Pliocene hominid partial mandible from Tabarin, Baringo, Kenya

Sediments in the Tugen Hills, west of Lake Baringo, Kenya, form one of the best fossiliferous successions known in Africa spanning the period from 14 my to less than 4 my. Hominoid fossils have previously been recovered from a number of localities in the region. We describe here a new hominid mandible (KNM-TH 13150) from the site of Tabarin, in the Chemeron Formation. Isotopic determinations on a tuff below the fossiliferous horizon gives dates of 4.96 my and 5.25 my. The associated fauna is consistent with these results and independently suggests a minimum age for the specimen of 4.15 my. Although fragmentary, the preserved morphology of the Tabarin mandible is consistent with the diagnosis of the Pliocene hominid Australopithecus afarensis. It can be distinguished from all other currently recognized hominoid taxa.     

河北阳原—蔚县晚上新世兔形类化石

本文记述河北阳原——蔚县晚上新世小哺乳动物群中的兔形类化石共3属5种:Pliopent-alagus nihewanensis sp.nov.,Hypolagus sohreuderi,Ochotona cf.lagrelii,Ochotona minor和Ochotona erythrotis.。对首次发现于亚洲的Pliopentalagus进行了起源和演化方面的探讨;并就华北上新世一早更新世常见的Hypolagus作了一些评述。本文指出:Hypolagus—Plio-pentalagus组合已延至早维拉方期;Ochotona lagrelii—Ochotona minor则为已知的最晚代表。     

Review of the genus Hippidion Owen, 1869 (Mammalia: Perissodactyla) from the Pleistocene of South America

This review of Hippidion is based on a multivariate analysis of the foot, and some morphological characteristics of the skull and dentition. We recognize only one genus ( Hippidion ) including all the hippidiform horses, with three different species: H. principale, H. devillei and H. saldiasi. The latter species is stratigraphically and geographically restricted to the period from 13000 to 8000 years BP in the southern part of South America. Hippidion principale and H. devillei have a large geographical distribution (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Perú, Uruguay, Brazil) through the Upper Pliocene-Upper Pleistocene. Both species show some morphometric variations across their geographic range; these features may result from the environmental characteristics.     

Le prétendu rhinocéros de Nouvelle Calédonie est un marsupial (Zygomaturus diahotensis nov. sp.): Solution d'une énigmeet conséquences paléogéographiques

The first mammalian remain ever found in NewCaledonia is an upper tooth found by golddiggers in the Plio-Pleistocene terrace from the Diahot river. This tooth, given to the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris) in 1876, was determined as a rhinoceros tooth and then completely forgotten. Its detailed study shows that it belongs to Zygomaturus, a large marsupial diprotodontid genus whose story is rather complicated. The Diahot tooth represents a new species of Zygomaturus, Z. diahotensis nov. sp., close to Z. trilobus from the Australian Pleistocene. That kinship suggests a Plio-Pleistocene land connection between Australia and New Caledonia, whereas till now New Caledonia was supposed to be separated from Australia since the end of the Cretaceous, because of the total absence of indigenous mammals, fossil or recent, in New Caledonia. The latest geological studies in the East Pacific do not contradict our hypothesis.     

泥河湾盆地上新世生物地层序列与环境

总结了泥河湾盆地晚上新世生物地层,讨论了12个剖面含哺乳动物化石层位的相互关系,以稻地老窝沟剖面的地层顺序为基础排列出约3.7～2.6Ma时段内的9个代表性的生物地层单位。哺乳动物以Paenelimnoecus chinensis、Lunanosorex cf.L.lii、Trischizolagus、Pliopentalagus nihewanicus、Ungaromys、Mimomys sp.、Chardina truncatus、Mesosiphneus praetingi、M, paratingi、Plio- siphneus lyratus、Pseudomeriones complicidens、Castor anderssoni、Huaxiamys downsi、Chardinomys yusheensis、C.nihowanicus、Hipparion houfenense和Gazella blacki组合为特征。动物群在时代上与榆社麻则沟动物组合、静乐红土动物群、灵台雷家河剖面V带及任家沟静乐红粘土动物组合、宁县水磨沟动物组合、游河动物群及沂南棋盘山洞穴动物组合相当。动物群所反映的是温带草原为主、间有树林和干草原的稀树草原环境。     

Pliocene hominid mandibles from the Hadar formation,Ethiopia: 1974–1977 collections

The Pliocene hominid mandibles of A. afarensis from Hadar, Ethiopia are described anatomically.