New species and records of Kowalskia (Cricetidae, Rodentia) from Lufengpithecus hominoid locality of Yuanmou, Southwest China

Kowalskia is a Neogene cricetid that is widely distributed in Eurasia. It appears to display a high taxonomic diversity (six species) in northern China, but is relatively monotonous in southern China. In this paper, we report two species, Kowalskia hanae and Kowalskia weni sp. nov., from the Late Miocene Lufengpithecus hominoid locality of Yuanmou, Yunnan, southwestern China. Kowalskia weni is distinguished by a trifid anterolophulid in the first lower molar and a stable ectomesolophid in all lower molars, indicating a rather conservative evolutionary stage of this species. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that these two southwestern species are closely related to northern species from the Upper Miocene of China. The coeval faunas and floras from Lufengpithecus hominoid localities in Yunnan reflect a continuous warm and humid tropical forest environment during the Late Miocene, while northern China during the Late Miocene to Pliocene was arid and open. Kowalskia is likely to possess a rather broad ecological lability, from a temperate open environment to the tropical forest.