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A Paleogene mammalian fauna, here named the Shanghuang fauna, was discov ered near the village of Shanghuang, close to Liyang City, Jiangsu Province, China (Fig.1). At present, rouglily sixty species of fossil mammals have been recognied in the Shanghuang fauna. Many of these mammal taxa are new to science, and others represent new occurrences for the Eocene of China. Particularly well represented in the Shanghuang fauna are micromammals (including marsupials, insectivores, rodents,lagomorphs, primates, and bats) that have seldom if ever been found in other Eocene Asian localities. Biostratigraphic correlations suggest that the Shanghuang fauna repre sents the Irdinmanhan and early Sharamurunian Land Mammal Ages and is likely to be about 45 million years old. Ongoing study of the Shanghuang manunal fauna promlses to shed new insight into the phylogeny and historical biogeography of numer ous higherlevel mammalian taxa. Here, we provide a history of field activities at Shanghuang and an overview of mammalian diversity at Shanghuang.
A Paleogene mammalian fauna, here named the Shanghuang fauna, was discov ered near the village of Shanghuang, close to Liyang City, Jiangsu Province, China (Fig.1). At present, rouglily sixty species of fossil mammals have been recognied in the Shanghuang Many of these mammal taxa are new to science, and others represent new occurrences for the Eocene of China. Particularly well represented in the Shanghuang fauna are micromammals (including marsupials, insectivores, rodents, lagomorphs, primates, and bats) that have seldom if ever been found in other Eocene Asian localities. Biostratigraphic correlations suggest that the Shanghuang fauna represents the Irdinmanhan and early Sharamurunian Land Mammal Ages and is likely to be about 45 million years old. Ongoing study of the Shanghuang manunal fauna promlses to shed new insight into the phylogeny and historical biogeography of numer ous higherlevel mammalian taxa. Here, we provide a history of field activities at Shanghuang and an overview of mammalian diversity at Shanghuang.