Pedro Patarroyo, Wilson Casallas, Cristian David Benavides-Cabra
et al.
New specimens of Aturia (Nautilida) were collected from the late Eocene to early Oligocene deposits of the San Jacinto Formation near Ovejas (Sucre, northern Colombia). These specimens, alongside historical material collected from a nearby region, are identified as Aturia peruviana. The morphological analysis of the shell (the phragmocone and suture line characters) confirms that Aturia colombiana is a junior synonym of A. peruviana, in conformity with previous taxonomic proposals. Furthermore, the stratigraphic range of A. peruviana in Colombia is constrained to the upper Eocene to lower Oligocene, consistent with its documented occurrence in Peru.
Suid is one of the most common taxa among the Pleistocene mammalian fauna in China. However, its phylogenetic taxonomy and evolution are far from clear. The newly recovered suid fossil materials from the Early Pleistocene Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin in North China provide new insight into the evolution of its kind in North China. The new materials include partial skulls and mandibles of males, and most of their teeth were preserved in situ. The specimens can be referred to the species Sus lydekkeri, which is the only species of Sus found in North China from the Early Pleistocene. The fossils of the once reported Pleistocene species “Potamochoerus chinhsienensis” should also be provisionally included in the species S. lydekkeri according to its form and size, which at least now excludes it from Potamochoerus. The species S. lydekkeri is very close to the extant species S. scrofa, and even was combined into the latter as a chronological subspecies by some authors, while its larger size, prominent preorbital fossa, backwardly positioned infraorbital foramen, frequently appearing verrucosic type (at least the intermediate type of the male lower canine), and simple crown structures support its validness as an independent species. The Early Pleistocene forms are characterized by a larger size, lower L/W ratio of cheekteeth, both upper and lower M3s having no more than three lobes, and the male lower canine is exclusively of a verrucosic type. Suid fossils are a very good indicator of paleoenvironments and paleoclimate. Both the northern and the southern faunas in China contain suid fossils throughout the Pleistocene Epoch, while the southern fauna has prominently more diversified taxa and more abundant fossil collections; whether that is caused by different origins or by environmental modifications is still not clear.
Callianassoid burrowing ghost shrimps are mostly small animals, with a total length (from the tip of the rostrum to the end
of the tailfan) typically not exceeding a few centimetres. Representatives of some species in the families Anacalliacidae,
Callianassidae, Callichiridae, Ctenochelidae, and possibly also Callianopsidae, however, may grow to relatively large
sizes, reaching 10 and more centimetres in length. The maximum size each of these species can attain remains a mere
estimate because it is difficult to catch ghost shrimps, particularly the large-sized tropical representatives. Since large
individuals have a greater fossilization potential, the ghost shrimp fossil record could contribute to our knowledge
about how large these animals can grow. The largest extant ghost shrimp reported to date is an individual of the species
Glypturus armatus (Callichiridae), with an estimated total length of 175 mm (based on the extrapolation from an isolated
ischium). The existence of even larger animals reaching a total length of approximately 200 mm is documented herein
from the Maastrichtian of Madagascar and the middle Eocene of Hungary, with both fossil individuals belonging to the
genus Karumballichirus (Callichiridae) and appearing to be closely related to the extant Karumballichirus karumba. An
overview of both extant and fossil ghost shrimp species suggests that a total length of 200 mm is rarely, if ever, exceeded
by these animals. We suggest that physiological limits imposed by the specialized burrowing lifestyle might prevent
ghost shrimp from growing any larger.
