Small Mammal Fauna from Wulanhuxiu (Nei Mongol, China

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Small Mammal Fauna from Wulanhuxiu (Nei Mongol, China Small Mammal Fauna from Wulanhuxiu (Nei Mongol, China) Implies the Irdinmanhan—Sharamurunian (Eocene) Faunal Turnover Author(s): Qian Li, Yuan-Qing Wang and Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik Source: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 61(4):759-776. Published By: Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.4202/app.00292.2016 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. Small mammal fauna from Wulanhuxiu (Nei Mongol, China) implies the Irdinmanhan–Sharamurunian (Eocene) faunal turnover QIAN LI, YUAN-QING WANG, and ŁUCJA FOSTOWICZ-FRELIK Li, Q., Wang, Y.-Q., and Fostowicz-Frelik, Ł. 2016. Small mammal fauna from Wulanhuxiu (Nei Mongol, China) implies the Irdinmanhan–Sharamurunian (Eocene) faunal turnover. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 61 (4): 759–776. Wulanhuxiu, a middle Eocene locality in the Erlian Basin, Nei Mongol (China) has been commonly regarded as belong- ing to the Ulan Shireh Formation, equated with the Irdin Manha Formation. We recognized two separate mammalian faunas of different age from the beds exposed at Wulanhuxiu. The lower fossiliferous horizon contains an anagalid, uncommon duplicidentate representatives (Gomphos progressus sp. nov., Mimolagus, Erenlagus, and Strenulagus), and diverse perissodactyls. This combination of taxa points to an Irdinmanhan age, but one element of the fauna (Schlosseria) may represent an Arshantan relic. Overall, the assemblage comprises “paleoplacental” mammals mixed with “neopla- centals”. The upper horizon is less species-rich and the only paleoplacentals present are scarce creodonts. However, this horizon is marked by abundant remains (including postcranial material) of the lagomorph Gobiolagus and by the presence of an advanced form of Gobiomys (Rodentia), and is most probably Sharamurunian in age. Thus, Wulanhuxiu documents replacement, albeit incomplete, of paleoplacentals by neoplacentals in the Chinese Eocene record. Key words: Mammalia, Rodentia, Duplicidentata, Anagalidae, Eocene, Ulan Shireh Formation, China, Erlian Basin. Qian Li [[email protected]] and Yuan-Qing Wang [[email protected]], Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolu- tion and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China. Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik [[email protected]] (corresponding author), Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Twarda 51/55, PL 00-818 Warsaw, Poland. Received 5 May 2016, accepted 23 September, available online 17 October 2016. Copyright © 2016 Q. Li et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (for details please see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. (“Chimney Butte”) in 1928 (Radinsky 1964). The “Chimney Introduction Butte” locality (which includes the famous “Buckshot Quarry”) is now called Wulanhuxiu (Wang et al. 2012). The Erlian Basin lies in northern China, in the central part The most important CAE results concerning the “Chimney of Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia). Its Paleogene deposits Butte” mammalian fauna include descriptions of pantodonts have yielded rich fossil mammal assemblages, especially such as Pantolambdodon inermis and P. fortis (Granger and of Eocene age, providing the basis for several Paleogene Gregory 1934), brontotheriids such as Des ma to titan tukhu- Asian Land Mammal Ages or ALMAs (see Holroyd and mensis, Epimanteoceras formosus, Pro titan grangeri (= bel- Ciochon 1994; Meng and McKenna 1998; Luterbacher et lus), and Microtitan mon go liensis (Granger and Gregory al. 2004). The eastern part of the basin in the vicinity of 1943), small tapiroids such as Breviodon and Rhodopagus Erenhot has been relatively well studied. However, the west- (Radinsky 1965), the creodont Sarkastodon mongoliensis ern part, including the area in the vicinity of the Shara (Granger 1938), the rodent Advenimus bohlini (Dawson Murun River, remains poorly known. The Central Asiatic 1964) and the lagomorph Shamolagus grangeri (Burke Expeditions (CAEs) of the American Museum of Natural 1941), the mesonychid ?Harpagolestes orientalis (Szalay History surveyed Baron Sog Mesa and North Mesa west of and Gould 1966), and the didymoconid Kennatherium shi- the Shara Murun River in the 1920s. In 1925 they collected rensis (Mellet and Szalay 1968). More material was col- intensively at two localities in