Swiss Journal of Palaeontology最新文献

{"title":"Trionychian turtles from the Early Miocene (Burdigalian) Moghra Formation, Egypt, including a new species of Carettochelyidae.","authors":"Yann Rollot, Mohamed K AbdelGawad, Mohamed A Hamdan, Ahmed N El-Barkooky, Safiya M Hassan, Walter G Joyce","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00358-5","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-025-00358-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although trionychians have a rich fossil record, much of their fossil diversity is known from the Cretaceous and Paleogene, and little is known about their evolutionary history in the Neogene. We here describe cranial and shell material of trionychians from the Early Miocene Moghra Formation of Egypt that we attribute to a new carettochelyid taxon, <i>Allaeochelys meylani</i> sp. nov., and to the <i>Trionyx</i> lineage. <i>Allaeochelys meylani</i> sp. nov. fills a temporal gap between previously described taxa and exhibits a series of unique features, including greatly thickened cranial bones, a broad bony wall posterior to the orbit, a large fossa formed by the maxilla and premaxilla at the anterior third of the triturating surface, and a medial process on peripheral II. <i>Allaeochelys meylani</i> sp. nov. also documents the oldest occurrence of <i>Carettochelyidae</i> on the Afro-Arabian continent, while the <i>Trionyx</i> material reported herein provides unambiguous evidence for the presence of this lineage on the Afro-Arabian continent no later than the Early Miocene.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12179016/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144477984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new hybodontiform shark (<i>Strophodus</i> Agassiz, 1838) from the Upper Jurassic of Switzerland.","authors":"Jorge D Carrillo-Briceño, Iwan Stössel, René Kindlimann, Christian Klug","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00376-3","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-025-00376-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The hybodontiform shark-like <i>Strophodus</i> was a large durophagous predator with highly specialized crushing-type dentition that mainly inhabited Mesozoic marine environments for more than 130 million years, with a fossil record spanning from the Middle Triassic to the Lower Cretaceous. <i>Strophodus</i> was a geographically widespread taxon with 13 species reported from Africa, Asia, Europe, India and South America. Here, we describe a new species of <i>Strophodus</i>, which we name <i>Strophodus timoluebkei</i> sp. nov. based on three teeth from the same individual in semi-articulated position. The holotype was collected in the Prealpine Sulzfluh Limestone Formation (Middle Oxfordian to Late Tithonian), Central Switzerland. <i>Strophodus timoluebkei</i> sp. nov. currently is the only vertebrate species reported from this geological unit, and its presence suggests that this durophagous shark likely played an important role as predator of the invertebrate fauna in this ancient Tethyan tropical coastal ecosystem. The new discovery sheds additional light onto the hybodontiform paleodiversity during the Upper Jurassic.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"36"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12241249/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144627853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overcoming polymorphism: a revised list of shell characters for the phylogenetic analysis of soft-shelled turtles (<i>Pan-Trionychidae</i>).","authors":"Walter G Joyce","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00360-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-025-00360-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Soft-shelled turtles (<i>Pan-Trionychidae</i>) are one of the primary clades of turtles with a particularly rich fossil record reaching back to the Early Cretaceous. Yet, the evolution of the group has been difficult to resolve, in part because the fossil record mostly consists of shells and because the shells are known to exhibit high levels of polymorphism, making it difficult to establish parsimony-informative characters. A revision of the shell osteology of extant and extinct pan-trionychid turtles resulted in the development of 69 revised and novel characters with over 221 derived character states. Of these, 40 are multistate characters and 11 morphometric characters that utilize length, surface, and angular measurements. In a first step, the characters were scored for 530 regularly developed individuals representing all currently recognized species of living trionychids. The primary dataset confirms that most characters are affected by high levels of polymorphism. Statistical analyses conclude that much variability can be attributed to ontogenetic changes. In a second step, the primary data was used to code terminal taxa by reference to the most adult individuals for characters controlled by ontogeny. Terminals were otherwise only scored polymorphic if at least 20% of individuals displayed a particular character state. A phylogenetic analysis concludes that the new characters converge best upon the emerging molecular consensus, if characters are run ordered. All three utilized outgroups have a negative impact on ingroup relationships and character evolution, which can only partially be addressed through the use of a molecular backbone. The reduction of polymorphism by reference to adults and a minimum frequency of 20% yields more parsimony-informative characters and character states. A brief account is provided on how to diagnose all extant clades and species of trionychids using osteological characters.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-025-00360-x.