A new species of Macaranga from the middle Miocene of Fujian,China and its significance

A well-preserved Macaranga leaf fossil from the middle Miocene Fotan Group of Zhangpu County, Fujian, South-eastern China is examined and described as a new species, Macaranga zhangpuensis Z.X. Wang et B.N. Sun sp. nov. The present fossil species represents the highest latitudinal distribution of a reliable Macaranga fossil in the world, and we present the first Macaranga fossil described with detailed cuticular characteristics from China. Based on the global palaeogeographic distribution of Macaranga, we infer that the genus probably originated during the Oligocene in Africa and spread from Africa to India and then to South Fujian, China, further into the Mariana Islands and finally into the Philippine Islands and Malaysia, leading to its present distribution. In addition, the new leaf material described herein is the first Macaranga fossil record with three leaf tips globally. This finding demonstrates that Macaranga with three leaf tips already existed during the Miocene in Fujian, South China, and it provides new information for understanding climatic changes between the Miocene and the present -day.     

福建中中新世紫萁属(紫萁科)的一个新种

丰富的化石记录显示中生代和新生代紫萁属在北半球广泛分布.本文描述了发现于福建中中新世佛昙群的紫萁属一新种:漳浦紫萁(Osmunda zhangpuensis Z.X.Wang and B.N.Sun,sp.nov.).化石小羽片保存完好,呈线状披针形,边缘具齿,羽状脉序.在该属现生种中,当前化石种与现生种Osmunda...     

福建中新世中期三宝木属(大戟科)一新种及其古气候与古生态学意义*

本文描述了发现于福建省漳浦地区佛昙群的三宝木属(Trigonostemon)一新种:漳浦三宝木(Trigonostemon zhangpuensis sp. nov. J.L. Dong et B.N. Sun)。该化石叶片呈倒披针形,基部窄,顶端渐尖;中上部的叶缘具细齿,近叶基1/3的部位全缘;叶脉为羽状环曲脉,中脉粗壮,向上逐渐变细;气孔器为无规则型,气孔呈长椭圆形,分布稀疏,无规则排列;平周壁不光滑,具褶皱。化石种与现生种剑叶三宝木(Trigonostemon xyphophyllorides(Croiz.) L.K. Dai et T.L. Wu)在叶片形态特征方面最为相似。剑叶三宝木分布在我国的海南省,基于化石种与最近亲缘现生种的生态幅基本一致的假设,漳浦地区在中新世中期的气候特征可能类似于现今海南省。化石种叶片上共划分13种损伤类型,属于6类功能性取食组,包括孔洞取食(hole feeding)、边缘取食(margin feeding)、留脉式取食(skeletonization)、表面取食(surface feeding)、造瘿(galling)和刺吸式取食(pierci...     

Evidence for diversification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calophyllum</Emphasis> L. (Calophyllaceae) in the Neogene Siwalik forests of eastern Himalaya

Here, we report fossil leaves, woods, and pollen grains comparable to Calophyllum L. (mainly to Calophyllum inophyllum L. and Calophyllum polyanthum Wall. ex Choisy) of Calophyllaceae from the upper (Kimin Formation, late Pliocene-early Pleistocene), middle (Subansiri Formation, Pliocene) Siwalik sediments of the Arunachal sub-Himalaya, and lower (Gish Clay Formation of Sevok Group; middle to late Miocene) Siwalik sediments of the Darjeeling foothills, eastern Himalaya. Their presence indicates a warm and humid tropical environment in the region during the period of Siwalik sedimentation. Considering all records of Calophyllum, it is suggested that Calophyllum was a frequent forest element throughout the period of Siwalik sedimentation during the Neogene (Miocene time). At present, C. polyanthum grows in the eastern Himalaya, but C. inophyllum is totally absent from north-eastern regions suggesting differential adaptability of these taxa to changing ecoclimatic conditions. Distinct climate change in the area, possibly related to the Himalayan Orogeny during Miocene–Pleistocene times, might have caused the disappearance of C. inophyllum from the entire eastern Himalaya and north-east Indian plains and a move to littoral/coastal and swampy forests of India and other adjoining south-east Asian regions, Polynesia, and the east coast of Africa. The past global distribution of Calophyllum is also discussed, and it is suggested that India may have been its primary centre of origin. This is the first time Cenozoic fossil leaves Calophyllum siwalikum Khan, R.A.Spicer & Bera, sp. nov. comparable to C. inophyllum are described using the both macro- and micromorphological characters.     

