{"title":"Corrigendum: A new species of Hydrochoerus (Rodentia: Caviidae: Hydrochoerinae) from the Pleistocene of San Diego County, California, USA with remarks on capybara biogeography and dispersal in the Pleistocene of Western North America","authors":"Richard S. A. White","doi":"10.18435/vamp29383","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29383","url":null,"abstract":"Corrigendum","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126441458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Osteology of the cranium and Weberian apparatus of African catfish families (Teleostei: Ostariophysi: Siluriformes) with an assessment of Palaeogene genera","authors":"Alison M. Murray, R. Holmes","doi":"10.18435/vamp29382","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29382","url":null,"abstract":"Although the vast majority of fossil catfish material is isolated elements such as fin spines, a number of fossil catfishes (Siluriformes) have been named based on articulated crania from Palaeogene formations of Africa. The fossil taxa from marine sediments have been assigned to the extant marine family Ariidae, or have been assumed to have washed into marine sediments from freshwater habitats. The ability to assess the relationships of these fossils without reference to the nature of the geological sediments may provide insight into the history of these families. Most of the taxonomic work on the 11 catfish families found in Africa has focused on soft-tissues or DNA, which is problematic for the fossil material. Here we provide osteological features to distinguish families of African catfishes; eight of the families that are likely to be found in fossiliferous deposits can be distinguished based on a combination of skull features including the morphology of the cranial fontanelle, mesethmoid, and dermal ornamentation. We reassess the familial placement of the Palaeogene catfishes. We find that †Eomacrones wilsoni, from the Palaeocene of Nigeria, belongs in Bagridae s.s. This confirms that bagrids were in Africa much earlier than the Miocene. Because this catfish comes from Palaeocene marine sediments, the biogeographic history of Bagridae needs to be reassessed to consider marine dispersal in this taxon.","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129689354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New Record of Capybara (Rodentia: Caviidae: Hydrochoerinae) from the Pleistocene of San Diego County, California with Remarks on Their Biogeography and Dispersal in the Pleistocene of Western North America","authors":"Richard White, J. Mead, G. Morgan, T. Deméré","doi":"10.18435/vamp29379","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29379","url":null,"abstract":"We describe a new species of capybara from late Pleistocene deposits (Rancholabrean NALMA) in northern San Diego County, California, USA which tentatively dates to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 interglacial (~130 ka to 80 ka). The specimen represents a new species of Hydrochoerus based on morphological characters of the upper incisor (I1) and the upper (maxillary) third molar (M3). Hydrochoerus hesperotiganites sp. nov. differs from other described species of Hydrochoerus in its larger size, wider skull roof, more robust zygomatic process of the maxilla and descending zygomatic process of the lacrimal and in details of the otic region. The new species is the only confirmed record of fossil Hydrochoerus in North America and is the northwestern-most record of any capybara in North America. All previous records of fossil capybara from North America represent one of two extinct genera, Neochoerus or Phugatherium. Northward dispersal of capybaras from central and southern México probably occurred along the coasts of Sinaloa and Sonora, entering the north or northeast flowing drainages which entered the Gulf of California, then further north into the San Simon drainage to the Gila River and ultimately into the Colorado River, or directly northward along the coast of Sonora to the mouth of the Colorado River.lsid: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BD2DA9EB-32EF-4761-8551-E585D6AF317C","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"9 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128867053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Petrosal and Basicranial Morphology of Leptoreodon major (Protoceratidae, Artiodactyla)","authors":"S. Robson, Joshua A. Ludtke, J. Theodor","doi":"10.18435/vamp29378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29378","url":null,"abstract":"Leptoreodon is a basal member of the Protoceratidae, an extinct group of artiodactyls variably allied with the Camelidae and the Ruminantia. The basicranial morphology of other protoceratids (Leptotragulus, Protoceras, Syndyoceras) is similar to that of ruminants, supporting the hypothesis that the two clades are closely related. However, study of the basicranium of Leptoreodon major has revealed that protoceratid basicranial morphology is more variable than previously thought. Leptoreodon does share morphological features with some, if not all, other protoceratids, but the taxon also has some features not previously documented in the family. These previously undocumented features resemble the basicranial morphology of camelids rather than ruminants, suggesting that previous hypotheses of protoceratid relationships need to be reexamined. ","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"68 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122379113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A caenagnathid oviraptorosaur metatarsal from the Mesaverde Formation (Campanian), Wyoming","authors":"Chan-gyu Yun, Gregory G. Funston","doi":"10.18435/vamp29376","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29376","url":null,"abstract":"A