A Basal Titanosauriform from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi, China

Based on a partial postcranial skeleton collected from the Lower Cretaceous Napai Formation of Guangxi, China, we erect a new sauropod taxon, Fusuisaurus zhaoi gen. et sp. nov. The holotype specimen consists of the left ilium, left pubis, anterior caudals, most of the dorsal ribs and distal end of the left femur. Fusuisaurus zhaoi is diagnosed by a unique combination of character states among the known sauropods. It displays several synapomorphies of Titanosauriformes but lacks many derived features seen in other titanosauriforms, suggesting that the new taxon represents the basalmost known titanosauriform and providing new evidence that Titanosauriformes originated from Asia. A size comparison suggests that Fusuisaurus zhaoi is among the largest Early Cretaceous sauropods, providing an important addition to the Early Cretaceous Chinese sauropod diversity.

A New Eusauropod Dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Guangxi Province,Southern China

A new sauropod dinosaur,Liubangosaurus hei gen.et sp.nov.,is erected based on a specimen represented by five articulated middle-caudal dorsal vertebrae,which was discovered in the Lower Cretaceous Napai Formation of Guangxi Province,southern China.This new taxon is diagnosed by a unique combination of derived features：prezygapophysis closely contacts with parapophysis,with the prdl and prpl absent;presence of cavity on the dorsal surface of the diapophysis;neural spine very low,with its distal end level with that of diapophysis;distal end of the neural spine strongly expanded laterally to form a platform;marked fossa formed between the infradiapophyseal lamina and the parapophysis;broad,flat area of featureless bone on lateral surface of neural arch;vertically directed infradiapophyseal lamina expands or bifurcates ventrally to form a inverted ＂Y＂;highly positioned parapophyses large and tear-drop in shape.The discovery of this new taxon increases the diversity of sauropods in China during the Early Cretaceous.

A Megatheropod Tooth from the Early Cretaceous of Fusui, Guangxi, Southern China

A nearly complete right maxillary or left dentary tooth（NHMG 10858） from the Lower Cretaceous Xinlong Formation of the Napai Basin, Fusui County, Guangxi, southern China, is described. The tooth is large in size, with a CBL of 37 mm. Given the geological age and its crown morphology, including the size, it is most likely that the tooth belongs to a carcharodontosaurid. The recovered specimen represents one of the largest theropod teeth hitherto reported from the Early Cretaceous of Asia.

A New Species of Odorrana Inhabiting Complete Darkness in a Karst Cave in Guangxi, China

A new species of the genusOdorrana is described from a completely dark karst cave of northeastern Guangxi, southern China. The new species,Odorranalipuensissp. nov., can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters： medium size （SVL： 40.7–47.7 mm in males, 51.1–55.4 mm in females）;tips of all but ifrst ifnger expanded with circummarginal grooves; smooth, grass-green dorsum with irregular brown mottling; pineal body invisible; throat to upper abdomen with gray mottling; dorsal surfaces of limbs with brown bands; dorsolateral fold absent; tiny spinules on lateral body, temporal region, and anterior and posterior edge of tympanum;white nuptial pad present on ifnger I; males lacking vocal sacs; females having creamy yellow eggs, without black poles. Uncorrected sequence divergences betweenO.lipuensissp. nov. and all homologous 16S rRNA sequences ofOdorrana available on GenBank is equal to or greater than 4.9%. Currently, the new species is only known from the type locality.

A New Species of Gracixalus (Anura： Rhacophoridae) from West Guangxi, China

We discovered a new species of the genus Gracixalus, Gracixalus tianlinensis sp. nov. which is morphologically almost similar to G. jinggangensis, G. jinxiuensis and G. sapaensis, but is distinguished from these species and all other rhacophorids in China and adjoining countries by a combination of the following characters： （1） SVL 30.3-35.9 mm in male, 35.6-38.7 mm in female, （2） head length less than head width, （3） vomerine teeth absent, （4） supratympanic fold distinct, （5） axilla and posterior surface of flanks pale yellow, （6） nuptial pads distinct on Finger I and slightly visible on Finger II, （7） dorsum brown to beige, with an inverse Y-shaped dark brown marking, （8） single subgular vocal sac. Our preliminary phylogenetic analyses implied G. tianlinensis sp. nov. is sister to G. sapaensis with well-supported values. Currently, this new species is known to be distributed in montane evergreen forests in association with montane bamboo in Cenwanglaoshan National Nature Reserve, Tianlin County, Guangxi, China.