Abstract The evolutionary history of the cephalopod order Vampyromorpha with its only recent representative, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the deep-sea vampire squid, is still obscure and a new specimen from the Early Jurassic of Luxembourg, provides new information on the vampyromorph morphology at this period. The new taxon Simoniteuthis michaelyi. gen. n. sp., which is based on a nearly complete gladius with associated head–arm complex, is morphologically intermediate between the families Loligosepiidae and Geopeltidae. Interestingly, the arm crown displays only four arm pairs, although an arm configuration consisting of five arm pairs should be expected in vampyromorph stem lineage representatives. This observation encouraged us to critically review the presumed homology of the filaments of Vampyroteuthis and the lost arm pair in cirrate and incirrate octopods. Moreover, two bony fishes in the mouth region implicated that Simoniteuthis michaelyi n. gen. n. sp. preyed upon them in hostile water depths, a taphonomic phenomenon called distraction sinking. By contrast to modern Vampyroteuthis infernalis, Simoniteuthis michaelyi n. gen. n. sp. roamed and hunted in shallower waters as typical for Mesozoic stem lineage vampyromorphs. According to the current fossil record, a vertical migration into deeper waters (probably associated with a shift in feeding behaviour) occurred at least since the Oligocene. ZooBank LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CB519C75-D2ED-4AA6-9638-F74084588863
MATHIEU BODERAU, MICHAEL S. ENGEL, IWAN STÖSSEL
et al.
Clubtail dragonfly Lindenia heeri sp. nov., is described and figured as the first fossil representative of the extant lindeniine
genus Lindenia, based on a finely preserved forewing from the mid-Miocene lacustrine maar of Öhningen, Germany. The
new species differs from the type and only species of Lindenia tetraphylla in the dark brown pterostigma covering ten cells
vs. only five. Otherwise its forewing venation is identical to that of the modern species. The paleoclimatic data fit well
with the climatic preferences of extant Lindenia tetraphylla, consistent with the generally warmer climate of that region
during that period of time, allowing for more Mediterranean or even subtropical elements of the flora and fauna to persist.
Adriana López-Arbarello, Andrea Concheyro, Ricardo M. Palma
et al.
Abstract Caturoidea is a clade of Mesozoic predatory ray-finned fishes which lived mainly in the Jurassic. The clade has a few records in the earliest Cretaceous and only two in the Triassic. Among the latter, specimen MPCA 632 Caturus sp. doubtfully from continental Early Triassic of Argentina, i.e., outside Europe, was particularly problematic in the light of the known fossil record of the group, which suggested their origin in the Western Tethys. The micropaleontological and geochemical analysis of bulk-rock samples of MPCA 632 allowed us to correct the provenance of the specimen which corresponds to Tithonian marine outcrops of the Vaca Muerta Formation, Neuquén, Argentina. Specimen MPCA 632 is excluded from Caturus and reclassified as Caturoidea sp. MPCA 632 might be a specimen of Catutoichthys olsacheri, the only caturoid known from the Vaca Muerta Formation (Los Catutos Member), but the fossils are not comparable and, thus, this hypothesis needs further study. Additionally, the first-hand study of the type material of the only other alleged Triassic caturoid, Furo insignis, in the Norian of Seefeld, Austria, led to the exclusion of this taxon from the Caturoidea. Consequently, the clade Caturoidea is restricted to the Jurassic–Lowest Cretaceous. After a modest evolution during the Early Jurassic, the group had its initial radiation and westward dispersion across the Hispanic Corridor during the Middle Jurassic and reached its maximal diversity during the Kimmeridgian and Tithonian.
A new asterolepidoid antiarch, Sherbonaspis talimaae sp. nov., is described based on the disarticulated skeletal elements from several boreholes in Belarus, from the Lepel Beds of the Vitebsk Formation, which has been assigned to an Early Devonian, late Emsian age. New information is provided on the structure of the paranuchal plate previously unknown in Sherbonaspis. Data on the remains of the other fossil vertebrates, and the characteristics of the fossil-bearing rocks are provided. These data add information on the taxonomic composition of the late Emsian–early Eifelian fish fauna from the western part of the East European Platform. The new cladistic analysis of the Euantiarcha provides results more reliable in comparison with the analysis of all antiarchs together, and supports traditional subdivision of the group into Bothriolepidoidei and Asterolepidoidei. However, further analysis demonstrates unresolved polytomy close to the base of the Asterolepidoidei, and supports the hypothesis that the family Pterichthyodidae is polyphyletic. Until the phylogenetic relationships of Asterolepidoidei are more clearly resolved, Sherbonaspis is attributed to Pterichthyodidae. Comparison of the sections of the Lepel Beds of Belarus with the age-equivalent deposits in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia supports a late Emsian or possibly early Eifelian age for the Lepel Beds.
