分类： 生物学 >> 生物进化论 提交时间： 2024-03-20
摘要： Here we report a new form of amphicyonid from an uncertain locality in the LinxiaBasin. The derived dental traits imply an affinity to Magericyon, previously known from Europe and possibly southern Asia. The specimen suggests a higher diversity of amphicyonids in eastern Asia than previously thought, and more discovery with stratigraphic information will be needed to elucidate the evolution of Amphicyonidae in eastern Asia.
分类： 生物学 >> 植物学 >> 应用植物学 提交时间： 2023-07-26 合作期刊: 《广西植物》
摘要： 生物多样性与生态系统功能的关系 (BEF) 及其内在机制是当前生物多样性研究领域 的热点问题。长期以来，以草地生态系统为主的 BEF 研究积累了大量研究成果，然而基于 森林生态系统的相关研究则相对较少。亚热带森林生物多样性与生态系统功能实验研究基地 (BEF-China) 是目前包含树种最多、涉及多样性水平最高的大型森林控制实验样地。该文总 结了基于 BEF-China 平台的研究进展，特别集中总结了生物多样性对生态系统生产力、养 分循环以及多营养级相互作用关系等方面的影响，并提出未来 BEF-China 的研究应注重高 通量测序和遥感等新兴技术的应用，在生物多样性的多维度、生态系统的多种组分与多种功 能、以及 BEF 研究的多种尺度等交叉方向上，持续开展深入的研究。针对 BEF-China 的研 究成果的梳理有助于理解驱动亚热带森林生物多样性与生态系统功能关系的内在机理，且为 生物多样性保护及生态修复提供科学依据。
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2023-03-14 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： The zygodont proboscideans from the Miocene strata of China are widely distributed. However, the materials are scarce, and their classification has experienced a longtime controversy, from the chaotic state of multiple Zygolophodon species to the only one species, Zygolophodon gobiensis. The combined species Z. gobiensis comprises both the gracile type with a high degree of zygodonty and the robust type that is between the typical bunodont and zygodont morphology. Recently, as the robust type has been re-allocated to another genus Miomastodon and new fossil remains were discovered, it is necessary to further evaluate and classify the zygodont proboscideans from the Miocene of China. In the present paper, we restudied the previously published zygodont specimens of the gracile type, as well as several unpublished Mammutidae specimens. The former including Z. nemonguensis, Z. gromovae, Z. jiningensis, Z. chinjiensis and two specimens of Gomphotherium xiaolongtanensis, represents Zygolophodon in the original sense in China. In these specimens, the tip of the loph(ids) are sharp. The anterior and posterior pretrite central conules are absent or very weak, and the anterior and posterior crescentoids are sharp and slender. The posttrite mesoconelets are well subdivided and the zygodont crests are developed. In buccal view, the loph(id)s are Ʌ-shaped and the interloph(id) s are V-shaped. Their molar morphology resembles that of Z. turicensis, and hereby, they were identified as Zygolophodon cf. Z. turicensis. Several unpublished specimens from Hezheng, Gansu, Tunggur, Nei Mongol, Tongxin, Ningxia and Junggar, Xinjiang exhibit a lower degree of zygodonty, corresponding to the robust type of Zygolophodon in which the molar morphology is between the typical bunodonts and zygodonts. The pretrite crescentoids are thicker than Zygolophodon cf. Z. turicensis, and the pretrite central conules usually present on the first and second interloph(id)s. According to the stratigraphic age and characteristics, two species, Miomastodon gobiensis and Mio. tongxinensis were identified. The anterior and posterior pretrite crescentoids of Mio. tongxinensis are weaker and the pretrite central conules are larger than Mio.gobiensis. Geographical distribution indicates that Miomastodon is the predominant member of zygolophodonts in the Early and Middle Miocene in northern China. The discovery of new materials and the reclassification of zygolophodonts provide further evidence for dispersal of Mammutidae from Eurasia to North America and the evolutionary relationships among the species of the family Mammutidae in China.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2022-06-07 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： Nothosaurus luopingensis n. sp. from Member II of the Guanling Formation (Anisian, Middle Triassic) of Luoping, Yunnan, China is described based on a specimen comprising the skull and most of the postcranial skeleton. The specimen is assigned to Nothosaurus of Eosauropterygia as suggested by a series of skull characters, such as the maxillary tooth row extending posteriorly beyond the level of the anterior margin of the upper temporal fenestra, the longitudinal diameter of the upper temporal fenestra is more than twice as long as that of the orbit, and the presence of maxillary fangs. Compared with Lariosaurus, the following morphological features of the pectoral girdle and the limbs also support the assignment of the specimen to Nothosaurus, i.e., the clavicles with expanded anterolateral corners, the characteristically curved humerus with a straight preaxial angle and a postaxial concavity, the distinct deltopectoral crest on the proximal part of the humerus, no hyperphalangy in the manus, and the absence of pachyostosis in the vertebrae and ribs. On the other hand, the specimen possesses some postcranial features that were previously considered to occur mainly in Lariosaurus, such as there being more than three ossifications in the carpus, having four sacral ribs, and an interclavicle without any trace of a posterior stem. These postcranial characters may no longer be used as the diagnostic features of Lariosaurus. N. luopingensis is distinguished from other Nothosaurus species by a unique combination of derived characters, including that the jugal enters the orbit, the nasals are separated, the posterior end of the frontal is bifurcate, pedal digits V and IV are long and subequal in length, and the ungula phalanx is stout. Our phylogenetic analysis reconfirms the monophyly of Nothosaurus and suggest that N. luopingensis is the sister group of N. yangjuanensis within the genus.