Asplenium sanshuiense sp. nov.: the Lowest Latitude Fossil Record of the Genus

Extant Asplenium is one of the most widespread fern groups and occurs in the temperate and tropical regions. However, the fossil records of this genus are poorly documented, especially in the low latitudes. Here, a new species, Asplenium sanshuiense sp. nov. is described from the early Eocene of Sanshui Basin, Guangdong Province, South China. This is the lowest modern latitude fossil record of Asplenium and the first fossil assignment of A. section Darea (Jussieu) Bak., as well as the first fossil record of Asplenium reported from South China. This new species shows that Asplenium had already spread into South China by the early Eocene and the section Darea (Jussieu) Bak. was identifiable within the genus Asplenium during that time. This new species, combined with previous fossil spore-pollen records indicates a warm and humid climate in the Sanshui Basin of the early Eocene.     

三水盆地中渐新世火山记录的新建与南海扩张

三水盆地是南海北部邻区陆域唯一具有新生代火山活动记录的盆地,最晚一期火山喷发时间是38Ma,也是南海北部陆域已知的在南海扩张之前最晚的火山喷发年代。应用K-Ar同位素年代测定方法,首次发现三水盆地存在29.27±1.52Ma的玄武岩和28.25±1.14Ma的流纹岩,构造判别图解指示其产出环境是板内拉张,与盆地之前火山类型一致,为双峰式火山岩,玄武岩具有与洋岛玄武岩相似的地球化学特征,流纹岩具有与A型花岗岩相似的地球化学特征,且玄武岩与流纹岩均与其他地区地幔柱成因火山岩具有相似的地球化学特征。这一代表板内破裂的双峰式火山记录将南海北部陆缘的火山喷发活动从早先已知的古新世—中始新世延续至渐新世中期,众所周知,南海的开裂起始时间约在32Ma,对于南海扩张期间周边陆域是否存在相关联的火山活动及建立南海早期开裂模式具有重要意义。     

Leaf Cuticle Microstructure of Machilus maomingensis sp. nov. (Lauraceae) from the Eocene of the Maoming Basin, South China

Machilus maomingensis Jin et Tang, sp. nov. from the Eocene Youganwo Formation of the Maoming Basin, South China, is studied in detail from the perspective of the leaf architecture and the excellently preserved cuticle. The leaf margin is entire, the primary venation is pinnate; 6 to 8 secondary veins are present and the major secondary venation is eucamptodromous. Stomata are paracytic and occur on the lower epidermis. Trichome bases are unicellular. Oil cells are present in the upper epidermis. The new fossil species described has features of the Lauraceae, particularly of the extant genus Machilus Rumphius ex Nees, and it is most similar to Machilus chinensis (Bentham) Hemsley, an extant species distributed in southern China and Vietnam. Hence, Machilus maomingensis sp. nov. is inferred to live in a warm and humid climate. The discovery of the present fossil indicates that Machilus has existed in South China from at least the Eocene.     

Main pathways in the evolution of the Paleogene Antarctic Sphenisciformes

The Seymour Island fossil penguins from the Cross Valley and La Meseta Formations, Seymour Island (James Ross Basin; late Paleocene, and Eocene/?early Oligocene respectively) constitute the most complete stratigraphic records of the group known in the world. In addition to the geographic and stratigraphic thoroughness of the collected fossil remains, they offer a unique opportunity to the understanding of the major evolutionary patterns of the Sphenisciformes. We analyze their taxonomic diversity and abundance in La Meseta Formation, in a context of the spread patterns of the Paleogene penguins in relationship to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current incidence. Our data suggest that the highest diversity and geographical distribution (Antarctica, South America and Australasia) in the Late Eocene were linked to water-cooling events and the opening of the Drake Passage. However, the first divergence of the group is documented in the Early Eocene. This fact supports that a marine dispersion of the Weddellian penguins to other continents occurs when there was a shallow and warm ocean current circulation (Weddellian Current) flowing along the western margin of West Antarctica and South America The phylogenetic analysis and the recent discoveries in the Eocene of Chile and Peru support the hypothesis that establishes one of the way for the dispersion of the Weddellian species from the Peninsula Antarctica was the Pacific coast during the early Eocene.     

