New early Pleistocene murid rodents from the East Fissure-fillings at Laili Hill, Fanchang, Anhui, China
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Abstract:
Abundant Pleistocene mammalian faunas have been unearthed from the cave deposits and fissure-fillings along the Yangtze River Basin in China. The micro-mammalian faunas are characterized by the large number of specimens and rapid evolutionary rates. Therefore, these fossil assemblages play an important role in Quaternary biostratigraphic correlations. The new murid rodents from the East Fissure-fillings at Laili Hill, Fanchang, Anhui, on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, eastern China, are described in this study. This fossil assemblage includes Apodemus cf. A. asianicus, Micromys minutus, Chiropodomys cf. C. primitivus, Vandeleuriasp., Niviventer cf. N. preconfucianus, Leopoldamys sp., Berylmys cf. B. bowersi and Rattus sp. Eight species in eight genera are identified, of which three species (37.5%) are extinct, two species (25%) are extant, and the other three species (37.5%) are undetermined. Based on the morphological differences and evolutionary levels of the fossil species, the murid fauna from the East Fissure-fillings is obviously more advanced than those from the Renzidong Cave of Fanchang in Anhui and Longgupo site of Wushan in Chongqing, and slightly more advanced than that from the Longgudong Cave of Jianshi in Hubei. The geological age of the East Fissure Fauna is estimated to be late early Pleistocene. In addition, the initial stratigraphic sequence (in chronological order) of the early Pleistocene murid faunas from the Yangtze River Basin is also proposed: Rezidong Fauna (2.20–2.56 Ma BP) and Longgupo Fauna (2.20–2.50 Ma BP)—Longgudong Fauna (1.20–1.60 Ma BP)—East Fissure Fauna (estimated at 0.78–1.20 Ma BP).