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2022-04-16 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin in North China is a recently discovered Early Pleistocene site which yields rich and diverse mammalian fossils. In the fauna, the small and medium-sized bovid fossils are well represented and can be referred to the following taxa: Spirocerus wongi, Gazella sinensis, Ovis shantungensis and Megalovis piveteaui respectively, among which G. sinensis is the dominate species. S. wongi and G. sinensis are mainly represented by horn-cores and partial skull bones as well as mandibles; in addition, metacarpal and/or metatarsal bones were also recognized for all of the four species. The horn-cores are easy to be identified to the species level, while the dentitions and the postcranial bones underwent a series of examinations and comparisons before getting properly determined and referred to the most approximate taxa. Among the postcranial bones, the metapodials, especially to the metacarpal bones special attentions were paid, which are crucial not only for taxonomic identification, but also for phylogenetic and paleoecological reconstructions; the previously misidentified metapodial specimens in Nihewan fauna were reconsidered in this paper. In the SSMZ fauna, the bovid guild is dominated by Gazella and Bison, which indicates steppe was the most important biome in Nihewan Basin during Early Pleistocene.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2021-04-02 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： A taxonomic revision of Proboselaphus watasei Matsumoto, 1915 (Bovidae, Artiodactyla) from the Pleistocene of Chuanyu area, China demonstrates that this genus and species names are invalid. The holotype with a skull and mandibles was recently rediscovered in the fossil collection by Nobuo Naora, which is housed in the National Museum of Japanese History, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Proboselaphus watasei was described as a closely-related species to living nilgai, or Boselaphus tragocamelus, in South Asia, based on general characteristics of pecorans, such as small bony horn-cores and hypsodont cheek teeth. However, the cranial and dental morphologies re-examined in the present study clearly show that the holotype has cervid-specific characteristics: e.g., the fronto-parietal surface curving dorsally, the basioccipital with a triangular outline, and molars with isolated anterior and posterior lobes. The molars of the holotype are comparable to those of Cervus unicolor, in having strong accessary structures (or spurs, cingulums/cingulids, and styles/stylids), and are as large as those of Cervus cf. C. unicolor from the Pleistocene deposits in southern China. This taxonomic change suggests that any crown-boselaphins had not dispersed into East Asia since the Pleistocene.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2021-04-02 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： The Early Oligocene is a critical time for global climate changes in the Cenozoic. This epoch witnessed severe mammalian faunal turnovers known as “Grande Coupure” in Europe and “Mongolian Remodelling” in Asia. However, insights about morphological changes in Oligocene mammal lineages have not been explored in detail. One of the least diversified groups of recent mammals, lagomorpha, is globally common in the fossil records, especially in Asia. During the Oligocene, many Eocene archaic lagomorph taxa died out and were replaced by more advanced forms. New findings from Nei Mongol and re-examination of the specimens from older collections enabled a revision of a common Asian lagomorph genus, Ordolagus, which possibly has a close affinity with the Middle–Late Eocene genus Gobiolagus. In Nei Mongol, we recognized the presence of Ordolagus during the basal Early Oligocene. Comparisons with coeval and slightly older lagomorph taxa from Asia and North America show that Ordolagus attained some salient tooth morphological characters (i.e., development of anteroconid on p3, full hypselodonty of cheek teeth, and lingual connection of trigonid and talonid on p4–m2), which are also the key features of modern leporids. The appearance of those morphologic features in Ordolagus is coeval to major global or regional climatic changes. Further investigations on Asian early lagomorphs compared with the study of other small mammals and local climatic factors will be essential to refine the role of lagomorphs as palaeoclimatic proxies.
