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Two new species of ctenodactylid rodents, Prodistylomys taatsinius sp. nov. and Prodistylomys mongoliensis sp. nov., are described from the Valley of Lakes, Central Mongolia. They represent the first record of this genus in Mongolia. Prodistylomys is characterized by a simple dental pattern and high hypsodonty, reflecting an adaptation for tough vegetation in a dry environment, which is congruent with the aridification event that took place during the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene. We performed the most complete phylogenetic analysis combining the largest sampling in the family Ctenodactylidae and the best-represented stratigraphical distribution for the sample. This allowed us to propose that the origin of ctenodactylids lies in East Asia during the Eocene, and after that, the group dispersed through western Asia, Europe, and Africa. The presence of several similar rodent taxa in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China confirms that these areas were part of a large bioprovince covering most of central Asia during the Oligocene and Early Miocene.

Two new species of ctenodactylid rodents, Prodistylomys taatsinius sp. nov. and Prodistylomys mongoliensis sp. nov., are described from the Valley of Lakes, Central Mongolia. They represent the first record of this genus in Mongolia. Prodistylomys is characterized by a simple dental pattern and high hypsodonty, reflecting an adaptation for tough vegetation in a dry environment, which is congruent with the aridification event that took place during the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene. We performed the most complete phylogenetic analysis combining the largest sampling in the family Ctenodactylidae and the best-represented stratigraphical distribution for the sample. This allowed us to propose that the origin of ctenodactylids lies in East Asia during the Eocene, and after that, the group dispersed through western Asia, Europe, and Africa. The presence of several similar rodent taxa in Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and China confirms that these areas were part of a large bioprovince covering most of central Asia during the Oligocene and Early Miocene., Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, European Union, Austrian Science Fund, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

Proyecto sobre el uso de yacimientos paleontológicos como recurso didáctico, en la docencia de la Ecología y el desarrollo sostenible, en Educación Infantil, Primaria, Secundaria y Bachillerato, con visitas virtuales a yacimientos paleontológicos.

El Cerro de los Batallones is one of the most important fossil sites of the Miocene. The quantity and preservation of its fossil remains have allowed us to describe many new mammal species. One of these is Hispanomys moralesi, a derived species of the Tribe Cricetodontini, a wide group of rodents with great importance in the faunal assemblage during the Miocene. Unlike most fossil micromammals in this fossil site, we have obtained skull remains that preserve never recorded anatomical structures in this time interval. Due to the fragility of the material, it could only be studied in detail using X-ray micro-computed tomography (µ-CT Scan). With this technique, we obtained three-dimensional models of 12 skulls of Hispanomys moralesi, in which different osteological parts have been described. In this way, we compared the morphological variation of the skull with other fossil cricetids and concluded that Batallones’ species is an opisthodont rodent, with a relatively elongated rostrum, a robust base of zygomatic arches and big-sized tooth rows. Opisthodont incisor characterises omnivore and herbivore diets in rodents. Therefore, these new findings of Hispanomys moralesi could allow us to describe the dietary affinities of this extinct species.

