Table of Content

15 September 2016, Volume 54 Issue 3

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Dentition of Subengius mengi (Mammalia: Plesiadapoidea) and a reassessment of the phylogenetic relationships of Asian Carpolestidae

K. Christopher BEARD, NI Xi-Jun, WANG Yuan-Qing , MENG Jin , Daniel L. GEBO

2016, 54(3):  181-211. 

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 New fossils pertaining to the oldest known Asian plesiadapiform, the Gashatan carpolestid Subengius mengi, clarify aspects of the dental anatomy of this taxon. The dentition of S. mengiis substantially more primitive than previously recognized in retaining a lower dental formula of 2.1.3.3, a low-crowned p4 with three main cusps that are less fully connate than their counterparts in species ofElphidotarsius, P3 with a narrower and structurally simpler lingual margin, and in lacking widely splayed paraconid and metaconid on m1. The unique structure of P3 in S. mengi and a reassessment of P3 anatomy in Elphidotarsius sp., cf. E. florencae, suggest that certain cusp homologies on P3 in Carpolestidae have been misinterpreted in the past. Following a detailed character analysis, the phylogenetic relationships of carpolestids and their close relatives are reconstructed. The Bumbanian taxon Chronolestes simul is recovered as the most basal member of Carpolestidae. S. mengi and a second Bumbanian taxon, Carpocristes oriens, also appear to be relatively basal members of the carpolestid radiation, although none of these Asian carpolestid taxa seems to be specially related to each other. Dispersal of carpolestids between Asia and North America appears to have been restricted to earlier parts of the Paleocene, although carpolestids survived on both continents until sometime near the Paleocene–Eocene boundary. 

Paleocene faunal evolution at Polecat Bench  in the northern Bighorn Basin of Wyoming, USA

Philip D. GINGERICH 

2016, 54(3):  212-234. 

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  Polecat Bench and McCullough Peaks in the northern Bighorn Basin of Wyoming have yielded major discoveries leading to understanding both mammalian biostratigraphy of the North American Paleocene, and the pattern and cause of continental faunal turnover at the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum. In 1910, Princeton and American Museum paleontologists showed that mammals of the Paleocene were distinctly different from those of the Eocene. This soon led to acceptance of the Paleocene as an epoch different from the Eocene. Eighty years later, Michigan and Carnegie Institution paleontologists showed that the continental Paleocene-Eocene boundary was marked by abrupt faunal turnover and dwarfing associated with a major carbon isotope excursion. This led to recognition of the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum or ‘PETM’ as a greenhouse warming event that was truly global. A young scholar involved in paleontology in 1950, Minchen Chow, was introduced to field work on Paleocene mammals in Wyoming. There he developed the experience and expertise that led to parallel exploration of the Paleocene in China. The challenge now is to understand how the parallel Paleocene histories of the North American and Asian continents fit together. 

Presence of the calcaneal canal in basal Glires

ZHANG Zhao-Qun, LI Chuan-Kui, WANG Jian, WANG Yuan-Qing, MENG Jin 

2016, 54(3):  235-242. 

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A unique canal (calcaneal canal) running diagonally through the calcaneus was commonly considered as characteristic for lagomorphs, both extant and fossil, but absent in rodents and otherpertinent lagomorph relatives. However, our investigation of a calcaneus from the Middle Paleocene of Qianshan, Anhui Province and specimens previously grouped in Mimotonidae also shows presence of canals on calcaneus bones. To further explore the unique character, we scanned calcanei of Ordolagus, Mimolagus, Gomphos,Rhombomylus, and Oryctolagus using microCT and investigated the calcanei in some other related taxa under microscope. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the calcanei based on CT data of these taxa confirmed the presence of apertures traversing the large medullary cavity. The diagonally oriented calcaneal canal is present not only in lagomorphs, but also in non-lagomorph duplicidentates, such as Mimotona, Gomophos, and simplicidentates, such asRhombomylus, though smaller in size. Hence, the presence of calcaneal canal may be one of the synapomophic characters for Glires, not only for the order Lagomorpha. The shared calcaneus character confirms the close relationship between Simplicidentata and Duplicidentata. 

Taxonomic revision of lizards from the Paleocene deposits of the Qianshan Basin, Anhui, China  

DONG Li-Ping, Susan E. EVANS, WANG Yuan 

2016, 54(3):  243-268. 

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Although the Late Cretaceous lizard fauna of China and Mongolia is relatively well-known, information on Paleocene lizards from the same region is currently limited. Several species of lizards have been reported from the Paleocene Wanghudun and Doumu formations of Qianshan Basin on the basis of fragmentary specimens, namely Agama sinensis Hou, 1974, Anhuisaurus huainanensis Hou, 1974, Anqingosaurus brevicephalus Hou, 1976, Changjiangosaurus huananensis Hou, 1976, Qianshanosaurus huangpuensis Hou, 1974, and Tinosaurus doumuensis Hou, 1974. In this paper, we review all the reported material of these taxa with the aid of new technology, including CT scanning, and according to current views of squamate relationships and classification. Revised descriptions and classifications are given for each taxon, leading to changes in our understanding of faunal composition. This, in turn, reveals greater morphological and ecological diversity among the Paleocene lizards of the Qianshan Basin, including the occurrence of a varaniform (IVPP V 22767), and the reinterpretation of Anqingosaurus as a possible burrower. Further work on the Paleocene Qianshan lizards is ongoing and the discovery of new specimens may help to solve the puzzles these strange lizards have posed.