分类： 生物学 >> 植物学 >> 应用植物学 提交时间： 2020-05-31 合作期刊: 《干旱区科学》
摘要： The Penman-Monteith (PM) method is the most widely used technique to estimate potential worldwide evapotranspiration. However, current research shows that there may be significant errors in the application of this method in arid areas, although questions remain as to the degree of this estimation error and how different surface conditions may affect the estimation error. To address these issues, we evaluated the uncertainty of the PM method under different underlying conditions in an arid area of Northwest China by analyzing data from 84 meteorological stations and various Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) products, including land surface temperature and surface albedo. First, we found that when the PM method used air temperature to calculate the slope of the saturation vapor pressure curve, it significantly overestimated the potential evapotranspiration; the mean annual and July–August overestimation was 83.9 and 36.7 mm, respectively. Second, the PM method usually set the surface albedo to a fixed value, which led to the potential evapotranspiration being underestimated; the mean annual underestimation was 27.5 mm, while the overestimation for July to August was 5.3 mm. Third, the PM method significantly overestimated the potential evapotranspiration in the arid area. This difference in estimation was closely related to the underlying surface conditions. For the entire arid zone, the PM method overestimated the potential evapotranspiration by 33.7 mm per year, with an overestimation of 29.0 mm from July to August. The most significant overestimation was evident in the mountainous and plain non-vegetation areas, in which the annual mean overestimation reached 5% and 10%, respectively; during July, there was an estimation of 10% and 20%, respectively. Although the annual evapotranspiration of the plains with better vegetation coverage was slightly underestimated, overestimation still occurred in July and August, with a mean overestimation of approximately 5%. In order to estimate potential evapotranspiration in the arid zone, it is important that we identify a reasonable parameter with which to calibrate the PM formula, such as the slope of the saturation vapor pressure curve, and the surface albedo. We recommend that some parameters must be corrected when using PM in order to estimate potential evapotranspiration in arid regions.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2020-03-31 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： The elephantimorph proboscideans, Serridentinus gobiensis Osborn & Granger, 1932, and Miomastodon tongxinensis Chen, 1978, from the Middle Miocene of northern China, were revised as Zygolophodon gobiensis (Osborn & Granger, 1932). However, their phylogenetic positions are still being debated because of their intermediate morphology between the typical bunodont (Gomphotheriidae) and zygodont (Mammutidae) elephantimorphs. In the present paper, we compare their dental and mandibular morphology with that of the Eurasian Z. turicensis, Gomphotherium subtapiroideum, and G. tassyi, as well as the North American Mio. merriami and G. productum. It appears that S. gobiensis and Mio. tongxinensis share with Mio. merriami the slightly more bunodont molar morphology than that of Z. turicensis, e.g., the thicker enamel, thicker pretrite crescentoids, higher interlophid enamel pillars in buccal view, and the narrower contour majorly caused by the narrower posttrite half loph(id)s. S. gobiensis and Mio. merriami also possess an “erected oval cross-sectioned mandibular tusk”, in which the cross-section is mediolaterally compressed (dorsoventral diameter being larger than the mediolateral one). Whereas, in Z. turicensis and G. productum, the mandibular tusk is “laid oval cross-sectioned”, in which the cross-section is dorsoventrally compressed (dorsoventral diameter is smaller than the mediolateral one). Therefore, it is reasonable to revive the genus Miomastodon Osborn, 1922, which contains the species that were previously attributed to Zygolophodon, but they have relatively bunodont molar morphology (i.e., the robust type of the Z. turicensis group). The mandibular tusk with erected oval cross-section seems to be a synapomorphy of Miomastodon species. Furthermore, the molar morphology of G. subtapiroideum and G. tassyi also exhibits intermediate status between the typical bunodonts and zygodonts. However, the mandibular symphysis of G. subtapiroideum and G. tassyi is stronger than that of Miomastodon, and the mandibular tusk is pyriform cross-sectioned. The validity of Miomastodon and G. subtapiroideum/tassyi obscures the boundary between the Gomphotheriidae and Mammutidae, and suggests that the evolutions of the Gomphotheriidae and Mammutidae are deeply involved in with each other, rather than straightforwardly detached. This phenomenon has been revealed by a collagen sequence analysis among Notiomastodon, Mammut, and extant elephants, which should be further studied.