Sergio Fabián Vizcaíno, M. Susana Bargo, Néstor Toledo
et al.
The Pleistocene Pampean Megafauna (PPM) may be considered as the assemblage consisting mainly of large mammals (i.e., bodymass ≥ 45 kg) that inhabited what is currently considered the Pampean Region during the Pleistocene and became extinct near the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. This contribution addresses several conceptual issues that may guide future efforts in its reconstruction and to consider potential consequences of its extinction. First, we approach the concept of megafauna by urging its explicit definition and contextualization in every investigation as a means of avoiding conceptual ambiguity. Second, we call attention to the risks of succumbing too readily to the temptation of employing a simplistic approach that assumes that extinct taxa had virtually the same biological requirements as those of their extant counterparts. We claim that within the PPM the abundance of taxa distantly related to or markedly distinct morphologically from their living counterparts poses significant challenges for understanding their paleobiology. Paleobiological interpretations need not be rigidly phylogenetically restricted, and phylogenetically based interpretations require critical assessment before their application. Third, we consider the paleoecology of the PPM from a metabolic perspective: as it was clearly dominated by allegedly hypometabolic megaherbivores (xenarthrans), there is no clear counterpart among living faunas. Fourth, we call attention to the fact that the loss of the PPM may have left in its wake an enduring but little-recognized legacy on the functioning of the contemporary ecosystem of the Pampean Region. Extinction of the PPM opened an enormous ecological chasm in the herbivore guild during the Holocene that persisted for about 6000 years, until it was filled, at least in part, by herds of cattle introduced since the sixteenth century.
We describe the anatomy of a new longirostrine pliosaurid, Eardasaurus powelli gen. et sp. nov., based on a substantially
complete skeleton from the Middle Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation of Oxfordshire, UK. The specimen brings
the number of pliosaurid genera known from the Oxford Clay Formation up to a minimum of six, contributing to our
understanding of the most taxonomically rich pliosaurid assemblage. The teeth of Eardasaurus powelli gen. et sp. nov.
have “carina-like” apicobasal enamel ridges, previously only identified in Liopleurodon ferox among Middle Jurassic
pliosaurids, and which may be more widespread among early pliosaurids than has been recognised. Our phylogenetic
analysis shows that Eardasaurus powelli gen. et sp. nov. is nested within Middle Jurassic thalassophonean pliosaurids,
slightly more derived than Peloneustes philarchus, as sister to a group comprising “Pliosaurus” andrewsi, Simolestes
vorax, Liopleurodon ferox, Pliosaurus spp. and brachauchenines.
The main goals of the “Turtle Evolution Symposium 2021” (TES 2021) are: to present, promote, communicate, and discuss the latest advances and original results about the evolutionary history of turtles, since their origin and early evolution until the present. It is an international meeting that gathers all turtle researchers and students around the world that work in specific topics like anatomy, evolution, nomenclature, taxonomy, phylogenetic relationships, fossil record of extinct turtles, conservation, among others. TES 2021 is the seventh meeting since 1983 and the second in South America. In the last decades TES acquired certain regularity and it is organized each 3 years. In this TES 2021, we honor Dr. Marcelo S. de la Fuente. Dr. de la Fuente is the first researcher in South America dedicated to the study of extinct turtles and who marked a before and after in our discipline at regional level whose studies reached a global impact. The election of Argentina as the place to organize TES 2021 is the result of the ongoing growth of paleoherpetology in the country during the last decades. Nowadays, the country accounts for more than 400 occurrences and more than 40 species of extinct turtles, being the most rich and important record of turtles in South America and one of the most important and extensive in the world.
A. Gómez‐Olivencia, Mikel Arlegi, D. Arceredillo
et al.