the area of North Mesa, de- lected by a Sino-Soviet expedition in 1959, and by IVPP scribed as “4 and 8 miles north of Tukhum Lamasery”, and field-parties from 1975 onward (Chow and Rozhdestvensky they returned to the locality “eight miles north of Tukhum” 1960; Russell and Zhai 1987). However, no further infor- Acta Palaeontol. Pol. 61 (4): 759–776, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.4202/app.00292.2016 760 ACTA PALAEONTOLOGICA POLONICA 61 (4), 2016 mation on the mammalian fauna from this region has been 111 00' E A Wulanhuxiu B Erlian reported, apart from a review by Ye (1983). Basin North Viper Camp Here we focus on the fossil assemblage of small mammals Mesa from Wulanhuxiu based on new material collected from that CHINA locality over the past decade. In particular, the Glires (ro- 1040 Tukhum Lamasery dents, lagomorphs, and their closest relatives) fauna from this 1070 1010 locality provides new data on the age and paleoenvironment 10 km of the Ulan Shireh Formation (exposed only at North Mesa) and enhances our knowledge of the regional aspects of the 1040 1070 middle Eocene mammal fauna in the western Erlian Basin. 1130 In analyzing the Wulanhuxiu assemblage we found Lucas’s 1100 (2001: 230) proposed dichotomy between “paleoplacentals” Shara Murun River Ula Usu 42 30'N 1130 and “neoplacentals”, which stems directly from Osborn’s 1160 concept of mesoplacentals and cenoplacentals (Osborn 1894; Baron Sog Mesa Twin Oboes Osborn and Earle 1895), to be useful. The paleoplacentals (West Mesa) 1160 East Mesa 1100 Jhama Obo were understood by Lucas (2001) as mammalian groups of Baron Sog Lamasery a Paleogene radiation, all of which lack surviving descen- C dants and were characterized by an archaic tooth struc- ture and poorly developed brain. According to Lucas (2001) these groups included Anagalida, Condylarthra, Creodonta, Dinocerata, Mesonychia, Notoungulata, Pantodonta, and Tillodontia, whereas neoplacentals included all groups with extant representatives (“the placentals of modern aspect”). Neoplacentals would then include, for example, artiodac- tyls, carnivorans, chiropterans, lagomorphs, perissodactyls, primates, and rodents. Furthermore, a degree of parallelism existed between the paleoplacental and neoplacental radia- tions. Eurymylidae and Mimotonidae, for instance can be regarded as paleoplacental counterparts of modern Glires (Rodentia and Lagomorpha, respectively). The replacement D of the paleoplacentals by neoplacentals in Asian faunas con- layer 1 tinued through the Eocene; thus, the two groups coexisted mudstone layer 2 for some 20 million years, although the major turnover oc- sandstone curred most probably during the Arshantan–Irdinmanhan cross-bedding (Lucas 2001). At Wulanhuxiu, we document a remarkable fossil ocurrence 10 m replacement of some extinct “paleoplacental” clades (anaga- lids and mimotonids) by their modern “neoplacental” coun- terparts (lagomorphs and rodents), in addition to a decrease layer 3 in ungulate diversity. 0 layer 4 Institutional abbreviations.—IVPP, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Fig. 1. A. Location of the Wulanhuxiu mammalian fossil site in the western part of the Erlian Basin (elevations given in meters; modified from Russell Sciences, Beijing, China. and Zhai 1987). B. Map of continental China (Nei Mongol Autonomous Region in gray). C. Typical landscape at the Wulanhuxiu locality show- ing fossiliferous beds with the Irdinmanhan–Sharamurunian transition. D. Stratigraphic section of the studied sediment series at Wulanhuxiu (after Geological setting a field sketch by Bin Bai). The Wulanhuxiu locality lies in the western part of the (layer 1) lacks any fossil remains. Layer 2, located just be- Erlian Basin on the northern side of the North Mesa (Fig. 1). low, is the thickest in the profile and contains fossil bones According to Russell and Zhai (1987: fig. 54), a representa- and teeth. It is composed of white mudstone, which become tive section of the Ulan Shireh Formation (note that a type greenish towards the bottom. In the upper part of the layer a section has not been formally specified)
Recommended publications
  • The World at the Time of Messel: Conference Volume