U-series Dating of Ganqian Cave in Guangxi and Its Anthropological Implications

From Ganqian (Tubo) Cave a total of 17 hominid teeth attributed to late Homo sapiens has been collected along with an abundance of mammalian fossils. The fossiliferous deposits are bracketed by the capping and second flowstone layers, which yielded 230 Th/ 234 U dates of ～93 and ～220 ka, marking the minimum and maximum age of the hominid teeth respectively. Two U series methods performed on two mammalian teeth gave dates in the range of 85 and 139 ka, lending support to the stratigraphic order of the depositional sequence. The results presented in this paper point to an occurrence of modern Homo sapiens in southern China much earlier than has been thought, which is supported by the dating of nearby Liujiang and Bailiandong hominid sites. Taken together, these data suggest that China should not be considered as a backwater in recent human evolution where all the previous populations were replaced.

A new species of Occidozyga Kuhl and van Hasselt,1822(Anura:Dicroglossidae)from Southern Guangxi,China

A new species of the genus Occidozyga is reported from Southern Guangxi,China,based on morphological characters and molecular analyses.Morphological data revealed that the new species,Occidozyga shiwandashanensis sp.nov.,differs from its congeners by a combination of the following characters:(1)medium body size(SVL 25.2−33.8 mm in males,34.9−38.9 mm in females);(2)pale brown dorsum with irregular pale dark spots,especially on head;(3)creamy white ventral surface with brown spots on lateral margin and throat;(4)tongue fleshy,rounded,without notch,(5)tympanum hidden;(6)finger webbing absent and toe webbing full,but fourth toe not webbed to discs;(7)tips of fingers pointed,tips of toes rounded,slightly expanded into disc.The new species occurs on Mt.Shiwandashan and inhabits montane evergreen forests at 500−600 m a.s.l.

A New Carcharodontosauria(Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Guangxi,Southern China

A new large-bodied theropod dinosaur, Datanglong guangxiensis gen. et sp. nov., was recovered from the Lower Cretaceous Xinlong Formation of the Datang Basin, Guangxi. It is unique in several features including： posteriormost dorsal vertebra with teardrop-shaped pneumatic foramen confined by enlarged pcdl, acpl and the centrum; posteriormost dorsal with well-developed, horizontal prpl; posteriormost dorsal with a parapophysis projecting more laterally than the diapophysis; brevis fossa shallow with short, ridge-like medial blade; and iliac pubic peduncle with posteroventrally expanded margin. Cladistic analysis supports the idea that this new taxon Datanglong guangxiensis is a primitive member of the Carcharodontosauria in possessing two unambiguous synapomorphies： large external pneumatic foramina and internal spaces present in the lateral surface of ilium, and a peg-and-socket ischiac articulation with the ilium. The presence of the new taxon from Guangxi further confirms that Carcharodontosauria were cosmopolitan large-bodied predators during the Early-mid Cretaceous.

Sauropod Teeth from the Lower Cretaceous Luohandong Formation of Ordos Basin,Inner Mongolia

The Early Cretaceous Zhidan Group in the northern Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia, yielded a large number of tetrapods, including turtles, choristoderes, crocodyliforms, psittacosaurs, stegosaurs, theropods and birds. Well-preserved sauropod teeth have been found in the Luohandong Formation, a middle-upper unit of the Zhidan Group. The large V-shaped wear facet, low slenderness index value, labial grooves, lingual ridge and concavity on the tooth crown suggest that these teeth are from titanosauriforms. Moreover, the presence of the prominent bosses on the lingual side of the tooth crown indicates these teeth should be identified as Euhelopus teeth further. The existence of Euhelopus in Ordos Basin （Inner Mongolia）, Shandong Province and western Liaoning Province shows some connections about vertebrate faunas during Early Cretaceous in these areas. Other tetrapod groups such as turtles （Sinemys, Ordosemys）, choristoderes （Ikechosaurus）, psittacosaurs （Psittacosaurus） and birds （Cathayornis） provide more evidences for this viewpoint.

First record of Bystrowianid Chroniosuchians(Amphibia：Anthracosauromorpha) from the Middle Permian of China

Chroniosuchians are basal tetrapods owing to Anthracosauromorpha and the oldest species of chroniosuchians have been recorded in the Late Permian of Russia so far. In this study, we present evidence for their existence in the Middle Permian of China, based on well preserved diagnostic vertebrae with associated osteoderms from the Dashankou fanua in northwestern China. The finds clearly show interosteoderm articulation pattern between the adjacent scutes in bystrowianids. The features observed in Yumenerpeton yangi may warrant the close proximity or phyletic succession of the chroniosuchid and bystrowianid types of the osteoderm design.

