Table of Content

15 March 2009, Volume 47 Issue 1

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MIODENTOSAURUS BREVIS CHENG ET AL., 2007 (DIAPSIDA: THALATTOSAURIA): ITS POSTCRANIAL SKELETON AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS

WU Xiao-Chun CHENG Yen-Nien SATO Tamaki SHAN Hsi-Yin

2009, 47(1):  1-8. 

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 Miodentosaurus brevis was first established on the basis of the skull and mandible of a fairly preserved skeleton from the Triassic Falang Formation, Guanling area, GuizhouProvince. The description of the postcranial skeleton reveals that M. brevis is also distinct in the morphology of its girdle elements, such as the coracoid with a small embayment just posterior to the glenoid, interclavicle becoming much narrower posteriorly than anteriorly, and the ilium having a dorsal blade with a expanded distal end. With a further preparation, some of the skull anatomies are redescribed. Based on new information from both skull and the postcranial skeleton, the diagnosis of the taxa is revised. A phylogenetic analysis suggests thatM. brevis is an askeptosauroid, closely related to Askeptosaurus from Switzerland and Italy on the basis of two unequivocal synapomorphies, a retroarticular process broader than long and a reduced deltopectoral crest in the humerus.

A LONG-LIMBED LIZARD FROM THE UPPER JURASSIC/LOWER CRETACEOUS OF DAOHUGOU, NINGCHENG, NEI MONGOL, CHINA

Susan E. EVANS WANG Yuan

2009, 47(1):  21-34. 

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Lizards are now relatively well known from the Jehol Group of northeastern China, seven taxa having been named from the group or equivalent horizons. Here we describe a lizard specimen from a fossil horizon at Daohugou of Ningcheng, Nei Mongol, which predates the Yixian Formation of the Jehol Group. This is the second lizard from this locality. Comparisons with ontogenetic series of modern lizards show that the new Daohugou lizard is a juvenile. The specimen is notable in having a slender body and relatively long limbs and extremities. Even allowing for immaturity, its proportions differ markedly from those of previously described Jehol Biota lizards. Comparison with modern lizards suggests the new Daohugou lizard may have been at least partly scansorial. Its phylogenetic placement is problematic given its immaturity and preservation, but skull characters and vertebral number preclude attribution to Iguania and it may be a scleroglossan.

A NEW OCCURRENCE OF SMALL THEROPOD TRACKS IN THE HOUCHENG (TUCHENGZI) FORMATION OF HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA

Corwin SULLIVAN David W. E. HONE Tim D. COPE LIU Yang LIU Jun

2009, 47(1):  35-52. 

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Small theropod footprints have been known from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary strata of northeastern China for several decades, although these ichnofossils have been overshadowed by the feathered dinosaurs and other body fossils from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning Province. This paper describes a sample of several theropod footprints from a coarse fluvial deposit at Nanshuangmiao, in the lowermost Houcheng (Tuchengzi) Formation of Hebei Province. The Nanshuangmiao tracks exhibit a tridactyl, pachydactylous morphology corresponding to classic “brontozoid” ichnites (Grallator, Anchisauripus and Eubrontes) from the Lower Jurassic of the United States of America. Although many brontozoid tracks from the roughly equivalent Tuchengzi of Liaoning have been previously assigned to the small ichnogenus Grallator, as G. ssatoi, the Nanshuangmiao tracks are larger (up to 28.8 cm total length) and are probably referable to Anchisauripus. The Nanshuangmiao tracks were most likely produced by small theropods travelling in a group. Of the abundant theropod taxa known from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, the small oviraptorosaur Caudipteryx is the most plausible trackmaker, but this interpretation remains uncertain because of a lack of diagnostic features in the tracks and because of the temporal and geographic gap between the Houcheng of Hebei and the Yixian of Liaoning.

TWO NEW SPECIES OF PLIOPENTALAGUS (LEPORIDAE, LAGOMORPHA) FROM THE PLIOCENE OF ANHUI PROVINCE, CHINA, WITH A REVISION OF PL. HUAINANENSIS

Yukimitsu TOMIDA JIN Chang-Zhu

2009, 47(1):  53-71. 

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Abundant fossil material of the genus Pliopentlagus from three localities representing the late Late Miocene through Late Pliocene in Auhui Province, China, are studied in morphological and statistical detail. Three species are recognized: Pl. huainanensis, Pl. dajushanensis sp. nov., and Pl. anhuiensis sp. nov., in decreasing age. Although a number of characters overlap among those species, if the specimens from each locality are treated statistically as populations, three species can be distinguished. Further, when they are arranged by their geologic age, they clearly show that average size increases, the ratio of EL in p3 decreases, the ratio of AER in p4–m2 decreases, the ratio of thin enamel band on the lingual face of the talonid in p4–m2 decreases, and the relative length of the palatal bridge decreases. Thus, these three species can be interpreted to represent a gradually evolving sympatric lineage, from the late Late Miocene through Late Pliocene. These three species of Pliopentalagus seem to have gradually evolved toward Pentalagus, but at least one character contradicts this idea, and the phylogenetic relationship between Pliopentalagus and Pentalagus may not be so simple.

