Climate‐driven rampant speciation of the Cape flora

Aim To test whether the radiation of the extremely rich Cape flora is correlated with marine‐driven climate change. Location Middle to Late Miocene in the south‐east Atlantic and the Benguela Upwelling System (BUS) off the west coast of South Africa. Methods We studied the palynology of the thoroughly dated Middle to Late Miocene sediments of Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1085 retrieved from the Atlantic off the mouth of the Orange River. Both marine upwelling and terrestrial input are recorded at this site, which allows a direct correlation between changes in the terrestrial flora and the marine BUS in the south‐east Atlantic. Results Pollen types from plants of tropical affinity disappeared, and those from the Cape flora gradually increased, between 10 and 6 Ma. Our data corroborate the inferred dating of the diversification in Aizoaceae c. 8 Ma. Main conclusions Inferred vegetation changes for the Late Miocene south‐western African coast are the disappearance of Podocarpus‐dominated Afromontane forests, and a change in the vegetation of the coastal plain from tropical grassland and thicket to semi‐arid succulent vegetation. These changes are indicative of an increased summer drought, and are in step with the development of the southern BUS. They pre‐date the Pliocene uplift of the East African escarpment, suggesting that this did not play a role in stimulating vegetation change. Some Fynbos elements were present throughout the recorded period (from 11 Ma), suggesting that at least some elements of this vegetation were already in place during the onset of the BUS. This is consistent with a marine‐driven climate change in south‐western Africa triggering substantial radiation in the terrestrial flora, especially in the Aizoaceae.     

江苏泗洪下草湾中中新世脊椎动物群——6.鸟纲

本文记述了近年来在江苏泗洪下草湾组中补采到的6种鸟类,其中包括天岗琵鹭 Platalea tiangangensis sp. nov.和松林庄古石鸡 Palaeoalectoris songlinensis gen. et sp. nov.,前者系琵鹭属迄今最早的记录,后者为雉科鹑族目前已知最早的成员.     

Postcranial adaptation and evolution in lorisidae

With the exception of leaping, lorises and galagos move in many similar ways although frequencies and styles differ. This peculiar locomotor distinction in two closely related subfamilies has profoundly altered their respective postcranial anatomies from their common ancestor. A comparison of postcranial adaptation in extant forms shows that lorises and galagos differ somewhat in forelimb mobility, but are more fundamentally disparate in hindlimb adaptation. Inferences concerning locomotor adaptation in the lorisid fossil record indicate a more generalized locomotor pattern which is more like that of extant cheirogaleids than either living galagos or lorises. Thus, vertical clinging and leaping in galagines and the slow-climbing and suspensory movements of lorisines appear to be evolutionarily recent innovations from a more generalized locomotor past.     

蜜蜂总科化石新种（昆虫纲：膜翅目）

本文记述了膜翅目熊蜂科、木蜂科和蜜蜂科3属3新种,其中熊蜂科熊蜂属1种:鲁熊蜂Bombus luianus sp. nov., 木蜂科木蜂属1种:硅藻木蜂Xylacopa diatoma sp. nov. 和蜜蜂科蜜蜂属1种:长胫蜜蜂Apis longitibia sp. nov.。所有模式标本均采自山东山旺中新统硅藻土页岩中,现保存在山东省博物馆。     

甘肃东乡几种早中新世哺乳动物化石

本文记述了在甘肃东乡椒子沟发现的几种早中新世哺乳动物化石:Gomphotherium sp、Dzungariotheriura orgosense、Rhinocerotidae gen. indet.和Paraentelodon macrognathus sp. nov.,着重讨论了全北区猪齿兽类的系统关系。根据化石的性质判断,东乡椒子沟化石点的地质时代应与欧洲Burdigalian早期,亦即MN_3相当或稍早。笔者将原定为上新世临夏组的第一、二岩性段划出,命名为椒子沟组,其时代为早中新世。     

Anatomy of the hominoid wrist joint: Its evolutionary and functional implications

