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Simple Summary: Two fruit fossil species of Ceratophyllum L. are discovered from South China, namely C. cf. muricatum Chamisso from the upper Eocene of the Maoming Basin, Guangdong, and C. demersum L. from the Miocene of the Guiping Basin, Guangxi. Our findings provide evidence for the distribution of Ceratophyllum in South China in the late Eocene, and its wide expansion in subtropical China during the Miocene. Ceratophyllum L. is a cosmopolitan genus of perennial aquatic herbs that occur in quiet freshwaters. Fossils of this genus have been widely reported from the Northern Hemisphere, most of them occurring in the temperate zone. Here, we describe two species of fossil fruits discovered from subtropical areas of China. The fossil fruit discovered from the upper Eocene Huangniuling Formation of the Maoming Basin is designated as C. cf. muricatum Chamisso, and fruits discovered from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of the Guiping Basin are assigned to the extant species C. demersum L. The discovery of these two fossil species indicates that Ceratophyllum had spread to South China by the late Eocene and their distribution expanded in subtropical China during the Miocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two recently collected mammalian dentary fragments from the Eocene Youganwo Formation of Guangdong Province, southern China, are referred to the anthracotheriid species Anthracokeryx naduongensis based on phylogenetic analysis and size comparison. One of these specimens (SYSU-M-1) is the first mammal fossil described from the Youganwo Formation. It was attributed previously to the perissodactyl genus Lunania. Anthracokeryx naduongensis was described originally from the lower upper Eocene Na Duong Formation in Northern Vietnam. The second record of this species supports a basal upper Eocene correlation for the Youganwo Formation, which was estimated previously as middle or late Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadurcodon maomingensissp. nov. is described based on a partial skull and associated vertebrae from the middle–upper Eocene Youganwo Formation in the Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China. The taxonomy ofCadurcodonKretzoi, 1942 ( =SianodonXu, 1965, syn. nov.; =ParacadurcodonXu, 1966, syn. nov.) is revised, and a new diagnosis of the genus is provided. It includes six species:C. ardynensis(Osborn, 1923),C. kazakademiusBiryukov, 1961,C. bahoensis(Xu, 1965) comb. nov.,C. suhaituensis(Xu, 1966) comb. nov.,C. houldjinensisB.-Y. Wang, Qiu, Zhang, Wu, & Ning, 2009 andC. maomingensissp. nov. A new phylogenetic hypothesis of Amynodontidae is based on the cladistic analysis of the distribution of 48 characters in 16 amynodontid taxa. The family is divided into two sister taxa, Metamynodontini (Paramynodon,MegalamynodonandMetamynodon) and Cadurcodontini (Procadurcodon,Zaisanamynodon,CadurcodonandCadurcotherium). The remaining amynodontid genera are consideredincertae sedis. The evolution of amynodontids was confined mainly to Central and East Asia, with four dispersal events to North America (Amynodon,Amynodontopsis, Metamynodontini andProcadurcodon), and one to Europe and South Asia (Cadurcotherium). The holotype ofC. maomingensissp. nov. is an adult male with body mass estimated as 1.4 tons. Amynodontids show considerable increase in size during evolution, with the largest species weighing over two tons (C. kazakademius,Zaisanamynodon borisoviandProcadurcodon orientalis). http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD6EEE3E-AE06-4DA2-AFFD-39362724C1C2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machilus maomingensis Jin et Tang, sp. nov. from the Eocene Youganwo Formation of the Maoming Basin, South China, is studied in detail from the perspective of the leaf architecture and the excellently preserved cuticle. The leaf margin is entire, the primary venation is pinnate; 6 to 8 secondary veins are present and the major secondary venation is eucamptodromous. Stomata are paracytic and occur on the lower epidermis. Trichome bases are unicellular. Oil cells are present in the upper epidermis. The new fossil species described has features of the Lauraceae, particularly of the extant genus Machilus Rumphius ex Nees, and it is most similar to Machilus chinensis (Bentham) Hemsley, an extant species distributed in southern China and Vietnam. Hence, Machilus maomingensis sp. nov. is inferred to live in a warm and humid climate. The discovery of the present fossil indicates that Machilus has existed in South China from at least the Eocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study reports the first fruit fossil record of the genus Morinda from the Eocene. Morinda chinensis sp. nov. was found in the Eocene coal-bearing series in the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island, south