Este trabajo estudia la viabilidad de la tecnología conocida como Sustrato Alcalino Disperso (DAS) para el tratamiento pasivo de efluentes extremadamente ácidos y contaminantes procedentes de la balsa de fosfoyesos localizada sobre las marismas del río Tinto (Huelva, SO España). El estudio consiste en hacer fluir el agua ácida a través de una columna rellena con una mezcla de un reactivo alcalino (i.e. El evento de enfriamiento global del Mioceno medio ha sido descrito, a escala local, en el centro de la Península Ibérica (Cuenca de Madrid). Algunos yacimientos paleontológicos como Somosaguas (14,1 Ma) y Cerro de los Batallones (9 Ma) han sido ampliamente estudiados. Además, otros yacimientos situados temporalmente entre ellos, como los yacimientos de Paracuellos del Jarama, tienen un gran potencial de estudio. En este trabajo se han caracterizado los paleoambientes de los yacimientos de Paracuellos-5 (13,7 Ma) y Paracuellos-3 (12,8 Ma), ambos pertenecientes al Mioceno medio, para dar una visión más completa de las características paleoambientales de este intervalo. Se emplearon seis modelos cuantitativos de inferencia climática basados en la estructura de pesos corporales de los mamíferos para estimar la temperatura y la precipitación en el área de estudio. Las inferencias ambientales obtenidas permiten exponer la hipótesis de que en un intervalo de tiempo menor a 1 millón de años, el ambiente existente en Paracuellos tuvo una tendencia hacia el aumento de la humedad, aún manteniéndose como un ambiente de extrema aridez., The middle Miocene global cooling event has been described at a local scale in central Spain (Madrid Basin). There are well-studied fossil sites as Somosaguas (14.1 Ma) and Cerro de los Batallones (9 Ma). In addition, other fossil sites situated temporarily between them, such as the Paracuellos del Jarama fossil sites have a great potential. In this work, the palaeoenvironments of Paracuellos-5(13.7 Ma) and Paracuellos-3 (12.8 Ma) sites, both from the middle Miocene, have been characterized to show a more complete view of the environmental characteristics prevailing during this period. Six quantitative climatic inference models based on body-size structure of mammal faunas have been used to estimate temperature and precipitation of the study area. The obtained environmental inferences allow formulating the hypothesis that, in a time interval of less than 1 million years, the environment of Paracuellos experienced a trend through slightly more humid conditions, remaining as an extremely arid environment., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. España, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

El suelo es un recurso natural extremadamente sensible a la actividad humana. La FAO lleva años señalando la necesidad de cuidar este recurso imprescindible no solo por asegurar nuestra alimentación sino también para el sostenimiento de los ecosistemas. El gran desconocimiento que existe en relación al suelo nos ha llevado a intentar formar a nuestros estudiantes de Magisterio de Infantil y Primaria y del Máster de Formación del Profesorado en relación al suelo, pues serán ellos los responsables en un futuro de la formación de nuestros de niños y jóvenes. Se han diseñado actividades prácticas para dar a conocer el suelo y su fragilidad, procurando que sean conscientes de la repercusión de nuestras acciones sobre el mismo y por lo tanto su pérdida de fertilidad. Las actividades prácticas son muy fácilmente replicables en el aula y necesitan de un material cotidiano y de bajo coste. Con estas actividades se acerca el método científico al alumnado. Especial énfasis se ha puesto en la práctica del compostaje, como una medida ideal con la que se evitar verter restos al medio al mismo tiempo que se produce un material orgánico que aporta propiedades muy beneficiosas para los cultivos, como es el compost.

El proyecto pretende dar a conocer el suelo como recurso natural al alumnado. Se trata de un recurso vital, profundamente desconocido y escasamente trabajado en las aulas. Apenas aparece de forma explícita en el currículo de Secundaria y menos aún en el de Primaria. Muchos organismos internacionales han resaltado la necesidad de que el ciudadano de a pie conozca el suelo, su enorme valor en la alimentación del ser humano y el grave riesgo en el que se encuentra hoy en día pues su fertilidad está descendiendo a un ritmo alarmante debido fundamentalmente a la acción humana. El valorar este recurso pasa por conocerlo y para ello es necesario trabajarlo en las aulas, pero antes hemos de formar a los futuros docentes,esto es lo que nos hemos propuesto desde la Facultad de Educación. Por otro lado nos resulta fundamental el que los ciudadanos conozcan el compostaje, actividad fácil de desarrollar tanto en los centros docentes como en el propio domicilio; compostar permite cuidar el medio ambiente de forma doble, por un lado reduciendo los desechos y por otro produciendo un material (el compost) con muchas ventajas para la agricultura, contribuyendo de esta forma a la sostenibilidad.