Observations on the behavior of living hominoids show generic differences in the use and posture of the wrist joint. Both orang-utans and hylobatids usually use the wrist in suspensory behaviors. However, orang-utans emphasize markedly adducted and flexed wrist postures, while hylobatids emphasize violent forearm and wrist rotation. African apes, especially the gorilla, use the wrist more frequently than other hominoids for terrestrial quadrupedal weight-bearing. Humans use the wrist less frequently for supportive purposes than do other hominoids. These behavioral differences correspond to structural specializations in the proximal carpal joint of each of the hominoid genera. Although each of the hominoid genera has apparently modified its proximal carpal joint best to serve its characteristic behaviors, all hominoids share a unique proximal carpal joint that permits approximately 160ℴ of forearm rotation. The hylobatid proximal carpal joint is specialized in exhibiting a marked development of those structures limiting forearm rotation, but it is in most respects the least derived— that is, closest to the nonhominoid anthropoids. Chimpanzees show a proximal carpal joint that is more generalized than those of the other great apes but more derived than that of hylobatids. The human and gorilla proximal wrist joints, on the other hand, show marked modifications for weight-bearing in terrestrial behaviors. Orang-utans have the most derived proximal carpal joint, which in many respects parallels that of the slow-climbing nonhominoid primates. The comparative anatomy and structural specializations of the wrist joint support (a) an early divergence of hylobatids from the common hominoid stock, (b) a common ancestry for gorillas and humans separate from the other hominoids, and (c) a long independent evolutionary period for orang-utans since their divergence from the common hominoid stock, or one that was marked by strong selection pressures for wrist specializations. Unfortunately, the generalized condition of the chimpanzee’s wrist joint and the very derived condition of the orang-utan wrist provide uncertain evidence as to which of the two was first to diverge from the common hominoid stock. Identification of hominoid wrist specializations as reflecting real phylogenetic relationships or parallelisms depends on how well the phytogeny inferred from wrist morphology accords with those arrived at from the study of other systems.     

山西忻州中新世鼠兔科化石

本文记述了山西忻州发现的跑兔属—新种.该种以个体较小, P~2 较简单,无前沟, M~2 后叶无后突, P_3 小,无前内沟与前外沟等特征与属型种 B. forsythmajori 相区别,命名为杨胡跑兔 B. yanghuensis sp. nov..新种在进化水平上较属型种稍原始,但两者显示出较近的系统关系.根据 B. yanghuensis sp. nov. 的进化水平,推断其地质时代可能为中中新世早期,约相当于欧洲 Orleanian 期.     

Dinocrocuta gigantea头骨的发现

本文记述了甘肃和政县晚中新世地层中发现的一个完整的巨鬣狗头骨;讨论了它的分类地位,修正了 Schlosser 1903年建种时的一些鉴定错误.巨鬣狗是鬣狗科中一个十分特化的成员,应代表一个独立的属.根据命名规则,我们采用 N. schmidt-Kittler 1976年所创的 Dinocrocuta. 因此,这个种应订正为 Dinocrocuta gigantea (schlosser, 1903).     

MASTODONT REMAINS FROM THE MIOCENE OF JUNGGAR BASIN IN XINJIANG

<正> The mastodont materials described in the present paper, associated with Amblycastor tunggurensis, Amphicyon sp., Anchitherium cf. aurelianense, Brachypotherium sp., ?Chilotherium sp., Stephanocemas thomsoni, Dicrocerus grangeri, Eotragus sp., Oioceros grangeri and O. noverca, were collected from the Haramagai formation of Junggar Basin in Xinjiang by an IVPP field team in 1982. The geology of the area has already been reported by Tong (1986, 1987). The mastodont fossils found at 5 sites on the north and west banks of the Ulungur river, Junggar Basin are abundant. They comprise 5 species, among which is one new species.The author is greatly indebted to the IVPP field team (Tong, Y., the head of the 1982 Junggar field team) allocating the mastodont materials for me to study.     

DISTYLOMYIDAE FAM. NOV. (?CTENODACTYLOIDEA, RODENTIA) FROM NEI MONGOL, CHINA

<正> IntroductionA pair of rodent lower jaws believed belonging to one and the same individual were collected by the present author from Upper Oligocene Yikebulage Formation in Qianlishan district,Ih Ju League(=Yih Ju Meng),Nei Mongol,in 1978 The affinity searching of the lower jaws has really been a brain-racking one. At first glance I was struck by the similarity between