The Diatomyidae (Mammalia,Rodentia) and Bilophodonty in Middle Eocene Asian Rodents
详细信息
- 责任者：Mary R.D (Vertebrate Paleontology ; Carnegie Museum of Natural History ; Pittsburgh PA 15213 ; USA) ; Li Chuankui
- 刊名：Vertebrata Palasiatica
- 出版年：2010
- 卷期：48(4)
- 关键词：啮齿目 ; Rodentia ; 亚洲 ; Asia
- 页码：p.328-335
- 图表：4 illus., 26 refs.
- 分类号：1103
- issnNo：ISSN1000-3118
- isbnNo：CN11-1905/Q
摘要
The Asian endemic rodent family Diatomyidae is known to have inhabited eastern and southern Asia since the Oligocene. Its current distribution is limited to karstic regions of Laos. So far as known these hystricomorphous-sciurognathous rodents have some degree of transverse bilophodonty of the cheek teeth. The earliest recognized diatomyids,which are from the Oligocene of Pakistan, retain some traces of cusps on the cheek teeth, overlying the basically bilophodont tooth structure. The incomplete record of this new taxon as well as its morphology cannot answer the question of whether this taxon is allied to such later appearing,strongly bilophodont rodents as diatomyids and pedetids, or is an early experiment of this striking morphological development that left no successors.