A New Species of the Genus Rhacophorus(Anura：Rhacophoridae) from Southern China

A new species of rhacophorid of the genus Rhacophorus is described from the Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, Southern China. Rhacophorus pinglongensis sp. nov. is compared with congeners from China and other parts of Southeast Asia. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by combination of following characters：（1） small size（adult male, SVL 32.0-38.5 mm）;（2） smooth and green dorsum;（3） flanks, axilla, ventral surface of forearms, inguinal, anterior and posterior surfaces of thighs, ventral surface of shank, and dorsal surface of feet covered with black blotches with white spots or white spots with a faint orange tint;（4） ventral surface of feet and webbing tangerine;（5） supratympanic fold weak;（6） outer margin of forearms and feet with low dermal ridges;（7） calcars absent on heels;（8） iris silver, diffusing to ecru laterally with light khaki ring along margin. The new species is closely related to R. dorsoviridis, R. moltrechti, and R. nigropunctatus based on adult morphology. Currently, this species is known only from mid-elevation montane evergreen forest in the Shiwandashan National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China.

The Homo sapiens Cave hominin site of Mulan Mountain,Jiangzhou District,Chongzuo,Guangxi with emphasis on its age

One of the most hotly debated and frontal issues in paleoanthropology focuses on the origins of modern humans. Recently, an incomplete hominin mandible with a distinctly weaker mental protuberance than modern human and a great variety of coexisting fossil mammals were unearthed from the Homo sapiens Cave of Mulan Mountain, Chongzuo, Guangxi. The mammalian fauna from the Homo sapiens Cave characterized by the combination of Elephas kiangnanensis, first occurring Elephas maixmus, and Megatapirus augustus, and strikingly different from the Early Pleistocene Gigantopithecus fauna and the Middle Pleistocene Ailuropoda-Stogodon fauna of South China could be regarded as an early representive of the typical Asian elephant fauna. Faunal analysis, biostratigraphic correlation, and, most importantly, U-series dating all consistently support an estimate of ca. 110 ka for the age of the fossil Homo sapiens and coexisting mammalian fauna, that is, the early Late Pleistocene. The fauna is mainly made up of tropical-subtropical elements, but grassland elements have a much greater variety than forest elements, which probably indicates a drier climate at that time. This discovery of early Homo sapiens at the Mulan Mountain will play a significant role in the study of the origin and its environmental background of modern humans.

The First Hadrosaurid Dinosaur from Southern China

A new hadrosaurid dinosaur, Nanningosaurus dashiensis gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an incomplete skeleton from the Late Cretaceous red beds of the Nalong Basin, Guangxi, southern China. Diagnostic features for the new taxon include the presence of a tall and sharply peaked dorsal process of the maxilla with reduced process of the jugal and a distinct lacrimal facet, gracile humerus with low, rounded deltopectoral crest, mandibular condyle of the quadrate transversly broad with reduced paraquadrate notch, dentary tooth with sinuous median carina and subsidiary ridge, relatively few tooth positions, ischial shaft straight along most of its distance, but to curve dorsally and expand at the distal end before the ischial foot begins. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Nanningosaurus dashiensis is a basal member of Lambeosaurinae.

Recent discovery of handaxes associated with tektites in the Nanbanshan locality of the Damei site, Bose basin, Guangxi, South China

This paper reports the recent discovery of 176 stone artifacts, including two handaxes (bifacial large cutting tools), which are preserved in the laterized sediments of terrace 4 of the Youjiang River at the Nanbanshan locality of the Damei site in the Bose basin, south China. Their characteristics are similar to Paleolithic stone artifacts discovered from other sites in this basin. The handaxes, picks and other stone artifacts are associated with 155 tektite pieces found in the same horizontal layer. These fresh, unabraded and sharp-edged tektites were buried immediately after the airfall event. This provides fur- ther evidence that the Bose stone artifacts and the tektites were deposited simultaneously around 0.8 Ma. More stone artifacts were also unearthed above the tektite layer, indicating that early humans in the area survived the event.

Geobiological processes of the formation of lacustrine source rock in Paleogene

Gypsum-salt rocks and coccolith calcareous shale are widely deposited in the lower part of the Paleogene Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Sag, Sbandong Province. The gypsum-salt rock is believed to be formed during the earlier deposition in salt lake, while the overlying coccolith shale in saline lake with relatively low salinity. By comparing the lake environment and la- custrine microbial communities between ancient and recent lakes, cyanobacteria are regarded as the main representative of productivity during the formation of gypsum-salt strata series, with the annual productivity of 1500-2000 gC m-2 yr1. Based on the research of ultramicrofossils in the calcareous shale, coccolith is considered as the main contributor to the productivity during the formation of calcareous shale. On the basis of statistic data of sedimentary rates, shale laminations, and coccolith fossils in each lamination, the quantitative value of productivity is calculated, with the annual productivity of 2250 3810 gC m 2 yr-1 （averagely 3120 gC m-2 yr-1）. Statistic data of large amount of pyrite framboids indicate that the lower water col- umn was persistently in sulfidic or anoxic conditions during the deposition of gypsum-salt strata series, but it changed to be dysoxic when the coccolith calcareous shale was deposited. Both of these water conditions are favorable for the preservation of organic matter. It is estimated that the organic carbon burial efficiency of the Lower Paleogene salt lakes and saline lakes of Dongying Depression is about 10%-15%, which is calculated and analyzed using the multi-parameter geobiological model.