    T. Lehmann & S.F.K. Schaal (eds) The World at the Time of Messel - Conference Volume Time at the The World The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference 2011 Frankfurt am Main, 15th - 19th November 2011 ISBN 978-3-929907-86-5 Conference Volume SENCKENBERG Gesellschaft für Naturforschung THOMAS LEHMANN & STEPHAN F.K. SCHAAL (eds) The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference Frankfurt am Main, 15th – 19th November 2011 Conference Volume Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung IMPRINT The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference 15th – 19th November 2011, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Conference Volume Publisher PROF. DR. DR. H.C. VOLKER MOSBRUGGER Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Editors DR. THOMAS LEHMANN & DR. STEPHAN F.K. SCHAAL Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany [email protected]; [email protected] Language editors JOSEPH E.B. HOGAN & DR. KRISTER T. SMITH Layout JULIANE EBERHARDT & ANIKA VOGEL Cover Illustration EVELINE JUNQUEIRA Print Rhein-Main-Geschäftsdrucke, Hofheim-Wallau, Germany Citation LEHMANN, T. & SCHAAL, S.F.K. (eds) (2011). The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates. 22nd International Senckenberg Conference. 15th – 19th November 2011, Frankfurt am Main. Conference Volume. Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main. pp. 203.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleogene and Neogene Time Scale of GTS 2012 Paleogene Neogene N
    Paleogene and Neogene Time Scale of GTS 2012 Paleogene Neogene N. Vandenberghe 1, F.J. Hilgen 2 and R.P. Speijer 3 F.J. Hilgen 1, L.J. Lourens 2 and J.A. Van Dam 3 1. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K. U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B - 3001 Leuven, Belgium, [email protected] 1. Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands, [email protected] 2. Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands, [email protected] 2. Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands, [email protected] 3. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K. U. Leuven, Celestijnenlaal 200E, B - 3001 Leuven, Belgium, [email protected] 3. Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP), Campus de la UAB, Mòdul ICP, E-08193 cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain, [email protected] Of the 9 Paleogene stages, only 3 remain to be formally defined: the Bartonian and Priabonian stages of upper Paleogene Time Scale Eocene and the Chattian (base of upper Oligocene). Larger 18 13 AGE Epoch/Age Polarity Mega- Dinoflagellate Cysts North American O C AGE -1.0 -0.5 -0.5 Of the 8 Neogene stages, only 2 remain to be formally defined: the Burdigalian and Langhian stages of lower and middle Mio- (Ma) Chron Cycles Planktonic Foraminifera Benthic Calcareous Nannofossils Radiolarians NALMA MP European Mammals ALMA SALMA 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 Age (Stage) (Ma) During the Paleogene, the global climate, being warm (Stage) Northwestern Europe Mammals other zones Foraminifera ELMA R T low latitude southern high latitude until the late Eocene, shows a significant cooling trend cene.
    [Show full text]
  • Constraints on the Timescale of Animal Evolutionary History
    Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Constraints on the timescale of animal evolutionary history Michael J. Benton, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Robert J. Asher, Matt Friedman, Thomas J. Near, and Jakob Vinther ABSTRACT Dating the tree of life is a core endeavor in evolutionary biology. Rates of evolution are fundamental to nearly every evolutionary model and process. Rates need dates. There is much debate on the most appropriate and reasonable ways in which to date the tree of life, and recent work has highlighted some confusions and complexities that can be avoided. Whether phylogenetic trees are dated after they have been estab- lished, or as part of the process of tree finding, practitioners need to know which cali- brations to use. We emphasize the importance of identifying crown (not stem) fossils, levels of confidence in their attribution to the crown, current chronostratigraphic preci- sion, the primacy of the host geological formation and asymmetric confidence intervals. Here we present calibrations for 88 key nodes across the phylogeny of animals, rang- ing from the root of Metazoa to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens. Close attention to detail is constantly required: for example, the classic bird-mammal date (base of crown Amniota) has often been given as 310-315 Ma; the 2014 international time scale indicates a minimum age of 318 Ma. Michael J. Benton. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Philip C.J. Donoghue. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Robert J.
