A new species of Karydomys (Rodentia, Mammalia) and a systematic re-evaluation of this rare Eurasian Miocene hamster

We describe a new species of the rare and enigmatic cricetid genus Karydomys from the middle Miocene Ville Formation of the Hambach lignite mine in north-west Germany. The locality Hambach 6C has yielded the first substantial records of Karydomys from central Europe. For the first time, all molar positions are well-documented, including the previously unknown m2. The excellent molar material allows us to distinguish Karydomys wigharti sp. nov. from the western European species K. zapfei. Karydomys wigharti predominantly occurs at localities that are correlated with the upper part of the Mammalian Neogene biozone MN 5. The new finds are of palaeobiogeographic significance for the genus Karydomys , since Hambach 6C represents the north-westernmost outpost of terrestrial Miocene faunas in Europe. In addition, the locality has yielded the first lower jaws and incisors of the genus. Both the jaw morphology, and the ornamentation and microstructure of the incisor enamel offer new arguments for a systematic classification of Karydomys into the subfamily Democricetodontinae. We assume that the scarcity of the two large European Karydomys species can be explained by their special adaptation to wet habitats, which are poorly documented in the fossil record.     

Early Miocene reef- and mudflat-associated gastropods from Makran (SE-Iran)

A new gastropod fauna of Burdigalian (early Miocene) age is described from the Iranian part of Makran. The fauna comprises 19 species and represents three distinct assemblages from turbid water coral reef, shallow subtidal soft-bottom and mangrove-fringed mudflat environments in the northern Indian Ocean. Especially the reef-associated assemblage comprises largely new species. This is explained by the rare occurrence of reefs along the northern margin of the Miocene Indian Ocean and the low number of scientific studies dealing with the region. In terms of paleobiogeography, the fauna corresponds well to coeval faunas from the Pakistani Balochistan and Sindh provinces and the Indian Kathiawar, Kutch and Kerala provinces. During the early Miocene, these constituted a discrete biogeographic unit, the Western Indian Province, which documents the near complete biogeographic isolation from the Proto-Mediterranean Sea. Some mudflat taxa might represent examples of vicariance following the Tethys closure. The fauna also displays little connection with coeval faunas from Indonesia, documenting a strong provincialism within the Indo-West Pacific Region during early Miocene times. Neritopsis gedrosiana sp. nov., Calliostoma irerense sp. nov., Calliostoma mohtatae sp. nov. and Trivellona makranica sp. nov. are described as new species.     

Dabbling ducks (Aves: Anatidae) from the Middle Miocene of Mongolia

A new genus and two new species of ducks (Aves: Anatidae) from the Middle Miocene Sharga locality are described. Mioquerquedula minutissima gen. et sp. nov. is a very small duck. Anas velox Milne-Edwards, 1868 from the Middle Miocene of France is transferred to the genus Mioquerquedula. Aix praeclara sp. nov. described here is the oldest record of the modern genus Aix. A revision of the previously described small duck Anas soporata Kurochkin, 1976 shows that only the specimens from the Sharga locality should be referred to this species. The status of other small ducks from the Neogene of Europe and North America is discussed. The diversity of herbivorous and diving ducks in the Sharga locality indicates that Miocene Shargyn Govi Lake was rich in food resources.     

Les Megacricetodon du gisement karstique miocène moyen de Blanquatère 1 (Pyrénées-Orientales, Sud de la France) : nouvelles espèces, implications biochronologique et phylogénique

Three Megacricetodon species are recognized in the Middle Miocene locality of Blanquatère 1 (Languedoc-Roussillon province, France). Two are new, the small-sized M. tautavelensis nov. sp. the medium to large-sized M. aunayi nov. sp., the third one being the already known M. “collongensis-gersii”, a medium-sized species found in other Miocene localities of the area. Size and morphology differentiate these species. Such a high number of contemporaneous species of the genus Megacricetodon is found for the first time in a Miocene locality in the region and indicate that the evolution of this genus in western Europe is likely more complicated. It may testify both of a biogeographical differentiation and of migration events. According to our calibration charts, the deposit is dated ca. 16 Ma ago. The position of Vieux-Collonges (MN 5) and Sansan (MN 6) on the biochronological scale is also discussed, as well as the estimated age of the biozonal boundaries MN 3/MN 4, MN 4/MN 5 and MN 5/MN 6.     