A fossil fruit wing of Dipterocarpus from the middle Miocene of Fujian, China and its palaeoclimatic significance

Dipterocarpus zhengae sp. nov. is described from the middle Miocene Fotan Group of Zhangpu county, Fujian Province, Southeast China on the basis of a fruit wing. Three kinds of venation of the calyx longer lobes (enlarged sepals) occur in the winged fruits of extant Dipterocarpus. The fossil species is referred to the kind having three primary veins and within that category is most similar to extant Dipterocarpus gracilis Blume in the size of the longer lobe as well as its venation. The occurrence of the fruit wing of Dipterocarpus, together with palynological evidence, indicates unequivocally that a tropical climate and tropical rain forest occurred in Zhangpu during the middle Miocene, warmer and more humid than at the present day. The palaeobiogeography of Dipterocarpus is reviewed.     

Multivariate analysis of morphological and anatomical characters of Calophyllum (Calophyllaceae) in South America

Calophyllum (Calophyllaceae), previously placed in Clusiaceae, is easily recognizable by its opposite entire leaves with close parallel venation alternating with resin canals. However, distinction between species has been difficult, because of infraspecific variation in tepal and stamen number and resemblance among species that share similar habitats. Here, I report the results of multivariate analyses of morphological and anatomical characters for Calophyllum in South America, and provide a taxonomic treatment for the genus in South America, the first since that of Vesque in 1893. Thirteen preliminary morphogroups were identified. Thirty‐two morphological characters of the leaf, flower and fruit from 401 specimens, and 17 anatomical leaf characters from 45 specimens were measured and analysed using principal component analyses (PCAs) and discriminant analyses (DAs). PCAs were used to find groups and DAs were used to validate those PCAs that were potential groups. Two main subgroups were identified in the general analysis. Subgroup M1 has terete stems and smaller leaves and flowers than subgroup M2, which, instead, has quadrangular stems. Only subgroup M2 showed distinctive clusters in regional and local analyses. Distinctive clusters and morphological and anatomical characters helped us to recognize four species in South America, including a new species, Calophyllum pubescens sp. nov. . In addition, a new species, Calophyllum mesoamericanum sp. nov. , is described from Central America. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London,     

First fossil evidence of samaras of Ventilago Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) from India and its implications

The Ventilago Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) is widely distributed in pantropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia. However, fossil records of this taxon are sparse, which limits understanding of the evolution and biogeographic history of the genus. In the present study, we report and describe two new fossil species of Ventilago, V. siwalika sp. nov. from the Miocene sediments of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya, and V. pliocenica sp. nov. from the Pliocene sediments of Jharkhand, eastern India based on single-winged samaras. Ventilago pliocenica is characterized by a prominent midvein, obtuse to sub-round apex with mucronate tip, longitudinal secondary veins extending the full length of the fruit, and reticulate nature of higher-order veins, the presence of equatorial rim, the hypanthium, and short pedicel. On the other hand, V. siwalika is characterized by a prominent midvein, obtuse to sub-round apex with mucronate tip, longitudinal secondary veins extending the full length of the fruit, and reticulate nature of higher-order veins. Our discovery represents the first unambiguous fossil record of single-winged samara of Ventilago from India and provides valuable insights into the evolution of this genus. In this paper, we also review its biogeographic history and add new information to understand its hypothetical migration route. Present and earlier records of Ventilago also suggest that this genus was a common forest element during Neogene (Miocene time) in Asia.     