well-preserved left theropod metatarsal I from the Campanian Mesaverde Formation of Wyoming is described and identified as belonging to a caenagnathid, representing the first occurrence of this clade from the formation. The specimen is unique in being relatively small, but featuring a suite of characters (triangular shaft, less constriction between the shaft and the distal condyle, spherical distal condyle) that are seen in larger examples of Caenagnathidae such as Anzu wyliei or “Macrophalangia canadensis”. This suggests that the previously-observed differences in metatarsal I between small and large caenagnathids are not solely the result of allometry, but may represent phylogenetically informative variation. Although limited, this new specimen lends some support to the hypothesis that “Macrophalangia canadensis” does not represent a large Chirostenotes pergracilis. Furthermore, the specimen is important in establishing the presence of caenagnathids within the Mesaverde Formation fauna, in which theropod remains are poorly known. ","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130047355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Constraining the body mass range of Anzu wyliei using volumetric and extant-scaling methods","authors":"Kyle Atkins-Weltman, E. Snively, P. O’Connor","doi":"10.18435/vamp29375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29375","url":null,"abstract":"The ability to accurately and reliably estimate body mass of extinct taxa is a vital tool for interpreting the physiology and even behavior of long-dead animals. For this reason, paleontologists have developed many possible methods of estimating the body mass of extinct animals, with varying degrees of success. These methods can be divided into two main categories: volumetric mass estimation and extant scaling methods. Each has advantages and disadvantages, which is why, when possible, it is best to perform both, and compare the results to determine what is most plausible within reason. Here we employ volumetric mass estimation (VME) to calculate an approximate body mass for previously described specimens of Anzu wyliei from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. We also use extant scaling methods to try to obtain a reliable mass estimate for this taxon. In addition, we present the first digital life restoration and convex hull of the dinosaur Anzu wyliei used for mass estimation purposes. We found that the volumetric mass estimation using our digital model was 216-280kg, which falls within the range predicted by extant scaling techniques, while the mass estimate using minimum convex hulls was below the predicted range, between 159-199 kg . The VME method for Anzu wyliei strongly affirms the predictive utility of extant-based scaling. However, volumetric mass estimates are likely more precise because the models are based on comprehensive specimen anatomy rather than regressions of a phylogenetically comprehensive but disparate sample.","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"200 ","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114004807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A histological investigation of dental crown characters used in mosasaur phylogenetic analyses","authors":"Hallie Street, A. Leblanc, M. Caldwell","doi":"10.18435/vamp29372","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29372","url":null,"abstract":"Mosasaur researchers have used varieties of tooth crown ornamentation as diagnostic and phylogenetic characters for decades. Such tooth crown features include facets, flutes, striations, serrated carinae, and coarse anastomosing texture. This study investigates the relative contribution of dentine and enamel to the development of these dental characters and assesses possible homologies between these structures. Histological analysis of isolated mosasaur teeth revealed that flutes and facets develop initially from the dentine, and the external enamel morphology we observe macroscopically mirrors the shape the underlying dentine. Striations combine underlying contributions from the dentine with additional and irregular enamel deposition that results strictly from amelogenesis. In both serrated carinae and anastomosing texture the border between the dentine and the enamel is smooth, and these external ornamentations form through variations in enamel development. Based on these observations, we infer that flutes and facets are part of a morphological spectrum and should not be treated as separate phylogenetic characters. Conversely, striations develop differently than flutes and facets, and should therefore be treated as a distinct character. We recommend referring to the “serrations” on mosasaur carinae as crenulations to differentiate these enamel-only structures from true denticles possessing a dentine core. Anastomosing texture can also coincide with significant apical thickening, both of which could be adaptations for processing hard-shelled prey. Care must be taken when using tooth crown features as diagnostic or phylogenetic characters because seemingly different morphologies can have similar developmental origins, and tooth morphology can be more closely tied to diet than to common ancestry.","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134285458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
R. Mcafee, Sophia Beery, R. Rímoli, Juan Almonte, Phillip Lehman, S. Cooke
