First hominoid from the Late Miocene of the Irrawaddy Formation (Myanmar).

• Main Authors: Jean-Jacques Jaeger, Aung Naing Soe, Olivier Chavasseau, Pauline Coster, Edouard-Georges Emonet, Franck Guy, Renaud Lebrun, Aye Maung, Aung Aung Khyaw, Hla Shwe, Soe Thura Tun, Kyaw Linn Oo, Mana Rugbumrung, Hervé Bocherens, Mouloud Benammi, Kamol Chaivanich, Paul Tafforeau, Yaowalak Chaimanee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2011-04-01
• Series: PLoS ONE
• Online Access: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3080362?pdf=render

For over a century, a Neogene fossil mammal fauna has been known in the Irrawaddy Formation in central Myanmar. Unfortunately, the lack of accurately located fossiliferous sites and the absence of hominoid fossils have impeded paleontological studies. Here we describe the first hominoid found in Myanmar together with a Hipparion (s.l.) associated mammal fauna from Irrawaddy Formation deposits dated between 10.4 and 8.8 Ma by biochronology and magnetostratigraphy. This hominoid documents a new species of Khoratpithecus, increasing thereby the Miocene diversity of southern Asian hominoids. The composition of the associated fauna as well as stable isotope data on Hipparion (s.l.) indicate that it inhabited an evergreen forest in a C3-plant environment. Our results enlighten that late Miocene hominoids were more regionally diversified than other large mammals, pointing towards regionally-bounded evolution of the representatives of this group in Southeast Asia. The Irrawaddy Formation, with its extensive outcrops and long temporal range, has a great potential for improving our knowledge of hominoid evolution in Asia.