The Middle Pleistocene vertebrate fauna from Khok Sung (Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand): biochronological and paleobiogeographical implications.
The fluviatile terrace deposits of Khok Sung, Nakhon Ratchasima province, have yielded more than one thousand fossils, making this the richest Pleistocene vertebrate fauna of Thailand. The excellent preservation of the specimens allows precise characterization of the faunal composition. The mammalian fauna consists of fifteen species in thirteen genera, including a primate, a canid, a hyaenid, proboscideans, rhinoceroses, a suid, cervids, and bovids. Most species correspond to living taxa but globally (Stegodon cf. orientalis) and locally (Crocuta crocuta ultima, Rhinoceros unicornis, Sus barbatus, and Axis axis) extinct taxa were also present. The identification of Axis axis in Khok Sung, a chital currently restricted to the Indian Subcontinent, represents the first record of the species in Southeast Asia. Three reptilian taxa: Crocodylus cf. siamensis, Python sp., and Varanus sp., are also identified. Faunal correlations with other Southeast Asian sites suggest a late Middle to early Late Pleistocene age for the Khok Sung assemblage. However, the Khok Sung mammalian fauna is most similar to that of Thum Wiman Nakin, dated to older than 169 ka. The Khok Sung large mammal assemblage mostly comprises mainland Southeast Asian taxa that migrated to Java during the latest Middle Pleistocene, supporting the hypothesis that Thailand was a biogeographic pathway for the Sino-Malayan migration event from South China to Java.
Institut International de Paléoprimatologie et de Paléontologie Humaine: Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, 6 rue Michel Brunet, 86022 Poitiers, France; Biological Sciences Program, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Kantapon
K
Suraprasit
Institut International de Paléoprimatologie et de Paléontologie Humaine: Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, 6 rue Michel Brunet, 86022 Poitiers, France.
Jean-Jacques
JJ
Jaeger
Institut International de Paléoprimatologie et de Paléontologie Humaine: Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, 6 rue Michel Brunet, 86022 Poitiers, France.
Yaowalak
Y
Chaimanee
Institut International de Paléoprimatologie et de Paléontologie Humaine: Evolution et Paléoenvironnements, UMR CNRS 7262, Université de Poitiers, 6 rue Michel Brunet, 86022 Poitiers, France.
Olivier
O
Chavasseau
Department of Mineral Resources, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Chotima
C
Yamee
Department of Mineral Resources, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.
Pannipa
P
Tian
Animal Systematics Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Somsak
S
Panha
Ailuropoda–Stegodon assemblage; Large mammals; Quaternary; late Middle Pleistocene; mainland Southeast Asia; northeastern Thailand; paleobiogeography; taxonomy
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