Li Mae Long
Encyclopedia
Li Mae Long is a fossil site in Lamphun Province
, Thailand. The fossils found are thought to date to the late Early Miocene
, about 18 million years ago, corresponding to the European zone MN 4.
Mammals found at the site include:
Marsupial
s
Lipotyphlans
Bat
s
Treeshrew
s
Primate
s
Rodent
s
Carnivora
ns
Proboscidea
ns
Perissodactyls
Artiodactyls
Lamphun Province
Lamphun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Mai, Lampang and Tak.-Geography:Lamphun is located in the river valley of the Ping River, surrounded by mountain chains....
, Thailand. The fossils found are thought to date to the late Early Miocene
Early Miocene
The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....
, about 18 million years ago, corresponding to the European zone MN 4.
Mammals found at the site include:
Marsupial
Marsupial
Marsupials are an infraclass of mammals, characterized by giving birth to relatively undeveloped young. Close to 70% of the 334 extant species occur in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands, with the remaining 100 found in the Americas, primarily in South America, but with thirteen in Central...
s
- Siamoperadectes minutus
Lipotyphlans
- Thaiagymnura equilateralis
- Hylomys engesseri
- Neotetracus butleri
- Unidentified ErinaceidaeErinaceidaeErinaceidae is the only living family in the order Erinaceomorpha, which has recently been subsumed with Soricomorpha into the order Eulipotyphla...
, possibly Mioechinus - Scapanulus lampounensis
Bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s
- Unidentified species possibly belonging to TaphozousTaphozousTaphozous is a genus of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae.It contains the following species:* Indonesian Tomb Bat * Coastal Tomb Bat * Sharp-Nosed Tomb Bat...
- Unidentified species of MegadermaMegadermaMegaderma is a genus of bat in the Megadermatidae family.It contains the following two species:* Lesser False Vampire Bat * Greater False Vampire Bat...
- Rhinolophus yongyuthsi
- Hipposideros khengkao
- Hipposideros felix
- Unidentified species of Rhinolophoidea
- Ia lanna
- Rhizomops mengraii
- Unidentified species of Vespertilionidae
Treeshrew
Treeshrew
The treeshrews are small mammals native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They make up the families Tupaiidae, the treeshrews, and Ptilocercidae, the pen-tailed treeshrews, and the entire order Scandentia. There are 20 species in 5 genera...
s
- Tupaia miocenicaTupaia miocenicaTupaia miocenica is a fossil treeshrew from the Miocene of Thailand. Known only from a single tooth, an upper second molar, it is among the few known fossil treeshrews. With a length of 3.57 mm, the tooth is large for a treeshrew...
Primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s
- ? Nycticebus linglom? Nycticebus linglom? Nycticebus linglom is a fossil primate from the Miocene of Thailand. Known only from a single tooth, an upper third molar, it is thought to be related to the living slow lorises , but the material is not sufficient to assign the species to Nycticebus with certainty, and the species name...
- Tarsius thailandica
Rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s
- Ratufa maelongensis
- Unidentified species possibly belonging to Atlantoxerus
- Diatomys liensis
- Democricetodon kaonou
- Spanocricetodon janvieri
- Prokanisamys benjavuni
- Potwarmus thailandicus
- Neocometes orientalis
Carnivora
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
ns
- Two unidentified species
Proboscidea
Proboscidea
Proboscidea is a taxonomic order containing one living family, Elephantidae, and several extinct families. This order was first described by J. Illiger in 1881 and encompasses the trunked mammals...
ns
- Unidentified species
Perissodactyls
- Unidentified species
Artiodactyls
- Conohyus sindiensis
- Siamotragulus haripounchai
- Stephanocemas rucha
- Unidentified species possibly belonging to Homoiodorcas
Literature cited
- Mein, P. and Ginsburg, L. 1997. Les mammifères du gisement miocène inférieur de Li Mae Long, Thaïlande : systématique, biostratigraphie et paléoenvironnement. Geodiversitas 19(4):783–844 (in French). Abstract in French and English.