Abstract The destroyed site(s) of Koskobilo (Olazti, Navarre, Northern Iberian Peninsula) have yielded unique archaeo-paleontological evidence in the Western Pyrenees region. The quarry uncovered a karstic site with faunal remains in 1940, and fossils were recovered both in situ and from the quarry dump. Ten years later, while the quarry was still working, a new visit to the dump yielded a large lithic assemblage and additional fossil remains with a different taphonomic pattern, which has been interpreted as the remains coming from a different site or zone within the same karst system. Here we re-study the paleontological evidence and provide new dating on a speleothem covering a Stephanorhinus hemitoechus tooth, which has yielded a minimum date of c. 220 ka for part of the assemblage. In total, the fossil assemblage comprises 38 mammal and six avian taxa and three fish remains. The faunal evidence indicates that in 1940 a mix of taxa from both the Middle and Upper Pleistocene were recovered, and it is difficult to assign most of them to a concrete period. However, based on biochronological criteria some of the identified taxa (e.g., Ursus thibetanus, Ursus cf. deningeri, Cuon cf. priscus, Macaca sylvanus, cf. Megaceroides) could be roughly contemporaneous with the dated rhino tooth, which would provide a new window to the Middle Pleistocene of the region, with deposits from MIS 7d and/or older. Despite the difficulties in studying this collection, recovered without stratigraphic context and in a salvage operation, Koskobilo has yielded an important paleontological assemblage which helps to understand the paleoecology of the Middle Pleistocene human occupations in the Western Pyrenees.
This essay is a product of the experiences lived in the JM Cruxent Learning Community in coordination with the Territorial Polytechnic University of Merida Kleber Ramirez (UPTMKR) and the Laboratory Classroom for the Conservation and Restoration of Archaeological and Paleontological Assets (ALab-CRBAP) of the University National Experimental Francisco de Miranda (UNEFM), said learning community being guided by Professor Camilo Moron. From this scenario I present a theoretical-experiential-investigative review essay to show the benefits of ethnography as a methodology of anthropology in order to delve into the experience of Jesus (Chucho) Morillo known as the “Mud Man” as a staging from his experience, the potential to preserve the culture and feel of a people. The methodology used was the specialized documentary review which allowed us to take a tour of the theorists who contribute to the topics of ethnography, anthropology, culture and tradition, allowing me to recognize how transcendental the human being is in the synapse that he does with his environment. Understand and interpret it from your own experience.
A new compilation of the Old World fossil record of Camelidae and a recent phylogenetic analysis allow a new assessment of the timing of the clade’s diversification. Using a recent implementation of the fossilized birth-death process, we show that the divergence between Bactrian camel and dromedary has a peak probability density around 1 Ma and probably occurred less than 2 million years ago. These dates are much younger than molecular estimates, which place the divergence between the dromedary and the Bactrian camel between 4 and 8 million years ago. Calibration problems in molecular dating seem to explain much of this difference.
The paper presents zooarchaeological analysis of the remains of Stenon horse Equus (Allohippus) stenonis from the site Muhkai 2a (layer 2), Central Dagestan, Russia. They are of special interest because of their large number and can testify to one of the first visits of an ancient man in the North Caucasus – about 1.95 million years ago. As a result of the comparison of the composition and ratio of the Stenon horse bones, their taphonomic features, showed that the site is the result of natural death of the animals. It is assumed that the bulk of the bones were laid in the deposits of a once shallow, periodically drying out and strongly silted reservoir with weakly flowing or standing water. After complete drying of the reservoir, the paleontological material was sealed in a clay mass, which in turn was buried during further geological processes. Based on this, we suggest a possible scenario for the formation of the bone accumulation. Most likely, it was a watering place for various animals, where some of them perished for natural reasons, for example, they got bogged down, drowned, and someone of them became prey for predators. Later, there was a burial of whole corpses, or parts thereof, transported to the pond. Obviously, the bodies of recently dead animals could not help attracting an ancient man, being an easily accessible source of protein food. The presence of artifacts and cut marks on the femur of Stenon horse indicate the presence of an ancient man in Muhkai 2a (layer 2), but the human activity seems to have played a minimal role in the taphocenosis forming.
