Additional Schizotherium material from China, and a review of Schizotherium dentitions (Perissodactyla, Chalicotheriidae). American Museum novitates ; no. 2647

Abstract

"Upper and lower cheek teeth of Schizotherium, collected from Urtyn Obo, East Mesa, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Peoples' Republic of China, by the 1928 Central Asiatic Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History, may belong to Schizotherium avitum Matthew and Granger, 1923. Despite the fact that dental evidence is a poor taxonomic indicator for chalicotheres, teeth provide the only evidence available for comparing Schizotherium species. Schizotherium avitum is a relatively small (?) representative of Schizotherium, with long narrow M[subscript]3, lower molar trigonid not wider than talonid, narrow M[subscript]3 hypoconulid, and metastylid weaker than in S. ordosium, S. priscum, or S. turgaicum but stronger than in S. chucuae. Schizotherium nabanensis resembles S. avitum in many respects but is poorly known. Derived characters of the metastylid and M[subscript]3 hypoconulid suggest that S. avitum may be closest to S. chucuae among other Schizotherium species. Material described from China by Teilhard (1926) and Bohlin (1946) is of uncertain taxonomic position but is not referable to S. avitum"--P. [1].