    [Show full text]
  • 71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
    ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Iktman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin* Wyoming
    Distribution and Stratigraphip Correlation of Upper:UB_ • Ju Paleocene and Lower Eocene Fossil Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Iktman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin* Wyoming U,S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESS IONAL PAPER 1540 Cover. A member of the American Museum of Natural History 1896 expedition enter­ ing the badlands of the Willwood Formation on Dorsey Creek, Wyoming, near what is now U.S. Geological Survey fossil vertebrate locality D1691 (Wardel Reservoir quadran­ gle). View to the southwest. Photograph by Walter Granger, courtesy of the Department of Library Services, American Museum of Natural History, New York, negative no. 35957. DISTRIBUTION AND STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION OF UPPER PALEOCENE AND LOWER EOCENE FOSSIL MAMMAL AND PLANT LOCALITIES OF THE FORT UNION, WILLWOOD, AND TATMAN FORMATIONS, SOUTHERN BIGHORN BASIN, WYOMING Upper part of the Will wood Formation on East Ridge, Middle Fork of Fifteenmile Creek, southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. The Kirwin intrusive complex of the Absaroka Range is in the background. View to the west. Distribution and Stratigraphic Correlation of Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene Fossil Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Tatman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming By Thomas M. Down, Kenneth D. Rose, Elwyn L. Simons, and Scott L. Wing U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1540 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1994 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Robert M. Hirsch, Acting Director For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution Box 25286, MS 306, Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • A Aardvark, 96 Abderites, 15, 162 Abderitidae, 11, 159, 200 Aboriginal, 15, 17 Adamantina, 79, 83 Africa, 79, 96, 116, 127, 130
    Index A Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), 126, Aardvark, 96 188, 210 Abderites, 15, 162 Antarctic Counter Current, 104 Abderitidae, 11, 159, 200 Antarctic Peninsula, 12, 80, 83, 97, 109, Aboriginal, 15, 17 113–116, 165, 187, 216 Adamantina, 79, 83 Antarctic Region, 113, 133 Africa, 79, 96, 116, 127, 130, 141 Antarctodonas, 110 Afrotemperate Region, 133 Antechinus, 56 Afrothere, 96 Aonken Sea, 139 Afrotheria, 96, 97 Aptian, 79, 98, 129 Alamitan, 83, 90, 95, 141, 211 Aquatic, 130 Alchornea, 113 Araceae, 113 Alcidedorbignia, 94 Araucaria, 130 Alisphenoid, 10, 11 Arboreal, 6, 12, 38, 58–61, 64, 65 Allen, 80 Archaeodolops, 195 Allenian, 211 Archaeohyracidae, 143 Allotherian, 212 Archaeonothos, 109 Allqokirus, 95, 214 Arctodictis, 166 Alphadelphian, 214 Arecaceae, 113 Altiplano, 127 Argentina, 13, 17, 19, 22, 61, 80, 83, 95, 107, Altricial, 203 112, 116, 130, 135, 136, 138, 157 Ameghinichnus, 140 Argentodites, 212 Ameridelphia, 157, 165, 166, 186, 192, 195 Argyrolagidae, 13, 158, 196, 220 Ameridelphian, 91, 95, 106, 107, 110, 157, Argyrolagoidea, 13, 143, 195, 201, 220 166, 200, 213, 215, 216 Argyrolagus, 158, 220 Amphidolops, 195, 200 Arid diagonal, 135, 136, 138 Anachlysictis, 23, 161 Arminiheringia, 166, 194 Andean Range, 133 A1 scenario, 138 Andean Region, 127, 132, 133, 135, 136 Ascending ramus, 170 Andes, 12, 127 Asia, 6, 127, 156, 202 Andinodelphys, 95, 157, 159 Astragalar, 10 Angiosperm, 114, 115, 129, 190 Astrapotheria, 3 Angular process, 10, 11, 171, 175 Atacama Desert, 130, 133, 136 Animalivore, 47 Atlantic Forest, 61, 130 Animalivorous, 47 Atlantic Ocean, 137 Ankle bone, 96, 107 Atlantogenata, 97 Antarctica, 8, 12, 79, 98–100, 104, 109, 112, Australasia, 218 115, 116, 126, 127, 133, 135, 137, 210, 220 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2016 227 F.J.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Paleocene) of the Eastern Crazy Mountain Basin, Montana
    CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN VOL. 26, NO. 9, p. 157-196 December 3 1, 1983 MAMMALIAN FAUNA FROM DOUGLASS QUARRY, EARLIEST TIFFANIAN (LATE PALEOCENE) OF THE EASTERN CRAZY MOUNTAIN BASIN, MONTANA BY DAVID W. KRAUSE AND PHILIP D. GINGERICH MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ANN ARBOR CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY Philip D. Gingerich, Director Gerald R. Smith, Editor This series of contributions from the Museum of Paleontology is a medium for the publication of papers based chiefly upon the collection in the Museum. When the number of pages issued is sufficient to make a volume, a title page and a table of contents will be sent to libraries on the mailing list, and to individuals upon request. A list of the separate papers may also be obtained. Correspondence should be directed to the Museum of Paleontology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48 109. VOLS. 11-XXVI. Parts of volumes may be obtained if available. Price lists available upon inquiry. MAMMALIAN FAUNA FROM DOUGLASS QUARRY, EARLIEST TIFFANIAN (LATE PALEOCENE) OF THE EASTERN CRAZY MOUNTAIN BASIN, MONTANA BY David W. ~rause'and Philip D. ~in~erich' Abstract.-Douglass Quarry is the fourth major locality to yield fossil mammals in the eastern Crazy Mountain Basin of south-central Montana. It is stratigraphically intermediate between Gidley and Silberling quarries below, which are late Torrejonian (middle Paleocene) in age, and Scarritt Quarry above, which is early Tiffanian (late Paleocene) in age. The stratigraphic position of Douglass Quarry and the presence of primitive species of Plesiadapis, Nannodectes, Phenacodus, and Ectocion (genera first appearing at the Torrejonian-Tiffanian boundary) combine to indicate an earliest Tiffanian age.
