US- France Cooperative Research: Systematics of Late Cretaceous (Maestrichtian) Land Mammals in Bolivia

该奖项将支持加州伯克利的拉里·G·马歇尔人类起源研究所的拉里·G·马歇尔博士和法国巴黎国家自然历史博物馆古生物研究所的克里斯蒂安·德米松博士之间的合作研究。马歇尔博士和德米松博士过去曾成功地合作收集了玻利维亚晚白垩世El Molino地层中的哺乳动物和其他脊椎动物。研究人员现在提议准备两本关于南美洲最古老的哺乳动物动物群中一些最重要的物种的专著。专著1将放在Alcidedorbignya inopinata的标本上--已知的泛齿目中最早、最小和最广义的成员。专著2将在双翅目有袋动物Pucadelphys andinus的标本(包括完整的头骨和几乎完整的相关骨骼)上发表。在Tiupampa动物群中，紫背天牛是最丰富的胎盘动物，而有袋动物是最丰富的有袋动物。这两本专著的编写将涉及：1)评估每个物种内的牙齿变异；2)评估每个物种内可能的性别二型性；3)所有牙齿、头骨和后颅骨成分的详细描述；4)比较描述和评估与其他类群的亲缘关系；5)评估Pucadelphys骨骼的功能方面；6)为研究和出版_制作照片；以及7)讨论每个物种的进化和生物地理重要性。这项工作的结果应该会引起哺乳动物进化学家的极大兴趣。

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Larry G. Marshall Institute of Human Origins, Berkeley, California and Dr. Christian de Muizon of the Institute of Paleontology, National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France. Drs. Marshall and de Muizon have worked together successfully in the past in the collection of mammals and other vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous age El Molino Formation in Bolivia. The investigators now propose to prepare two monographs on some the most important species in the oldest mammalian faunas of South America. Monograph 1 will be on specimens of Alcidedorbignya inopinata--the _______________ _________ earliest, smallest, and most generalized member of the order Pantodonta known. Monograph 2 will be on specimens (including complete skulls and nearly complete associated skeletons) of the didelphid marsupial Pucadelphys andinus. A. inopinata is the most ___________ _______ _ _________ abundant placental, and P. andinus is the most abundant marsupial _ _______ in the Tiupampa fauna. Preparation of both monographs will involve: 1) assessment of dental variation within each species; 2) assessment of possible sexual dimorphism within each species; 3) detailed descriptions of all dental, skull, and postcranial elements; 4) comparative descriptions and assessment of phyogenetic affinity with other taxa; 5) assess functional aspects of the skeletons of Pucadelphys; 6) make photographs for study and ___________ publication; and 7) discuss the evolutionary and biogeographic importance of each species. The results of this work should be of great interest to scholars of mammalian evolution.