Aepyosciurinae——a new subfamily of Sciuridae(Rodentia,Mammalia)from basal loess deposits at the northeastern border of Tibetan Plateau

作     者：WANG Banyue & QIU Zhanxiang Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China 

作者机构：Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100044 China 

出 版 物：《Chinese Science Bulletin》 (CHINESE SCIENCE BULLETIN)

年 卷 期：2003年第48卷第7期

页      面：691-695页

核心收录：

学科分类：070903[理学-古生物学与地层学(含：古人类学)] 0709[理学-地质学] 07[理学] 

基　　金：supported by the Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Acadamy of Sciences(Grant No.KZCX2-103) 

主　　题：西藏高原 松鼠 亚科 啮齿目 哺乳纲 早更新世黄土沉积物 古动物分类学 

摘      要：Aepyosciurinae, a new subfamily of Sciuridae, were found at the base of the early Pleistocene loess deposits in Dongxiang County, Gansu Province. Its unilaterally hyp-sodont and lophodont cheek teeth are unique among the sciurids so far known all over the world. Certain degree of similarity can be observed between the cheek teeth of the new subfamily and the Anomalurinae living in tropical and subtropical forests in central and western Africa. Aepyosci-uris orientalis gen. et sp. nov. might have lived in montaneous woodland or grassland and lived on harder leaves, barks, or even grass. This tends to show that the northeastern border area of the Tibetan Plateau had been lifted considerably high in early Pleistocene (ca. 2 Ma), with drier climate, becoming a suitable habitat for Aepyosciurus orientalis.