G. Serafini, Caleb M. Gordon, D. Foffa, M. Cobianchi, L. Giusberti
{"title":"Tough to digest: first record of Teleosauroidea (Thalattosuchia) in a regurgitalite from the Upper Jurassic of north‐eastern Italy","authors":"G. Serafini, Caleb M. Gordon, D. Foffa, M. Cobianchi, L. Giusberti","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1474","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1474","url":null,"abstract":"Postcranial remains of a small teleosauroid from the Upper Jurassic of north‐eastern Italy are described in detail. The specimen, discovered in 1980 on a slab of Rosso Ammonitico Veronese (RAV Fm.; Bajocian–Tithonian), is represented by partially articulated thoracic, sacral and anterior caudal vertebrae, fractured and displaced osteoderms and pelvic girdle elements. Additional bone elements overlap one another in a densely packed cluster. The peculiar arrangement of this specimen is here interpreted as the result of regurgitation of the animal carcass from a pelagic predator or scavenger. Microstructural and geochemical evidence from bone and surrounding matrix support this hypothesis. A dearth of phosphorus in the matrix near the bone mass corroborates the interpretation of the specimen as a regurgitalite rather than a coprolite. Calcareous nannofossil and stratigraphic data allow us to assign the fossil to the latest Kimmeridgian or earliest Tithonian. The specimen is here tentatively referred to the teleosauroid subfamily Aeolodontinae based on the alternating pattern of the osteoderm ornamentation; this attribution is supported by stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental evidence. If confirmed, this represents the first occurrence of Aeolodontinae in Italian outcrops of the western Tethys margin and represents the first marine crocodylomorph described as a bromalite.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"145 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72667789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Peñalver, R. Matamales‐Andreu, A. Nel, Ricardo Pérez‐de la Fuente
{"title":"Early adaptations of true flies (Diptera) to moist and aquatic continental environments","authors":"E. Peñalver, R. Matamales‐Andreu, A. Nel, Ricardo Pérez‐de la Fuente","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1472","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1472","url":null,"abstract":"Insect colonization of continental aquatic ecosystems and their immediate surroundings was paramount for the establishment of complex trophic nets and organic‐matter recycling in those environments. True flies and other insects such as mayflies developed crucial ecological roles in early continental aquatic ecosystems, as early as the Triassic. However, the mode and tempo of these processes remain poorly known, partly due to a critical fossil record gap before the Middle Triassic. Here we study the dipterans from the early Middle Triassic Konservat‐Lagerstätte of Pedra Alta (Aegean, early Anisian, Spain), which yields the oldest records of the order. Protoanisolarva juarezi gen. et sp. nov., based on an exceptionally preserved larva, shares key features with the extant nematoceran family Anisopodidae. Developing in inferred moist terrestrial environments contiguous with pools inhabited by aquatic organisms, it represents the only known Triassic dipteran larva with terrestrial affinities indicating that the amphipneustic respiratory system of insect larvae extends back to c. 247 Ma. Two nematoceran aquatic pupae are also described: one classified as Voltziapupa cf. cornuta, and the other as an indeterminate taxon. Finally, an egg cluster belonging to the ootaxon Clavapartus latus is likely to have been produced by chironomids. These eggs were included in a mucilaginous matrix, a probable adaptation against predation and/or changing conditions, including desiccation. These new findings provide key data on the early evolutionary history of the mega‐diverse order Diptera, the ecology of their ancestral pre‐adult forms, and the functioning of early Middle Triassic continental aquatic ecosystems.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"43 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77936675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Szabó, L. Kocsis, E. Tóth, P. Szabó, T. Németh, Krisztina Sebe