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2019-08-26 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： Eutriconodontans are one of the key members of mammals to our understanding of the evolution and transition of mammalian fauna in Asia during the Cretaceous. Two gobiconodontid and two triconodontid species have previously been reported from the upper Lower Cretaceous Shahai and Fuxin formations. Here we describe two additional eutriconodontans from the formations, Fuxinoconodon changi gen. et sp. nov. and ?Gobiconodontidae gen. et sp. indet. This new species is attributed to the Gobiconodontidae, characterized by having an enlarged first lower incisor, reduction in the number of incisors and premolariforms, proportionally large cusps b and c being well distant from cusp a on the molariforms, presence of a labial cingulid, and a unique mixed combination of molariform characters seen on either the first or the second, but not both, generations of molariforms in Gobiconodon. Together with the four known species, eutriconodontans remained diverse to some extent in the late Early Cretaceous in Asia, although their family-level and generic level diversity appears to have been already reduced at that time.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2019-08-26 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： Eutriconodontans are one of the key members of mammals to our understanding of the evolution and transition of mammalian fauna in Asia during the Cretaceous. Two gobiconodontid and two triconodontid species have previously been reported from the upper Lower Cretaceous Shahai and Fuxin formations. Here we describe two additional eutriconodontans from the formations, Fuxinoconodon changi gen. et sp. nov. and ?Gobiconodontidae gen. et sp. indet. This new species is attributed to the Gobiconodontidae, characterized by having an enlarged first lower incisor, reduction in the number of incisors and premolariforms, proportionally large cusps b and c being well distant from cusp a on the molariforms, presence of a labial cingulid, and a unique mixed combination of molariform characters seen on either the first or the second, but not both, generations of molariforms in Gobiconodon. Together with the four known species, eutriconodontans remained diverse to some extent in the late Early Cretaceous in Asia, although their family-level and generic level diversity appears to have been already reduced at that time.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2019-06-17 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： We reconstructed a wealth of three-dimensional virtual models of vertebrate microremains from the Xitun Formation and lower part of the Xishancun Formation (Lochkovian,Lower Devonian) of Qujing, Yunnan by means of high-resolution computed tomography. One genus (Parathelodus) and seven species (P. trilobatus, P. asiaticus, P. cornuformis, P. scitulus, P. xitunensis sp. nov., P. wangi sp. nov. and P. liaokuoensis sp. nov.) of thelodonts are described. The new discovery extends the stratigraphic distribution of Parathelodus from the Xitun Formation and the upper part of the Xishancun Formation to the lower part of the Xishancun Formation, the horizon close to the Silurian-Devonian boundary. The three new species, P. xitunensis, P. wangi and P. liaokuoensis, enhance our knowledge of the thelodont diversity from the Early Devonian of China.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2019-06-11 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： There are many localities yielding the Pleistocene mammalian faunas in China. It offers excellent material for the study of mammalian evolution, biochronology,paleoecology,paleoenvironment, paleozoogeography, etc. Faunal assemblage characters and taxonomic extinction rates were widely used for determining the faunal ages in biochronology. Faunal binary similarity coefficients sequenced according to Brainerd-Robinson’s rule and antiquity coefficients were further developed methods in biochronology for dating the faunal ages. The faunal binary similarity coefficients are based on the presence or absence of a taxon in a fauna. It is similar to the presence or absence of a character of a species in cladistic analyses for phylogeny, and all faunas have a special ancestor-descendant relationship. The present work is an attempt to find the relationship of the faunas with cladistic methods by selecting three groups of faunas sequenced by faunal binary similarity coefficients according to Brainerd-Robinson’s rule and antiquity coefficients, to compare the results with different methods, and then to estimate the ages of the faunas not yet dated by physical or chemical methods. The estimations are as follow: Gulongshan in Dalian, Liaoning Province: 16–20 ka; Shanchengzi at Benxi, Liaoning Province: 20–30 ka; Hualongdong at Dongzhi Man site, Anhui Province: 150–400 ka; Xinghuashan at Nanzhao Man site, Henan Province: 150–400 ka; Donghe at Luonan Man site, Shaanxi Province: 500–700 ka; Bailongdong at Yunxi Man site, Hubei Province: 500–850 ka; Meipu at Yunxian, Hubei Province: 500–850 ka; Mohui at Tiandong Man site, Guangxi Autonomous Region: 1.2–1.8 Ma; Juyuandong at Liucheng, Guangxi Autonomous Region: 1.2–1.5 Ma; Chutoulang at Chifeng, Nei Mongol Autonomous Region: 1.6–1.9 Ma; Renzidong at Fanchang, Anhui Province: 1.9–2.4 Ma.