Evidence of a giant helmeted frog (Australobatrachia,Calyptocephalellidae) from Eocene levels of the Magallanes Basin,southernmost Chile

The fossil record of frogs from South America has improved dramatically in recent years. Here we describe a distal fragment of a large-sized humerus recovered from the middle–to–upper Eocene of southernmost Chile. The large distally located ventral condyle, and the presence of two epicondyles (radial and ulnar) confirm its identity as an anuran humerus. Comparisons with humeri from extant and fossil South American neobatrachians suggest a phylogentic affinity to calyptocephalellids (Australobatrachia). If correct, the new fossil represents the first occurrence of this family in high latitudes of South America and the first amphibian recovered from the Magallanes (=Austral) Basin. The humerus also represents evidence for one of the largest frogs known to date from anywhere in the world. Such exceptional body size may reflect an unusually hot and damp palaeoenvironment.     

Fossil Liverworts from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in Inner Mongolia, China

A new genus and species, Rebouliothallus huolinhensis sp. nov., and two uncertain species, Ricciopsis sp. and Hepaticites sp., are described. The fossils were collected from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation of Huolinhe Basin, northeastern China. The new genus Rebouliothallus was established in the Aytoniaceae family of Marchantiales. Rebouliothallus huolinhensis appears to be quite similar to species of the extant genus Reboulia Raddi. The species is characterized by the relatively large ventral scales. Ventral scales are large, imbricate and arranged in two rows on the ventral surface. Rhizoids are either pegged or smooth. Ricciopsis sp. is characterized by the rosette-forming thallus. Hepaticites sp. shows some similarities to liverworts. Of the forty-nine Early Cretaceous floras of China, only two floras, one from the Huolinhe basin, Inner Mongolia and the other from the Jixi Basin, Heilongjiang Province, contain fossil liverworts. The rare fossil liverwort records in the Early Cretaceous floras of China may be the result of taphonomic bias.     

爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus,Rhinocerotidae)化石在中国更新统的首次发现

犀类是我国华南地区更新世地层中最为常见的化石哺乳动物类群之一。本文对广西崇左三合大洞中发现的犀牛化石材料进行了形态特征描述,并与我国华南地区第四纪相关属种以及东南亚地区所发现的化石和现生种进行了比较,从牙齿形态特征和大小等方面来看,认为三合大洞中的标本应该归入爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus)。此次所发现的爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus)化石根据相关文献记录,应该是爪哇犀化石在我国更新世地层中的首次报道,并且是我国有关爪哇犀的最早记录。形态学研究表明,该地区早更新世早期的扶绥岩亮洞、鲤鱼山百孔洞以及泊岳山巨猿洞发现的扶绥犀(Rhinoceros fusuiensis)可能是爪哇犀的直接祖先。三合大洞中爪哇犀的发现进一步丰富了我国华南地区独角犀的种类,填补了该种类在我国更新世地层中缺乏化石记录的空白。     

贵州威宁金钟二叠系-三叠系界线剖面生物地层及其对比

二叠纪—三叠纪之交发生了显生宙最大的生物灭绝事件,同时发生了复杂的环境变化.由于陆相二叠系-三叠系界线附近生物化石记录没有海相记录完整,同时也缺乏其他可靠的年代地层标志,所以如何标定陆相剖面的二叠纪—三叠纪界线一直是研究热点和难点.贵州威宁金钟地区二叠纪—三叠纪之交位于康滇古陆的东侧,毗邻海陆过渡相区,可以与同期的浅海碎屑岩相、海陆过渡相、陆相剖面进行由海到陆“追索式”的生物地层对比,是我国研究海、陆相二叠系-三叠系界线及对比的关键研究区之一.研究区的金钟二叠系-三叠系界线剖面中化石丰富,共发现双壳类化石4属6种,叶肢介2属4种,植物化石9属及腕足类化石1属,为海、陆相地层对比提供了桥梁.依据叶肢介Euestheria gutta-Palaeolimnadia xuanweiensis组合、植物Annalepis-Peltaspermum组合以及双壳类Pteria ussurica variabilis-Neoschizodus orbicularis组合的生物化石时代归属讨论,识别出金钟剖面的二叠系-三叠系界线应该在卡以头组下部.通过与邻区不同相剖面的对比,提出双壳类Pteria ussurica variabilis-Neoschizodus orbicularis组合以及陆相的叶肢介Euestheria gutta-Palaeolimnadia xuanweiensis组合可以作为三叠纪最早期的识别和对比标志.      