First fossil Molinaranea Mello‐Leitão, 1940 (Araneae: Araneidae), from middle Miocene Dominican amber,with a phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographical analysis of the genus

The first fossil Molinaranea is described, from middle Miocene Dominican amber. This record extends the known range of the genus back 16 million years; it also extends the geographical range of the genus through time, with extant species known only from Chile, Argentina, the Falkland Islands, and Juan Fernandez Island. A parsimony‐based phylogenetic analysis was performed, which indicates that the fossil species, Molinaranea mitnickii sp. nov. , is nested with Molinaranea magellanica Walckenaer, 1847 and Molinaranea clymene Nicolet, 1849 . A modified Brooks parsimony analysis was conducted in order to examine the biogeography and origins of the fossil species in the Dominican Republic; the analysis suggests that M. mitnickii sp. nov. arrived in Hispaniola from South America as a result of a chance dispersal event. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158 , 711–725.     

福建省2种木本植物新记录

通过2017～2018年对福建省本土植物进行野外调查,发现2种木本植物新记录:薄叶红厚壳(Calophyllum membranaceum Gardn. & Champ.)和光叶紫玉盘(Uvaria boniana Finet&Gagnep.)。薄叶红厚壳为藤黄科(Calophyllaceae)红厚壳属(Calophyllum)植物,该属为福建省新记录属;光叶紫玉盘为福建省番荔枝科(Annonaceae)紫玉盘属(Uvaria)新记录种。现予以报道,并提供相应照片及描述,此次报道丰富了福建省本土木本植物资源,凭证标本存放于福建农林大学林学院植物标本馆。     

First fossil fruits of Elaeocarpus (Elaeocarpaceae) in East Asia: Implications for phytogeography and paleoecology

The genus Elaeocarpus contains approximately 360 species and occurs in mesic forest communities from India, through to China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia, and New Caledonia. Elaeocarpus fossils are best known from the Eocene to the Miocene of Australia and the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene of India, but have not been documented from East Asia before. Here we describe six new species of Elaeocarpus, E. nanningensis sp. nov. from the late Oligocene Yongning Formation of the Nanning Basin, E. presikkimensis sp. nov. from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of the Guiping Basin, E. prerugosus sp. nov., E. prelacunosus sp. nov., E. preserratus sp. nov., and E. preprunifolioides sp. nov. from the late Miocene Foluo Formation of the Nankang Basin in Guangxi, South China. This is the first reliable report for the genus occurring in East Asia, and the fossils indicate that Elaeocarpus had colonized this region by the late Oligocene and represented by a morphologically diverse group of species by the late Miocene. This sheds new insights into the timing and migration patterns of the genus in East Asia. Elaeocarpus is typically a rainforest genus occurring in mesic forests. Based on the habitat of their morphologically similar modern relatives we propose that these three sedimentary basins were warm and wet adjacent to mountainous regions with the evergreen or rain forests during the late Oligocene to Miocene.     

A new coral‐associated decapod assemblage from the Upper Miocene (Messinian) Upper Coralline Limestone of Malta (Central Mediterranean)

Abstract: A rich coral‐associated decapod assemblage is recorded from the ‘Depiru Beds’ of the upper part of the Upper Coralline Limestone (Messinian, Upper Miocene), from the island of Malta. Nineteen species within 17 genera have been discovered, where 14 genera are new for Malta. Four new species are described, namely Micippa annamariae sp. nov., Pilumnus scaber sp. nov., Panopeus muelleri sp. nov. and Herbstia melitense sp. nov. Herbstia melitense sp. nov. constitutes the first record of the genus from the fossil record in the Mediterranean region. This discovery more than doubles the number of known fossil decapod species from Malta. The fossil bivalve Jouannetia (J.) semicaudata Des Moulins, 1830 and the extant decapod Maja goltziana D’Oliveira, 1888, are also recorded for the first time from Malta. Other Neogene coral‐associated decapod assemblages are investigated and correlated with the new assemblage from Malta. The migration of taxa between the Mediterranean region and the Paratethys, particularly during the Lower Badenian (Langhian), is evidenced by the strong affinity of the Maltese decapod assemblage with that of the Middle Miocene Badenian assemblages from Hungary, Poland and Ukraine. Upper Miocene, Messinian assemblages from Spain, Algeria and Morocco are also similar to that from Malta.     