分类： 生物学 >> 动物学 提交时间： 2019-06-11 合作期刊: 《古脊椎动物学报》
摘要： There are many localities yielding the Pleistocene mammalian faunas in China. It offers excellent material for the study of mammalian evolution, biochronology,paleoecology,paleoenvironment, paleozoogeography, etc. Faunal assemblage characters and taxonomic extinction rates were widely used for determining the faunal ages in biochronology. Faunal binary similarity coefficients sequenced according to Brainerd-Robinson’s rule and antiquity coefficients were further developed methods in biochronology for dating the faunal ages. The faunal binary similarity coefficients are based on the presence or absence of a taxon in a fauna. It is similar to the presence or absence of a character of a species in cladistic analyses for phylogeny, and all faunas have a special ancestor-descendant relationship. The present work is an attempt to find the relationship of the faunas with cladistic methods by selecting three groups of faunas sequenced by faunal binary similarity coefficients according to Brainerd-Robinson’s rule and antiquity coefficients, to compare the results with different methods, and then to estimate the ages of the faunas not yet dated by physical or chemical methods. The estimations are as follow: Gulongshan in Dalian, Liaoning Province: 16–20 ka; Shanchengzi at Benxi, Liaoning Province: 20–30 ka; Hualongdong at Dongzhi Man site, Anhui Province: 150–400 ka; Xinghuashan at Nanzhao Man site, Henan Province: 150–400 ka; Donghe at Luonan Man site, Shaanxi Province: 500–700 ka; Bailongdong at Yunxi Man site, Hubei Province: 500–850 ka; Meipu at Yunxian, Hubei Province: 500–850 ka; Mohui at Tiandong Man site, Guangxi Autonomous Region: 1.2–1.8 Ma; Juyuandong at Liucheng, Guangxi Autonomous Region: 1.2–1.5 Ma; Chutoulang at Chifeng, Nei Mongol Autonomous Region: 1.6–1.9 Ma; Renzidong at Fanchang, Anhui Province: 1.9–2.4 Ma.
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》
TONG Hai-Yan
LI Lu
LI Ding-Sheng
CHEN Li-Min
LI Tao
YU Shu-Hua
YU Guo-Sheng
CHENG Xiao-Qing
DI Ye-Li
Julien CLAUDE
摘要： Our systematic revision of Anhuichelys Yeh, 1979, based on abundant new material from the Paleocene of Qianshan Basin, Anhui Province, China provides evidences for its assignment to the stem Testudinidae. Anhuichelys contains three species in the Paleocene of Qianshan Basin: A. siaoshihensis Yeh, 1979 from the Early Paleocene of Wanghudun Formation, A. tsienshanensis Yeh, 1979 from both Wanghudun and Doumu formations and A. doumuensis sp. nov. from the Middle Paleocene Doumu Formation. A. xinzhouensis Chen, 1983 from the Paleocene of Xinzhou, Hubei Province is synonymized with A. tsienshanensis. Associated with a terrestrial vertebrate fauna, Anhuichelys is likely a land turtle and also the first testudinoid to develop the hinge on the shell.
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： Sabertooth cats were extinct carnivorans that have attracted great attention and controversy because of their unique dental morphology representing an entirely extinct mode of feeding specialization. Some of them are lion-sized or tiger-sized carnivorans who are widely interpreted as hunters of larger and more powerful preys than those of their modern nonsaber-toothed relatives. We report the discovery of a large sabertooth cat skull of Machairodus horribilis from the Late Miocene of northwestern China. It shares some characteristics with derived sabertooth cats, but also is similar to extant pantherines in some cranial characters. A functional morphological analysis suggests that it differed from most other machairodont felids and had a limited gape to hunt smaller preys. Its anatomical features provide new evidence for the diversity of killing bites even within in the largest saber-toothed carnivorans and offer an additional mechanism for the mosaic evolution leading to functional and morphological diversity in sabertooth cats.
