Perspective

Outstanding Discoveries in Paleomammalogy in the Last One and a Half Decade

Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100044, Beijing, China

^* To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: zhangyingqi@ivpp.ac.cn

Abstract

Since the last comprehensive review of the then state-of-the-art progress in paleomammalogy in 2010, there has been substantial further advances in understanding the middle ear development and phylogeny of Mesozoic mammals, evolution of early primates, and so on. The post-dentary bone morphologies of two Jurassic mammaliaforms, Dianoconodon youngi and Feredocodon chowi, demonstrate the detachment mechanism of post-dentary bones from the dentary and the eventual breakdown of the Meckel’s cartilage during the evolution of mammaliaforms. The middle ear of the Early Cretaceous Liaoconodon hui defines the transitional mammalian middle ear. The Creataceous stem therian Origolestes lii displays the decoupling of hearing and chewing apparatuses and functions. In addition, the discovery of Ambolestes zhoui, an Early Cretaceous eutherian, demonstrates that Sinodelphys, the oldest purported marsupial, is actually a eutherian. The early Eocene haplorrhine primate, Archicebus achilles, resurrects the possibility that Asia was an important stage for early primate evolution. Not only has knowledge concerning these topics been further deepened, but new knowledge has also been acquired concerning Late Cenozoic herbivores and primates in paleomammalogy on the basis of these new discoveries.