[EN] Geometric morphometric allows characterizing complex morphologies in order to quantify the geometry of the structure and facilitate comparisons. It allows performing methods analysing differentiation pattern based on variance, such as the Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For that reason, it has been chosen as the method to analyse the mandibles of two extinct species of cricetids rodents: Cricetodon aff. aureus and Megacricetodon minor from the MN6, middle Miocene from Goldberg and Steinberg (Germany). We performed a digitisation of 18 landmarks that includes the most relevant characteristics of these mandibles. We also performed a measure of the mechanical advantage and potential of the mandibles. In that way, we have been able to quantify notorious morphological differences on the angular and condylar processes and the lower masseter insertion and establish significant differences among the biomechanical behaviour of the mandibles. Later, we can relate the morphological and biomechanical information with speed and force biting., [ES] La morfometría geométrica permite caracterizar formas completas para cuantificar la geometría de la estructura y facilitar las comparaciones. Permite llevar a cabo metodologías que analizan esos patrones de diferenciación como el Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP), a través del cual se estudia la varianza de una manera simple. Por esta razón ha sido el método elegido para analizar las mandíbulas de dos especies extintas de cricétidos: Cricetodon aff. aureus y Megacricetodon minor de la MN6, Mioceno medio de los yacimientos de Goldberg y Steinberg (Alemania). Hemos llevado a cabo la digitalización de 18 puntos de referencia (landmarks) que resumen las características más relevantes de las mandíbulas. Además hemos realizado la medición de las ventajas y potencias mecánicas de estas. De esta manera, hemos podido cuantificar diferencias morfológicas notorias en los procesos angular y condilar y en la inserción del masetero inferior y establecer diferencias significativas entre los comportamientos biomecánicos de las mandíbulas para después relacionarlo con la velocidad y la fuerza de la mordida de estos roedores.

Modern death assemblages provide insights about the early stages of fossilization and useful ecological information about the species inhabiting the ecosystem. We present the results of taphonomic monitoring of modern vertebrate carcasses and bones from Doñana National Park, a Mediterranean coastal ecosystem in Andalusia, Spain. Ten different habitats were surveyed. Half of them occur in active depositional environments (marshland, lake margin, river margin, beach and dunes). Most of the skeletal remains belong to land mammals larger than 5 kg in body weight (mainly wild and feral ungulates). Overall, the Doñana bone assemblage shows good preservation with little damage to the bones, partly as a consequence of the low predator pressure on large vertebrates. Assemblages from active depositional habitats differ significantly from other habitats in terms of the higher incidence of breakage and chewing marks on bones in the latter, which result from scavenging, mainly by wild boar and red fox. The lake-margin and river-margin death assemblages have high concentrations of well preserved bones that are undergoing burial and offer the greatest potential to produce fossil assemblages. The spatial distribution of species in the Doñana death assemblage generally reflects the preferred habitats of the species in life. Meadows seem to be a preferred winter habitat for male deer, given the high number of shed antlers recorded there. This study is further proof that taphonomy can provide powerful insights to better understand the ecology of modern species and to infer past and future scenarios for the fossil record.

Here, we describe new specimens of the cricetid Hispanomys moralesi López-Antoñanzas et al. 2010, found in Batallones 4 site, which belongs to Cerro de los Batallones assemblage (Upper Vallesian, Upper Miocene). Previously, metrical and morphological data of H. moralesi have been used to proof whether the different sites within the butte were filled simultaneously or there was a time span among them (López-Antoñanzas et al. in Zool J Linnean Soc 160(4):725–747, 2010). 129 isolated molars, nine lower jaws, ten maxilla fragments and four skull remains from Batallones 4 were identified as H. moralesi and were included in the study. Length and width data were also taken on the dental pieces. This information has been used to perform a biometrical and morphological study, in order to compare the specimens of Batallones 4 with the rest of sites within the butte and with other Hispanomys species. The evolutionary stage of the fossils from Batallones 4 indicates that they are slightly more modern than the specimens from Batallones 10, and also have more primitive features than the ones from Batallones 1, 3 and 5. This information support the hypothesis by López-Antoñanzas et al. (2010): the cavities were not filled synchronously, but one after the other, beginning with southerner side of the butte (Batallones 10) and progressing towards north, being Batallones3 the last one to fill and, consequently, the youngest locality. The results remark the potential use of H. moralesi as a tool which can be used as a biochronological indicator that help us to relatively date a set of fossil sites., Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN)/CSIC, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

