Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9462917 | Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology | 2005 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
The oldest and northernmost record of the tapir lineage, Thuliadanta mayri gen. et sp. nov. from Ellesmere Island, Arctic Canada (78°50â²N) implies that tapiroid evolution was well underway by early Eocene (Wasatchian) time in northern high latitudes, and raises the possibility of a North American origin for the group. Phylogenetic analyses place the new Arctic tapir as the sister group to the later more advanced Desmatotherium, Colodon, and Irdinolophus. A phylogenetically-derived biogeographic reconstruction posed here suggests the tapir lineage may represent a rare instance of counterflow wherein an exotic North American taxon invaded Asia during the early Eocene. Moreover, Thuliadanta seems a plausible ancestor to Desmatotherium from both continents, suggesting that this branch of the tapir lineage may have originated at high latitudes and subsequently dispersed from there to mid-latitudes. Thuliadanta's occurrence on Ellesmere Island indicates that northern high latitudes should also be evaluated as a potential source area for some of the exotic taxa appearing in mid-latitudes during Eocene time. Using today's tapirs, and specifically the mountain tapir, as analogs, Thuliadanta seems a plausible year-round inhabitant in the mild temperate lowland forests of the Eocene High Arctic.
Keywords
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Authors
Jaelyn J. Eberle,