壮鼠化石在中国的首次发现

在我国北京长辛店和内蒙古四子王旗发现了壮鼠亚科的化石：杨氏东方壮鼠Eosischyromysyoungi新属种。它的齿冠较低,齿脊亦较低,齿尖较明显等特点表明它比北美目前已知的壮鼠都原始。这是壮鼠亚科化石在亚洲首次发现,扩大了壮鼠亚科的分布范围。特别是由于它比较原始,可能它出现的时代较早,进一步确认长辛店组的时代为中始新世晚期。     

内蒙古额尔登敖包中始新世戈壁兔(哺乳纲:兔形目)新材料(英文)

描述了来自内蒙古二连盆地的戈壁兔新材料,并命名了一个戈壁兔新种Gobiolagus aliwusuensis sp.nov.。化石产于额尔登敖包剖面中阿里乌苏地点,传统地层划分中的下红层,时代约为中始新世。该种具有中等个体,P3主尖前壁具有小的附尖,P4颊侧有两个明显的尖。这些化石材料保存了戈壁兔材料中仅有的完整上齿列,其中的P2和M3形态是首次报道,为了解亚洲早期兔形类的演化增加了新的信息。     

Paratritemnodon indicus (Creodonta: Mammalia) from the early Middle Eocene Subathu Formation,NW Himalaya,India, and the Kalakot mammalian community structure

A complete post-incisor upper dentition and a left mandible with P/3-M/3 of the proviverrine hyaenodontid (Creodonta: Mammalia)Paratritemnodon indicus, which was hitherto known by heavily worn P/3-M/3, are described from the uppermost Subathu Formation (Middle Eocene) of the Kalakot-Metka-Mohgala area, Rajauri District, Jammu and Kashmir.P. indicus is most closely related to the North American Early Eocene proviverrine,Tritemnodon; its relationships withProdissopsalis from the Middle Eocene of Europe andPropterodon from the Middle to Late Eocene of China are also close. In the Kalakot Eocene vertebrate community of the Subathu vertebrate bioprovince,P. indicus is the only land dwelling carnivorous mammal against more than 20 species of herbivorous mammals, a majority of which are larger than it. This is viewed as an imbalance in trie community and it reflects an immaturity of the ecosystem supporting the fauna. The scarcity of carnivore remains in the Kalakot mammalian fauna is not an artifact.     

Early Eocene lagomorph (Mammalia) from Western India and the early diversification of Lagomorpha

We report the oldest known record of Lagomorpha, based on distinctive, small ankle bones (calcaneus and talus) from Early Eocene deposits (Middle Ypresian equivalent, ca 53 Myr ago) of Gujarat, west-central India. The fossils predate the oldest previously known crown lagomorphs by several million years and extend the record of lagomorphs on the Indian subcontinent by 35 Myr. The bones show a mosaic of derived cursorial adaptations found in gracile Leporidae (rabbits and hares) and primitive traits characteristic of extant Ochotonidae (pikas) and more robust leporids. Together with gracile and robust calcanei from the Middle Eocene of Shanghuang, China, also reported here, the Indian fossils suggest that diversification within crown Lagomorpha and possibly divergence of the family Leporidae were already underway in the Early Eocene.     

Remains of sea turtles from the Ikovo locality (Lugansk Region, Ukraine; Middle Eocene)

Fragmentary remains of sea turtles (Cheloniidae sensu lato: Argillochelys sp., Puppigerus nessovi Averianov, 2005, and Cheloniidae gen. indet.) from the Ikovo locality (Lugansk Region, Ukraine; Lower Lutetian, Middle Eocene) are described. The genera Argillochelys and Puppigerus are recorded for the first time in Eastern Europe. The turtle assemblage from Ikovo is similar at the generic level to West European assemblages (Belgium, Great Britain) of approximately the same age (Lower-Middle Eocene). In the presence of P. nessovi, the Ikovo assemblage is similar to that from the Middle Eocene Dzheroi 2 locality (Uzbekistan).     

A review of the fossil record of the Pomacentridae (Teleostei: Labroidei) with a description of a new genus and species from the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy

The fossil record of the Pomacentridae has been based on species from six genera. The status of these taxa is reviewed. Only two are tentatively accepted as belonging to the Pomacentridae: Chromis savomini from the Miocene of Algeria and Izuus nakamurai from the Miocene of Japan. In addition, a new genus and species Palaeopomacentrus orphae is described from the lower Middle Eocene of Monte Bolca, Northern Italy. This is the first substantiated record of a pomacentrid from the Eocene, and represents the oldest record of the family.     