New Late Miocene murids from China (Mammalia, Rodentia)

New murids of Late Miocene (medial Baodean Chinese Mammal Unit) age from Inner Mongolia, northern China, and from Yunnan Province, southern China, are described. Hansdebruijnia perpusilla nov. sp. represents the earliest known and morphologically most primitive species of the genus, which is known from the latest Miocene of Europe and western Asia. The new species suggests an eastern Palaearctic origin of Hansdebruijnia. “Progonomys” yunnanensisQIU and STORCH, 1990 from Lufeng, Yunnan Province, is referred to Linomys nov. gen. New samples from Leilao, Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province, are included in this species, although this population is somewhat more primitive than that from Lufeng. Leilaomys zhudingi nov. gen. and sp. from Leilao shows a unique combination of apomorphic and plesiomorphic characters, which suggest an early divergence from the murid stem. The new findings indicate that our knowledge of the early radiation of murids in southeast Asia is still in its infancy.     

The Oldest Cranium of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sinomastodon</Emphasis> (Proboscidea,Gomphotheriidae), Discovered in the Uppermost Miocene of Southwestern China: Implications for the Origin and Migration of This Taxon

The origin of the Old World brevirostrine gomphotheriid taxon Sinomastodon has been debated intensively. The discovery of the oldest known Sinomastodon cranium, reported herein, supports its endemic origin and contradicts the prevalent theory of its North America origin. The new cranium was discovered from the Shuitangba locality, southwestern China, and is dated at about 6.5–6.0 Ma, corresponding to the latest Miocene. The new specimen shows distinct characters from the other species of Sinomastodon and was therefore named Sinomastodon praeintermedius, sp. nov. Newly discovered, isolated Sinomastodon-like teeth from the upper Miocene to the lower Pleistocene of southwestern China and Southeast Asia indicate a long evolution of Sinomastodon endemically. Remains of this species are frequently accompanied by those of stegodontid species. These two groups may have had a similar migration route, invading northern China and Japan during the latest Miocene, and retreating or becoming extinct from the Palearctic realm by the end of the Pliocene. The migrations of proboscideans may have been sparked by major paleoenviromental changes, i.e., the strengthened summer monsoon beginning in the late Miocene (~7–8 Ma) and global cooling due to the expansion of ice sheets from the middle Pliocene to the early Pleistocene. The new finding reveals a close relationship of the early Pliocene fauna of northern China and the latest Miocene fauna of southwestern China, and thus provides novel insight into the origin and components of Pliocene fauna in northern China.     

Fossil representatives of the family Greenideidae (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea) from the Miocene of Europe

Four new aphid species (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea, Greenideidae) are described on the basis of imprints in oil-shales from the Miocene of Europe (Rubielos de Mora, Spain; Vishnevaya Balka ?Stavropol?, Russia): Eutrichosiphum europaeum nov. sp., Greenidea hispanica nov. sp., Greenideoida (Pentatrichosiphum) turolensis nov. sp. and Mollitrichosiphum rubusensis nov. sp. All the taxa are placed within recent genera of the subfamily Greenideinae. Miocene representatives of this subfamily have been found in the south of Europe. Later changes of climatic conditions limited its geographic range to south-eastern Asia, where it is now represented by over 130 species of seven genera.     

New finds of the Neogene lizard and snake fauna (Squamata: Lacertilia; Serpentes) from the Slovak Republic

This paper deals with the squamate fauna from three Neogene localities in Slovakia. Neogene lizards and snakes have rarely been reported from this region and many aspects of their evolution and palaeodiversity are still poorly understood. Squamate remains from the Upper Miocene (MN 9) locality of Borsky Sv?ty Jur belong to at least five different taxa: Lacerta sp., Pseudopus sp., Colubroidea indet. (? Elapidae), Natricinae indet. and Colubridae indet. The ophidian assemblage from Ivanovce (Lower Pliocene; MN 15b) is dominated by colubrids, mainly Zamenis longissimus. The remainder is comprised of the species Natrix natrix. Squamate material from this locality also includes Lacerta cf. agilis, Pseudopus sp. and Ophisaurus sp., while that from Hajnáčka (Upper Pliocene; MN 16a) is extremely poor, comprising just one taxon - Natrix natrix. The Ivanovce material represents the oldest proof of the former existence of the species Zamenis longissimus and Natrix natrix in the Slovak Republic. The composition of this snake fauna indicates faunistic and palaeoecological changes at the end of the Miocene, although this was not as rapid as at similar localities in Europe. The squamate fauna of Slovakia has changed very little since the beginning of the Pliocene, and the majority of taxa are represented by species that currently occur in this region.     

