Tong Xin 'Dragon Bones' collection, Ningxia: Serravallian, China

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Mammalia - Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
Ochotonidae indet. Thomas 1897
Qiu 1990
many isolated teeth (undescribed).
    = Alloptox sp. Dawson 1961
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Rodentia
Rodentia indet. Bowdich 1821
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Rodentia - Castoridae
Monosaulax sp. Stirton 1935
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Primates - Pliopithecidae
Pliopithecus sp. Gervais 1849
Qiu 1990 1 specimen
1 tooth.
    = Pliopithecus zhanxiangi n. sp. Harrison et al. 1991
Harrison et al. 1991
all taxa listed by Harrison et al. 1991 are from the specific locality of Maerzuizigou
Mammalia - Cervidae
Cervidae indet. Gray 1821
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Lagomerycidae
Stephanocemas sp. Colbert 1936
1 specimen
V 5586.
Mammalia - Bovidae
Eotragus sp. Pilgrim 1939
Qiu 1990
horncores (undescribed) - omitted by Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Suidae
Listriodon sp. von Meyer 1846
Harrison et al. 1991
Kubanochoerus lantienensis
Qiu 1990
a skull and several incomplete mandibles.
Kubanochoerus sp. Gabunia 1955
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Chalicotheriidae
Schizotheriinae indet. Holland and Peterson 1913
Qiu 1990 1 specimen
jaw of a schizothere (undescribed), either Ancylotherium or Metaschizotherium - omitted by Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Huaqingtherium giui
Harrison et al. 1991
Elasmotherii indet.
Qiu 1990
skulls and jaws of an elasmothere (undescribed).
    = Caementodon tongxinensis Guan 1988
Harrison et al. 1991
Aceratheriina indet. (Dollo 1885)
Qiu 1990
skulls and jaws of an acerathere (undescribed).
    = Aceratherium sp. Kaup 1834
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Carnivora - Amphicyonidae
Gobicyon sp. Colbert 1839
Qiu 1990
a partial skull and teeth (undescribed).
Mammalia - Carnivora - Percrocutidae
Percrocuta primordialis Qiu and Cao 1988
Qiu 1990 3 specimens
skull and lower jaws.
Mammalia - Carnivora - Nimravidae
Sansanosmilus sp. Kretzoi 1929
Qiu 1990 1 specimen
1 skull (undescribed) - omitted by Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Carnivora - Hyaenidae
Protictitherium sp. Kretzoi 1938
Harrison et al. 1991
Miohyaena sp. Kretzoi 1938
Harrison et al. 1991
Mammalia - Proboscidea - Gomphotheriidae
Gomphotherium tongxinensis n. sp.
1 specimen
1 skull? 2 upper M3, 2 lower M3 but only 1 specimen number given (V 5572).
    = Platybelodon tongxinensis
Harrison et al. 1991
Platybelodon grangeri Osborn 1929
6 specimens
6 specimen numbers given - V 5573-V 5578.
    = Platybelodon tongxinensis
Harrison et al. 1991
Platybelodon cf. grangeri Osborn 1929
3 specimens
V 5579, lower teeth DP3-M1 (V 5580), Lower teeth M2-M3 (V 5581).
    = Platybelodon tongxinensis
Harrison et al. 1991
Platybelodon sp. Borissiak 1928
1 specimen
V 5584.
    = Platybelodon tongxinensis
Harrison et al. 1991
Miomastodon tongxinensis n. sp. Chen 1978
2 specimens
1 lower M3 (V 5584), 1 upper M3 (V 5585).
    = Platybelodon tongxinensis
Harrison et al. 1991
Platybelodon tongxinensis
Qiu 1990 50 specimens
about 50 teeth.
Reptilia - Testudines - Testudinidae
Testudo sp. Linnaeus 1758
Harrison et al. 1991
    = Testudinidae indet. Batsch 1788
Alroy 2009
see common names

Geography
Country:China State/province:Ningxia
Coordinates: 37.0° North, 105.9° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:36.9° North, 103.8° East
Basis of coordinate:based on nearby landmark
Time
Period: Neogene Epoch: Miocene
Stage: Serravallian 10 m.y. bin: Cenozoic 5
Key time interval: Serravallian
Age range of interval: 13.82 - 11.63 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy comments: Middle Miocene (originally though to be Late Miocene by Chiu et al. (1979)), Tunggurian, Astaracian, MN6. Fauna very similar to Belometchetskaya in former Soviet Union, thought to be MN5/6.
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology: not reported
Environment:terrestrial indet.
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some macrofossils
Reason for describing collection:biostratigraphic analysis
Collection method comments: Material comprises 'dragon bones' collected from the Tongxin region. The material comes from a number of localities. Collected in the 1970s by the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology, the Beijing Museum of Natural History and the Ningxia Bureau of Geology.
Taxonomic list comments:Specimens identified to family had not been published before Qiu (1990) was written. Small mammals are present but are not described.
Metadata
Also known as:Tongxin
Database number:42539
Authorizer:A. Turner, J. Alroy Enterer:H. O'Regan, J. Alroy
Modifier:G. Varnham Research group:PACED
Created:2004-08-02 02:59:32 Last modified:2022-03-30 05:51:13
Access level:the public Released:2004-08-02 02:59:32
Creative Commons license:CC BY
Reference information

Primary reference:
11330.PACED G. Chen. 1978. Some mastodonts from Miocene of Ningxia. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 16(2):103-110 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]

Secondary references:

29343 J. Alroy. 2009. High-handed opinions on taxonomy and other matters. [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
11185PACED C.-S. Chiu, C.-K. Li, and C.-T. Chiu. 1979. The Chinese Neogene - a preliminary review of the mammalian localities and faunas. Annales Geologiques des Pays Hellenica (1)263-272 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]
29415 T. Harrison, E. Delson, and J. Guan. 1991. A new species of Pliopithecus from the middle Miocene of China and its implications for early catarrhine zoogeography. Journal of Human Evolution 21(5):329-361 [J. Alroy/J. Alroy]
11208PACED Z. Qiu. 1990. The Chinese Neogene mammalian biochronology - its correlation with the European Neogene mammal zonation. In E.H. Lindsay, V. Fahlbusch and P. Mein, eds., European Neogene Mammal Chronology. Plenum Press, New York. 527-556 [A. Turner/H. O'Regan/H. O'Regan]