The first reliable record of fossil leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelyidae) in northern Eurasia (Middle Eocene of Ukraine)

Plates of the epithecal bony shell of turtles of the family Dermochelyidae from the Middle Eocene (Lutetian) of the Ak-Kaya locality (Crimea, Ukraine) are described. This material, determined as Dermochelyidae indet., is the first reliable record of fossil dermochelyids in northern Eurasia.     

Fimbria lohani (Mollusca : Bivalvia) nomen novum pro Fimbria subpectunculus (d’Orbigny, 1850) du Lutétien (Éocène moyen) du bassin de Paris,nom préoccupé

Fimbria lohani (Mollusca: Bivalvia) nom. nov. pro Fimbria subpectunculus (d’ Orbigny, 1850) from the Lutetian (Middle Eocene) of Paris basin, name preoccupied. The names Fimbria magna ( Anton, 1838) and Fimbria subpectunculus (d’ Orbigny, 1850) are nomenclaturally invalid to designate the species from the Lutetian (Middle Eocene) of the Paris Basin. Fimbria lohani nom. nov. is proposed here as a replacement to correct the homonymy Corbis subpectunculus d’ Orbigny, 1850 non d’ Archiac, 1850.     

Cyclocarya cf. paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja (Juglandaceae) from the Hunchun Formation (Eocene), Jilin Province, China

The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation (Middle Eocene) shows similarity to that of modern C. paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest fossil record in Europe and Asia. The distributions of C. cf. paliurus and other fossil records,such as Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Nyssa, and Liquidambar, in Hunchun flora show that it would have been a warmer-temperature to subtropical climate in Hunchun District during the Eocene period.     

New fossil ants of the subfamily Myrmeciinae (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Germany

Two new fossil members of the subfamily Myrmeciinae are described: Archimyrmex wedmannae, sp. nov (Grube Messel, Germany, Middle Eocene) and Prionomyrmex wappleri, sp. nov. (Rott, Germany, Late Oligocene). Members of the genus Archimyrmex were known earlier from Eocene deposits of the United States and Argentina, and members of the genus Prionomyrmex were known from Late Eocene Baltic amber.     

Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja （Juglandaceae） from the Hunchun Formation （Eocene）, Jilin Province, China

The leaflet architecture of Cyclocarya cf. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja from the Hunchun Formation （Middle Eocene） shows similarity to that of modem C. paliurus （Batal.） Iljinskaja and the specimen is the oldest fossil record in Europe and Asia. The distributions of C. cf. paliurus and other fossil records, such as Glyptostrobus, Metasequoia, Nyssa, and Liquidambar, in Hunchun flora show that it would have been a warmer-temperature to subtropical climate in Hunchun District during the Eocene period.     

Lizards of the family Arretosauridae Gilmore, 1943 (Iguanomorpha, Iguania) from the Paleogene of Mongolia

The family Arretosauridae is an enigmatic group of Asian iguanians, which contains one species, Arretosaurus ornatus Gilmore, 1943 from the Late Eocene of Inner Mongolia (China). In this work, the fossil family is classified within the taxon Iguanomorpha (Iguanidae sensu lato) and supplemented with three new forms from the Middle Eocene and Early Oligocene of Mongolia and the previously described Hemishinisaurus latifrons from the Late Eocene of China, which was originally assigned to Anguimorpha (Xenosauridae). New data characterize Arretosauridae as an important element of the Paleogene herpetofauna of Asia.     