    [Show full text]
  • DSA10 Dawson
    Mary R. Dawson Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh Paleogene rodents of Eurasia Dawson, M.R., 2003 - Paleogene rodents of Eurasia - in: Reumer, J.W.F. & Wessels, W. (eds.) - DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION OF TERTIARY MAMMALS IN EURASIA. A VOLUME IN HONOUR OF HANS DE BRUIJN - DEINSEA 10: 97-126 [ISSN 0923-9308] Published 1 December 2003 Soon after their Asian origin in the Late Paleocene, rodents began a morphological radiation and geographic expansion that extended across the entire Holarctic and at least northern Africa. Following this initial dispersal, a relatively high degree of endemism developed among Eocene rodents of both Europe and Asia. Only the family Ischyromyidae was shared by Europe and Asia, but the ischyromyid genera of the two areas were highly divergent. Eocene endemic development appears to have been complete among the glirids and theridomyids of Europe and the ctenodacty- loids of Asia. The evolution of Cylindrodontidae, Eomyidae, Zapodidae, and Cricetidae in Asian Eocene faunas occurred independently of contemporary rodent faunal developments in Europe. Following the latest Eocene or early Oligocene regression of the marine barrier between Europe and Asia, marked faunal changes occurred as a result both of the evolution of new rodent families (e.g., Aplodontidae, Castoridae, Sciuridae) that accompanied climatic changes of the later Eocene and of changes in rodent distribution across the Holarctic. Within Europe, the theridomorphs were at last negatively impacted, but the glirids appear not to have been adversely affected. In the Asian Oligocene, the ctenodactyloids continued to be a prominent part of rodent faunas, although they were diminished in morphologic diversity.
    [Show full text]
  • To Link and Cite This Article: Doi
    Submitted: October 1st, 2019 – Accepted: June 8th, 2020 – Published online: June 11th, 2020 To link and cite this article: doi: https://doi.org/10.5710/AMGH.08.06.2020.3306 1 COTYLAR FOSSA, ITS INTERPRETATION AND FUNCTIONALITY. 2 THE CASE FROM SOUTH AMERICAN NATIVE UNGULATES 3 4 MALENA LORENTE1,2, 3 5 1 División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata. Paseo del Bosque s/n B1900FWA, La 6 Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; [email protected]; 2 CONICET; 3 Facultad de Ciencias 7 Naturales y Museo 8 9 Number of pages: 21, 7 figures 10 Proposed header: LORENTE, COTYLAR FOSSA 1 11 12 Abstract. The cotylar fossa is a complex anatomical character in the astragalar medial malleolar 13 facet. It represents a dynamic relationship between the astragalus and the tibia in the upper tarsal 14 joint. The astragalus must accommodate the medial tibial malleolus when the tibia is in an extreme 15 flexion. It is one of the three morphological synapomorphies considered for Afrotheria, although it 16 is also a recurrent trait among different groups of mammals. Here, fossil South American Native 17 Ungulates and extant mammals were surveyed to reevaluate how much this character is spread and 18 how variable it is. Beyond afrotherians, it is observed that it also appears in primates, macropodid 19 marsupials, laurasiatherian archaic ungulates, perissodactyls, pantodonts, and dinoceratans; it is also 20 in some but not all of the extinct endemic ungulates from South America. No function has been 21 suggested before for the presence of a cotylar fossa. The cotylar fossa could be an adaptation to a 22 passive, rest related posture.
