Morphobank

Project 4563: Bin Bai, Yuan-Qing Wang, Jessica M. Theodor, Jin Meng. 2023. Small artiodactyls with tapir-like teeth from the middle Eocene of the Erlian Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. Frontiers in Earth Science. 11:1-20.

Specimen: † Obotherium tongi
View: (A) occlusal view; (B) buccal view; (C) lingual view.

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Abstract

Artiodactyls diversified during the Eocene and Oligocene in North America and
Europe after their first Holarctic appearance at the beginning of the Eocene.
However, the relationships among early artiodactyls, European endemic forms,
and later derived suiforms, tylopods, and ruminants remain unclear. Early
artiodactyls are relatively rare in Asia compared to those known from North
America and Europe; thus, investigation of Eocene artiodactyls from Asia is
important to resolve these issues. Here we report two new genera and three
new species of small early artiodactyls from middle Eocene deposits of the Erlian
Basin, Inner Mongolia, China. The new materials represent a morphologically
gradational series from Asian Land Mammal Ages Irdinmanhan to Sharamurunian,
characterized by a trend towards bilophodonty in the lower molars. Morphologic
and phylogenetic analyses suggest that these new taxa have a close relationship
with the enigmatic European Tapirulus, which currently consists of five species
that range from the middle Eocene to the early Oligocene. The close relationship
between the Erlian specimens and Tapirulus suggests possible faunal exchanges
between Europe and Asia during the middle Eocene, a view that has been
supported by other mammalian groups across the two continents. The
evolution of bilophodonty in Tapirulidae and Raoellidae is probably attributable
to convergence.

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Article DOI: 10.3389/feart.2023.1117911

Project DOI: 10.7934/P4563, http://dx.doi.org/10.7934/P4563

This project contains	Matrices
1 Media 1 Matrix 31 Taxa 1 Specimen 34 Characters Total size of project's media files: 13.2M Download Project SDD File	Total scored cells: 923 Total media associated with cells: 0 Total labels associated with cell media: 0
	Characters
	Total characters: 34 Total characters with associated media: 0 Total characters with media with labels: 0 Total character states: 91 Total character states with associated media: 0 Total character states with media with labels:0 Total unordered/ordered characters:34/0

Currently Viewing:
MorphoBank Project 4563

Creation Date:
11 February 2023
Publication Date:
08 March 2024
Matrix downloads: 3

Authors' Institutions

Chinese Academy of Sciences

City University of New York

University of Calgary

American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)

Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), CAS

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Members

Bin Bai
Project Administrator

923
(869, 0, 54)

Taxonomic Overview for Matrix 'M29160' (31 Taxa)

taxon	unscored cells	scored cells	no cell support	NPA cells	"-" cells	cell images	labels on cell images	member access
[1] † Ectoconus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	31	30	0	4	0	0	1
[2] † Hyopsodus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	34	33	0	1	0	0	1
[3] † Hyracotherium Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	29	29	0	5	0	0	1
[4] † Elaschitotherium Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	32	32	0	2	0	0	1
[5] † Diacodexis metsiacus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	35	34	0	0	0	0	1
[6] † Diacodexis pakistanensis Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	34	32	0	1	0	0	1
[7] † Diacodexis autunesi Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	32	31	0	2	0	0	1
[8] † Hexacodus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	32	32	0	1	0	0	1
[9] † Eolantianus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	17	17	17	0	0	0	0	1
[10] † Homacodon Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	35	33	0	1	0	0	1
[11] † Microsus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	32	32	0	1	0	0	1
[12] † Chorlakkia Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	2	29	29	0	3	0	0	1
[13] † Pakibune Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	19	15	15	0	0	0	0	1
[14] † Bunomeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	32	32	0	2	0	0	1
[15] † Hylomeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	32	31	0	2	0	0	1
[16] † Hyperdichobune Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	30	30	0	3	0	0	1
[17] † Dichobune Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	31	31	0	3	0	0	1
[18] † Eurodexis Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	33	33	0	1	0	0	1
[19] † Protodichobune Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	31	31	0	3	0	0	1
[20] † Cuisitherium Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	33	33	0	1	0	0	1
[21] † Lantianus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	17	17	17	0	0	0	0	1
[22] † Mesomeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	17	17	17	0	0	0	0	1
[23] † Thandaungia Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	17	17	17	0	0	0	0	1
[24] † Archaeomeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	28	28	0	6	0	0	1
[25] † Simimeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	30	28	0	6	0	0	1
[26] † Pseudamphimeryx Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	0	31	31	0	3	0	0	1
[27] † Obotherium tongi Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	17	17	17	0	0	0	0	1
[28] † Obotherium parvum Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	5	29	29	0	0	0	0	1
[29] † Tapiruloides Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	19	14	14	0	1	0	0	1
[30] † Tapirulus majori Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	5	29	29	0	0	0	0	1
[31] † Tapirulus hyracinus Taxon name last Modified on 03/08/24	1	31	31	0	2	0	0	1

Project downloads

type	number of downloads	Individual items downloaded (where applicable)
Total downloads from project	3
Matrix downloads	3	Obotherium and Tapiruloides phylogeny (3 downloads);