Sci Sin. 1977 Sep-Oct;20(5):665-78.
In the past ten years or so a large amount of Palaeocene mammals (more than one hundred species belonging to 11 orders, 17 families and 52 genera) were known from five "redbed" basins of South China. These new finds are very important to a correct understanding of the evolution and distribution of mammals at the beginning of Tertiary in Asia. This paper includes three parts: (1) mammal-bearing Palaeocene of South China, (2) ages and correlation of the Palaecocene faunas of South China, (3) characteristics of the Palaeocene faunas of South China. The known Palaeocene mammals of South China can be grouped into two assemblages: the Lower Assemblage of the Early-Middle Palaeocene age, and the Upper Assemblage of the Late Palaeocene age. The endemic Asian genus, Bemalambda, is a form characteristic of the Lower Assemblage, and another endemic Asian form, Archaeolambda, is diagnostic of the upper. Some inferences on the origin, distribution and dispersal routes of certain Palaeocene mammalian groups are also discussed briefly in the third part.
在过去十年左右的时间里，从中国南方的五个“红层”盆地中发现了大量古新世哺乳动物（超过100个物种，隶属于11目、17科和52属）。这些新发现对于正确理解亚洲第三纪初期哺乳动物的演化和分布非常重要。本文包括三个部分：（1）中国南方含哺乳动物的古新世；（2）中国南方古新世动物群的时代与对比；（3）中国南方古新世动物群的特征。中国南方已知的古新世哺乳动物可分为两个组合：早-中古新世的下部组合和晚古新世的上部组合。亚洲特有的属——阶齿兽属，是下部组合的特征形态，另一个亚洲特有的形态——始阶齿兽，是上部组合的鉴别特征。在第三部分中还简要讨论了某些古新世哺乳动物类群的起源、分布和扩散路线的一些推论。