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced Online Publication
    ChinaXiv合作期刊 古 脊 椎 动 物 学 报 VERTEBRATA PALASIATICA A new species of Brontotheriidae from the Middle Eocene of Junggar Basin, Xinjiang, China Li Shuo1,2 (1 Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100044 [email protected]) (2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049) Abstract A new species of large Irdinmanhan brontothere, Epimanteoceras mae sp. nov., is described based on an incomplete skull which was collected from the Üqbulak Formation of Sangequan site, Junggar Basin of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The new specimen can Advancedbe assigned to the genus Epimanteocerasonline by the large superorbital publication processes, the broad frontal bone, the shallow central fossae on the molars, and the absence of the anterolingual cingular cusp on molars and the hypocone on M3. E. mae is characterized by the slightly laterally bowed zygomatic arches, the medially arched parasagittal ridges, the posteromedially angled external auditory pseudomeatus, and the prominent occipital pillar processes. E. mae and E. formosus are closely related. It is uncertain whether E. mae or E. formosus forms the sister group to Brontotheriina, but both of them are the basal group of the latter in the phylogenetic analysis. They are both closed to the Irdinmanhan brontothere Protitan grangeri from Nei Mongol but much primitive than Aktautitan hippopotamopus from Kazakhstan. The discovery of E. mae in Sangequan indicates that the age of Üqbulak Formation is Middle Eocene, and earlier than that of Kyzylbulak Formation bearing A. hippopotamopus in Kazakhstan. Moreover, the discovery of E.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalia) of São José De Itaboraí Basin (Upper Paleocene, Itaboraian), Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
    The Xenarthra (Mammalia) of São José de Itaboraí Basin (upper Paleocene, Itaboraian), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Lílian Paglarelli BERGQVIST Departamento de Geologia/IGEO/CCMN/UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, 21949-940 (Brazil) [email protected] Érika Aparecida Leite ABRANTES Departamento de Geologia/IGEO/CCMN/UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, 21949-940 (Brazil) Leonardo dos Santos AVILLA Departamento de Geologia/IGEO/CCMN/UFRJ, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, 21949-940 (Brazil) and Setor de Herpetologia, Museu Nacional/UFRJ, Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, 20940-040 (Brazil) Bergqvist L. P., Abrantes É. A. L. & Avilla L. d. S. 2004. — The Xenarthra (Mammalia) of São José de Itaboraí Basin (upper Paleocene, Itaboraian), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Geodiversitas 26 (2) : 323-337. ABSTRACT Here we present new information on the oldest Xenarthra remains. We conducted a comparative morphological analysis of the osteoderms and post- cranial bones from the Itaboraian (upper Paleocene) of Brazil. Several osteo- derms and isolated humeri, astragali, and an ulna, belonging to at least two species, compose the assemblage. The bone osteoderms were assigned to KEY WORDS Mammalia, Riostegotherium yanei Oliveira & Bergqvist, 1998, for which a revised diagno- Xenarthra, sis is presented. The appendicular bones share features with some “edentate” Cingulata, Riostegotherium, taxa. Many of these characters may be ambiguous, however, and comparison Astegotheriini, with early Tertiary Palaeanodonta reveals several detailed, derived resem- Palaeanodonta, blances in limb anatomy. This suggests that in appendicular morphology, one armadillo, osteoderm, of the Itaboraí Xenarthra may be the sister-taxon or part of the ancestral stock appendicular skeleton.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils Ryan Norris University of Vermont
    University of Vermont ScholarWorks @ UVM Graduate College Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 2009 Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils Ryan Norris University of Vermont Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis Recommended Citation Norris, Ryan, "Phylogenetic Relationships and Divergence Times in Rodents Based on Both Genes and Fossils" (2009). Graduate College Dissertations and Theses. 164. https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/graddis/164 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations and Theses at ScholarWorks @ UVM. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate College Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ UVM. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AND DIVERGENCE TIMES IN RODENTS BASED ON BOTH GENES AND FOSSILS A Dissertation Presented by Ryan W. Norris to The Faculty of the Graduate College of The University of Vermont In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Specializing in Biology February, 2009 Accepted by the Faculty of the Graduate College, The University of Vermont, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, specializing in Biology. Dissertation ~xaminationCommittee: w %amB( Advisor 6.William ~il~atrickph.~. Duane A. Schlitter, Ph.D. Chairperson Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies Date: October 24, 2008 Abstract Molecular and paleontological approaches have produced extremely different estimates for divergence times among orders of placental mammals and within rodents with molecular studies suggesting a much older date than fossils. We evaluated the conflict between the fossil record and molecular data and find a significant correlation between dates estimated by fossils and relative branch lengths, suggesting that molecular data agree with the fossil record regarding divergence times in rodents.
    [Show full text]