New species of <i>Plesiosorex</i> (Eulipotyphla) from the middle Miocene of Gansu: the first record of Plesiosoricidae in China

The new species <i>Plesiosorex shanqini</i> from the middle Miocene Galijia site in Linxia, Gansu Province, represents the first record of the Eulipotyphlan family Plesiosoricidae in China. Morphological characteristics show that <i>P. shanqini</i> has attained a moderate evolutionary level and shared features shown in European and North American taxa. This study supports that <i>Plesiosorex</i> originated in Eurasia and dispersed to North America in the early Miocene. In addition, it is speculated that this genus preferred to the predominance of a relatively arid shrub-steppe environment and adapted to a biotope preference dominated by open grasslands and with patches of bush or forests. urn: lsid:zoobank.org:pub:72739426-BE81-4967-A871-A30EC37E4951