The first description of Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) from Xinyaozi Ravine in Shanxi, North China

doi:10.19615/j.cnki.2096-9899.210715

Abstract

Abstract:

Abundant mammalian fossils were uncovered during the field exploration for Nihewan beds at the beginning of the 1980s along Xinyaozi Ravine at Nangaoya Township of Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province in North China and the studied taxa indicate an age of the early Early Pleistocene. Recent studies on the rhino material not yet described show that there are at least two species of rhinocerotids: Elasmotherium peii and Coelodonta nihowanensis . There might be a third taxon provisionally named as Stephanorhinus cf. S. kirchbergensis due to incompleteness of the specimens. Since its morphometric characters are between S. kirchbergensis and C. nihowanensis , it might be a variety of one of the two species although it is more similar to the former than the latter. In the same way, The rhino specimens from Xiashagou named as Rhinoceros sinensis (?) by Teilhard de Chardin and Piveteau (1930) might be a variety of S. kirchbergensis or C. nihowanensis . The rhinocerotids uncovered so far from the Early Pleistocene deposits in the generalized Nihewan Basin including two certain species and two uncertain ones. The localities yielding E. peii include Xiashagou, Shanshenmiaozhui, Daheigou and Xinyaozi; those yielding C. nihowanensis include Xiashagou, Danangou, Donggutuo, Shanshenmiaozhui and Xinyaozi. R. sinensis (?) appeared only at Xiashagou and Stephanorhinus cf. S. kirchbergensis only at Xinyaozi.

Key words: Xinyaozi Ravine, Tianzhen, Nihewan Basin, Early Pleistocene, Nihewan beds, Rhinocerotidae

摘要：

20世纪80年代在桑干河盆地一带考察泥河湾层时,在山西省天镇县南高崖乡的辛窑子沟一带发现了很多哺乳动物化石地点并出土了大量哺乳动物化石。最近对其中犀科化石的研究表明在辛窑子沟一带的早更新世地层中产出的犀类化石至少有两个种,裴氏板齿犀(Elasmotherium peii )和泥河湾披毛犀(Coelodonta nihowanensis ), 可能还存在过第三个种。由于标本保存状况不理想,暂时鉴定为梅氏犀相似种(Stephanorhinus cf. S. kirchbergensis )。虽然后者的形态大小与梅氏犀最接近,但和泥河湾披毛犀也有相似之处,因此也有可能是这两个种之一的种内变异类型。同样,产于下沙沟地点被德日进和皮维托鉴定为有疑问的中国犀(Rhinoceros sinensis (?))也可能是梅氏犀或泥河湾披毛犀的种内变异类型。迄今为止在广义泥河湾盆地发现的早更新世犀类有两个确定的种和两个不确定的种。出土裴氏板齿犀的地点为下沙沟、山神庙咀、大黑沟及辛窑子沟;出土泥河湾披毛犀的地点为下沙沟、大南沟、东谷坨、山神庙咀及辛窑子沟。有疑问的中国犀仅出现在下沙沟,梅氏犀相似种仅出现在辛窑子沟。

关键词: 辛窑子沟, 天镇, 泥河湾盆地, 早更新世, 泥河湾层, 犀科

CLC Number:

Q915.877

DONG Wei, BAI Wei-Peng, ZHANG Li-Min. The first description of Rhinocerotidae (Perissodactyla, Mammalia) from Xinyaozi Ravine in Shanxi, North China. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 2021, 59(4): 273-294.

董为, 白炜鹏, 张立民. 2021, 59(4): 273-294, 山西天镇辛窑子早更新世犀科化石新材料. 古脊椎动物学报.