{"title":"New species of the ground sloth Parocnus from the late Pleistocene-early Holocene of Hispaniola","authors":"R. Mcafee, Sophia Beery, R. Rímoli, Juan Almonte, Phillip Lehman, S. Cooke","doi":"10.18435/vamp29369","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29369","url":null,"abstract":"Parocnus dominicanus sp. nov. represents a new species of megalonychid ground sloth from theAltagracia Province of southeastern Dominican Republic. Specimens of multiple individuals, including oneassociated partial skeleton, were recovered from two separate underwater caves in the Parque Nacional delEste through collaborations with museums and cave divers between 2009–2013. Parocnus dominicanus sp.nov. is distinguished by its small size compared to that of P. serus, with percent differences in limb elementlengths ranging from 13−24%. Numerous cranial and post-cranial elements also exhibit morphological characterstates that are not attributable to size variations. The recovery of multiple individuals within each localitydemonstrates a size dimorphism, possibly sexual, which parallels patterns exhibited by P. serus. The twospecies are also geographically distinct, with no examples of co-occurrence at any localities to date. Parocnusdominicanus sp. nov. and P. serus share character states that are distinct from those of the Cuban species, P.browni, and which suggest differential usage of the forelimb. The exact age of the specimens described here isunknown, however, Parocnus has been dated to the Holocene in Haiti.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:12E495D3-E261-4522-9854-D3B4C2D5FFB8","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131530570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A comparative morphological study of the sixth and seventh spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae in extinct and extant species of Equus.","authors":"S. May-Davis, R. Hunter, W. Brown","doi":"10.18435/vamp29373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/vamp29373","url":null,"abstract":"The lateral profile of the 6th and 7th cervical spinous processes (CSPs) were examined in four extantspecies of Equus (n=33); E. caballus (n=26), E. przewalskii (n=3), E. quagga boehmi (n=1), E. asinus (n=3)and compared to pre-domesticated Equus specimens (n=66) representing three known species: E. occidentalis(n=56), E. mosbachensis (n=2), E. curvedins/insulatis (n=1) and unknown Equus species (n=7) from five museums.Six common morphological profiles were revealed: cuneate, curvate, falcate, rudimentary, scalenate,and truncate. For the 6th CSP, the distribution of these morphologies amongst extant Equus is: cuneate, onlyE. asinus; curvate, E. caballus and E. przewalskii always in combination with ligamentum lamina nuchae (lig.lamina nuchae) attachments from the 2nd through to 7th CSP inclusive; falcate, E. caballus and E. przewalskiialways in combination with lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd through to 7th CSP inclusive;rudimentary, E. caballus always associated with lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd through to 5thCSP inclusive; scalenate, E. caballus in association with lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd throughto 5th (n=11) or 7th (n=4) CSP inclusive; truncate, not present. The 6th CSP in museum specimens of Equusexhibits one of four profiles: cuneate (n=10), curvate (n=14), scalenate (n=11) and truncate (n=4). For the 7thCSP, the distribution of these morphologies amongst extant Equus is: curvate, E. caballus mostly associatedwith lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd through to 5th CSP inclusive, falcate, E. caballus mostly associatedwith lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd through to 7th CSP inclusive, scalenate, E. caballusassociated with lig. lamina nuchae attachments from the 2nd through to 5th CSP inclusive. Only Rancho LaBrea and Tar Pits Museum provided samples suitable for examination of the 7th CSP. These exhibited fourprofiles: curvate (n=7), falcate (n=11), scalenate (n=2), and truncate (n=7). These findings suggest that thelateral profile of the 6th CSP is of potential use in identification of species; attachments of the lig. lamina nuchaealter the morphology of the 6th and 7th CSP; and that attachments of the lig. lamina nuchae on the 2ndto 7th CSP were likely present in species of Equus prior to domestication.","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"36 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133119967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New mid-cervical vertebral morphotype of Spinosauridae from the Kem Kem Group of Morocco","authors":"Bradley McFeeters","doi":"10.18435/VAMP29370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18435/VAMP29370","url":null,"abstract":"An unusual mid-cervical vertebra belonging to a large spinosaurid from the Cenomanian Kem Kem Group of Morocco is described. It is compared to the characteristic morphology of each reconstructed cervical position in Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, based on a recent composite reconstruction that incorporates most previously referred material from this unit. Rather than conforming to any of the previously identified cervical positions in its morphology, the specimen displays a unique combination of mid-cervical characters, with the relatively compact centrum suggesting a position as C4, and the form of the neural arch laminae suggesting a position as C5 or C6. Furthermore, it displays two characters that are previously unknown in spinosaurid mid-cervicals from the Kem Kem Group: a rounded hypapophyseal tuberosity that is not continuous with a ventral keel, and a moderately developed, dorsally oriented epipophysis that does not overhang the postzygapophysis posteriorly. The diagnostic value of positionally variable cervical vertebral characters in spinosaurid systematics is discussed. Although limited, the new data could lend support to the controversial hypothesis that two spinosaurid taxa are represented in the Kem Kem Group.","PeriodicalId":256887,"journal":{"name":"Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129335191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}