Abstract: The tapirid fossils from the Neogene deposits are relatively scarce, mainly including isolated teeth. In Europe, some Miocene specimens of the genus Tapirus were found, among which,the earliest species was Tapirus telleri established by Hofmann (1893) from Goriach in Austria, and Opole 2 in Poland with the age of Astaracian(MN 6). Another widespread species was Tapirus priscus established by Kaup(1833) from Eppelsheim, Westhofen, and Wissberg in Ger-many, Can Llobateres in Spain, Priay in France, Biedermannsdorf in Austria, and Rudabanya in Hungary, with the age of Vallesian (MN 9)(Heissig,1999). Zdansky (1935) reported the Late Miocene Tapirus leilhardi from Wuxiang, Shanxi, but its locality and age were inexact.Recently, the anterior portion of a juvenile skull and mandible(IVPP V 15523) was found from the upper red clays of the Liushu Formation at Shilei(IVPP LX 0031) in Guanghe, Linxia, and then the anterior portion of an adult skull(V 15522) was found from the same horizon at Wangjiashan(LX 0501) in Hezheng, Linxia. The discovery fills the gap and vacuum in evolution of Tapiridae in East Asia, because the origin of the Quatemary tapirs in China has been uncertain. IVPP LX and IVPP V are the locality and specimen prefixes of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, respectively. Terminology of lower cheek teeth is according to Qiu and Wang(2007, fig.7) for perissodactyls.

摘要： 描述在甘肃临夏盆地晚中新世地层中发现的貘属新种和政貘(Tapirus hezhengensis sp. nov.), 它是貘属中已知最小的种之一。在基本特征上，临夏盆地的和政貘与现生貘已相当接近，前臼齿完全臼齿化，门齿、犬齿的数目和形态也与现生貘一致。东亚晚中新世缺少貘科化石的材料，和政貘的发现对中国第四纪貘类的来源提供了重要线索，显示中中新世起源于欧洲的真貘在晚中新世时期已扩散至东亚。貘类通常适应于潮湿的热带森林环境，但和政貘在华北三趾马动物群中的发现说明这类动物也能够生活于干旱的温带草原地区。