{"title":"Chondrichthyan (Holocephali, Squalomorphii and Batomorphii) remains from the Badenian of southern Hungary (Tekeres, Mecsek Mountains): the first deepwater cartilaginous fishes from the Middle Miocene of the Central Paratethys","authors":"M. Szabó, L. Kocsis, E. Tóth, P. Szabó, T. Németh, Krisztina Sebe","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1471","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1471","url":null,"abstract":"Middle Miocene (Badenian) chondrichthyan fossils collected from the Tekeres Schlieren Member of the Baden Formation at Tekeres (southern Hungary, Mecsek Mts) are described here. The chondrichthyan assemblage is exceptionally diverse and well‐preserved, and consists of holocephalans, selachians and batomorphs. Nine taxa are reported for the first time from the Badenian of the Central Paratethys: Ischyodus sp., Hexanchus cf. nakamurai, Centrophorus sp., Isistius triangulus, Pristiophorus sp., Sphyrna integra, Raja cf. gentili, Dasyatis cf. pastinaca and Mobula fragilis. The fauna is characterized by many deepwater taxa, making it the first bathyal vertebrate assemblage of the Badenian Central Paratethys. However, typically shallow water, littoral forms are also present, which are worn and often broken, indicating that some of the Tekeres fauna was transported and redeposited from a shallow, coastal setting into deeper water environments. Rapid basin deepening and the resulting steep topography can be linked to ongoing rifting of the south‐west Pannonian Basin. The majority of the studied chondrichthyan fauna have extant representatives in the Mediterranean, which supports an active faunal connection between the Mediterranean and the Central Paratethys via the Slovenian Corridor and the existence of a network of deepwater habitats at least along this pathway.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"257 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72436297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vincent Luccisano, Alan Pradel, R. Amiot, J. Pouillon, René Kindlimann, J. Steyer, G. Cuny
{"title":"Systematics, ontogeny and palaeobiogeography of the genus Orthacanthus (Diplodoselachidae, Xenacanthiformes) from the lower Permian of France","authors":"Vincent Luccisano, Alan Pradel, R. Amiot, J. Pouillon, René Kindlimann, J. Steyer, G. Cuny","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1470","url":null,"abstract":"The erection of Orthacanthus buxieri Heyler & Poplin from the lower Permian locality of Buxières‐les‐Mines (Allier, France) was based on a poorly prepared specimen with only a few parts of its anatomy visible. The supposedly related teeth have been regarded as possibly belonging to O. kounoviensis, a species already known from the Carboniferous–Permian of Germany and Czech Republic. The holotype of O. buxieri requires extensive preparation before it can be revised, but the description of Orthacanthus isolated teeth and dorsal spines from Buxières‐les‐Mines nevertheless provides useful information, especially given that no precise description of this material has been provided so far. The aim of this description is to better understand the evolutionary history of the French Orthacanthus and its relationships with the other European species. The studied material is assigned to O. kounoviensis. This is the latest occurrence of this genus in Europe and the presence of both juvenile and adult teeth indicate that Buxières‐les‐Mines was probably one of the last suitable environments for its reproduction. We also identify Orthacanthus cf. kounoviensis from the Muse oil‐shale bed, the first record of this genus in the Autun Basin. This brings into question the relationships between the different Carboniferous–Permian basins of the Northern Massif Central and suggests that they could still have been in connection during the lower Permian, in contrast to the central European basins, which seem to be more isolated from each other.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90079467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julien Louys, M. Duval, R. Beck, Eleanor M. A. Pease, Ian Sobbe, Noel Sands, G. Price
{"title":"Cranial remains of Ramsayia magna from the Late Pleistocene of Australia and the evolution of gigantism in wombats (Marsupialia, Vombatidae)","authors":"Julien Louys, M. Duval, R. Beck, Eleanor M. A. Pease, Ian Sobbe, Noel Sands, G. Price","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1475","url":null,"abstract":"Giant wombats (defined here as ≥70 kg) are found in the genera Phascolonus, Ramsayia and perhaps Sedophascolomys. Ramsayia is currently the most poorly known, having been described from mandibular and cranial fragments. Here, we report the most complete cranial remains attributable to the genus, identified as R. magna. The specimen provides new insights into the anatomy of the species and evolutionary adaptations to gigantism in Vombatidae. We record parietal sinuses in a vombatid for the first time, an adaptation to increased skull size relative to the braincase. The presence of a prominent premaxillary spine may indicate that the species possessed a large, fleshy nose. Both features are convergent on other large‐bodied, non‐vombatid extinct megaherbivores of Australia such as Diprotodon optatum. We use the cranial remains to examine the phylogenetic relationships of giant wombats to other vombatids. Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference indicates that Phascolomys, Ramsayia and Sedophascolomys form a clade, suggesting a single origin of gigantism within Vombatidae. This origin may be related to the exploitation of poor‐quality foods, and preceded extreme specializations observed in the cranial anatomy of the giant wombats. U‐series and combined U‐series and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating methods were applied to one fossil tooth. Age calculations systematically correlate the fossil remains to Marine Isotope Stage 5, and an age of c. 80 000 years can be proposed for this specimen. With only a single well‐dated occurrence for this taxon, it is currently impossible to determine when and why R. magna became extinct.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"358 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73215174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Anisian (Middle Triassic) brachiopods from the southern Qilian Mountains, north‐western China","authors":"Zhen Guo, Zhong‐Qiang Chen, Yuangen Huang, Hongfei Chen, Yunming Qiu, Xiao Guo","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1468","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1468","url":null,"abstract":"The Anisian (Middle Triassic) witnessed the diversification of brachiopods after the Permian–Triassic extinction. The Anisian brachiopod fauna from the southern Qilian Mountains in north‐western China has the highest taxonomic diversity at species level among coeval faunas worldwide. Nevertheless, many taxa from this remote region remain poorly defined, and therefore require emendation. Here we describe 23 species (including two uncertain species) in 15 brachiopod genera based on well‐preserved carbonate and silicified specimens collected from the Anisian Dajialian and Qieermagou formations in Tianjun, southern Qilian Mountains. Two new genera (Crenulatomargus, Tianjunospina) and six new species (Costirhynchopsis xui, Crenulatomargus terebratuliformis, Schwagerispira elegans, Lepismatina? inusitata, Tianjunospina junheensis, Qilianoconcha circularis) are erected. The diagnoses of Triasorhynchia, Yangkongia, Sinucostella, Aequspiriferina, Qilianoconcha and Parantiptychia are emended. Also, the genus Eoantiptychia and the family Triasorhynchiidae are regarded as junior synonyms of Qilianoconcha and Tetrarhynchiidae, respectively. After systematic description and taxonomic emendation, 56 species (including seven uncertain species) in 26 genera are confirmed in the southern Qilian brachiopod fauna. Network analysis of 14 brachiopod faunas worldwide shows that six groups were detected during the Anisian (Qingyan, southern Qilian – western Qinling, Himalaya – northern Siberia, central Qinghai, New Zealand, and Europe/western Tethys). Compared with those from the western Tethys, the eastern Tethyan faunas are less allied to each other. Except for the assemblage from the adjacent western Qinling area, other coeval faunas have much lower affinities with the Qilian fauna.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"75472037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Baiano, D. Pol, F. Bellardini, G. J. Windholz, I. Cerda, A. Garrido, R. Coria
{"title":"Elemgasem nubilus: a new brachyrostran abelisaurid (Theropoda, Ceratosauria) from the Portezuelo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina","authors":"M. Baiano, D. Pol, F. Bellardini, G. J. Windholz, I. Cerda, A. Garrido, R. Coria","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1462","url":null,"abstract":"Abelisaurids are medium–large‐sized theropod dinosaurs that were predominant in the carnivorous fauna during the Late Cretaceous of Gondwana. These predators are abundant in the Cretaceous fossil strata of Patagonia, which yield the best record for this group. In the Late Cretaceous, abelisaurids appear in almost all regions of Gondwana and in all stages, except for the Coniacian, in which they are globally unknown. Here we describe a new abelisaurid, Elemgasem nubilus gen. et sp. nov., from the Portezuelo Formation (Turonian–Coniacian), Patagonia, Argentina. The palaeohistology of the appendicular bones of Elemgasem shows that the holotype was a subadult individual, but had achieved sexual maturity. This taxon is based on several axial and appendicular elements, and is diagnosed by the presence of a marked pattern of rugosity on the lateral surface of the fibula and a dorsoventrally deep lateral wall of the calcaneum. Moreover, the posterior caudal vertebrae have a morphology slightly different from any other abelisaurid. Elemgasem nubilus is recovered as an unstable taxon within Brachyrostra, given that it was recovered as sister taxon of Furileusauria or in several positions within this clade. Despite the problematic phylogenetic relationships of Elemgasem nubilus, it is important because it is the first abelisaurid from the Turonian–Coniacian interval and it increases the diversity of this theropod family at a time of marked turnover in the tetrapod fauna of South America, global climate change, and mass extinction events recorded worldwide in the marine realm.