Groupe de Candona clivosa, nouveau groupe de Candoninae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) et sa diversification dans le Bassin de Turiec (Slovaquie) au Miocène supérieur

The Candona clivosa-group, a new group of Candoninae - is erected on the base of the folded inner lamella observed on the postero-ventral border of the female valve. The elongated sub-triangular and rectangular valves of this group are described from the Miocene and Quaternary deposits of Europe. A folded inner lamella is also observed in 11 species of Candona from the Upper Miocene of the Turiec Basin of which 8 are new - Candona fatrica nov. sp., C. tatrica nov. sp., C. lacustris nov. sp., C. palustris nov. sp., C. stagnosa nov. sp., C. laterisimilis nov. sp., C. jiriceki nov. sp. and C. incurva nov. sp. They show a higher variability of the outline, calcification of the valves and width of the zone of concrescence. The extrinsic and intrinsic aspects of this morphological diversification in the Turiec Basin are discussed.     

The parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes) from the Middle Miocene of Sansan (Gers,Southern France)

The occurrence of Archaeopsittacus sp. (Psittaciformes) in the fossil deposits of Sansan (France) is reported, testifying to a survival of this genus in the Middle Miocene, as Archaeopsittacus verreauxi was described from the Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy (France) and was recorded only from its type locality. The data discussed here indicate the presence of two parrot species from Sansan, as it is the type locality of another parrot species, Pararallus dispar, only known from this locality. The differences between the humeri of these two taxa are described in detail, together with the differences from the other European fossil parrot species. The presence of more than one species of parrot in the same locality is not rare, but in Europe it is recorded in Sansan for the second time. Evidence for parrots also confirms the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Sansan, as parrots are primarily arboreal species. Archaeopsittacus also represents one of the few common elements between the Early and Middle Miocene European bird assemblages.     

New Middle Miocene Caviomorph Rodents from Quebrada Honda,Bolivia

The rodents of the middle Miocene fauna of Quebrada Honda Bolivia are described. The most abundant rodent is the chinchillid Prolagostomus sp. More precise identification of this species will require revision of early to middle Miocene lagostomines, taking into account variation in modern populations. The next most common rodents are the tiny octodontoid Acarechimys, sp. nov.?, and the caviid Guiomys unica. The Acarechimys species may be unique to Quebrada Honda, but verification awaits revision of this geographically and temporally widespread genus. Guiomys unica is a recently described species otherwise known only from two Patagonian localities, El Petiso and Río Chico. Two rodents are unique to Quebrada Honda. Mesoprocta hypsodus, gen. et sp. nov., is a dasyproctid distinguished by its very hypsodont, cement-covered cheek teeth. Quebradahondomys potosiensis, gen. et sp. nov., is an adelphomyine echimyid distinguished by the less oblique lophids of its trilophodont cheek teeth, among other features. The rodents of Quebrada Honda are more similar to those of Patagonia than those of northern South America, paralleling patterns seen in other mammal groups from this fauna.     

Novel and known myxobolids (Cnidaria,Myxozoa) infecting Chondrostoma angorense (Cypriniformes: Leuciscidae) in Turkey

Turkey has more than 200 endemic freshwater fish species, one of which is the Ankara nase, Chondrostoma angorense Elvira, 1987 (Cypriniformes: Leuciscidae), a food fish in northern Turkey. Like most endemic fish species in Turkey, its myxosporean parasite fauna (Cnidaria: Myxosporea) are not yet described. We surveyed twenty C. angorense from Lâdik Lake in northern Turkey, and identified two myxosporean parasites from gills of these fish: Myxobolus arrabonensis Cech, Borzák, Molnár, Székely, 2015, and a co-infection of a novel species, Myxobolus polati sp. nov. We characterized both infections based on myxospore morphology, morphometry, tissue tropism, small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence and phylogenetic analysis. Plasmodia of both species were observed in gills, but had distinct tropism: M. arrabonensis is an intrafilamental vascular type, and M. polati sp. nov. is an intralamellar vascular type. We identified M. arrabonensis on the basis of myxospore characters and 100% similarity to the type DNA sequence from the closely-related host C. nasus. The small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence of M. polati sp. nov. (1946 base pairs; GenBank Accession number MH392318) had a maximum similarity of 98% with any Myxobolus sp. from other Eurasian cypriniforms. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that M. polati sp. nov. is most closely related to gill-infecting Myxobolus diversicapsularis from Rutilus rutilus (L.). The present study is the first record of myxosporean species infecting C. angorense comprising a novel species, M. polati sp. nov. and a known species M. arrabonensis.     