On Two Species of Caryomys (Cricetidae, Rodentia) from Middle Pleistocene Zhangping Caves, Luonan County, Shaanxi Province

LI Yong-Xiang XUE Xiang-Xu

2009, 47(1):  72-80. 

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The Middle Pleistocene Caryomys from Zhangping caves, Luonan County, Shaanxi Province is described into two extant species, C. eva and C. inez, that only live in North China. C. eva is characterized by 5 lingual and 4 buccal salient angles on m1 and by 3 lingual and 3 buccal salient angles on M3. C. inez is slightly more complicated than C. eva because its m1 has 6 lingual salient angles and its M3 has an elongated posterior loop with the fourth lingual salient angle sometimes. It is different from C. regulus living in Korea which has only 5 lingual salient angles on m1 and has the fourth lingual and buccal salient angles on M3. The average values of teeth are distinctly larger in C. inez than in C. eva (see Tables 1 and 2). The fact that the teeth have not evolved since middle Middle Pleistocene (493±55 ka BP) indicates that the genus Caryomys is a relatively conservative member of the subfamily Arvicolinae. Thomas (1911) proposed Caryomys as a subgenus of Microtus to contain the Chinese species inez, eva, nux andalcinous. Hinton (1923) at first elevated Caryomys to genus but later (1926) put it in Evotomys (=Clethrionomys) because he considered the holotypes of these species to be juvenile specimens of E. rufocanus shanseius. Allen (1940) concurred in recognizing inez (include nux) and eva (include alcinous) as two independent species but in the subgenus of Eothenomys. The specific validity of both is currently accepted (Nowak and Paradiso, 1983; Wang, 1991; Corbet and Hill, 1991; Wang and Xu, 1992; Huang et al., 1995). Ma and Jiang (1996) maintained to rehabilitate the Caryomys as genus based on the karyotypic study. Both eva and inez have 2n=54 with mostly subtelocentric pairs, while all Clethrionomys and Eothenomys sampled have 2n=56 with one metacentric pair. This result has been accepted by some biologists (Luo et al., 2000; Ye et al., 2002; Wang, 2003; Wilson and Reeder, 2005). The present authors also follow this view point.

ON TATALSMINTHUS (DIPODIDAE, RODENTIA)

2009, 47(1):  81-84. 

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Tatalsminthus was established by Daxner-H？ck(2001) based on the specimens collected from Early Oligocene Hsanda Gol Formation of Valley of Lakes in Mongolia. Having compared the specimens of Tatalsminthus with those of the other dipodid genera in Asia (Prisminthus,Banyuesminthus, Allosminthus, Heosminthus, Sinosminthus, Shamosminthus, Parasminthus,Heterosminthus and Litodonomys), the author found that Tatalsminthus was generically different from the 7 genera (Prisminthus, Heosminthus, Sinosminthus, Shamosminthus, Parasminthus,Heterosminthus and Litodonomys) in tooth features indeed, as mentioned by Daxner-H？ck, however, not so clearly from Allosminthus as Daxner-H？ck thought. Daxner-H？ck (2001:361) stated:“It(=Tatalsminthus) differs in the protoloph II(M1) and metalophid I(m2)from Allosminthus.” In her description both the protoloph II of M1 and metalophid I of m2 of Tatalsminthus are complete. Wang pointed out as early as in 1985 (pp.356, 359) that the metalophid I of m2 of Allosminthus varied from absent to complete. While synonymizing Banyuesminthus with Allosminthus, Wang(2008:22) indicated further that the protoloph II of M1 in Allosminthus also varied from absent to complete. This blurs the distinction between Allosminthus and Tatalsminthus.Tatalsminthus thus to be considered as a junior synonym of Allosminthus. Nevertheless, Daxner-H？ck’s A.khandae should be a valid species of Allosminthus, since it differs from all the other four known species of Allosminthus in some features. It differs fromA.ernos, A.majusculus, A.diconjugatus, A.uniconjugatus in lacking metalophid II on m2-3; fromA.ernos, A.diconjugatus, A.uniconjugatus in having more developed mesoloph, often joining with postero-external crest of paracone on M1-2; from A.ernos and A.uniconjugatus in having complete protoloph II on M1; from A.ernos in having mesostyle on M1-2 and metaloph joining with hypocone on M1; from A.majusculus, A.diconjugatus and A.uniconjugatus in being smaller in size; fromA.diconjugatus and A.uniconjugatus in having complete metalophid I on m2-3. Now, Allosminthus is composed of 5 species. Among the distinguished features of A.khandae from other four species, excepting for the smaller size and no metalophid II on m2, most of features are advanced ones. It seems that A.khandae may represent an advanced species in Allosminthus.