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88498605","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taxonomic and palaeobiological implications of a large, pathological sabretooth (Carnivora, Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Lower Pliocene of South Africa","authors":"Caitlin Rabe, A. Chinsamy, A. Valenciano","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1463","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1463","url":null,"abstract":"We describe the most complete postcranial remains of a pathological, large‐bodied sabretooth from the Lower Pliocene site of Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry (South Africa). The skeleton consists of hind limb and vertebral elements that exhibit distinctive exostoses, osteophytes and eburnation. We performed a quantitative morphological comparison of the new postcranial remains found in Langebaanweg, with other Neogene and Quaternary sabretooth and non‐sabretooth felids, consisting of the genera Amphimachairodus, Machairodus, Lokotunjailurus, Dinofelis, Panthera, Homotherium and Smilodon from several sites in Africa, Europe and North America, using principal component analysis and Mosimann transformations. Although the pathological deformation of the remains distorted some of the linear measurements, most of the analysed variables do not contain pathological features, and strongly indicate that the Langebaanweg sabretooth is morphologically closer to Machairodus aphanistus and Lokotunjailurus emageritus than it is to Amphimachairodus giganteus. This indicates that the remains could belong to an undetermined sabretooth species from the Langebaanweg locality. The observed pathologies in the foot and lumbar spine are consistent with diagnostic criteria for severe osteoarthritis (due to maturity), which would have limited limb mobility with severe consequences for hunting success.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"461 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83071109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Boreognathus pogorevichi, a remarkable new polychaete annelid from the lower Permian of the Pechora Basin, Russia","authors":"D. Shcherbakov, A. Tzetlin, A. Zhuravlev","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1461","url":null,"abstract":"The sclerotized jaw elements (scolecodonts) of polychaete annelids are rarely preserved as articulated jaw apparatuses. Here we describe a morphologically unusual, rather large, and symmetrical jaw apparatus, assigned to the new taxon Boreognathus pogorevichi gen. et sp. nov., from the Kungurian (lower Permian) of the Pechora Coal Basin, northern Cis‐Urals, Russia. Whereas the specimen is mainly preserved as a three‐dimensional external mould of the near‐complete dorsal maxillary apparatus, some organic matter comprising the original jaw wall is also retained. The new taxon combines edentate, pincer‐like first maxillae (MI) typical of the extant Labidognatha apparatus type with long slender carriers common in the Prionognatha type. Unlike the smooth MI, MII are consistently and prominently denticulated. The new genus represents a hitherto unknown type of polychaete jaw apparatus and is assigned to the Palaeozoic family Atraktoprionidae.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"3 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80010476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Not a jaguar after all? Phylogenetic affinities and morphology of the Pleistocene felid Panthera gombaszoegensis","authors":"Narimane Chatar, M. Michaud, V. Fischer","doi":"10.1002/spp2.1464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1464","url":null,"abstract":"Panthera gombaszoegensis is a fossil pantherine from the Pleistocene of Eurasia. It has been considered to be the closest ancestor the jaguar (Panthera onca) due to dental similarities, and has even sometimes been considered to be a subspecies of jaguar. However, our knowledge of this taxon is limited by the scarcity of cranial remains, which has made it difficult to properly assess the phylogenetic affinities and possible ecological role of this taxon. Here, we describe a new cranium of P. gombaszoegensis from Belgium, and present a morphometric analysis of the cranium and dentition of extinct and extant pantherines. Whereas the lower dentition of P. gombaszoegensis is similar to that of P. onca, similarities were not recovered in other parts of the skull. Some cranial traits of P. gombaszoegensis resemble those of other pantherines, especially larger species such as the tiger (P. tigris), while some similarities to taxa such as tiger (P. tigris), lion (P. leo) and leopard (P. pardus) in the skull of P. gombaszoegensis suggest a diet adapted to a wide prey spectrum. The first ever assessment of the phylogenetic placement of P. gombaszoegensis places this taxon closer to P. tigris than to P. onca, which considerably simplifies the biogeographic history of pantherines.","PeriodicalId":48705,"journal":{"name":"Papers in Palaeontology","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2022-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72500816","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}