The cricetid genus Hispanomys has been recorded from many localities in the Iberian Peninsula, France, and central and western Europe; its stratigraphic distribution is restricted to the middle Miocene and the beginning of the late Miocene. Four species are found in the Spanish Calatayud–Daroca Basin: Hispanomys aguirrei (local biozone G3, late Aragonian), H. lavocati (local biozone G3, late Aragonian), H. nombrevillae (local biozone H, late Aragonian-early Vallesian) and H. aragonensis (local biozone I, early Vallesian). New morphological analyses of these species are presented here resulting in the emended diagnoses and new differential diagnoses of H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis. Morphologically, these species can be clustered in two groups: Hispanomys aguirrei and H. lavocati, which display characters typical of a basal Hispanomys, and H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis that have a homogeneous morphology and their characters are more derived than the former group. Hispanomys aragonensis is the most derived species studied herein. Both groups of species were originated in southwestern Europe and are endemic of the Iberian Peninsula, although they do not seem to be phylogenetically related. A trend towards size decreasing in time is observed within the genus, Hispanomys aguirrei and H. lavocati being older and larger than H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis., El género de cricétido Hispanomys se ha registrado en muchas localidades de la Península Ibérica, Francia y Europa central y occidental; su distribución estratigráfica está restringida al Mioceno medio y al comienzo del Mioceno superior. En la cuenca Calatayud-Daroca (España) se han encontrado cuatro especies: Hispanomys aguirrei (biozona local G3, Aragoniense superior), H. lavocati (biozona local G3, Aragoniense superior), H. nombrevillae (biozona H local, Aragoniense superior y Vallesiense inferior) e H. aragonensis (biozona local I, Vallesiense inferior). En este trabajo se presentan nuevos análisis morfológicos de estas especies, lo que ha permitido emendar la diagnosis originales y presentar nuevas diagnosis diferenciales de H. nombrevillae e H. aragonensis. Morfológicamente, estas especies se pueden situar en dos grupos: Hispanomys aguirrei e H. lavocati, que muestran caracteres típicos de un Hispanomys basal por un lado, y por otro H. nombrevillae e H. aragonensis que tienen una morfología homogénea y sus caracteres son más derivados que el grupo anterior. Hispanomys aragonensis es la especie más derivada estudiada en este trabajo. Ambos grupos de especies se originaron en el sudoeste de Europa y son endémicas de la Península Ibérica, aunque no parecen estar relacionadas filogenéticamente. Se observa una tendencia hacia la disminución del tamaño en el tiempo dentro del género, siendo Hispanomys aguirrei e H. lavocati de mayor tamaño que H. nombrevillae o H. aragonensis., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)/FEDER, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

[EN] The cricetid genus Hispanomys has been recorded from many localities in the Iberian Peninsula, France, and central and western Europe; its stratigraphic distribution is restricted to the middle Miocene and the beginning of the late Miocene. Four species are found in the Spanish Calatayud–Daroca Basin: Hispanomys aguirrei (local biozone G3, late Aragonian), H. lavocati (local biozone G3, late Aragonian), H. nombrevillae (local biozone H, late Aragonian-early Vallesian) and H. aragonensis (local biozone I, early Vallesian). New morphological analyses of these species are presented here resulting in the emended diagnoses and new differential diagnoses of H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis. Morphologically, these species can be clustered in two groups: Hispanomys aguirrei and H. lavocati, which display characters typical of a basal Hispanomys, and H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis that have a homogeneous morphology and their characters are more derived than the former group. Hispanomys aragonensis is the most derived species studied herein. Both groups of species were originated in southwestern Europe and are endemic of the Iberian Peninsula, although they do not seem to be phylogenetically related. A trend towards size decreasing in time is observed within the genus, Hispanomys aguirrei and H. lavocati being older and larger than H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis., [ES] El género de cricétido Hispanomys se ha registrado en muchas localidades de la Península Ibérica, Francia y Europa central y occidental; su distribución estratigráfica está restringida al Mioceno medio y al comienzo del Mioceno superior. En la cuenca Calatayud-Daroca (España) se han encontrado cuatro especies: Hispanomys aguirrei (biozona local G3, Aragoniense superior), H. lavocati (biozona local G3, Aragoniense superior), H. nombrevillae (biozona H local, Aragoniense superior y Vallesiense inferior) e H. aragonensis (biozona local I, Vallesiense inferior). En este trabajo se presentan nuevos análisis morfológicos de estas especies, lo que ha permitido emendar la diagnosis originales y presentar nuevas diagnosis diferen- ciales de H. nombrevillae e H. aragonensis. Morfológicamente, estas especies se pueden situar en dos grupos: Hispanomys aguirrei e H. lavocati, que muestran caracteres típicos de un Hispanomys basal por un lado, y por otro H. nombrevillae e H. aragonensis que tienen una morfología homogénea y sus caracteres son más derivados que el grupo anterior. Hispanomys aragonensis es la especie más derivada estudiada en este trabajo. Ambos grupos de especies se originaron en el sudoeste de Europa y son endémicas de la Península Ibérica, aunque no parecen estar relacionadas filogenéticamente. Se observa una tendencia hacia la disminución del tamaño en el tiempo dentro del género, siendo Hispanomys aguirrei e H. lavocati de mayor tamaño que H. nombrevillae o H. aragonensis.