New baleen whale genera (Cetacea, Mammalia) from the miocene of the northern caucasus and ciscaucasia: 1. Kurdalagonus gen. nov. from the middle-late Sarmatian of Adygea

A revision of previously known material and analysis of new records of Miocene baleen whales from the Sarmatian of Adygea (city of Maikop, Blinovo Formation) resulted in the establishment of a new genus, Kurdalagonus with three species: K. mchedlidzei sp. nov. (Middle Sarmatian, Nagiezh-Uashkh locality), K. adygeicus sp. nov. (Upper Sarmatian, Hydroelectric power station locality), and K. maicopicus (Spasskii, 1951) (=Cetotherium maicopicum Spasskii, 1951; Middle Sarmatian, Hydroelectric power station locality).     

A new species of Vasseuromys (Gliridae,Mammalia) from the Upper Oligocene of the Ebro Basin (Spain)

In this paper, a new species of Vasseuromys, V. bergasensis sp. nov., from the locality of Bergasa (Ebro Basin, Spain), is described. Bergasa contains a fauna belonging to the Late Oligocene (zone MP30), composed—among other species—of Issiodoromys pseudanaema and Rhodanomys transiens. The main diagnostic features of V. bergasensis sp. nov. are the presence of a long centrolophid (fused or not to the mesoconid) in the lower molars, a large reduction in the number and length of extra ridges in the upper and lower molars, the absence of extra ridges between metalophid and centrolophid and between centrolophid and mesolophid, and the absence of the metatrope in more than half the specimens of the upper teeth M1 and M2. V. bergasensis sp. nov. is similar in size to V. elegans and smaller than the other members of the genus. The age and simple dental pattern of the new species of Vasseuromys allow us to hypothesize about relationships within the genus.     

The <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eumyarion</Emphasis> (Mammalia,Rodentia, Muridae) assemblage from Sandelzhausen (Miocene,Southern Germany): a test on homogeneity

A large sample of Eumyarion cheek teeth (N = 569) from the Early/Middle Miocene boundary locality Sandelzhausen (MN5, Southern Germany), type locality E. bifidus Fahlbusch, 1964, is studied. It is concluded that this collection contains two species: E. bifidus and E. weinfurteri Schaub and Zapfe, 1953. The similarity in size and morphology of the cheek teeth of these two species is so great that only the M1 and M2 can be recognised with certainty. Eumyarion bifidus seems to be a descendant of E. orhani de Bruijn et al., 2006 from the Early Miocene (MN3) of Southwestern Anatolia and is therefore considered to be an immigrant into Central Europe.      

Fossil frogs (Anura) from Shanwang (Middle Miocene; Shandong Province, China)

The early middle Miocene biota from the Shanwang locality in eastern China is one of the most diverse and well preserved in the world. This overall richness contrasts with its low diversity of anuran amphibians. The most abundant anurans are representatives of the family Ranidae, which remains the dominant group in the extant anuran fauna of China. Besides Rana basaltica Young, some other ranids can be recognised at the locality, and are clearly distinguishable from R. basaltica based on their larger size and different proportions. Ranids are also represented by a developmental series of tadpoles, ranging from approximately Nieuwkoop-Faber (NF) stage 43 to a metamorphosing tadpole of NF stage 57. This is the first known developmental series of fossil non-pipoid Anura outside the Pelobatidae. In addition to the ranids, Bufo shandongensis nov. sp. (replacement name for B. linquensis), represented by one of the earliest known articulated bufonid skeletons, is described and illustrated. Another large toad, Macropelobates linquensis (Yang) nov. comb., is re-described; it can be assigned to the Pelobatoidea, with a possible relationship to the Scaphiopodidae, and can be considered, based on the presence of a large spade, a tibiofibula shorter than the femur, and a short astragalus and calcaneus, to be the earliest known anuran burrower.     

