• 责任者：Yukimitsu TOMIDA (Department of Geology and Paleontology ; National Museum of Nature and Science 3-23-1 Hyakunin-cho ; Shinjuku ; Tokyo 169-0073 ; Japan) ; Jin Changzhu
• 刊名：Vertebrata Palasiatica
• 出版年：2009
• 卷期：47(1)
• 关键词：兔形目 ; Lagomorpha ; 安徽 ; Anhui Province
• 页码：p.53-71
• 图表：5 illus., 4 tables, 22 refs.
• 分类号：1103
• issnNo：ISSN1000-3118
• isbnNo：CN11-1905/Q

Abundant fossil material of the genus Pliopentlagus from three localities representing the late Late Miocene through Late Pliocene in Auhui Province, China, is studied in morphological and statistical detail. Three species are recognized: Pl. huainanensis, Pl. dajushanensis sp. nov., and Pl. anhuiensis sp. nov., in decreasing age. Although a number of characters overlap among those species, if the specimens from each locality are treated statistically as populations, three species can be distinguished. Thus, these three species can be interpreted to represent a gradually evolving sympatric lineage, from the late Late Miocene through Late Pliocene. These three species of Pliopentalagus seem to have gradually evolved toward Pentalagus, but at least one character contradicts this idea, and the phylogenetic relationship between Pliopentalagus and Pentalagus may not be so simple.