title: First nimravid skull from Asia.
abstract: Maofelis cantonensis gen. and sp. nov. is described based on a complete cranium from the middle-upper Eocene Youganwo Formation of Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China. The new taxon has characters diagnostic for Nimravidae such as a short cat-like skull, short palate, ventral surface of petrosal dorsal to that of basioccipital, serrations on the distal carina of canine, reduced anterior premolars, and absence of posterior molars (M2-3). It is plesiomorphic nimravid taxon similar to Nimravidae indet. from Quercy (France) in having the glenoid pedicle and mastoid process without ventral projections, a planar basicranium in which the lateral rim is not ventrally buttressed, and P1 present. The upper canine is less flattened than in other Nimravidae. Maofelis cantonensis gen. and sp. nov. exemplifies the earliest stage of development of sabertooth specialization characteristic of Nimravidae. This taxon, together with other middle-late Eocene nimravid records in South Asia, suggests origin and initial diversification of Nimravidae in Asia. We propose that this group dispersed to North America in the late Eocene and to Europe in the early Oligocene. The subsequent Oligocene diversification of Nimravidae took place in North America and Europe, while in Asia this group declined in the Oligocene, likely because of the earlier development of open habitats on that continent.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.|Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Nab. 1, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Averianov
authors.affiliation: Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Obraztsova
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.|Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya Nab. 1, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Danilov
authors.affiliation: Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Biological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Nab. 7/9, St. Petersburg 199034, Russia.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skutschas
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D002415:Cats / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005843:Geography; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D010802:Phylogeny; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*