Gazelles (Mammalia: Bovidae) from the early Pleistocene Tianzhen area, Shanxi Province, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fossil gazelles have been discovered from the late Miocene to the late Pleistocene in China, but the Neogene gazelles were much more documented. The gazelle specimens unearthed from the early Pleistocene at Tianzhen are described and classified into three species: Gazella sinensis, G. blacki and Procapra cf. przewalskii. Based on the observation of extant Gazella subgutturosa and Procapra, we summarised the differential morphological characters of these species. Meanwhile, we reviewed and revised two diagnostic characters, morphology of p4 and size of horn cores, and we suggest that these should be used carefully in classification. Based on the new diagnostic characters, the Gazella cf. subgutturosa identified by Teilhard de Chardin and Piveteau in 1930 should be reassigned to G. sinensis. Partial materials of G. paragutturosa described by Bohlin in 1938 may be moved from Gazella to Procapra as P. gutturosa. We infer that the lectotype of G. blacki and other materials described by Chen in 1997 belong to the juvenile individuals based on the internal morphology of their horn cores. The different characters of the early Pleistocene G. sinensis and G. blacki are summarised after reviewing all materials classified into these two species in the previous works.