Table of Content

15 June 1999, Volume 37 Issue 02

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A NEW GENUS OF SINEMYDIDAE FROM THE LATE JURASSIC OF NEIJIANG，SICHUAN

YE Yong

1999, 37(02):  81-87. 

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Hongkongochelys yehi, a new fossil turtle，is described in this paper. The specimen was collected from the Upper Jurassic of NeiJiang, Sichuan, China, and is housed in Zigong Dnosaur Museum（zDM0102）· ZDMO 102 is a relatively complete specimen. Its main features can be summarized as the follows: carapace oval and slightly convex; vertebral scutes relatively broad; nuchal plate broad and large; the seventh and eighth neural plates reduced, and the seventh and eighth costal plates meeting their mates along mid—line; suprapygal absent; plastron slightly reduced, with a short, broad anterior lobe, and a long, narrow posterior one; median plastral fenestra and lateral plastral fenestra developed; a small posterior plastral fenstra present between hypoplastron and xiphiplastron; inframarginal scutes absent; plastron loosely connected to the carapace. In view of the above features, the new genus may be included in Sinemydidae (see table 2 for detailed comparisons with Sinemys and Manchurochelys). Before the present paper, all the Jurassic turtles known in Sichuan are included in two groups: Chengyuchelyidae and Plesiochelyidae. The new discovery from Neijiang is the first record of Sinemydidae in Sichuan. It not only expands the geographical distribution of Sinemydidae, but also increases our knowledge about Sinemydidae: Sinemydidae and Macrobaenidae are closely related, but the inframarginals are absent in the foremer and present in the latter.

ARCHAEOPTERYX TO OPPOSITE BIRDS—MISSING LINK FROM THE MESOZOIC OF CHINA

HOU Lian-Hai, MARTIN, Larry D., ZHOU Zhong-He, FEDUCCIA, Alan

1999, 37(02):  88-95. 

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The Confuciusomis Fauna of northeastem China has produced the oldest known enantiomithine birds—Eoenantiomis buhleri et sp. nov. A new toothed form lies between Archaeopteryx and the Early Cretaceous enantiomithine, Cathayomis, from the same region of China. The transition is most marked in the shoulder girdle. The teeth of the new genus have the characteristics of other bird teeth and demonstrate that this tooth form along with its distinctive implantation and replacement is characteristic of all known toothed birds.

A NEW TILLODONT FROM THE PALEOCENE OF NANXIONG BASIN, GUANGDONG

HUANG Xue-Shi， ZHENG Jia-Jian

1999, 37(02):  96-104. 

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Tillodontia is an old and extinct mammalian order, ranging from Paleocene to Eocene in North America and Eurasia. It is also a small group of Mammalia, including only a single family— Esthonychidae. Fossils in North America have been studied throughly and five genera (Esthonyx, Trogosus, Tillodon, Megalesthonyx and Azygonyx) were recorded. One or two genera (Plesiesthonyx—someone thought it was a synonym of Esthonyx, and Franchaius) were reported from Europe. In Asia, three Paleocene genera Meiostylodon, Interogale and Anchilestes) apart from four Eocene genera (Adapidium, Kuanchuanius, Chungchienia and Basalina) have been studied in the past In the present paper was described a new genus and species, Huananius youngi from the Paleocene of Nanxiong Basin, Guangdong Province.

DISCOVERY OF A NEARLY COMPLETE LOWER JAW OF HOANGHONIUS STEHLINI ZDANSKY, 1930 (MAMMALIA, PRIMATES)

TONG Yong-Sheng, WANG Jing-Wen, HUANG Xue-Shi

1999, 37(02):  105-119. 

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Summary can be seen in PDF.

SMALL MAMMAL FAUNAS AND THEIR AGES IN MIOCENE OF CENTRAL NEI MONGOL (INNER MONGOLIA)

QIU Zhu-Ding, WANG Xiao-Ming

1999, 37(02):  120-139. 

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Summary can be seen in PDF.

METEXALLERIX FROM THE EARLY MIOCENE OF NORTH JUNGGAR BASIN, XINJIANG UYGUR AUTONOMOUS REGION, CHINA

Bl Shun-Dong

1999, 37(02):  140-155. 

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This paper focuses primarily on a description of Metexallerix junggarensis sp. nov., collected from Chibaerwoyi of north Junggar Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. In addition to the descripüon of the specimens, the phylogeny of Brachyericinae is discussed.

THE LATE PLEISTOCENE MANMALIAN FOSSILS FROM NIUYAN CAVE IN MENTOUGOU，BEIJING, CHINA

DENG Tao, HUANG Wan-Bo, WANG Hong-Jie

1999, 37(02):  156-164. 

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Niuyan Cave is located at Niushou Mountain in Mentougou, Beijing（39°54' N latitude 115°36'E longitude). A 1ot of vertebrate fossils were excavated from this cave, including many mammalian skulls and limb bones as well a few bones of birds. The mammalian fossils are recognized as Panthera pardus, Ovis nahoor and Pseudois nayaur．Specimens of P. pardus from Niuyan Cave are smaller than all the other known fossil records, e. g. P. pardus from Zhoukoudian and Gongwangling. They are also smaller than most of the recent P. pardus. Recent P. pardus disfributes in many regions of Asia and Africa. The body sizes of recent P. pardus reflect the Bergmann's Law typically. The more their distribution regions are close to the tropics, the smaller their body sizes are. The smallest subspecies of recent P. pardus is P. p. nanopardus that distributes in Somalia near the equator. The Yinxu fauna from Anyang and the Upper Cave fauna during the warm period contained the minor P. pardus, but P. pardus from Niuyan Cave is even smaller than them. According to the Bergmann's Law, the small P. pardus from Niuyang cave shows that it should live in hot south regions and be a tropical or subtropical animal. The discovery of the small P. pardus fossils from Niuyan Cave indicates that the climate in Beijing district at that time was very warm. Combining with the stratigraphic distribution of Ovis nahoor and Pseudois nayaur, the age of these mammalian fossils should be of late Late Pleistocene, about 30ka— 20kaB. P. There is no any human trace in Niuyan Cave. It might be a natural trap for animals.