China, and belongs to Sect. Roioc of Morinda according to the characters of its infructescence. This is the first fossil report of Morinda in a tropical area of China and it moves the fossil record of this genus from the Miocene back to the Eocene. The discovery of Morinda in the fossil record in south China provides important evidence for the geologic and phytogeographic history of the genus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The modern distribution centre of the genus Craigia is situated in South China and adjacent northernmost Vietnam, but it was widely distributed in Europe, North America and East Asia during the Tertiary. Up to now, the genus Craigia includes only two extant and two fossil species. Based on a detailed study of the fossil material from the coal-bearing deposits of the Changchang Formation (Eocene) from the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island, China, Craigia hainanensis sp. nov. is established. This is the first fossil record of Craigia in its modern distribution centre which provides a new data on the origin and phytogeographic history of this genus. The distribution of extant and fossil Craigia in North America, Europe, Central and East Asia suggests that the Far East of Russia is a possible centre of origin of Craigia where the fossil record of this genus goes back to the Paleocene. During the Eocence global warming event, Craigia had dispersed rapidly to North America, Spitzbergen, East and Central Asia, and reached its modern distribution centre in South China no later than in the early Late Eocene. During the Oligocene and Neogene this genus continued to spread over Asia and further dispersed to Europe. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two types of fossil fruit, one belonging to Palaeocarya sp. (Juglandaceae) and the other to Acer cf. A. miofranchetii Hu et Chaney (Aceraceae), are found in the Eocene coal-bearing series from the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island, China. This is the first fossil record of Palaeocarya and Acer in a tropical area of China. These fossils provide evidence for an investigation of the phytogeographic history of these two genera. Since their extant relative genera are distributed mostly in northern temperate or tropical–subtropical mountainous regions, I propose that the Changchang Basin of Hainan Island was close to a mountainous region in the Eocene; the plants bearing these fruits were growing at a mid-high altitude with a relatively cool climate, and the fruits were not preserved in situ but transported to the fossil site. The characters of other associated fossil plants and palynological data also support this hypothesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new species of Nelumbo Adanson is described from the Eocene of the Changchang Basin, Hainan Island, South China. This is the first comprehensive report on a fossil Nelumbo species from the Eocene of the Changchang Basin, Hainan Island. The co-occurrence of fruits, tubers, rhizomes with numerous adventitious roots, leaves, and receptacles indicates that the plants grew where they are preserved. These specimens, combined with palynological assemblage and other macrofossils, indicate a tropical or subtropical humid climate in the Changchang Basin from the late early Eocene to early late Eocene. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The middle Eocene (Lutetian–Bartonian, 48.6–37.2 Ma) near-equatorial megafossil flora from swamp and lacustrine facies of the lower Changchang Formation, Hainan Island, South China (19.631463°N, 110.445049°E) is highly diverse (> 200 taxa) dominated by an unusual mixture of angiosperms typical of modern temperate, subtropical and tropical evergreen and deciduous forms. It is also rich in palms. Multivariate analysis of the architecture of minimally transported woody dicot leaves reveals a mean annual air temperature (MAT) of ~ 22 ± 4.7 °C with a marked thermal seasonality range of ~ 21 °C. The year-round humid climate lacked any monsoonal signature. The overall climate signal is compatible with the growth characteristics exhibited by fossil wood, but is warmer than the climate signal derived from pollen and spores using Co-existence Analysis. Corrections for possible palaeoelevation of the basin bring the megafossil-derived MAT estimate in line with 54–52 Ma sea surface and soil temperatures obtained from the Gulf Coast, USA, (palaeolatitude ~ 30°N) using multiple geochemical proxies and supports the claim that the low latitude Eocene climate was not uniformly warm. This challenges previous conclusions based on ∂ 18 O analysis of unaltered calcareous microfossils. Our air temperature data also adds to the challenge of understanding heat transport away from the equator to higher latitudes during ‘hothouse’ climate regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]