南海始新世海相地层分布及油气地质意义

采用古生态学及沉积学方法, 对南海北部深水区BY7-1-1井及L29井特定层段进行细致研究.通过有孔虫、孢粉藻类分析及沉积学分析, 证实南海北部白云深水区在晚始新世即出现滨浅海相沉积环境, 确定了南海北部最早接受海相沉积的时间.始新世海相地层在南海北部主要分布在台西及台西南盆地中, 并在晚始新世扩展到珠江口盆地白云凹陷.在南部分布较广, 曾母盆地、北康盆地、礼乐盆地及巴拉望盆地中均有始新世海相地层分布.南海始新世海相地层的分布受制于新南海扩张及古南海的消退, 以晚始新世为时间节点发生显著变化, 总体上分布范围增大, 反映该时期南海拉张和断裂活动的加剧.南海始新世海相地层具有良好的油气潜力, 在部分盆地中形成了优质的烃源岩与储层, 珠江口盆地白云深水区晚始新世海相地层的发现, 对南海深水海相油气勘探具有积极的参考作用.      

An assessment of the Cenozoic avifauna of Switzerland, with a description of two fossil owls (Aves, Strigiformes)

The fossil skeletal record of birds from the Cenozoic of Switzerland is rather poor, despite the fact that avian tracks have been described from twenty tracksites. We review the Swiss fossil skeletal avifauna with emphasis put on new material discovered in the collection of the Natural History Museum Basel. This material includes two new owls (Strigiformes), one from a Late Eocene fissure filling from the Gösgen canal, and another from the Late Oligocene of Mümliswil. The Eocene owl specimen consists of a partial, distal tarsometatarsus, and is therefore too incompletely preserved to allow for reliable hypotheses concerning its taxonomic affinities. It does, however, display features resembling members of the extinct family Palaeoglaucidae. The Oligocene specimen is tentatively attributed to the genus Oligostrix, and it is the youngest representative of the extinct family Protostrigidae. Based on the first complete tarsometatarsus for this family, we erect a new species, ?Oligostrix bergeri. These two specimens represent the first record of fossil owls from Switzerland.     

A New Fossil Scorpionfly (Insecta: Mecoptera: Holcorpidae) with Extremely Elongate Male Genitalia from Northeastern China

Since Holcorpa maculosa was first described in 1878, it has attracted lots of attention due to its extremely elongate abdominal segments from the sixth to the eighth. Fossil records of family Holcorpidae are very rare, comprising two species in one genus represented by three fossil specimens, resulting in limited knowledge on the structure and function of holcorpid’s unique male organ, as well as its evolutionary relationship with other scorpionflies. Herein we describe a new genus with a new species, Conicholcorpa stigmosa gen. et sp. nov., of the Holcorpidae from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China. This is the first holcorpid documented from the Daohugou locality, albeit two previously reported species with extremely elongate male organs but deemed as Family Incertae sedis. C. stigmosa gen. et sp. nov. is the earliest holcorpid hitherto, extending its existence from the Early Eocene to the Middle Jurassic by 114 million years and providing one more early case of presenting exaggerated male body parts for sexual display and/or selection. Our analysis supports the sister relationship between Holcorpidae and Orthophlebiidae. Our results not only enhance our knowledge of the morphology of Holcorpidae but also elucidate the relationship of known species of this family.     