Here, we describe new specimens of the cricetid Hispanomys moralesi López-Antoñanzas et al. 2010, found in Batallones 4 site, which belongs to Cerro de los Batallones assemblage (Upper Vallesian, Upper Miocene). Previously, metrical and morphological data of H. moralesi have been used to proof whether the different sites within the butte were filled simultaneously or there was a time span among them (López-Antoñanzas et al. in Zool J Linnean Soc 160(4):725–747, 2010). 129 isolated molars, nine lower jaws, ten maxilla fragments and four skull remains from Batallones 4 were identified as H. moralesi and were included in the study. Length and width data were also taken on the dental pieces. This information has been used to perform a biometrical and morphological study, in order to compare the specimens of Batallones 4 with the rest of sites within the butte and with other Hispanomys species. The evolutionary stage of the fossils from Batallones 4 indicates that they are slightly more modern than the specimens from Batallones 10, and also have more primitive features than the ones from Batallones 1, 3 and 5. This information support the hypothesis by López-Antoñanzas et al. (2010): the cavities were not filled synchronously, but one after the other, beginning with southerner side of the butte (Batallones 10) and progressing towards north, being Batallones3 the last one to fill and, consequently, the youngest locality. The results remark the potential use of H. moralesi as a tool which can be used as a biochronological indicator that help us to relatively date a set of fossil sites.

The tribe Cricetodontini is a common cricetid group found in several European basins from the Miocene. Here we present a study of the fossils of this group found in the Duero Basin. We updated the biostratigraphical assignation of some of the localities in which several species of Cricetodontini have been found. Cricetodontini demains from eight localities from the central sector of the Duero Basin have been described, measured and assigned to a species. The presence in these localities of Hispanomys aguirrei, H. lavocati, H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis has allowed correlating them to the biostratigraphic scalebuilt for the Miocene in Calatayud-Daroca Basin, identifying biozones G3, H and I (MN7/8 – MN10, LateAragonian – Early Vallesian, Middle – Late Miocene). Furthermore, this study constitutes the first citatio nof this species in this basin, except H. aguirrei, previously described in the Duero Basin. After this work, thebiostratigraphical assignation of the studied sites is now well known. We evidenced the resemblance of Duero and Calatayud-Daroca basins., Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

The tribe Cricetodontini is a common cricetid group found in several European basins from the Miocene. Here we present a study of the fossils of this group found in the Duero Basin. We updated the biostratigraphical assignation of some of the localities in which several species of Cricetodontini have been found. Cricetodontini remains from eight localities from the central sector of the Duero Basin have been described, measured and assigned to a species. The presence in these localities of Hispanomys aguirrei, H. lavocati, H. nombrevillae and H. aragonensis has allowed correlating them to the biostratigraphic scale built for the Miocene in Calatayud-Daroca Basin, identifying biozones G3, H and I (MN7/8 – MN10, Late Aragonian – Early Vallesian, Middle – Late Miocene). Furthermore, this study constitutes the first citation of this species in this basin, except H. aguirrei, previously described in the Duero Basin. After this work, the biostratigraphical assignation of the studied sites is now well known. We evidenced the resemblance of Duero and Calatayud-Daroca basins.