Major vegetation trends in the Tertiary of Patagonia (Argentina): A qualitative paleoclimatic approach based on palynological evidence

The patterns of Patagonian vegetation change suggest a strong relationship between the major thermal characters of the flora and the global paleoclimatic trends during Tertiary times. This conclusion was reached from the assessment of fossil pollen data from Patagonia throughout the Paleogene and Early Neogene periods and the subsequent comparison of palynological data to the global deep-sea oxygen isotope record. Four main time intervals were recognized based on the temporal distribution of selected angiosperm key taxa. (1) Paleocene to Early Eocene: presence of megatherm elements (e.g. Nypa, Pandanus), probably integrating mangrove communities in Patagonian lowlands. (2) Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene: rise to dominance of mesotherm and microtherm Nothofagus species. Megatherm taxa were well recorded at the beginning of this interval (e.g. Ilex) but were shown to disappear towards the end. (3) Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene: new increases of megatherm taxa such as palms, Cupania and Alchornea. First occurrences of mesotherm Asteraceae, represented by trailing Mutisieae, were reported. (4) Late Miocene: dispersal of meso-microtherm and arid adapted taxa (e.g. Ephedraceae and Asteraceae) across the non-Andean region of Patagonia. Microtherm Nothofagacean forests probably occurred on the higher rainfall regions of western Patagonia. The current vegetation was most likely reached during this last stage with the forest development under wetter conditions on the Andean sectors, and the steppe throughout the non-Andean region of Patagonia.     

Miozäne Algenlaminite von Hausen in der Rhön

Laminated lake sediments of Early Miocene age are described from the Eisgraben near Hausen in the Rhön Mountains of central Germany. In composition they resemble the Middle Eocene Messel Oil Shale. Particularly remarkable are laminar concentrations ofTetraedron minimum (Chlorophyceae) remains. This is the third occurrence of these algae in the fossil record.     

Agglutinated conical foraminifera from the Lower-Middle Eocene of the Trentinara Formation (southern Italy)

Five taxa of agglutinated conical foraminifera were recorded for the first time in the Trentinara Formation, and two of them are new. Barattolites trentinarensis n. gen. n. sp. shows high conical shape, an eccentric proloculus, trochospiral early chambers, two orders of radial subepidermal partitions and columnar pillars. It is recorded in the Ypresian of Panno Bianco Mt. (Calabria) and in the Ypresian-Lower Lutetian of Serra Pastorella (Basilicata). Pseudochrysalidina (?) variospira n. sp. shows a high conical test, a trochospiral juvenile growth stage, a megalosphere in apical position, and low pillars and chambers in the adult stage. It is known in the Ypresian of Serra Pastorella. Agglutinated conical foraminifera fill the late Lower to early Middle Eocene gap in their Paleogene record. Their very intermittent record is due to their extremely narrow ecological range.     

Eocene Lagomorpha (Mammalia) of Asia: 2. Strenulagus and Gobiolagus (Strenulagidae)

Two species of early lagomorph, Strenulagus solaris sp. nov. (Monogolia, Khaychin-Ula 2 and 3 localities, Middle Eocene) and Gobiolagus hekkeri (Kyrgyzstan, Andarak 2 locality, terminal Lower Eocene), are described. A revision of Romanolagus hekkeri Shevyreva from the Andarak 2 locality has shown that it belongs to the genus Gobiolagus; consequently, the monotypic genus Romanolagus Shevyreva, 1995 is a junior synonym of Gobiolagus Burke, 1941. The diagnoses and species compositions of the genera Strenulagus and Gobiolagus are revised. Zaissanolagus gromovi Erbajeva from the Lower Oligocene of eastern Kazakhstan is shown to be the latest representative of the genus Gobiolagus and the family Strenulagidae.     

A new species of the pufferfish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eotetraodon</Emphasis> (Tetraodontiformes,Tetraodontidae) from the Eocene of the Northern Caucasus

The Eocene pufferfish genus Eotetraodon (Tetraodontidae) has previously been known only on the basis of E. pygmaeus (Zigno, 1887) from the lowermost Middle Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy. To Eotetraodon we now add E. gornylutshensis sp. nov. from the uppermost Middle Eocene of the Kuma Horizon of the northern Caucasus (Gorny Luch locality). E. gornylutshensis sp. nov. differs from E. pygmaeus by having much longer ribs and one less vertebra in the caudal peduncle.     

