中国陆相下中新统山旺阶下界层型的选择

山旺期是中国陆相新近纪地质年代中的一个时段,代表了古老哺乳动物类群式微、现代化的哺乳动物类群滥觞的全新时期。山旺期大体与全球海相的布尔迪加尔期(Burdigalian)对应,开始的时代大约在20 Ma (百万年)左右。但长期以来,中国代表山旺期开始时段的地层中,很少有哺乳动物化石发现,因而学术界对这一重要时期的哺乳动物演化面貌知之甚少。这也使得相对应的陆相年代地层单位山旺阶的下界迟迟难以确定。近年来对内蒙中部生物地层学的研究,在苏尼特左旗敖尔班地区发现了含有谢家—山旺时期丰富哺乳动物化石的连续剖面(敖尔班组),为以上困难的解决提供了一切有利条件。敖尔班组的沉积连续,从下往上哺乳动物群经历了明显的变化,下部的下敖尔班动物群中含有双柱鼠类(distylomyids)、拟速掘鼠(Tachyoryctoides)、中华鼠兔(Sinolagomys)、基干有角类(basalpecoran)等原始类群;而上部的上敖尔班动物群中,上述类群已完全绝灭,出现了巨尖古仓鼠(Megacricetodon)、古仓鼠(Cricetodon)、跳兔(Alloptox)等新类群,鹿科(Cervidae)开始适应辐射,并出现了从非洲迁移而来的嵌齿象类(gomphotheres)和从美洲迁移来的安琪马(Anchitherium)。动物群的特征反映出下敖尔班动物群很可能还处于谢家期的末尾而上敖尔班动物群已进入了山旺期。古地磁数据显示敖尔班组的时代大约在21～17.5 Ma之间,可以包含海相布尔迪加尔期开始的时间点。本文推荐以最原始的冠群鹿科双叉鹿亚科(Dicrocerinae)在敖尔班剖面上的首现作为山旺阶下界的标志,该层位恰位于古地磁极性带C6n的底界,时间为19.722Ma。在中国地区,其它包含山旺阶下界的剖面还包括甘肃兰州盆地的对亭沟剖面、青海西宁盆地的谢家剖面、新疆准噶尔盆地的铁尔斯哈巴合剖面等,与上述剖面相比,敖尔班剖面在20～18 Ma之间的哺乳动物群最为丰富,因此是建立山旺阶下界层型的最佳地点。     

First Record of Hoplictis(Carnivora,Mustelidae) in East Asia from the Miocene of the Ulungur River Area,Xinjiang,Northwest China

The first unequivocal remains of medium to large-sized mustelids from the middle Miocene Halamagai and Kekemaideng formations have been found in the Ulungur River area, Xinjiang, northwestern China. These new fossils are referred to the hypercarnivorous mustelid Hoplictis Ginsburg, 1961 and denote the first record of the genus in East Asia.We define Hoplictis baihu n. sp., for the mustelid from Tieersihabahe(Halamagai Fm.), which represents the smallest species of the genus. This primitive form is closer to H. florancei and H. noueli than to H. anatolicus and later, larger and more derived Hoplictis spp., from Europe and North America. A large toothless mandible from Duolebulejin(Kekemaiden Fm.) is assigned to Hoplictis cf. helbingi, and it presumably might represent the first record of H. helbingi outside Western Europe. The systematic position of Hoplicitis in relation to Ischyrictis with which it is similar is clarified. The occurrence in East Asia of two species of Hoplictis greatly expands the known distribution and diversity of the genus, and supports a Palaearctic Neogene dispersal event of carnivorans between Europe and Asia during the late Shanwangian–early Tunggurian equivalent to MN5–6 in Europe, and indication of another dispersal event from Europe to North America,through Northwest China during the late Tunggurian, equivalent to MN7–8 in Europe.