一种来自印度的白垩纪有蹄类哺乳动物。

A Cretaceous hoofed mammal from India.

作者信息

Prasad G V R, Verma O, Sahni A, Parmar V, Khosla A

机构信息

Department of Geology, University of Jammu, Jammu 180 006, India.

出版信息

Science. 2007 Nov 9;318(5852):937. doi: 10.1126/science.1149267.

DOI:10.1126/science.1149267

PMID:17991854

Abstract

The sedimentary record documenting the northward drift of India (Late Cretaceous to late Early Eocene) has recently provided important clues to the evolution, radiation, and dispersal of mammals. Here, we report a definitive Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) archaic ungulate (Kharmerungulatum vanvaleni genus et species nova) from the Deccan volcano-sedimentary sequences exposed near Kisalpuri village in Central India. This find has important implications for the origin and diversification of early ungulates and raises three possible paleobiogeographic scenarios: (i) Archaic ungulates may have been cosmopolitan in distribution. (ii) Kharmerungulatum might be an immigrant from Western Asia. (iii) Archaic ungulates may have originated in India.

摘要

记录印度向北漂移（晚白垩世至早始新世晚期）的沉积记录最近为哺乳动物的演化、辐射和扩散提供了重要线索。在此，我们报道了一种来自印度中部基萨尔普里村附近暴露的德干火山沉积层序的确定的晚白垩世（马斯特里赫特阶）古老有蹄类动物（新属新种瓦氏印度古兽）。这一发现对早期有蹄类动物的起源和多样化具有重要意义，并提出了三种可能的古生物地理情景：（i）古老有蹄类动物可能分布广泛。（ii）印度古兽可能是来自西亚的移民。（iii）古老有蹄类动物可能起源于印度。