A new baluchimyine rodent from the Late Eocene of the Krabi Basin (Thailand): palaeobiogeographic and biochronologic implications

The latest fieldworks in the Krabi Basin from Thailand have provided accura te stratigraphic, magnetostratigraphic and faunal settings. A complete left maxilla of a new baluchimyine rodent, Baluchimys krabiense nov, sp., descr ibed herein, has been found in the Bang Mark pit from the Krabi mine for wh ich a Late Eocene age is attributed. The discovery of such an Eocene baluch imyine in South Asia casts serious doubts on the previous Early Miocene age assignment for Pakistani baluchimyines. Moreover, the comparison with a La te Eocene taxa from North Africa allows us to suggest close phylogenetic re lationships, implying that this group had a widespread African-Asian distri bution during the Palaeogene. In that context, the endemism assumption rela ted to the Indian Subcontinent isolation throughout the Eocene until the Ea rly Miocene is refuted here. (C) 2000 Academie des sciences / Editions scie ntifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.