Yunnan, a refuge for trilophodont proboscideans during the late Miocene aridification of East Asia

The Late Middle Miocene Mae Moh Basin of Northern Thailand: The Richest Neogene Assemblage of Carnivora from Southeast Asia and a Paleobiogeographic Analysis of Miocene Asian Carnivorans

“…The faunal similarity analyses conducted in this study are based on faunal lists that must be viewed with caution because of the need for taxonomic revision of certain localitites, some of which have not been reinvestigated since the first fossil discoveries. Nevertheless, these analyses reveal strong support of paleobiographical patterns that follow the general trends observed for other mammalian groups (e.g., Flynn and Wessels, 2013;Chavasseau et al, 2013;Wang et al, 2019). They reveal three paleobiogeographic provinces for the genera of Carnivora during the middle Miocene: a southern Asian province, clustering together the Pakistani, Indian, and Thai faunas, a Sino-Turkish province, grouping northern Turkish localities of the Sinap Formation with Chinese localities, and a Turkish province with sites from central and southern Turkey ( fig.…”

“…However, Yuanmou is clustered in our analysis with other Chinese and central and western Asian localities. We expected a close faunal similarity between Lufeng and Yuanmou, given their close geographic locations and their similar warm and humid climatic conditions influenced by the strengthening of Asian monsoons during the late Miocene (Wang et al, 2019). Perhaps the higher number of carnivoran species in Yuanmou relative to Lufeng (17 and 8 species, respectively), in conjunction with their age difference (7.1-8.5 Ma and 6,2-6.9 Ma, respectively) and the presence of several hyaenas in Yuanmou that are found in Chinese and western Asian localities could explain their dissimilarity in carnivoran assemblages.…”

“…appendix $4), During the Miocene, the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (following the Paleogene Indo-Asian collision) and the retreat of the Paratethys (an epicontinental sea extending over Eurasia during the Paleogene) led to an intensification of the monsoon systems in Asia (Ramstein et al,, 1997;Zhang et al, 2007). These events created a strong environmental barrier to terrestrial mammal dispersals between northern and southern Asia (Flynn and Wessels, 2013;Wang et al, 2019). Moreover, some parts of the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau reached their current or near-current elevations during the middle Miocene, preventing north-south faunal exchanges Deng and Ding, 2015;Wang et al, 2019).…”

“…These events created a strong environmental barrier to terrestrial mammal dispersals between northern and southern Asia (Flynn and Wessels, 2013;Wang et al, 2019). Moreover, some parts of the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau reached their current or near-current elevations during the middle Miocene, preventing north-south faunal exchanges Deng and Ding, 2015;Wang et al, 2019).…”

Supplemental Material for 'The late middle Miocene Mae Moh Basin of northern Thailand: the richest Neogene assemblage of Carnivora from Southeast Asia and a paleobiogeographic analysis of Miocene Asian carnivorans. (American Museum novitates, no. 3952)'

“…During the Miocene, the rapid uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (following the Paleogene Indo-Asian collision) and the retreat of the Paratethys (an epicontinental sea extending over Eurasia during the Paleogene) led to an intensification of the monsoon systems in Asia (Ramstein et al, 1997;Zhang et al, 2007). These events created a strong environmental barrier to terrestrial mammal dispersals between northern and southern Asia (Flynn and Wessels, 2013;Wang et al, 2019). Moreover, some parts of the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau reached their current or near-current elevations during the middle Miocene, preventing north-south faunal exchanges Deng and Ding, 2015;Wang et al, 2019).…”