Figures/Tables 15

References 58

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Taxon	Elasmotherium peii				E. cf. E. peii	E. caucasicum	E. sibiricum
Location	Xinyaozi	Shanshenmiaozhui¹⁾	Xihoudu²⁾	Stavropol Krai³⁾	Salcia⁴⁾	Taman⁵⁾	Stavropol Krai³⁾
m2 L	74.44	75	75.5	70-77	70-77	70-95	64.2-84
m2 W	40.58	40	43	41.5-60	34-36	39-50	34-43.5
m2 H	29.12(92)	104			44-77
m3 L	82.36	72-84				60-98
m3 W	37.78	33				30-44
m3 H	31.28(140)	129-130

Taxon	Elasmotherium peii				E. cf. E. peii	E. caucasicum	E. sibiricum
Location	Xinyaozi	Shanshenmiaozhui¹⁾	Xihoudu²⁾	Stavropol Krai³⁾	Salcia⁴⁾	Taman⁵⁾	Stavropol Krai³⁾
m2 L	74.44	75	75.5	70-77	70-77	70-95	64.2-84
m2 W	40.58	40	43	41.5-60	34-36	39-50	34-43.5
m2 H	29.12(92)	104			44-77
m3 L	82.36	72-84				60-98
m3 W	37.78	33				30-44
m3 H	31.28(140)	129-130

	V 27429.1	Xiashagou¹⁾	Rhino Cave²⁾	Huludong³⁾	Zhoukoudian⁴⁾ Loc. 1	Zhoukoudian⁵⁾ Loc. 13	West Europe⁶⁾
DP1 L	25.38	26	31.8-32.9	28-29	27.5	35	26-32
DP1 W	20.06	24	26-27.9	28	24-25	32	31-34
DP1 H	24.34						26
DP2 L	35.08	37	44-47.3	38-39	36.5	41	34-39.5
DP2 W	32.76	40	42.6-47.9	40-42	39.5	40	31-43
DP2 H	28.48						25
DP3 L	41.08		50.6-55.8	47-48	43.5	51	41.5-50.5
DP3 W	39.12		48.2-52	50-52	49	53	42-54.5
DP3 H	35.18						36.5
DP4 L	49.52	52	56.6-60	48-52	47	53	48-57
DP4 W	34.24	51	52.6-54.5	54	48.5	56	51-57.5
DP4 H	42.56						42
L DP1-4	145.32		172.8-183	175-177	147	150

	V 27429.1	Xiashagou¹⁾	Rhino Cave²⁾	Huludong³⁾	Zhoukoudian⁴⁾ Loc. 1	Zhoukoudian⁵⁾ Loc. 13	West Europe⁶⁾
DP1 L	25.38	26	31.8-32.9	28-29	27.5	35	26-32
DP1 W	20.06	24	26-27.9	28	24-25	32	31-34
DP1 H	24.34						26
DP2 L	35.08	37	44-47.3	38-39	36.5	41	34-39.5
DP2 W	32.76	40	42.6-47.9	40-42	39.5	40	31-43
DP2 H	28.48						25
DP3 L	41.08		50.6-55.8	47-48	43.5	51	41.5-50.5
DP3 W	39.12		48.2-52	50-52	49	53	42-54.5
DP3 H	35.18						36.5
DP4 L	49.52	52	56.6-60	48-52	47	53	48-57
DP4 W	34.24	51	52.6-54.5	54	48.5	56	51-57.5
DP4 H	42.56						42
L DP1-4	145.32		172.8-183	175-177	147	150

	V 27429.3	V 27429.4	V 27429.5	Rhino Cave¹⁾	Loc. 13 Zhoukoudian²⁾	West Europe³⁾
dp1 L	20.56			23-23.4	21	17.5-23
dp1 W	11.38			11.6-13	13	14
dp1 H	19.82					18.5
dp2 L	32.42	32.32		30.5-38.8	35	28-38
dp2 W	18.44	18.94		16.7-20	21	16.5-21.5
dp2 H	25.02	25.12
dp3 L	44.12	46.98	45.78	49.2	44	38-44.5
dp3 W	23.22	24.98	25.44	25.1	26	21-28.5
dp3 H	28.84	30.26	32.82			28.5
dp4 L	44.82	45.18	47.68	49.5-52	47	42-51
dp4 W	23.22	27.46	21.54	27.1-27.4	29	21-31
dp4 H	32.12	34.14	23.14			30-35.5
L dp1-4	141.68			182-201