似粗弯齿兽的重新鉴定

<正> 产自河南济源王屋山的王屋似粗弯齿兽(Traversodontoides wangwuensis)系杨钟健1974年所记述和命名。当时被归属于犬齿兽类横齿兽科(Traversodontidae)。根据野外记录,化石来自二马营组上部,但在该地点无其他脊椎动物化石发现。最近,在研究和尚沟组掘兽类的同时,对该标本的头骨(古脊椎所登记号V4068)进     

华北地区二迭纪、三迭纪陆生四足类的性质及其时代探讨

有关华北陆相二迭纪、三迭纪地层里的四足类化石,过去除了二马营上部的中国肯氏兽动物群以外,在其他层位里很少或根本没有记载。近年来,收集到不少这方面的资料,足以对该地区这一段时期内脊椎动物的面貌有一个梗概的了解。本文介绍了晚二迭世到早、中三迭世的四个含骨化石层位,即石千峰组和石盒子组顶部;和尚沟组;二马营底部和二马营上部,对各层位的动物化石进行了初步的分析,并与我国新疆及其他大陆上的有关动物群进行了对比。     

内蒙古一新掘兽类

本文记述产自内蒙古二马营组底部的又一掘兽类化石。按其头骨、下颔、牙齿的形态特征定一新属种:大孔伊克昭兽Yikezhaogia megafenestrala gen.et sp.nov.     

新疆的肯氏兽类新材料及短吻副肯氏兽的再研究

记述了新疆吐鲁番中三叠统克拉玛依组肯氏兽类一新材料 ,它与短吻副肯氏兽(Parakannemeyeriabrevirostris)正模特征相似 ,确定二者为同种。将中国已知的中国肯氏兽及副肯氏兽属的所有种进行支序分析 ,发现短吻副肯氏兽与中国肯氏兽及副肯氏兽属的其他种构成姊妹群。在与肯氏兽类其他相关属比较的基础上 ,建议以短吻种为基础建立一新属 :西域肯氏兽 (Xiyukannemeyeria)。     

中国肯氏兽-山西鳄组合带的新发现之一:山西的肯氏兽类（英文）

近年来在山西省境内沿黄河一带采集到一些新的四足动物化石。在临县白道峪铜川组一段产出的化石中,至少有一种副肯氏兽和一种新的中国肯氏兽——白道峪中国肯氏兽(Sinokannemeyeria baidaoyuensis sp.nov.)。新种以其前额骨向前延伸到达鼻孔后凹一线的特征区别于其他中国肯氏兽。这一材料的长牙未被前颌骨完全包裹,可能是不正常发育所致。在柳林的二马营组地层中识别出不同于中国肯氏兽和副肯氏兽的第三个肯氏兽属。这些新发现增加了中国肯氏兽-山西鳄组合带的组分以及时代延限。     

天山北麓二齿兽属一新种

这里介绍的是我国发现的第二个二迭纪二齿兽类化石,它和杨钟健记述的第一个二齿兽头骨一样,是袁复礼新疆搜集品中的一个,两者在形态上相差很大,但化石的确切地点和层位同样不清楚。二齿兽属中除了极少数生存到三迭纪初期,绝大多数都生活在上二达世。到三迭纪开始,其地位便为水龙兽和后期的肯氏兽类所代替。由于它在划分二、三迭纪地层里代上是一个较好的标志,因此虽然产地层位不清,仍有必要加以记述。这一头骨比前一二齿兽要小得多(长约120毫米),连同下颌一起被保存在一灰绿色粉砂岩结核里。所有露出部分,如吻端、间颞部、两侧颧弓均因风化而不同程度地受损,但其他部分保存完好。     

新疆吉木萨尔克拉玛依组副肯氏兽一新种

1963年在新疆阜康曾经发现过肯氏兽的材料,这批化石中有被称为“九龙壁”的一群个体。这些化石曾被归入副肯氏兽属,命名为短吻副肯氏兽(Parakannemeyeria brevirostris)(孙艾玲,1978)。最近依据这个种建立了一个新属：西域肯氏兽(Xiyukannemeyeria),于是新疆的肯氏兽与华北的肯氏兽就没有相同属了(刘俊、李锦玲,2003)。     

中国晚二叠世原始恐头兽类化石一新属种——甘肃玉门晚二叠世脊椎动物群系列报道之二

记述了甘肃玉门上二叠统西大沟组上部恐头兽类Anteosauridae科一新属新种——玉门中华猎兽(Sinophoneus yumenensis gen.et sp.nov.),该化石与俄罗斯伊舍夫地区Ⅱ带的Titanophoneus处于同一进化水平,其时代应为晚二叠世早期.这是我国首次发现的原始肉食anteosaurid恐头兽类头骨化石,甘肃西部成为继俄罗斯、南非之后该类原始似哺乳爬行动物化石的又一重要产地.     