Cenozoic sediments of the Taatsiin Gol and TaatsiinTsagaan Nuur area are rich in fossils that provide unique evidence of mammal evolution in Mongolia. The strata are intercalated with basalt flows. 40Ar/39Ar data of the basalts frame the time of sediment deposition and mammal evolution and enable a composite age chronology for the studied area. We investigated 20 geological sections and 6 fossil localities of Oligocene and early Miocene deposits from this region. Seventy fossil beds yielded more than 19,000 mammal fossils. This huge collection encompasses 175 mammal species: 50% Rodentia, 13% Eulipotyphla and Didelphomorphia, and 12% Lagomorpha. The remaining 25% of species are distributed among herbivorous and carnivorous large mammals. The representation of lower vertebrates and gastropods is comparatively poor. Several hundred SEM images illustrate the diversity of Marsupialia, Eulipotyphla, and Rodentia dentition and give insight into small mammal evolution in Mongolia during the Oligocene and early Miocene. This dataset, the radiometric ages of basalt I (∼31.5 Ma) and basalt II (∼27 Ma), and the magnetostratigraphic data provide ages of mammal assemblages and time ranges of the Mongolian biozones: letter zone A ranges from ∼33 to ∼31.5 Ma, letter zone B from ∼31.5 to ∼28 Ma, letter zone C from ∼28 to 25.6 Ma, letter zone C1 from 25.6 to 24 Ma, letter zone C1-D from 24 to ∼23 Ma, and letter zone D from ∼23 to ∼21 Ma.

We describe a new species of Rodentia (Mammalia), Argyromys cicigei sp. nov. from Toglorhoi (fossil bed TGW-A/2a) in Mongolia and Ulantatal (fossil beds UTL 1 and UTL 7) in China. Its tooth morphology differs from the type species Argyromys aralensis from Akespe in Kazakhstan by smaller size and simpler structures. Argyromys has been assigned in different families of Muroidea, such as Tachyoryctoididae and Spalacidae. However, the presence of common characters indicates a closer relationship of Argyromys with the genera of Cricetidae s.l. (subfamilies Eucricetodontinae; Cricetopinae; Cricetodontinae and Gobicricetodontinae among others) from Asia than with the earliest representatives of Spalacidae or the endemic Tachyoryctoididae. Argyromys cicigei sp. nov. possesses a simple anterocone and anteroconid in the upper and lower first molars, respectively, which is characteristic for Cricetidae s.l. It has a flat occlusal surface in worn specimens; weakly-developed posterolophs; an oblique protolophule and metaloph on the upper molars and it lacks a labial anterolophid on the m1. These traits are also typical of the Oligocene genera Aralocricetodon and Plesiodipus, included in the subfamilies Cricetodontinae and Gobicricetodontinae respectively. The cladistic analysis performed here supports this hypothesis. The clade formed by Argyromys species is grouped with other cricetid taxa (s.l). Spalacids, however, form a different clade, as do the tachyoryctoids. Previous authors state that the Aral Formation (Kazakhstan) should be dated to the Oligocene instead of the Miocene, based on the presence of several taxa. The finds of Argyromys in both regions supports the statement that they are closer in age than previously thought. The occurrence of Argyromys in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China evidences the biogeographic unity of the Central Asian bioprovince during the Oligocene.

The Taatsiin Gol Basin in Mongolia is a key area for understanding the evolution and dispersal of Central Asian mammal faunas during the Oligocene and early Miocene. After two decades of intense fieldwork, the area is extraordinarily well sampled and taxonomically well studied, yielding a large dataset of 19,042 specimens from 60 samples. The specimens represent 176 species-level and 99 genus-level taxa comprising 135 small mammal species and 47 large mammals. A detailed lithostratigraphy and new magnetostratigraphic and radiometric datings provide an excellent frame for these biotic data. Therefore, we test and evaluate the informal biozonation scheme that has been traditionally used for biostratigraphic correlations within the basin. Based on the analysis of the huge dataset, a formalised biostratigraphic scheme is proposed. It comprises the Cricetops dormitor Taxon Range Zone (Rupelian), subdivided into the Allosminthus khandae Taxon Range Subzone and the Huangomys frequens Abundance Subzone, the Amphechinus taatsiingolensis Abundance Zone (early Chattian), the Amphechinus major Taxon Range Zone (late Chattian), subdivided into the Yindirtemys deflexus Abundance Subzone and the Upper Amphechinus major T. R. Z., and the Tachyoryctoides kokonorensis Taxon Range Zone (Aquitanian). In statistical analyses, samples attributed to these biozones form distinct clusters, indicating that each biozone was also characterised by a distinct faunal type.