• On the geological age of mammalian fossils from Shanmacheng, Gansu Province

    分类: 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间: 2017-11-07 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》

    摘要: The mammalian fossils (Mimolagus and Anagalopsis) from Shanmacheng in the Jiuxi Basin described by Bohlin in 1951 have long been enigmatic in systematics and controversial in the geological age. New survey in this area suggests the fossils were discovered from the Shanmacheng member of the Huoshaogou Formation. Comparisons of the Shanmacheng fossils with new specimens of Mimolagus from the Irdin Mahan Formation, and Anagale from the Late Eocene Ulan Gochu Formation, Nei Mongol, suggest an Eocene age for the Shanmacheng fossils. Reinterpretation of the fossil horizon and the paleomagnetic data of Dai et al. (2005) indicates the polarity zones from Huoshaogou section can be correlated to GPTS Chrons 13−18. Therefore, the Huoshaogou Formation may cover late Middle Eocene to Late Eocene and Bohlin’s fossil horizon can roughly be correlated to Chron18n (~39−40 Ma) of late Middle Eocene. The late Middle Eocene age of Mimolagus rodens narrows the time gap with its close relative Gomphos that have been recorded from Early to Middle Eocene. The archaic group Anagalidae may have become extinct before Oligocene.