吐鲁番盆地古新世哺乳类化石的发现及新疆新生代哺乳类化石层提要

最近,玉门矿务局吐鲁番勘探大队吴忠兴同志,在吐鲁番盆地老第三系中,采集了几个哺乳类的牙齿。很清楚的是一种原始的恐角兽类(Dinocerata)的化石,属于过去发现于蒙古人民共和国上古新统格沙头组(Gashato)中的原恐角兽属(Prodinoceras)。这个发现在地层及古生物上有很大意义。因为这是我国境内首次发现的古新世哺乳类化石;因此,也是我国目前唯一知道的古新统脊椎动物化石层位。在古生物方面,恐角兽类化石,过去我国仅在内蒙二连伊尔丁曼纳层中,发现过一种时代较晚(晚始新世),和相当特化的戈壁兽(Gobiatherium),吐鲁番盆地原始类型的发现是这方面知识上一个重要的进展。     

中国肯氏兽-山西鳄组合带的新发现之三:山西临县的主龙型类（英文）

近几十年,华北的二马营组上部地层以产出中国肯氏兽–山西鳄四足动物化石组合而闻名。最近在山西临县白道峪于上覆的铜川组一段发现了中国肯氏兽。本文描述了同一地点同一层位产出的主龙型类化石,包括一具山西鳄的部分骨架以及一些可以归入suchian的主龙类。它们是铜川组一段首次记述的主龙型类。最有鉴定特征的suchian材料包括一个大的髂骨以及一个小的、形状很奇特的、可能是跟骨的骨骼。髂骨可能可以归入一个奇异的波波龙类(poposauroid)。因为中国肯氏兽与山西鳄同时出现在白道峪,表明中国肯氏兽–山西鳄组合可以向上延伸到铜川组一段。髂骨与跟骨大小悬殊,可能代表两个从未在中国肯氏兽–山西鳄组合报道过的物种。白道峪发现了特化的波波龙类,支持了波波龙类在中三叠世大量分化的观点。     

云南武定节甲类的新材料

文中描述了采自云南武定中泥盆统一新的属种Yinostius maior gen.et sp.nov.属于短胸节甲类Heterosteidae科,这类化石在我国系初次发现。     

The sixth skull cap of Pithecanthropus erectus

The sixth skull cap of Pithecanthropus erectus (or skull V, since the Modjokerto skull has not been given a number) was found in the upper layers of the Trinil beds of Sangiran (Central Java) in 1963, associated with fossils of the Sino-Malayan fauna. No stone tools were discovered in direct association with the find. The specimen consists of the occipital, both parietals, both temporals, sphenoid fragments, the frontal and the left zygomatic bone. We consider the skull to be a male in his early twenties. The occipital, parietal, frontal and temporal bones demonstrate definite pithecanthropine characteristics, and the cranial capacity is estimated to be 975 cm³. Of the superstructures, the supraorbital torus is extraodinarily thick, approaching the condition in Australopithecus boisei and Rhodesian man. And the sagittal torus is certainly higher than in skulls I and II, but lower than in skull IV. In addition, the angle between the occipital and nuchal planes is larger than in the previous finds. As revealed by various features, the gap between the robustness of skull IV on one hand, and skulls I, II and III on the other, is bridged by the present find. There is no reasonable taxonomic need to ascribe this specimen to a new species, because it seems to be merely an intrapopulational variant of the same species. Other skulls of P. erectus suggest that the bregmatic eminence, and hence the vertex, is invariably situated at bregma, but this new skull cap deviates from the pattern. Its pteric regions disclose the anthropoid X and I types. The middle meningeal groove pattern is similar to other Pithecanthropus skulls; however, it betrays a known anomaly in that the main stem is covered for a short distance by a bony plate. The mastoid process is fairly well developed, and is also well pneumatized as in P. pekinensis, with its air cells invading the pronounced supramastoid crest. The zygomatic bone, the first one recovered of P. erectus, does not show characters of particular importance. In fact, its thickness is in the range of modern man. We would like to stress that the absence of the cranial base does not necessarily indicate that the specimen must be a poor victim of cannibalism, since the morphology of the base renders it more susceptible to post-mortem natural traumata.     

