Shanyangzhai Cave, SYZ 4 (Pleistocene of China)

Where: Hebei, China (40.1° N, 119.5° E: paleocoordinates 40.1° N, 119.3° E)

When: Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.0 Ma)

• "The bones of mammals from SYZ 4 were dated by the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) method, and the age obtained for these specimens was 22,287–22,753a B.P. (δ13C = 20.95)." - Chen et al, 2019

Environment/lithology: cave; limestone

• "Caves or fissures in different sizes or shapes are developed in Ordovician limestone and are filled by various cave accumulations." - Zhang et al, 2010

Size class: mesofossils

Primary reference: Y. Chen, Y.-X. Li, J.-S. Shi, Y.-X. Zhang, and K. Xie. 2019. Pleistocene fossil snakes (Squamata, Reptilia) from Shanyangzhai Cave, Hebei, China. Historical Biology 1-13 [G. Benevento/G. Benevento]more details

Purpose of describing collection: general faunal/floral analysis

PaleoDB collection 206121: authorized by Gemma Benevento, entered by Gemma Benevento on 31.10.2019

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Reptilia
 Squamata - Crotalidae
Gloydius sp. Hoge and Hoge 1981 pit viper
1 precloacal vertebra from SYZ 4 (NWUV 1532).
 Squamata - Colubridae
Elaphe cf. schrenckii colubrid snake
19 specimens from SYZ 4, including 14 mid-trunk vertebrae (NWUV 1492-1506) and 5 posterior-trunk vertebrae(NWUV 1507-1510); most are complete or slightly damaged.
Elaphe cf. dione colubrid snake
4 specimens from SYZ 4, including a single mid-trunk vertebra (NWUV 1511) and 3 posterior-trunk vertebrae (NWUV 1512–1514); all of these specimens are complete or nearly complete
Rhabdophis tigrinus Boie 1826 colubrid snake
11 precloacal vertebrae from SYZ 4 (NWUV 1519-1529). All vertebrae are complete or nearly complete.
Lycodon sp. Fitzinger 1826 colubrid snake
4 middle-trunk vertebrae from SYZ 4 (NWUV 1515- 1518). All vertebrae are complete or nearly complete