Anthracotheriid artiodactyl Anthracokeryx and an upper Eocene age for the Youganwo Formation of southern China

Abstract

The two recently collected mammalian dentary fragments from the Eocene Youganwo Formation of Guangdong Province, southern China, are referred to the anthracotheriid species Anthracokeryx naduongensis based on phylogenetic analysis and size comparison. One of these specimens (SYSU-M-1) is the first mammal fossil described from the Youganwo Formation. It was attributed previously to the perissodactyl genus Lunania. Anthracokeryx naduongensis was described originally from the lower upper Eocene Na Duong Formation in Northern Vietnam. The second record of this species supports a basal upper Eocene correlation for the Youganwo Formation, which was estimated previously as middle or late Eocene.

Keywords:

• Mammalia
• Artiodactyla
• Anthracotheriidae
• Eocene
• China
• Maoming

Acknowledgements

We thank Inessa Vislobokova, Fabrice Lihoreau and an anonymous reviewer for reading manuscript and useful suggestions.