Miocene (Sapindaceae) samaras from South Korea and their biogeographical implications.

Dipteronia, now endemic to East Asia, was widely distributed in North America during the Paleogene; however, its fossil records in Asia are scarce and none are of the Neogene. Here, we report the first Neogene samaras from South Korea. The more complete fossil records suggest that possibly originated in either Asia or North America and that its two known lineages have different geographical histories.

Leaf fossils of (Arecaceae) from the Oligocene of northern Vietnam and their paleoclimatic implications.

Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the biodiversity and paleoclimatic conditions in the geological past of Southeast Asia. Palms (Arecaceae) are a diverse family of typical thermophilous plants with a relatively low tolerance for freezing. In this study, we describe well-preserved fossil palm leaves from the Oligocene Dong Ho Formation of Hoanh Bo Basin, northern Vietnam.

Fossil fruits of and from the middle Miocene of South Korea and the efficacy of the Bering land bridge for the migration of mesothermal plants.

Determining whether the high-latitude Bering land bridge (BLB) was ecologically suitable for the migration of mesothermal plants is significant for Holarctic phytogeographic inferences. Paleobotanical studies provide a critical source of data on the latitudinal positions of different plant lineages at different times, permitting assessment of the efficacy of the BLB for migration. Here we report exceptionally preserved fossils of and from the middle Miocene of South Korea.

A Middle Eocene lowland humid subtropical "Shangri-La" ecosystem in central Tibet.

Tibet's ancient topography and its role in climatic and biotic evolution remain speculative due to a paucity of quantitative surface-height measurements through time and space, and sparse fossil records. However, newly discovered fossils from a present elevation of ∼4,850 m in central Tibet improve substantially our knowledge of the ancient Tibetan environment. The 70 plant fossil taxa so far recovered include the first occurrences of several modern Asian lineages and represent a Middle Eocene (∼47 Mya) humid subtropical ecosystem.

Uplift, climate and biotic changes at the Eocene-Oligocene transition in south-eastern Tibet.

The uplift history of south-eastern Tibet is crucial to understanding processes driving the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. Underpinning existing palaeoaltimetric studies has been regional mapping based in large part on biostratigraphy that assumes a Neogene modernization of the highly diverse, but threatened, Asian biota. Here, with new radiometric dating and newly collected plant-fossil archives, we quantify the surface height of part of the south-eastern margin of Tibet in the latest Eocene (∼34 Ma) to be ∼3 km and rising, possibly attaining its present elevation (3.

A primitive honey bee from the Middle Miocene deposits of southeastern Yunnan, China (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

While fossils of honey bees (Apini: Linnaeus) are comparatively abundant in European Oligocene and Miocene deposits, the available material from Asia is scant and represented by only a handful of localities. It is therefore significant to report a new deposit with a fossil honey bee from southern China. Apis (Synapis) dalica Engel & Wappler, , is described and figured from Middle Miocene sediments of Maguan County, southeastern Yunnan Province, China.

First occurrence of Cedrelospermum (Ulmaceae) in Asia and its biogeographic implications.

Cedrelospermum (Ulmaceae) is an extinct genus with extensive fossil records in Europe and North America. However, no fossil of the genus has been reported from Asia. Here we describe Cedrelospermum asiaticum L.