Fossil Equidae in the Linxia Basin with Biostratigraphic and Paleozoogeographic Significance

The Linxia Basin is characterized by an abundance of Cenozoic sediments, that contain exceptionally rich fossil resources. Equids are abundant in the Linxia Basin, the fossil record of equids in this region including 16 species that represent 10 genera. In comparison to other classic late Cenozoic areas in China, the Linxia Basin stands out, because the fauna and chronological data accompanying Linxia equids render them remarkably useful for biostratigraphy. The anchitheriines in the region, such as Anchitherium and Sinohippus, represent early equids that appeared in the late stages of the middle and late Miocene, respectively. Among the equines, most species of Chinese hipparions have been identified in the Linxia Basin and some species of the genera Hipparion and Hippotherium have FAD records for China. Furthermore, Equus eisenmannae is one of the earliest known species of Equus in the Old World and is well-represented at the Longdan locality. Some species with precise geohistorical distributions can serve as standards for high-resolution chronological units within this framework. Located at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and subject to considerable uplift, the Linxia Basin has served as a biogeographic transition area for equids throughout the late Cenozoic.     

First Record of Fossil Mesocupes from China （Coleoptera： Archostemata： Cupedidae）

Three new fossil species of the genus Mesocupes of fossil cupedids,M.angustilabialis sp. nov.,M.latilabialis sp.nov.and M.collaris sp.nov.,are described from the Jiulongshan Formation of Inner Mongolia,China.These new species are the first three records of fossil Mesocupes in China as well as the oldest ones in the world now.This finding also extends the geographical distribution of this genus from Central to East Asia.In addition,based on the ratio of the length of the last to the penultimate abdominal ventrites of new beetles distinctly lower than that of the species from the Karabastau Formation,the age of Daohugou fossil-bearing beds might be older than that of Karatau assemblage and consequently of Middle Jurassic.     

Link between global cooling and mammalian transformation across the Eocene–Oligocene boundary in the continental interior of Asia

Evidence in the world’s ocean current system indicates an abrupt cooling from 34.1 to 33.6?Ma across the Eocene–Oligocene boundary at 33.9?Ma. The remarkable cooling period in the ocean, called the Eocene–Oligocene transition (EOT), is correlated with pronounced mammalian faunal replacement as shown in terrestrial fossil records. For the first time within Asia, a section is magnetostratigraphically dated that also produces mammalian fossils that span the Late Eocene—Early Oligocene transition. Three fossil assemblages revealed through the EOT (34.8, 33.7, and 30.4?Ma) demonstrate that perissodactyl faunas were abruptly replaced by rodent/lagomorph-dominant faunas during climate cooling, and that changes in mammalian communities were accelerated by aridification in central Asia. Three fossil assemblages (34.8, 33.7, and 30.4?Ma) within the north Junggar Basin (Burqin section) tied to this magnetostratigraphically dated section, reveal that perissodactyl faunas were abruptly replaced by rodent/lagomorph-dominant faunas during climate cooling, and that changes in mammalian communities were accelerated by aridification in central Asia. The biotic reorganization events described in the Burqin section are comparable to the Grande Coupure in Europe and the Mongolian Remodeling of mammalian communities. That is, the faunal transition was nearly simultaneous all over the world and mirrored global climatic changes with regional factors playing only a secondary role.     

Occurrence of Middle Miocene Fossil Cyprinid Fish in the Northern Qaidam Basin and its Paleoenvironmental Implications

With a thick sequence of early Eocene to Pleistocene terrestrial records, the Qaidam Basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau provides an important sedimentary archive for understanding the paleoenvironmental evolution of the northeast Tibetan Plateau. In this study, specimens of fossil fish remains are collected from the late Middle Miocene (Serravallian, ~12Ma) of the middle member of the Shang Youshashan Formation, Dahonggou (DHG) section, in the northern Qaidam Basin. Based on a systematic study of these materials, the remains have assigned to Cyprinidae, with typical pharyngeal teeth and dorsal fin spines with serrations on the posterior edge. Our discovery improves understanding of the cyprinid fish distribution characteristics in the Qaidam Basin during the Cenozoic. Co-occurrences of terrestrial brackish ostracod species Cyprideis and long chain alkenonesin the layer indicate that the studied cyprinid fish lived in a generally large brackish to saline water body during the late middle Miocene (Serravallian), when the climate of Qaidam Basin was still not sufficiently dry to form an extreme saline water lake.     

