The osteology of Rhombomylus (Mammalia, Glires) : implications for phylogeny and evolution of Glires. Bulletin of the AMNH ; no. 275

Abstract

Rhombomylus is a gliroid mammal endemic to several early Eocene localities of central and eastern Asia. It is best represented by a collection of numerous jaws and teeth, dozens of juvenile and adult skulls, and associated postcranial specimens from the early Eocene Yuhuangding Formation at the Dajian village, Junxian County, Hubei Province, China ... The core of the study consists of a taxonomic revision of the genus, a detailed description of the osteological morphology, extensive analyses on morphological characters, analyses on phylogeny, discussions on divergence time of the Glires, and analyses on functional morphology of mastication and locomotion. In comparing all known specimens assigned to the genus, we recognize only a single species, Rhombomylus turpanensis, for the genus and consider "R. laianensis" a junior synonym...