爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus, Rhinocerotidae)化石在中国更新统的首次发现

The first fossil record of Rhinoceros sondaicus from the Pleistocene of China

犀类是我国华南地区更新世地层中最为常见的化石哺乳动物类群之一。本文对广西崇左三合大洞中发现的犀牛化石材料进行了形态特征描述,并与我国华南地区第四纪相关属种以及东南亚地区所发现的化石和现生种进行了比较,从牙齿形态特征和大小等方面来看,认为三合大洞中的标本应该归入爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus)。此次所发现的爪哇犀(Rhinoceros sondaicus)化石根据相关文献记录,应该是爪哇犀化石在我国更新世地层中的首次报道,并且是我国有关爪哇犀的最早记录。形态学研究表明,该地区早更新世早期的扶绥岩亮洞、鲤鱼山百孔洞以及泊岳山巨猿洞发现的扶绥犀(Rhinoceros fusuiensis)可能是爪哇犀的直接祖先。三合大洞中爪哇犀的发现进一步丰富了我国华南地区独角犀的种类,填补了该种类在我国更新世地层中缺乏化石记录的空白。

Fossil rhinos of the genus Rhinoceros are commonly preserved in the Pleistocene strata in South China. In this paper, the morphological characteristics of Rhinoceros fossils found in Sanhe Cave were described, and compared with the related species from the Quaternary in South China, the fossils found in Southeast Asia and some current species. Based on aspects of dental morphology including size, together with some other evidence, the specimens found in Sanhe Cave are hereby interpreted as conspecific to the extant Javan rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus. In the context of the relevant literature, the fossils of R. sondaicus discovered here should be the first report concerning R. sondaicus fossils from Pleistocene in China, and it is also the earliest record of the Javanese rhino in China. Morphological studies have shown that Rhinoceros fusuiensis, which was discovered in the the Yanliang Cave in Fusui, the Baikong Cave in the Liyu Mountain, and the Juyuan Cave in the Boyue Mountain from the beginning of the early Pleistocene, may be the direct ancestors of the Javanese rhinoceros. The discovery of the Javanese rhinoceros in Sanhe Cave further enriched the species abundance of the horned rhinoceros in South China and filled the gap in the lack of fossil records of this species in China.