The development of the chondrocranium of the lacertid lizard,Acanthodactylus boskiana

The trabeculae cranii are at first quite separate from each other, after few days their anterior two fifths are connected by a trabecular plate which is obliterated throughout development. The paired origin of the parachordal plate is not observed. The fused posterior orbital cartilages chondrify in the form of a wide short plate, traversed by the oculomotor and trochlear nerves. The basicranial fenestra and fenestra ovalis are formed by the degeneration of pre-existing cartilage. The cochlear portion is completely fused with the parachordal plate from the very beginning. The elements of the pterygoquadrate are fused together. The quadrate and Meckel's cartilage are in close contact from the very beginning. While the lower part of the interorbital septum is derived from the trabecula communis, its upper part is derived from the anterior orbital cartilages. The lateral parts of the fused posterior orbital cartilages give rise to most of the taeniae and pilae of the orbitotemporal region. There is only one commissure between the auditory capsule and parachordal plate. A cartilaginous connection between the distal portion of the columella auris and ceratohyal persists for some time. The parietotectal and paranasal cartilages are fused together from the very beginning. The processus paroticus originates from the columella auris. In the fully formed stage the notochord is completely embedded in the occipital condyle. The union between the condyle and odontoid process persists. The auditory capsules and occipital arches contribute to the formation of the tectum synoticum plus posterius. The prefacial commissure and facial foramen lie in front of the cochlear portion. The columella auris possesses a processus internus (connected with the quadrate), but the processes a dorsalis has completely disappeared. The orbitotemporal region is quite complete. A medial fenestra is formed in the planum supraseptale. A fenestra is observed in each of the interorbital and nasal septa. The lamina transversalis anterior is fused with the parietotectal cartilage. A complete zona annularis is present. The outer wall of the paranasal cartilage is perforated by a large fenestra lateralis. The parietotectal and paranasal cartilages and the posterior process of the lamina transversalis anterior contribute to the formation of the concha nasalis. There is a contact between the planum antorbitale and nasal septum. The pterygoid process has disappeared. The common characters of the lacertid chondrocranuium are deduced.     

The cranial morphology of Greererpeton burkemorani Romer (Amphibia: Temnospondyli)

The skull of Greererpeton burkemorani Romer, a temnospondyl amphibian from the Upper Mississippian at Greer, West Virginia is described. A detailed account of the stapes of a Mississippian amphibian is given for the first time and its function is discussed. It is suggested that the stapes formed the principal element of support for the back of the braincase and resisted potential dislocation of the otico-occipital region from the skull roof during contraction of the hypaxial musculature.
Greererpeton is included in the Colosteidae and an amended diagnosis of the family is given. Erpetosaurus differs from Colosteus, Greererpeton and Pholidogaster in the pattern of bones in the skull roof and palate, the dentition and the otic region and, consequently, it is removed from the Colosteidae. The Temnospondyli are considered to be a monophyletic group characterized by the development of a connection between the dorsal portion of the occipital arch, the exoccipital bones, and the skull roof. The loxommatids are removed from the Temnospondyli as they retain the plesiomorphic condition of braincase attachment which relies exclusively on derivatives of the auditory capsules.
On the basis of similarities in the structure of the braincase, palate and manus it is suggested that microsaurs are the collateral descendants (sister group) of temnospondyls. This relationship may account for the large number of similarities in the three living groups of Amphibia: Anura are generally believed to have descended from temnospondyls, while the Urodela and Apoda are often considered to have descended from microsaurs. These systematic conclusions endorse the recent suggestions that neither the Lepospondyli nor the Labyrinthodontia are natural groups, and both terms should be abandoned.     