A Review on the Taxonomic, Evolutionary and Phytogeographic Studies of the Lotus Plant (Nelumbonaceae: Nelumbo)

Nelumbo Adans. （Nelumbonaceae） is an important member of the early-diverging eudicots. It contains two extant species： N. nucifera Gaertn. （the Sacred lotus）, distributed in Asia and Australia and N. lutea Willd. （the American lotus）, occurring in North America. This paper reviews the taxonomic, evolutionary and phytogeographic studies of the genus Nelumbo, and also raises scientific questions about it in further paleobotanic research. There are about 30 fossil species of Nelumbo established since the Early Cretaceous. Based on fossil studies, the ancestors of the extant N. nucifera and N. lutea are respectively considered to be N. protospeciosa from the Eocene to Miocene of Eurasia, and N. protolutea from the Eocene of North American. However, molecular systematic studies indicate that N. nucifera and N. lutea are probably split from a common ancestor during the Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, or even the Pleistocene, rather than separate relicts from extinct species on different continents. The characters of lotus stomatal development, seedling morphology as well as its flowering, pollination and fertilization in air reveal that it evolves from the land plants. Fossil data of Nelumbo indicates that the genus first occurs in mid-latitude area of Laurasia in the Early Cretaceous, then becomes widespread in North America and Eurasia and expands into Africa and South America during the Late Cretaceous; the genus probably colonizes the Indian Subcontinent from Asia during the Early Eocene after the collision of India and the Asian plates; the genus becomes extinct in Europe, but survives in Asia and North America during the Quaternary Ice Age, and later forms the present East Asia and North Australia-North America disjunctive distribution.     

Possible animal body fossils from the Late Neoproterozoic interglacial successions in the Kimberley region, northwestern Australia

New specimens of the enigmatic Ediacara-type fossil Palaeopascichnus have been identified from the upper part of the Neoproterozoic Ranford Formation in the Kimberley region, northwest Australia. New material is morphologically similar to Palaeopascichnus and represents the largest species of this genus. They resemble the present-day xenophyophore protists in chamber morphology and growth patterns, supporting the interpretation that Palaeopascichnus is possibly a xenophyophore body fossil rather than a trace fossil. Stratigraphic correlation reveals that the new Palaeopascichnus specimens are preserved in the interglacial successions between the Landrigan/Marinoan and Egan/Ediacaran glaciations. If correlation with the early Ediacaran formations of South Australia is accepted, this represents the earliest known identifiable member of the Ediacara biota. New fossil record fills the evolutionary gap between the Cryogenian and Ediacaran animal assemblages and well-known Ediacaran biota. The new Palaeopascichnus specimens represent the first record of Ediacara-type fossils in Kimberley, and suggest the probability that additional Ediacaran fossils may be found in northwestern Australia.     

中国晚泥盆世至早三叠世楔叶类植物多样性研究*

化石类群的分类单元多样性和形态多样性变化是生物宏演化的2个基本方面,而以往的研究对于后者的关注较少。晚古生代的楔叶类植物易于识别,化石记录丰富,但针对这一类群多样性演化的研究还较为缺乏。基于华北板块、华南板块晚泥盆世至早三叠世楔叶类植物属、种以及叶片形态编码数据库,对楔叶类植物宏演化历程进行详细研究。中国(华北板块和华南板块)楔叶类植物的属、种丰富度在晚古生代呈现出不稳定的持续增长,表现为晚泥盆世的初始兴盛、早石炭世杜内期至早二叠世萨克马尔期的缓慢上升、早二叠世萨克马尔期至晚二叠世吴家坪期的快速上升;晚二叠世长兴期,总体的属种多样性骤减;每百万年属种多样性在二叠纪—三叠纪之交亦有明显降低。华南板块楔叶类植物的属种多样性总体上小于华北板块,达到峰值的时间为卡匹敦期—吴家坪期,而华北楔叶类植物的属级多样性在空谷期—沃德期达到峰值。中国楔叶类植物叶片的形态多样性的剧烈变化与属种丰富度并不同步,表现为法门期至韦宪期较小,在宾夕法尼亚亚纪达到峰值,随后稍微下降并在二叠纪的大部分时段保持平稳。在晚古生代的叶片形态演化过程中,楔叶类植物的叶面积由小变大、叶片由深裂至不裂、叶尖形状由分裂变为圆形或钝圆、叶轮中的叶从大小相等到大小不等并出现叶镶嵌,这可能与当时植物群落中林下层光照强度的变化有关。