The first Sinomastodon (Gomphotheriidae, Proboscidea) skull of the Early Pleistocene, collected from the Renzidong Cave deposits in Anhui Province, Eastern China, is described here as S. jiangnanensis sp. nov. As the only brevirostrine trilophodont gomphotheriid known from the Old World, Sinomastodon was mainly indigenous to China from the Early Pliocene to the Pleistocene. Compared with a few single Pleistocene teeth previously found in China, S. jiangnanensis sp. nov. is represented by a relatively complete skull, mandible and dentition, which is the first discovery of a Quaternary Sinomastodon skull from China. With a brevirostrine, elephant-like skull, no lower tusks, and simple bunodont and trilophodont intermediate molars, the new species is morphologically distinct from other gomphotheres and should belong to the genus Sinomastodon. The new species is more progressive than S. hanjiangensis and the Pliocene type species S. intermedius in its skull and mandible morphology, but is evidently more primitive than the Pleistocene S. yangziensis in its molar morphology. The faunal analysis suggests that the emergence of S. jiangnanensis sp. nov. in Jiangnan area and its southward migration may have been related to a cooling event at the beginning of the Quaternary in Eastern China.

Here, we describe saber-toothed cat remains from the early Early Pleistocene (~2.0Ma) of Yanliang Cave, Fusui County, Guangxi Province, South China. Specimens, including a complete left dentary and right m1, are identified as Megantereon based on mandibular and dental characters. The Yanliang Megantereon is the smallest representative of the genus from Asia. Overall size, p4 and m1 dental proportions, the disposition of the p3, and dentary measurements align it with characters attributed to Megantereon whitei, a taxon not recorded from eastern Asia or China. Megantereon whitei is thought to be the most derived member of the genus. If the remains are M.whitei, or a closely related form, this represents an early occurrence of the group outside Africa. Other Megantereon specimens from China, that are roughly the same geologic age, or even younger, are considered to have a more primitive dentition than M.whitei. The Yanliang Megantereon, and our review, further demonstrates uncertainty in the evolutionary history of the group, the overall need for tighter chronologic control, and a systematic revision of the genus that includes discrete morphological characters.

The climate and vegetation history of the Middle Pleistocene transition in the interior of British Columbia (BC) is poorly understood due largely to the lack of records. Sediments from the overburden of the Teck Highland Valley Copper mine (HVC) of British Columbia straddle the Brunhes-Matuyama paleomagnetic transition, providing a opportunity to study this critical Pleistocene interval. The stratigraphy was described and sampled for paleomagnetic and pollen/spore analysis at reconnaissance scale. The HVC sediments consist mainly of (from bottom to top) a lower glacial drift, >50 m of lakebed sediments, ~50 m of gravel fan deposits, and a >60 m thick drift of mostly glacial till. These units were deposited by a valley glacier, lake, fluvial/debris flow events, and an ice sheet, respectively. Pollen and spore analyses, reveal at least 11 climate-vegetation intervals (9 zones, 2 more possible ones). These are broadly classified as either warm Pinus-Picea parkland and forest, cold Selaginella-rich steppe or arid Artemisia-Poaceae steppe. These intervals suggest a long paleo-environmental record at HVC and indicate fluctuations between glacial and interglacial climates which can tentatively be placed with Marine Isotope Stages 23 through 16 and younger. The HVC record is a unique sequence with the potential to reveal a much more detailed history of this critical time in Earth’s past. Implications of these findings are discussed. / Graduate / 2018-12-06