Excavations at the fossil site Bilike, Huade County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, in 1986 and 1991 produced the most diverse and abundant micromammalian fauna known from the Pliocene of China. A total of 6.500 specimens is described and referred to 50 species from 41 genera and 13 families of insectivores, bats, rodents, hares, and pikas. Described as new areParasoriculus tongi n. g., n. sp.,Prospermophilus n. g.,Sinozapus volkeri n. g., n. sp.,Allorattus engesseri n. g., n. sp.,Petenyia katrinae n. sp.,Sulimskia ziegleri n. sp.,Sicista wangi n. sp.,Sinocricetus progressus n. sp.,Kowalskia zhengi n. sp.,Aratomys bilikeensis n. sp.,Apodemus lii n. sp.,Orientalomys sinensis n. sp.,Chardinomys bilikeensis n. sp.,Trischizolagus mirificus n. sp. New for the Chinese fossil record are the generaPetenyia, Sulimskia, andAratomys.
The fauna is characterized by the predominance of myomorph rodents and the high diversity and abundance of insectivores; the voleAratomys predominates with 31% of the specimens. It includes both a strong endemic East/Central Asian component and a marked correspondence with European Mio/ Pliocene genera. Obviously faunal exchanges between East Asia and Europe were rather significant during the late Neogene. On the basis of the appearance or evolutionary state of various taxa, Bilike is younger than Ertemte, Inner Mongolia, of latest Miocene (late Baodean) age but older than Gaozhuang, Shanxi, of early Pliocene (early Yushean) age and thus referred to the early Pliocene (early Yushean = early Ruscinian, MN 14 equivalent). The Bilike micromammals mirror a temperate environment of steppe or grassland, interspersed with local forests, dense thickets, and freshwater bodies. Faunal changes from Ertemte to Bilike indicate an environmental change to drier, more steppic conditions.
This study is part of the Sino-German scientific cooperation in vertebrate palaeontology.