A Middle Miocene endemic freshwater mollusc assemblage from an intramontane Alpine lake (Aflenz Basin,Eastern Alps,Austria)

The mollusc fauna of the early Middle Miocene (Langhian) intramontane Alpine Lake Groisenbach is described for the first time. The shells derive from the Feistring Formation in the Aflenz Basin in Austria, which was covered by Lake Groisenbach. The assemblage is moderately diverse with 12 gastropod and 2 bivalve species, suggesting shallow lacustrine and fluvial settings. Among the gastropods, only Theodoxus crenulatus (Klein, 1853) is known from other Miocene localities, whilst all other species are documented so far only from Lake Groisenbach. None of the Early and Middle Miocene lake systems of the Alpine-Carpathian Foredeep and the Balkan Peninsula displays any faunistic resemblance with this new fauna. Even coeval lake faunas from the close-by Graz Basin have no species in common with Lake Groisenbach. This pattern points to a surprising endemicity and biogeographic fragmentation in the Central European freshwater systems during the Early and Middle Miocene. The uniqueness of the newly described fauna is also indicated by the completely erratic occurrence of the otherwise African-Mediterranean genus Bulinus, which is unknown from all other central European Miocene freshwater systems. Emmericia roetzeli Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Nematurella zuschini Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Romania fastigata Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia groisenbachensis Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia pompatica Neubauer and Harzhauser nov. sp., Odontohydrobia styriaca Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Planorbis austroalpinus Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Gyraulus sachsenhoferi Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Bulinus corici Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp., Ferrissia crenellata Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp. and Stagnicola reinholdkunzi Harzhauser and Neubauer nov. sp. are introduced as new species.     

新疆准噶尔盆地北缘Pliopithecus的发现(英文)

1997和 1 998年的野外工作期间 ,在新疆准噶尔盆地北缘铁尔斯哈巴合中中新世哈拉玛盖组的底部第二砂层中发现了 4枚上猿牙齿。两枚显然是属于同一个体的左m2和m3发现于 980 1 7地点 ,地理坐标为 46°39.997′N ,88°30 .41 2′E。另一枚左下第一门齿和左上第四前臼齿产自该地点附近的同一砂层中。这是在中国境内、也是亚洲的第二个上猿化石地点。该 4枚牙齿中 ,下门齿可能与m2、m3属同一个种。m2刚开始经受磨蚀 ,m3则刚萌出齿槽。它们不同于所有已知种 (P .zhanxiangi、P .vindobonensis、P .antiquus、P .platyodon和P .priensis)的最明显的特征是在唇侧有一个很深的、间于下原尖和下次尖的漏斗状小坑。该坑由前次脊 (prehypocristid)、下次尖前方的斜脊的唇侧分支和沿下原尖唇侧壁向下延伸的一条脊所围成。此外 ,m3稍短于m2。在其他形态特征方面 ,新疆的种又以m2和m3尺寸较小、齿尖较低、齿脊较锐、近中凹和远中凹发育、釉面褶皱和唇侧齿带很发育而不同于我国宁夏同心的Pliopithecuszhanxiangi;以m2和m3的冠面较短宽且有很发育的上猿三角与P .vindobonensis区分 ;其m2和m3的尺寸明显大于P .antiquus。但在尺寸和其他形态上与P .platyodon很相似。铁尔斯哈巴合的m2、m3和下门齿应代表上猿属内的一个新?     

The rodents from the Late Miocene Oreopithecus-bearing site of Fiume Santo (Sardinia,Italy)

The locality of Fiume Santo (Sardinia, Italy) represents the westernmost extension of endemic Oreopithecus-bearing faunas. Here we describe the rodent fauna recovered at this site, which only includes the murids Huerzelerimys oreopitheci and Anthracomys lorenzi, and the glirids Anthracoglis engesseri nov. sp. and Anthracoglis nov. sp. I. A. engesseri nov. sp. differs from Anthracoglis marinoi, the other species of this genus known so far, by its larger size, wider upper cheek teeth and more reduced accessory ridges, particularly in the upper cheek teeth. Anthracoglis nov. sp. I is only known by a single tooth and cannot be adequately characterized. The fauna seems to be a mixture of elements from the V-1, V-2 and V-3 local zones of the Baccinello-Cinigiano basin (Tuscany, Italy), with H. oreopitheci being characteristic from zone V-1 and Anthracoglis lorenzi from zone V-3. Nevertheless, a few remains of A. lorenzi have been also recovered from V-2 assemblages at Baccinello and A. engesseri nov. sp. is also recorded in Monte Bamboli, which is correlated to V-2 faunas. Accordingly, a correlation to V-2 zone of the Baccinello-Cinigiano basin is preferred. Finally, the structure and composition of the rodent assemblage is compared to those of the Tuscan sites. The Fiume Santo assemblage resembles the insular faunas of Tuscany by its low species richness, although it is more balanced. This may be related to slight chronological or environmental differences between the two areas or to the existence of a geographical barrier.