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： Remains of sciurids from a late Cenozoic fissure in Anhui, China are described. Six texa, including one new genus and two new species, representing five genera and four tribes in the subfamily Sciurinae are recognized. They are Sciurus sp., Tamias sp., Plesiosciurus zhengi sp. nov., Sciurotamias wangi Qiu, 2002, S. teilhardi Zheng, 1993, and Pseudoratufa wanensis gen. et sp. nov. The material described was collected from four levels of the fissure fillings. On the basis of the fossil content and coloration, the collection is considered to be a mixed sample with elements representing a rather long interval, probably ranging from the Early Miocene to the Pleistocene. The assemblage shows similar traits of the late Cenozoic sciurine faunas from central and southern China, and contains an intriguing genus Pseudoratufa. Characters of the latter’s dentition clearly demonstrate that the new-comer of ratufin is a tree squirrel; Pseudoratufa is probably coeval with the Fanchang hominoid, and with Diatomys and beavers found in this fissure. The joint occurrence of these taxa seems to be indicative of existence of forest biotopes once in this district during the earlier Miocene.
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： Dianmeisaurus gracilis is restudied on the basis of a new specimen. It provides some new information, especially that on the skull roof, to the species. The most striking of those new characters include the snout (preorbital region) shorter than the orbit, the interorbital septum extremely narrow, the frontal with a sharp process at both ends, and the posterior margin of the skull roof deeply V-shaped. A phylogenetic analysis with new information confirms that Dianmeisaurus is the sister group of Diandongosaurus and that these two genera, together with those Chinese taxa (Majiashanosaurus, Dianopachysaurus, Keichousaurus, and Dawazisaurus), form a monophyletic clade which is more closely related to the Nothosauroidea than to a clade formed by the European pachypleurosaurs.
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： New findings of galeaspids (Agnatha) including Altigibbaspis huiqingae gen. et sp. nov., an indeterminate polybranchiaspid, Eugaleaspis changi, and Nanpanaspis microculus are described from the lower part of the Xishancun Formation (early Lochkovian, Early Devonian) near the northeast entrance of Liaokuo Park, Qujing City, Yunnan Province, China. The Polybranchiaspis-like new genus is characterized by a blade-like median dorsal ridge on the dorsal side of head-shield. The morphological disparity of the median dorsal ridge and spine in galeaspids suggests that these structures functioned more than providing a hydrodynamic stability. We assume that a high upright and compressed spine may render galeaspid fishes an apparently larger size as seen by a predator, and a blade-like median dorsal ridge may accomplish a defense against the claws of large sea scorpions. Nanpanaspis is peculiar in bearing two short laterally projecting processes on each side of the head-shield, and its phylogenetic relationship is discussed based on different interpretations on the homology of these processes. Considering the unique morphology of Nanpanaspis, and its early occurrence among the Huananaspiformes, we assign Nanpanaspis in the monogeneric family Nanpanaspidae to represent an early branch of the Huananaspiformes.
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 tetrapod assemblage from the Middle Triassic upper part of the Ermaying Formation of northern China has been known for two decades as the Sinokannemeyeria-Shansisuchus Assemblage because of the characteristic presence of the dicynodont therapsid Sinokannemeyeria and the erythrosuchid archosauriform Shansisuchus. Recently a Sinokannemeyeria species has been described from Member I of the Tongchuan Formation, which overlies the Ermaying, near Baidaoyu, Linxian, Shanxi Province. Here we document archosauriform specimens from the Baidaoyu site, including a partial Shansisuchus skeleton and some additional bones from probable suchian archosaurs, which constitute the first archosauriform material known from Member I of the Tongchuan. The most intriguing archosauriform specimens are a large ilium probably attributable to an unusual poposauroid, and a small, strangely shaped element that appears to represent a highly autapomorphic suchian calcaneum. Given the presence of both Sinokannemeyeria and Shansisuchus at Baidaoyu, the stratigraphic range of the Sinokannemeyeria-Shansisuchus Assemblage can be considered to extend upward into the Tongchuan Formation, although with possible changes in faunal composition. The occurrence of a poposauroid ilium at the Baidaoyu locality adds to the evidence that poposauroids diversified extensively during the Middle Triassic.
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