AbstractThe new endemic genusNeuquemya, from Pliensbachian deposits in west-central Argentina, is here described and tentatively referred to the Cuspidariidae on account of its shell characters. The new speciesNeuquemya leanzaorumhas a thin, inflated shell, rounded anteriorly and rostrate posteriorly, with a narrow posterodorsal gape and opisthogyrous umbones. The hinge region bears small cardinal tubercles. The shell is ornamented by commarginal (anterior) and radial (posterior) sculpture, whereas the rostrum is smooth. The general and detailed characters of the shell are thus very similar to those of living cuspidariids. Cuspidariids are extremely specialized bivalves with special features related to their carnivorous habit. Their fossil record is scarce, and their phylogeny is poorly understood. Because a few key shell characters and all soft body features of the new genus are unavailable, the alternative possibility that his taxon could be a remarkable example of a homoeomorphic shell cannot be dismissed. If actually a cuspidariid,Neuquemyan. gen. becomes the oldest known member of the family ca. 100 Myr older than the Late Cretaceous records unequivocally accepted and supports the argument that the origin of the group is much older than its known fossil record. The possible relationships of the new genus with other poorly known Mesozoic genera are discussed. Although septibranchs in general and cuspidariids in particular are now conspicuous elements of deep-sea faunas, this new genus inhabited nearshore environments of the Neuquén Basin.UUID:http://zoobank.org/8adbd45b-c9c6-4f57-bcfc-c13e5f9182eb
The oofamily Dendroolithidae is a distinct group of dinosaur eggs reported from China and Mongolia, which is characterized by branched eggshell units and irregular pore canals. The ootaxonomic inferences, however, were rarely discussed until now. A colonial nesting site was recently uncovered from the Qinglongshan region, Yunxian, Hubei Province, China. More than 30 dendroolithid egg clutches outcrop on the Tumiaoling Hill, including an extremely gigantic clutch containing 77 eggs. All clutches were exposed in the Upper Cretaceous fluvial-deposited Gaogou For mation. In this study, we emend the diagnosis of the oogenus Placoolithus and assign all dendroolithid eggs from the Tumiaoling Hill to a newly emended oospecies Placoolithus tumiaolingensis that shows greatly variable eggshell microstructure. Moreover, our study also disentangles the previous vexing classification of dendroolithid eggs. We conclude that Dendroolithus tumiaolingensis, D. hongzhaiziensis, and Paradendroolithus qinglongshanensis, all of which were previously reported from Yunxian, should be assigned to the newly emended oospecies Placoolithus tumiaolingensis.
Sponges are one of the most ancient animal phyla with about 8850 living species and about 5000 described fossil taxa. Most sponges are marine and live at all depths of all oceans. Freshwater bodies (lakes, rivers) are inhabited only by a small minority of species, ca. 240 (<3%) comprising the order Spongillida (Demospongiae) most of which are able to produce specialized resting bodies to survive harsh terrestrial environmental conditions. This highly disproportionate ratio of marine and freshwater sponges is even more accentuated in the field of palaeontology with rare records reported up to the Miocene (<0.4% of all known fossil sponges). Only a few fossil taxa were correctly supported by strong and convincing taxonomic morphotraits at genus and species level, thus we provide here an overview of fossil freshwater sponges focusing on their morphotraits and distribution in time and space. Each recorded taxon is described in detail following the modern taxonomy and nomenclature. All fossil data suggest a clear trend of long term conservative morphology in the evolutionary history of Spongillida, although some traits of Recent gemmules evolved in a wide array of adaptive morpho-functional novelties. The majority of accepted fossil species belongs to the cosmopolitan family Spongillidae. The genera Oncosclera and Potamophloios of the family Potamolepidae seem to have had, in the past, a much larger geographic range than today. A synthesis of fossil taxa morphotraits is also provided in an Appendix 1.