New fossil leaves and fruits of Lauraceae from the Middle Miocene of Fujian,southeastern China differentiated using a cluster analysis

The fossil record of Lauraceae can be traced back to the Early Cretaceous of eastern Asia based on fossil flowers. Here, we refer a number of new occurrences of leaf and fruit fossils of Lauraceae from the Middle Miocene of Zhangpu, Fujian, China, to seven species. These data provide evidence supporting the fact that a diverse subtropical, or tropical, Lauraceae-dominated evergreen forest surrounded this region 15 million years ago (Mya). The Lauraceae fossils presented in this paper provide evidence for the evolution of this group as well as new materials that enable the study of the Fujian Province Neogene flora. The fossils described in this paper fill in the gaps in studies about Lauraceae pollen in the Middle Miocene from Fotan, Fujian, China. In addition, these fossils also enrich the Middle Miocene fossil records of Lauraceae in eastern Asia, especially improving the study of the macrostructures and reproductive organs of fossil Lauraceae from southern China. The similarity between fossil and modern fruits shows that during the Middle Miocene the fruit morphological of Lauraceae have changed very little. We also identify families where the fossils we report belong to their closest relatives and can be used to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of Fujian in the Middle Miocene.     

A new species of Zelkova (Ulmaceae,Ulmoideae) with leaves and fruits from the Oligocene of South China and its biogeographical implications

A new fossil species of Zelkova is described from the Oligocene Ningming Formation of Guangxi, South China. Zelkova ningmingensis sp. nov. is characterized by leaves with craspedodromous venation pattern and drupaceous fruit type. The new species possesses elliptical to ovate leaves, bearing 7–12 pairs of secondary and simple toothed margin, as well as epidermal cells with straight or rounded anticlinal walls. The species is compared with extant and other fossil species hitherto reported of the genus. It is most similar to the living Zelkova schneideriana in the leaf gross morphology and epidermal characters, which may be suggested to be the ancestral type of Zelkova schneideriana. The discovery of Zelkova ningmingensis sp. nov. in Guangxi indicates that Zelkova has already existed in southern China as early as the Oligocene. In combination with Zelkova material from the Oligocene of Europe, it can be inferred that Eurasian Zelkova had begun to diversify by at least the Oligocene. Because China is the biodiversity centre of modern Zelkova, the fossil herein provides new insights into Zelkova biogeography.     

Diversity of Menispermaceae from the Paleocene and Eocene of South China

We present here the earliest known Asian fossil records of the Menispermaceae based on fossil fruits from Paleocene and Eocene localities in South China. A new genus and species, Paleoorbicarpum parvum sp. nov., and two new species of Stephania Loureiro, S. ornamenta sp. nov. and S. geniculata sp. nov., are recognized from Paleocene deposits of the Sanshui Basin, Guangdong, and a new occurrence of the widespread Eocene species Stephania auriformis (Hollick) Han & Manchester is recognized from the Maoming Basin, Guangdong. The Paleocene Stephania specimens described here represent the earliest fossil endocarp record of the Menispermaceae in eastern Asia. This discovery shows that the moonseed family had arrived in tropical and humid South China by at least the middle Paleocene, which provides important evidence for the origin and phytogeographic history of the family.     

A revision of the fossil Canidae (Mammalia) of north‐western Africa

Abstract: The fossil record of the Canidae in North‐western Africa begins near the Miocene–Pliocene boundary with a form close to Nyctereutes, a genus best known in the late Pliocene of Ahl al Oughlam. This site yields two other canids. Vulpes hassani sp. nov. is a small fox, probably ancestral to the modern V. rueppelli, recorded from the Middle Pleistocene onwards. Lupulella paralius sp. nov. is a primitive jackal that probably belongs to the clade of modern African jackals. In the middle Pleistocene, the most common canid is Lupulella mohibi sp. nov., remarkable by its Nyctereutes‐like dentition and primitive skull‐features. These are all endemic forms, but V. vulpes and C. aureus, of northern origin, appear in the course of the middle Pleistocene. Lycaon has a sparse record in the middle and late Pleistocene.     

