Table of Content

15 March 2016, Volume 54 Issue 1

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Morphology and taxonomy of Gazella (Bovidae,　Artiodactyla) from the Late Miocene Bahe Formation, Lantian, Shaanxi Province, China

　ZHANG Zhao-Qun, YANG Rui

2016, 54(1):  1-20. 

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 Fossil gazelles have been widely distributed in Eurasia and Africa during the late Neogene. They are key elements of “Hipparion” faunas with prominent biochronologic and ecological significance. However, no pre-Baodean age gazelle previously reported from China. We describe here in detail materials found from the Bahe Formation, Shaanxi Province, which include by far the most complete skulls and postcranials. The first fossil gazelle skeleton is mounted based on the new findings. Morphology and measurements show the similarity with Gazella lydekkeri from Dhok Pathan Formation of middle Siwaliks, different from the most common species G. gaudryi, G. paotehensis, and G. dorcadoides from Baodean age and other gazelles from Europe.Ecomorphology and measurements of long bones indicate the Lantian species, Gazella cf. G.lydekkeri, is possibly a fast runner, adapted to an open environment in Bahean age. The open environment was also suggested by faunal composition, sedimentological analysis and isotope data.

New record of a haplocyonine amphicyonid in early Miocene of Nei Mongol fills a long-suspected geographic hiatus　

WANG Xiao-ming, WANG Hong-jiang, JIANGZUO Qi-gao　　

2016, 54(1):  21-35. 

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We place on the record a newly discovered amphicyonid (beardogs) upper molar from the Early Miocene Lower Red Mudstone Member of Aoerban Formation in central Nei Mongol. This molar is highly diagnostic of European haplocyonine or North American temnocyonine, two subfamilies of beardogs that have long been known in those continents but notably absent in Asia. The new molar is strikingly similar to Haplocyonoides mordax and Temnocyon percussor with its dumbbell-shaped M1 outline, reduced parastyle, isolated protocone by a surrounding cingulum, and extreme reduction of pre- and postprotocristae. Given the limited material at hand, we tentatively refer the new Chinese fossil to the EuropeanHaplocyonoides cf. H. mordax because of their similar size and age relationship. If this identification is correct, our new record thus fills a large gap in the geographic distribution of the haplocyonines and represents an excursion of this rare subfamily from Europe. 

Restudy of the Late Oligocene dormice from northernJunggar Basin 

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

2016, 54(1):  36-50. 

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A new glirid genus and species, Gliruloides zhoui, is named based on specimens from the Late Oligocene Tieersihabahe Mammal Assemblage Zone I (Tie-I zone) of the northern Junggar Basin, Xinjiang. The new genus is diagnosed by the following features: middle-sized dormouse; occlusal surface of cheek teeth concave; upper and lower cheek teeth dominantly with nine transverse ridges; the anterotrope(id) and posterotrope(id) well developed and extending almost full length of corresponding valleys; transverse ridges of upper cheek teeth usually free-ended labially;M1/2 with V- or narrow U-shaped trigon; the precentroloph not connected to the endoloph that is incomplete or nearly complete; the endolophid in lower cheek teeth discontinuous or continuous; labial end of the anterolophid curving slightly distally but not connected with the protoconid; root number of p4, m1-3, P4 and M1-3 being 2, 2, 3 and 3 respectively. We discuss the differences of Gliruloidesfrom Glirulus and Vasseuromys and assign the Anatolian Vasseuromysduplex and Vasseuromys aff. V. duplex from the Early Miocene of Turkey to Gliruloides. It is posited that Gliruloides and Glirulus may share a common ancestor similar to Glis guerbuezi from the Lower Oligocene of Thrace, Turkey. Gliruloides might live in a relative wet and warm biotope. 

Female preference promotes asynchronous sex evolutio n in Elephantiformes

Wang Shi-Qi, Deng Tao 

2016, 54(1):  51-66. 

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Sexually dimorphic characters are usually thought to enhance copulatory success by intraspecific competition; for example,larger body size and stronger tusks are sexually dimorphic charactersin fossil and extant male proboscideans. Here, we show that some sexually dimorphic characters in fossil Elephantiformes, the largest group of proboscideans, are strongly correlated with the evolution of this group rather than direct sexual competition. In MiocenePlatybelodon grangeri and Gomphotherium angustidens, malestended to initially possess evolutionarily more derived characters thanfemales, and females then evolved similar variation. Thisphenomenon may have occurred as a result of female preference.During the early evolutionary stage (thriving stage) of Elephantiformes, sexual selection pressure promoted development ofmore prominent derived characters in males than females. However,during their late evolutionary stage (declining stage), sexual selection pressure seems to have weakened; thus, the asynchrony between the two sexes diminished. This new discovery may help explain a common mechanism of large ungulate evolution and extinction, because substantial sexual dimorphism is often displayed in thriving groups, such as Cervidae and Bovidae, in contrast to little sexual dimorphism in declining groups, such as extant taxa of Equidae,Rhinoceridae, and Giraffidae. 

A New Hadrosauroid Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Tianzhen, Shanxi Province, China

Xu Shi-Chao, You Hai-Lu, WANG Jia-Wei, Wang Suo-Zhu, YiJian,  Jia Lei

2016, 54(1):  67-78. 

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 A new non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroid dinosaur (Datonglong tianzhenensis gen. et sp. nov.) is reported. The new taxon is recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Huiquanpu Formation of Tianzhen County, Shanxi Province in northern China, and represented by an almost complete right dentary with dentition. Different from all other hadrosauroids, Datonglong possesses two functional teeth in each alveolus, and the pattern of ridge development on the lingual surface of its dentary crown shows a unique combination of character states (for example: distally offset primary ridge; well-developed secondary ridge; no additional ridge(s); slightly distally curved apical half of primary ridge). Comparative studies indicate advanced non-hadrosaurid hadrosauroids experienced a complex pattern in the evolution of their dentary, especially dentary dentition. Derived hadrosaurid features occurred frequently in these taxa, such as high height/width ratio of tooth crown in Bactrosaurus, one primary and one faint ridges inGilmoreosaurus, median placed primary ridge in Zhanghenglong, rostrally inclined coronoid process in Nanningosaurus, and two functional teeth in each alveolus in Datonglong. This implies incredible diversities and attempts close to the origin of Hadrosauridae and difficulties to elucidate their phylogenetic relationships.