Early Pleistocene hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave in Bubing Basin, Guangxi, South China

Two hominid teeth recovered in Mohui cave are morphologically distinguished from Australopithecus in Af-rica, but close to Homo erectus in China. These teeth are therefore provisionally assigned to Homo erectus. The associ-ated mammalian fauna include Gigantopithecus blacki, Nes-toritherium sp., Sus xiaozhu, Sus peii and Ailuropoda microta, which are typical early Pleistocene taxa in South China. The general characteristics of the Mohui faunal assemblage are similar to the Longgupo site, which is dated to 2 Ma, imply-ing a contemporaneity for the two sites. To date, compared with the discoveries in Africa, far fewer early Pleistocene hominid fossils have been recovered in Asia, and there are intensive controversies concerning their stratigraphic prove-nience and typological and temporal positions. The hominid fossils from Mohui cave, with their reliable biostratigraphic positions and distinct typological features, provide important evidence regarding the issue of early human origins and evo-lution.

Revision of Cyprinus maomingensis Liu 1957 and the first discovery of Procypris-hke cyprinid(Teleostei, Pisces) from the late Eocene of South China

Fossil cyprinids from the upper part of the upper Eocene Youganwo Formation of Maoming, Guangdong, China were first studied in 1957 by Liu, who referred the only specimen to the genus Cyprinus as a new species, C. maomingensis. And this was suggested as one of the earliest records for fossil cyprinids. Unfortunately, this specimen is poorly preserved and reveals no more morphological information than its serrated last unbranched dorsal and anal fin rays. Recently, some new specimens were unearthed from the same locality, where C. maomingensis was discovered. In addition to the serrated dorsal and anal fin rays, these new materials also show that the pattern and shape of their pharyngeal teeth obviously differ from that of Cyprinus but resemble that of Procypris. However, its number of the branched dorsal fin rays and number of vertebrae are much less than that in Procypris. Morphologically, these specimens are closer to Procypris than to Cyprinus. This is the first report of fossil Procypris-like fish, and it implies that Procypris-like fish is an early member of the Tribe Cyprinini sensu stricto(sensu Yang et al., 2010) and the origin of this group can be traced back at least to the late Eocene.

Fossil pharyngeal teeth of grass carp group and their implications for evolution, temporal and spatial distribution pattern, and paleoenvironment

Grass carp(Ctenopharyngodon idella)is a cyprinid species,widely living in the freshwater on the plain area of East Asia.The fish has characteristic comb-like pharyngeal teeth,an adaptation to their typical vegetarian feeding habit.This paper deals with fossil pharyngeal teeth that related to grass carp,found from about 20 localities,ranging from the lower Oligocene to Holocene.Based on the morphology of the teeth,we established two new genera and species related to the genus Ctenopharyngodon(Dezaoia saintjaquensis,Eoctenopharyngodon liui)and two new species of Ctenopharyngodon(C.xiejiaensis and C.orientalis).The first recognized C.idella pharyngeal teeth were from the lower Pliocene of Yushe,Shanxi,and many others from 11 Pleistocene to Holocene localities.Judged from the materials and their occurrences,the grass carp may have originated from the western part of China during the early Oligocene.Throughout the Miocene,the grass-carp-like pharyngeal teeth were discovered from a vast area in China,indicating an appropriate atmosphere for the grass carp to develop,although the climate in the western part of China was possibly drier than that in the eastern part.From the beginning of the Pliocene,as the consequence of a considerable uplift of the Tibetan Plateau,the large rivers in East Asia finally formed,created favorable conditions for the Recent grass carp to thrive.Most teeth were collected in association with fossil mammals.Therefore,we are using the associated fossil mammals as the checking reference against which to test our interpretation of the surrounding environment of the water system in which the grass carp lived.

Late Oligocene Melia(Meliaceae) from the Nanning Basin of South China and it's biogeographical implication

Melia L. is a small genus of only 2–3 species, which is native to Indo-Malesia, India, Pakistan and southern parts of tropical Africa. Fossil records of Melia are known from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Here we describe some mummified fossil endocarps of Melia from the upper part of the Yongning Formation(late Oligocene) in Nanning Basin, South China. These well-preserved stony endocarps are 8–14 mm long and 5–9 mm wide, and have 5 locules with a single spindle seed per locule. We interpret these endocarps as the internal remains of a Melia drupe, and assign them as a new species: M. santangensis sp. nov. This is the only fossil record of anatomically preserved Melia found in China, and also the oldest fossil record of Melia so far reported globally. The fossil record confirms the presence of Melia in Asia at the late Oligocene, and provides evidence supporting the distribution and dispersal hypothesis of the Meliaceae.