中国海洋褐藻门多毛藻属的研究Ⅰ

对我国沿海岸采集的褐藻门多毛藻属(Myriactula)标本进行了分类学研究。经鉴定确认了4种,其中2新种,即阿拉伯多毛藻[M.arabica(Kuetzing)Feldmann]、粗丝多毛藻[M.clavata(Takamatsu)Feldmann]、漳浦多毛藻(M.zhangpuensis Luan et Ding,sp.nov.)和海州多毛藻(M.haizhouensis Luan et Ding,sp.nov.)。对漳浦多毛藻和海州多毛藻进行了较详细的特征描述。模式标本均存在中国科学院海洋研究所海洋生物标本馆。     

First fossil record of the genus Nageia (Podocarpaceae) in south China and its phytogeographic implications

The first fossil record of the genus Nageia Gaertner from the Tertiary of southern China is reported. Nageia hainanensis sp. nov. is described from the Eocene Changchang Formation of Hainan Island. The extant species of Nageia are widely distributed in southeastern Asia, from northeastern India to southeastern China and southern Japan, and southward through Indochina to the Malay Archipelago and New Guinea. The fossil evidence of Nageia has been discovered from the Lower Cretaceous of the Far East of Russia and Japan. The distribution of both modern and fossil species of Nageia indicates that this genus could have originated in the northeastern part of Asia in the Early Cretaceous and spread to south China at least in the Eocene. Discovery of Nageia fossil record in south China provides important evidence for the geological and phytogeographic history of the genus.     

Systematics and evolutionary significance of the small Abrocomidae from the early Miocene of southern South America

Octodontoidea is the most species-rich clade among hystricomorph rodents, and has a fossil record going back to at least the late Oligocene. Affinities of fossils previous to the late Miocene differentiation of the extant families Abrocomidae, Echimyidae and Octodontidae are controversial, essentially because these fossils may share few apomorphies with modern species. In fact, pre-late Miocene representatives of Abrocomidae had not been recognised until very recently. Here we revise the early Miocene genus Acarechimys, originally assigned to Echimyidae, and alternatively to stem Octodontoidea or to Octodontidae. A systematic and parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis of the species traditionally included in Acarechimys showed that this genus is part of stem Abrocomidae. These results are primarily supported by morphology of the mandible and lower molars. Acarechimys is here restricted to three species, A. minutus, A. pulchellus and Acarechimys pascuali sp. nov., while another species, A. constans, is here transferred to a new abrocomid genus. The remaining species were nested within Octodontidae. According to these results, Abrocomidae might have been as diverse as its sister clade Octodontidae-Echimyidae during the late Oligocene–early Miocene. Extinction of this diversity would have resulted in marked loss of evolutionary history, with extant abrocomids being currently restricted to late-diverged euhypsodont representatives.     

Gliridae (Rodentia,Mammalia) with a simple dental pattern: a new genus and new species from the European Early and Middle Miocene

A new genus of Gliridae, Simplomys gen. nov. is proposed. It contains glirids with a simplified dental pattern from the European Early and Middle Miocene. Simplomys gen. nov. includes several species originally described as Pseudodryomys such as Simplomys simplicidens, Simplomys robustus, Simplomys julii, and Simplomys aljaphi. In addition, a new species, Simplomys meulenorum sp. nov. , is proposed from the Spanish Miocene. The species of this genus share not only a very reduced and simplified dental morphology, but also unique dental proportions that clearly separate them from any other genera of Gliridae. Simplomys gen. nov. is recorded in most of the fossil faunas from the Early and Middle Miocene of the Iberian Peninsula, and shows the maximum diversity in this area during Mammal Neogene Zones MN 3 and MN 4. The genus has been also recorded in other European countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland, conferring to this very characteristic taxon an important role for biochronological correlations within the European continent. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 157 , 622–652.