In order to know the features and phylogenetic position of those specimens, we describe and compare them in this paper.