Plio-Pleistocene Rodents of Thailand. Thai Studies in Biodiversity No. 3

Abstract

Y. Chaimanee 1998. Plio-Pleistocene Rodents of Thailand. Thai Studies in Biodiversity No. 3. Biodiversity Research and Training Program, BIOTEC, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand, 303 pp. ISBN 974-7577-80-1, price (paper), US$20.00 plus postage. Prior to this study, relatively little research had been done on the later Cenozoic rodents of Thailand. The study of fossil rodents from this time period is of interest for several reasons. The fossil fauna from this period need to be documented, providing a platform from which to address the question of the development of the modern fauna; whether it is structured most from in situ evolution and extinction, from immigration of allochthonous taxa, or from a combination of the 2 processes. Species composition may also be used as a proxy for climate. In a study analyzing multiple faunas of different geologic ages and from different geographic areas, climatic pattern may be revealed through time and space. Study of Plio-Pleistocene faunas from Thailand has the potential for illuminating the history of the current subdivision of Thailand into 2 zoogeographic subregions: the Indochinese subregion to the north of the Isthmus of Kra (10°30′N) and the Sundaic subregion to the south. The author collected rodent fossils from 20 fissure fills and cave deposits, primarily from the central portion of northern Thailand and from peninsular Thailand. Rodents belonging to 3 families are represented: Muridae, Sciuridae, and Hystricidae. The murids (excluding rhizomyines) and sciurids are …