【作者】 王原； 郭建崴； 王景文；

【Author】 WANG Yuan;GUO Jianwei;WANG Jingwen;Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology,Chinese Academy of Sciences;

【机构】 中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所；

【摘要】 中国的雷兽化石分布广泛,主要发现于内蒙古、山西、河南、山东、新疆、广西、云南、贵州等地的中、晚始新世地层中。至本世纪中叶,大多数中国的雷兽化石发现于内蒙古戈壁,Granger和Gregory(1943)对其进行了整理。但之后40余年的众多发现一直未全面总结和整理。本文回顾了中国雷兽化石的研究状况,将我国所有已知的雷兽材料进行了修订和总结,归纳出3亚科、21个属以及39个有效种,并对一些有疑义分类单元的鉴定特征重新进行了修订。中国雷兽化石在始新世末的绝灭也进一步证实了"始新世末事件"在亚洲的存在。更多还原

【Abstract】 Brontotheres are a group of extinct terrestrial vertebrate animals that first appeared in early Eocene,reaching their prosperity during middle to late Eocene,and then degenerated rapidly until became finally extinct by the end of Eocene.Taxonomically,brontotheres are referred to Brontotheriidae,one of the five principal groups of the order Perissodactyla.The geographical distribution of brontotheres is mainly in Asia^[1,2].and North America^[3,4].,with a few documents in southeastern Europe^[5].In China,brontotheres have a fairly wide distribution,and are very diversified in taxonomy.However,no attempt has been made since middle 1940’s to review the brontothere materials in China,and thus many mistakes occurred in recent articles during the citations,such as the confusion of Acrotitan with Arctotitan,and the false assignment of Protembolotherium,Arctotitan,and Dianotitan^[7,9,41]..This paper reviews the study of Chinese fossil brontotheres,and identifies 37 species of Chinese brontotheres in 18 genera and three subfamilies,with 3 genera（including two new species） undetermined in classification at subfamily level（Table 1）.The initial study of Chinese brontotheres began in 1920’s when specimens collected in the third Asian expedition by American Museum of Natural History from Nei Mongol were described^[13-15]..Later,Young^[16].and Bien^[17].briefly reported brontothere materials from Shanxi and Yunnan provinces.In 1943,Granger and Gregory^[1]made a thorough review of brontothere fossils from Nei Mongol,and erected many new genera and species.They finally recognized 29 species in 14 genera and 3 subfamilies,which still constitute the main portion of Chinese brontothere taxa.From middle 50’s to early 90’s of this century,more brontotheres were found and described from Nei Mongol and Xinjiang autonomous regions,Shanxi,Shannxi,Henan,Guangxi,Yunnan,Guizhou,and Shandong provinces;most of them were represented by isolated teeth,fragments of upper and lower jaws,or incomplete limb bones^[18-38]..Four new genera were recognized during this period:Dianotitan,Arctotitan,Pygmaetitan,and Acrotitan.Notably,Wang’s monograph^[30].on Rhinotitan mongoliensis has included a comprehensive taxonomic study of this species,and also restoration and functions of the muscular system.From middle to late 1990’s,another two new taxa were named from Shandong,the Qufutitan,and Jiangsu,the Nanotitan,which represented the latest metatelmathere and the smallest brontothere in China,respectively.The temporal distribution of Chinese brontotheres has long been regarded as from middle Eocene to early Oligocene.However,latest development on the study of Eocene/Oligocene boundary has changed the traditional assignment,and consequently affected the division and correlation of Chinese brontothere-yielding strata.The comparison of Chinese Oligocene mammals with those of Europe and North America proves that Ulangochuan and Houldjinian mammal ages,previously thought as early Oligocene,are late Eocene in age^[10,11]..After these changes,all Chinese brontotheres,including the traditional Oligocene taxa,Titanodectes,Embolotherium,Parabrontops,Metatitan,and Pygmaetitan,are all Eocene elements,and became extinct by the end of Eocene.This phenomenon further proves the presence of ’Terminal Eocene Event" in Asia.Nomenclature of dental structures in this paper follows that of Zhou et al.（1975）^[8]..Stratigraphical correlation is referred to citations[9～12].Abbreviations in specimen numbers:AMNH,American Museum of Natural History;V,Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology;Vm,Geological Museum of China;SDM,Shandong Provincial Museum.更多还原