Shanwang Bed sw2, Linchu district, Shantung province (Miocene of China)

Where: Shandong, China (36.5° N, 118.5° E: paleocoordinates 36.4° N, 116.1° E)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

When: Middle Member (Shanwang Formation), Burdigalian (20.4 - 16.0 Ma)

• MN6, Aragonian, Middle Miocene. There are six layers, which are grouped into 3 members. These members contain 3 fossil-bearing beds. SW2 is the richest level and is 20-30m thick.

•He et al. 2011: Samples SW2007 and SW01 from the basalt just below the fossil-bearing diatomaceous sediments of the Shanwang Formation yield near plateau age of 17–18 Ma. Sample SW8-13 from a lava flow in the Yaoshan Formation yields an age of 17.3 ± 1.4 Ma (Fig. 6b). These age determinations suggest that, the age of the Shanwang biota is ca. 17 Ma, which is late Burdigalian Age of the Early Miocene in the widely-used Geologic Time Scale 2004 (Gradstein et al., 2004). The age of 17 Ma presented in this study of the Shanwang biota supports previous interpretations that this mammal fauna can be correlated with MN4 in the middle Orleanian of the European Land Mammal Age (Steininger et al., 1996; Steininger, 1999; Agustí et al., 2001), the late Hemingfordian of the North American Land Mammal Age (Woodburne and Swisher, 1995; Alroy, 2000), and the Santacrucian of the South American Land Mammal Ages (Flynn and Swisher, 1995).

• member-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; sandstone and mudstone

• 'Gray yellow and grayish white gravelly sandstone, mud stone, shale and diatomite. The shore deposits consist of coarser clasolites which are gradually transferred into mudstone and shales towards the centre of the basin. Containing rich fossil diatoms, phosphate concretions and pyritic particles. (Yan et al. 1983)'

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils, microfossils

Collection methods: Flora indicates 'climate in the coastal region of China was then more humid and one of sub-tropical belt, while central parts of the continent were comparatively drier.'

Primary reference: C. C. Young. 1937. On a Miocene Mammalian Fauna from Shantung. Bulletin - Geological Society of China 17(2):209-244 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]more details

Purpose of describing collection: biostratigraphic analysis

PaleoDB collection 41810: authorized by Alan Turner, entered by Hannah O'Regan on 21.07.2004, edited by Philip Mannion

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• The fauna needs revising. The following species are listed by Qiu, but he does not state which member they are from: Ansomys shanwangensis (aplodontid), Plesiosciurus aff. sinensis (sciurid), Hemicyon (Phoberocyon) youngi, Ursavus orientalis, Thaumastocyoninae indet., Probsicidea indet., Brachypotherium sp., Chalicotherium grande, Palaeomeryx tricornis, Lagomeryx spp., Suinae.
unclassified
  -
Amphibia
 Salientia - Bufonidae
 Salientia - Ranidae
Rana basaltica n. sp.4 Young 1936 frog
 Caudata - Urodela
Procynops miocenicus3 Young 1965 newt
3rd metatarsal and phalanges.
Mammalia
 Rodentia - Diatomyidae
Diatomys shantungensis3 Li 1974 rodent
 Chiroptera - Vespertilionidae
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Plesiaceratherium gracile n. gen. n. sp., "Teleoceratini indet." = Teleoceratina3, "Brachypotherium shanwangensis" = Diaceratherium shanwangensis3, Aceratherium sp.3
Plesiaceratherium gracile n. gen. n. sp. Young 1937 rhinoceros
"Teleoceratini indet." = Teleoceratina3 Hay 1902 rhinoceros
"Brachypotherium shanwangensis" = Diaceratherium shanwangensis3 Wang 1965 rhinoceros
Aceratherium sp.3 Kaup 1834 rhinoceros
 Perissodactyla - Tapiridae
 Artiodactyla -
Palaeochoerus cf. pascoei3 even-toed ungulate
 Artiodactyla - Palaeomerycidae
? Palaeomeryx sp.3 von Meyer 1834 ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Lagomerycidae
 Artiodactyla -
Heterocemas simpsoni n. gen. n. sp.
Heterocemas simpsoni n. gen. n. sp. ruminant
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Giraffidae indet. n. gen. n. sp.3
Giraffidae indet. n. gen. n. sp.3 Gray 1821 giraffe
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felinae indet. Trouessart 1885 cat
 Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Amphicyon confucianus n. sp. bear-dog
Reptilia
 Testudines -
Trionychoidea indet.3 Fitzinger 1826 turtle
Amphichelydia indet.3 Lydekker 1889 turtle
 Squamata - Colubridae
Mionatrix diatomus3 colubrid snake
 Crocodylia - Alligatoridae
Alligator luicus n. sp.1 Li and Wang 1987 alligator
LPM 850001 - type (partial skull and postcrania)
Aves
 Gruiformes - Rallidae
 Anseriformes - Anatidae
Sinanas diatomas3 Yeh 1980 waterfowl
Actinopteri
 Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae
Barbus linchuensis3 carp-like fish
Barbus scotti3 carp-like fish
Leuciscus micenicus3 carp-like fish