DOI: 10.5061/dryad.736cj0j
title: Data from: New Olonbulukia material and its related assemblage reveal an early radiation of stem Caprini along the north of the Tibetan Plateau

description: Living Caprini are dominant bovids in the pan-Tibetan area that are
 strongly adapted to dry steppe and high mountain meadow habitats. Some
 taxa with Holarctic distributions, such as Ovis, were thought to originate
 on the Tibetan Plateau and subsequently dispersed elsewhere, which was
 depicted as an “out of Tibet” story. However, except for some information
 on a stem caprine assemblage from the Qaidam Basin, the early evolution of
 Caprini around the Tibetan Plateau is poorly known. Here, we report new
 material of Olonbulukia tsaidamensis, which was a member of this stem
 caprine assemblage, from the Wuzhong region, northern China, confirming
 similarity of the Wuzhong Fauna and ‘Qaidam Fauna’. Based on a metric
 study of horncores from the ‘Qaidam’ and Wuzhong faunas, we recognized six
 taxa from this stem caprine assemblage: Olonbulukia tsaidamensis,
 Olonbulukia sp., Qurliqnoria cheni, Tossunnoria pseudibex, ? Protoryx cf.
 enanus, and cf. Pachytragus sp. Among these taxa, Qurliqnoria and
 Tossunnoria are probably related to some extant Tibetan endemic species,
 such as Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) and Himalayan tahr
 (Hemitragus jemlahicus), and others might be ancestral to the Turolian
 caprine assemblages and even possibly gave rise to the extant Caprina.
 This work reveals an early radiation of stem caprines along the northern
 side of the rising Tibetan Plateau and indicates a mixed pattern of
 pan-Tibetan stem caprine evolution prior to their dispersal out of the
 Tibetan Plateau.
description: SI 1. Olonbulukia
 tsaidamensis, IVPP V23373, right horncore with fragmentary frontal bone
 remains.SI
 1.zipSI 2. Antilopinae gen.
 et sp., NGM WJCCD-10-N-006, right P3 and P4.SI
 2.zipSI 3. Antilopinae gen.
 et sp., IVPP V23374, right hemimandible with p2–m3 tooth
 row.SI
 3.zipSI 4. Olonbulukia
 tsaidamensis, IVPP RV37008 (type specimen, Bolin’s field number [the same
 below], No. 356), brain case with both horncores.SI
 4.zipSI 5. Olonbulukia
 tsaidamensis, IVPP RV37093 (No. 429), left horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 5.zipSI 6. Olonbulukia
 tsaidamensis, IVPP RV37094 (No. 514), left horncore.SI
 6.zipSI 7. Olonbulukia sp.,
 IVPP RV37095 (No. 423), right horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 7.zipSI 8. Olonbulukia sp.,
 IVPP RV37096 (No. 479), right horncore.SI
 8.zipSI 9. Olonbulukia sp.,
 IVPP RV37097 (No. 486), right horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 9.zipSI 10. Olonbulukia sp.,
 IVPP RV37098 (No. 499), left horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 10.zipSI 11. Qurliqnoria
 cheni, IVPP RV37100 (type specimen, No. 441), both horncores with frontal
 remains.SI
 11.zipSI 12. Qurliqnoria
 cheni, IVPP RV37101 (No. 491), right horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 12.zipSI 13. Qurliqnoria
 cheni, IVPP RV37102 (No. 508), both horncores with frontal
 remains.SI
 13.zipSI 14SI 14. Tossunnoria
 pseudibex, IVPP RV37086 (type specimen, No. 481), brain case with both
 horncores.SI
 14.zipSI 15. Tossunnoria
 pseudibex, IVPP RV37087 (No. 449), fragmentary brain case with both
 horncores.SI
 15.zipSI 16. cf. Pachytragus
 sp, IVPP RV37099 (No. 492), right horncore with frontal
 remains.SI
 16.zipSI 17. ? Protoryx cf.
 enanus, IVPP RV37104 (No. 451), both horncores with frontal
 remains.SI
 17.zip