Deep-sea benthonic foraminiferal faunal turnover near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary

Eocene-Oligocene deep-sea benthonic foraminifera in D.S.D.P. Site 277 in the southwest Pacific have been analyzed to determine the benthonic foraminiferal response to the development of the psychrosphere near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. Biostratigraphic ranges of 41 taxa show that 23 taxa are found throughout the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene sequence, while 18 taxa exhibit first or last occurrences. Comparison of the faunal changes in Site 277 with a benthonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope record shows that the development of the psychrosphere did not have a profound effect upon the benthonic foraminifera, and the overall faunal change preceding and subsequent to the bottom-water circulation event occurred gradually. The inferred water-mass event affected the relative abundance of one species, Epistominella umbonifera. The lack of major faunal changes at the Eocene/Oligocene boundary in Site 277 probably reflects either wide environmental tolerances of the benthonic foraminifera, or a bottom-water temperature change less than 3°C.Examination of previously published benthonic foraminiferal biostratigraphic data from D.S.D.P. Sites 167, 171, 357, 360, 363, and 400A, and deep-sea ostracode data from D.S.D.P. Leg 3 show faunal changes occurred during discrete intervals in the Middle Eocene-Early Oligocene. The faunal patterns from these data and from Site 277 show that the Eocene/Oligocene cooling event did not cause rapid, catastrophic changes of the benthonic faunas of the open ocean, although significant faunal changes are associated with the water mass event in Sites 167, 171 and 400A.The benthonic faunal changes in Middle Eocene-Early Oligocene time are consistent with the gradual decrease of inferred bottom-water temperatures, based on previously published oxygen isotopic data. The δ ¹⁸O Eocene/Oligocene enrichment of 0.76‰ is a major event in the Southern Ocean oxygen isotopic record, but is considerably less in magnitude than the 1.75-2.00‰ change that occurred gradually from mid-Early Eocene to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. The benthonic foraminiferal and isotopic data indicate that bottom-water circulation may have developed during the Middle Eocene to Early Oligocene interval, with the 3°C bottom-water cooling near the Eocene/Oligocene boundary representing part of this development.     

Paroodectes feisti,der erste Miacide (Carnivora,Mammalia) aus dem Mittel-Eozän von Messel

From the Middle Eocene (Lower Lutetian) Oil Shale of Messel near Darmstadt (South-Hesse) the first completely preserved Miacid is described. The systematic position of the Miacidae is discussed before. A short review of the paleogeographic (North-America, Eurasia) and stratigraphic (L. Paleocene — U. Eocene, ? U. Oligocene) distribution is given; the fossil record of European species is more detailed. The odontological features of the Messel-Miacid are nearest to the new world genusOodectes from the Bridger Basin (Bridgerian). No direct relationship exists to European species. The structure of the postcranial skeleton shows great conformity with Northamerican Miacinae. Differences result from proportions skull-length/ stature and length of vertebral column/length of limbs. A well developed clavicle is extant. Scaphoid, lunar, and central are distinct. The humerometacarpal index is low (≤ 30). Metatarsals are elongated. Hand und foot are paraxone and adapted to plantigrade locomotion. An arboricole habit is assumed. The nameParoodectes feisti n. g. n. sp. is proposed. The species is considered as a member of the subfamily Miacinae. Besides morphologic features of the Viverridae and some Procyonidae, there are possibly certain relationships to the Primates.     

Sunosuchus (Archosauria, Crocodyliformes) from the Toutunhe Formation (Middle Jurassic) of the Southern Junggar Basin (Xinjiang, NW-China)

A new specimen of the widespread Middle Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Asian gonipholidid crocodilian genus Sunosuchus is described on the basis of a partial skeleton from the Upper Toutunhe Formation (Middle Jurassic, ?Bathonian-Callovian) of Liuhonggou, SW of Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China. The specimen is represented by a partial mandible, teeth, vertebrae, limb and girdle bones and osteoderms. It can be distinguished from other nominal species of the genus by a unique combination of characters: slightly heterodontous dentition, strongly sculptured posteroventral part of the mandible, short fenestra mandibularis, convex dorsal surface of the retroarticular process, keeled cervical vertebral centra and ventral osteoderms with a distinctive sculpture of wide pits and narrow ridges. The heterodontous dentition is a potential autapomorphy of this form. The new specimen is closest in morphology to material described recently from the Callovian of Kirghisia as Sunosuchus sp. It represents the second Middle Jurassic record of the genus, the first crocodile from the Toutunhe Formation, the first substantial crocodile find from the Mesozoic of the Southern Junggar Basin, and the first Middle Jurassic record of Sunosuchus from China. This extends both the paleobiogeographical distribution of the genus in Asia and its stratigraphic distribution in China considerably.