First giraffid skulls (Bohlinia attica) from the late Miocene Maragheh fauna,Northwest Iran

An almost complete skull and a second partial skull of Bohlinia attica (Artiodactyla: Giraffidae) from the late Miocene of Maragheh in northwestern Iran is described along with a complete upper dentition from Samos in Greece. These specimens enrich what is known of this species. The skull has massive bent ossicones. The braincase is horizontal to the face in lateral view. The upper premolars have strongly curved styles. The metapodials of this species are elongate with a deep plantar trough. The braincase is short and the occipital does not extend caudally. The type material of Bohlinia is from Pikermi but this taxon is also known from localities in F.Y.R.O. Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Iraq, and Iran. The new specimens are similar to others except that the ossicone terminates in a knob and the palatine choanae are positioned caudally. This taxon along with Honanotherium, which is most similar but with shorter metapodials and simpler premolars, can be placed in the subfamily Bohlininae.     

四川自贡发现合川马门溪龙新材料

记述了产自四川自贡上侏罗统的一具较完整的蜥脚类恐龙骨架 ,将其归入合川马门溪龙 (Mamenchisaurushochuanensis)中。新材料的发现弥补了合川种正型标本的不足 ,对合川种的特征作了重要补充 ,同时也使我们对马门溪龙的末端尾椎形态有了新的认识。     

Craniology of the Plesiosaur <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abyssosaurus nataliae</Emphasis> Berezin (Sauropterygia,Plesiosauria) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Central Russian Platform

Cranial bones of the plesiosaurus Abyssosaurus nataliae Berezin, 2011 from the Upper Hauterivian (Lower Cretaceous) of Chuvashia are described. It differs from other known Cryptoclididae in the evident pedomorphic characters in the skull structure. The skull is strongly hypertrophic; the visceral part is shortened relative to its large occipital region; the orbits are enlarged, the lower jaw is narrow. The jugal is well developed, positioned vertically, and borders most of the posterior orbital wall. This skull structure is evidence of deepwater mode of life. The species diagnosis is revised.     

山西襄汾石沟砂场发现人类枕骨化石

2012年,山西襄汾县南贾镇上鲁村石沟砂场发现一件人类枕骨化石。该化石埋藏于汾河西岸第Ⅲ级阶地的砂砾层,地质时代可能是中更新世晚期。本文对枕骨形态特征进行描述,并将其与亚洲直立人、早期智人、早期现代人相关标本进行对比。观察发现,石沟古人类具有印加骨的形态特征,为中国古人类印加骨高频出现增添了新的证据;枕鳞中部没有发育枕骨圆枕,而具有最上项线,显示出枕骨形态的进步性,推测石沟古人类可能属于早期现代人。石沟古人类枕骨化石对于探讨中国及东亚地区古人类的系统演化问题提供了证据。     

The cranial base of Australopithecus afarensis: new insights from the female skull

Cranial base morphology differs among hominoids in ways that are usually attributed to some combination of an enlarged brain, retracted face and upright locomotion in humans. The human foramen magnum is anteriorly inclined and, with the occipital condyles, is forwardly located on a broad, short and flexed basicranium; the petrous elements are coronally rotated; the glenoid region is topographically complex; the nuchal lines are low; and the nuchal plane is horizontal. Australopithecus afarensis (3.7–3.0 Ma) is the earliest known species of the australopith grade in which the adult cranial base can be assessed comprehensively. This region of the adult skull was known from fragments in the 1970s, but renewed fieldwork beginning in the 1990s at the Hadar site, Ethiopia (3.4–3.0 Ma), recovered two nearly complete crania and major portions of a third, each associated with a mandible. These new specimens confirm that in small-brained, bipedal Australopithecus the foramen magnum and occipital condyles were anteriorly sited, as in humans, but without the foramen''s forward inclination. In the large male A.L. 444-2 this is associated with a short basal axis, a bilateral expansion of the base, and an inferiorly rotated, flexed occipital squama—all derived characters shared by later australopiths and humans. However, in A.L. 822-1 (a female) a more primitive morphology is present: although the foramen and condyles reside anteriorly on a short base, the nuchal lines are very high, the nuchal plane is very steep, and the base is as relatively narrow centrally. A.L. 822-1 illuminates fragmentary specimens in the 1970s Hadar collection that hint at aspects of this primitive suite, suggesting that it is a common pattern in the A. afarensis hypodigm. We explore the implications of these specimens for sexual dimorphism and evolutionary scenarios of functional integration in the hominin cranial base.