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12125158/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144200937","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new stem saurian reptile from the late Permian of South Africa and insights into saurian evolution.","authors":"Ethan Dean Mooney, Diane Scott, Robert Raphael Reisz","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00351-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00351-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The evolutionary radiation of diapsid reptiles that includes all extant and most extinct reptiles is well-represented in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic fossil records, however, the earliest stages recorded in the Paleozoic Era are limited to comparatively few taxa. Consequently, the origins of Sauria, the crown-group of Diapsida, remains poorly understood and the phylogenetic positions of the few known taxa along the saurian stem are controversial. Here, we describe <i>Akkedops bremneri</i> sp. et gen. nov., a new early late Permian stem saurian from the Karoo of South Africa based on two skulls and show that the famous aggregation of \"juvenile <i>Youngina</i>\" SAM-PK-K7710 is also referrable to it, thereby making this one of the best-known stem saurians. The skull has a short rostrum, open lower temporal bar, large contribution of the postfrontal to the upper temporal fenestra, slender stapes, sliver-like supratemporal with a distinct lateral flange suturing to the postorbital, and lacks both postparietal and tabular bones. The saddle-shaped quadrate is rather saurian-like in being posteriorly emarginated with a tympanic crest and unique medial flange. The post cranial skeleton of <i>Akkedops bremneri </i>is lizard-like and notably shows a hook-shaped fifth metatarsal and thyroid fenestra. Phylogenetic analysis recovers <i>Akkedops</i> <i>bremneri </i>as sister to Sauria, which is especially surprising considering its rather small size and slender, lizard-like morphology prior to the split between the apparently similar lepidosauromorphs and many of the comparatively robust archosauromorph saurians. Our analysis also indicates that <i>Youngina capensis</i> falls outside the clade of <i>Akkedops bremenri</i> + Sauria and does not appear to form a clade with other \"younginiform\" reptiles. The available evidence indicates a surprising level of complexity related to the evolution of stem saurians and the origin of Sauria that occurred in the shadow of other Paleozoic amniotes.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-025-00351-y.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"10"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11865139/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143544578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first record of a shortnose chimaera-like egg capsule from the Mesozoic (Late Jurassic, Switzerland).","authors":"Yang Zhao, Jordan Bestwick, Jan Fischer, Dylan Bastiaans, Merle Greif, Christian Klug","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00352-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-025-00352-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chondrichthyan egg capsules, fossil and recent, have a taxonomical significance that can provide important insights into the occurrence and reproductive strategy of their producers. However, the rare occurrence of fossil capsules and their sometimes difficult identification hinder our understanding of their systematics and significance. <i>Laffonia</i> from the Late Jurassic of Switzerland and its probable junior synonym, <i>Pseudocaudina,</i> from the Late Jurassic lithographic limestones of southern Germany, have been interpreted in a variety of ways including as a fructification of a plant, a possible egg capsule of a shark or ray, a presumed holothurian, a possible actinarian, or even a ctenophore<i>.</i> Here, we redescribe the holotype of <i>Laffonia</i>, which has a fusiform body that is ornamented with over seven longitudinal ribs and two narrow striated flanges at its lateral edges. These morphological features are incompatible with a diploblast or echinoderm affinity, but highly resemble the characteristics of certain holocephalan egg capsules in several respects. Our phylogenetic analysis places <i>Laffonia</i> within a group containing the Carboniferous fossil capsules <i>Crookallia</i> and <i>Vetacapsula</i>, as well as recent chimaerid capsules. Thus, we suggest that the Mesozoic <i>Laffonia</i> represents an intermediate morphotype between the Carboniferous species and extant chimaerid capsules. <i>Laffonia</i> is the only known fossil chimaerid-like capsule from the Mesozoic so far, which offers novel insights into the morphology and evolution of holocephalan egg capsules.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-025-00352-x.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11830639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450779","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An almost complete cranium of <i>Asoriculus gibberodon</i> (Petényi, 1864) (Mammalia, Soricidae) from the early Pliocene of the Jradzor site, Armenia.","authors":"Hugo Bert, Loic Costeur, Sergei Lazarev, Georg Schulz, Davit Vasilyan, Olivier Maridet","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00357-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00357-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We describe an almost complete fossil cranium of a shrew, identified as <i>Asoriculus gibberodon</i> (Petényi, 1864) from the early Pliocene of Jradzor site, Armenia. The sedimentary unit, which yielded the specimen, is an 11-m-thick package composed of white thinly-parallel-laminated diatomite laying at the base of the Jradzor section. It was dated at 4.29 ± 0.09 Ma based on the magnetostratigraphy and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar radioisotopic dating of a tephra layer located at the top of the diatomite package. The skull from Jradzor shows several synapomorphies that allow its assignment to the Soricinae subfamily and Neomyini tribe. Among Neomyini, as far as the cranium anatomy is known, the specimen from Jradzor is most similar to that of <i>Soriculus</i> and <i>Episoriculus</i>. Both petrosal bones are preserved and are studied thanks to a 3D modelling of their morphology based on a CT-scan. Compared with other eulipotyphlans, the bony labyrinth of <i>A. gibberodon</i> from Jradzor shows a morphology typical of soricids. Its anatomy also indicates a high-frequency auditory capability similar to that of modern shrews but cannot confirm an echolocation system neither does it shows any feature that can be related to a specific locomotory adaption or ecological characteristic. The discovery of this cranium inside diatomites, corresponding to a distal lacustrine environment, raises the question of the possible semi-aquatic adaptation of this species (this adaptation being known for other extant species of the family). However, <i>Soriculus</i> and <i>Episoriculus</i>, the two genera closest to <i>Asoriculus</i> based on cranial anatomy are not semi-aquatic and are clearly distinguished from semi-aquatic <i>Neomys</i> shrews. The inner ear morphology is more similar to that of terrestrial shrews despite the general similarities among soricids and suggests an echolocation-based orientation using high frequencies to navigate through low vegetation, which is often essential in high metabolic rate organisms to reduce energy expenditure. We therefore propose a terrestrial locomotion for <i>A. gibberodon</i>, consistent with its previously proposed paleoecological model, depicting it was a terrestrial species inhabiting wet or humid environments in close proximity to permanent bodies of water.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-025-00357-6.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"19"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11996986/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New insights on the shell-crusher shark <i>Ptychodus decurrens</i> Agassiz, 1838 (Elasmobranchii, Ptychodontidae) based on the first known articulated dentition from the Upper Cretaceous of Croatia.","authors":"Manuel Amadori, Sanja Japundžić, Jacopo Amalfitano, Luca Giusberti, Eliana Fornaciari, Patrick L Jambura, Jürgen Kriwet","doi":"10.1186/s13358-024-00340-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-024-00340-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A new lower tooth plate of <i>Ptychodus decurrens</i> from the Turonian (Upper Cretaceous) of the Dalmatian region (southern Croatia) is documented here for the first time. The specimen represents the first articulated dentition of a ptychodontid shark that has been discovered from the Balkan Peninsula and the most complete ever found for the un-cuspidate species <i>P. decurrens</i> up to now. The reconstruction of the entire lower dentition of <i>P. decurrens</i> based on this exceptionally well-preserved dentition shows a wider crushing plate than previously hypothesised with bulgy teeth limited to the central area. Even though a defined cusp is missing, the occlusal surface of the teeth is undeniably raised and bulgy in some un-cuspidate species of <i>Ptychodus</i> (e.g., <i>P. decurrens</i>). This compels us to reconsider the use of terms such as high- and low-crowned as well as cuspidate and un-cuspidate. In addition, specimens previously assigned to dubious species (<i>P. depressus</i>, <i>P. levis</i> and <i>P. oweni</i>) or even varieties (<i>P. polygyrus</i> var. <i>sulcatus</i> and <i>P. decurrens</i> var. <i>multiplicatus</i>) are reassigned here to <i>P. decurrens</i> based on a careful comparison of the type materials. The reassessment of tooth root morphologies provides indicative traits for the identification of different genera of ptychodontid sharks (<i>Paraptychodus</i> and <i>Ptychodus</i>). The taxonomic revision presented here is crucial for securing a stable taxonomy and systematics of the shell-crushing shark <i>P. decurrens</i>, as well as of all ptychodontid sharks. The resulting updated taxonomy, together with the description and reconstruction of the new crushing plate, greatly contribute to a better understanding of one of the most enigmatic families (Ptychodontidae) of Mesozoic elasmobranchs. The detailed investigation of the new dentition of <i>Ptychodus</i> from Dalmatia is also a further step towards the discovery of Upper Cretaceous ichthyofaunas of one of the most palaeontologically important areas of the Balkan Peninsula.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-024-00340-7.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"2"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11711565/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142973448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A new seal from the Late Miocene of the Eastern Paratethys highlights the past regional diversity of true seals (Phocidae).","authors":"Pavlo Otriazhyi, Theodor Obadă, Oleksandr Kovalchuk, Davit Vasilyan, Pavel Gol'din","doi":"10.1186/s13358-025-00372-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13358-025-00372-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>True seals rapidly evolved in many forms in the epicontinental basin of Paratethys during the Miocene. However, most of their nominal taxa so far were proposed based on isolated limb bones, and their taxonomy has long been under discussion<i>.</i> Here we describe a new articulated skeleton MCFFM V-150 of a medium-sized seal with pachyosteosclerotic postcranial bones from the Late Miocene of the present-day Moldova and propose a new genus and species for it-<i>Paratethyphoca libera</i>. It is distinguished in the presence of a supraorbital process of the frontal bone in its posterior portion, a long snout, a proportionally long humerus (88% of the skull length), a short deltoid crest of the humerus, and a low supraspinatus fossa of the scapula. We also suggest this taxonomic identification for other Paratethyan seals. Phylogenetic analysis placed <i>Paratethyphoca libera</i> among other stem Phocinae described so far from the Paratethys; however, its close relationship to a living hooded seal <i>Cystophora cristata</i> cannot be ruled out<i>.</i> Additionally, MCFFM V-150 showed tooth wear interpreted as a sign of suction prey capture strategy, shared by another Paratethyan seal <i>Monachopsis pontica</i> and the living bearded seal <i>Erignathus barbatus</i>.</p><p><strong>Supplementary information: </strong>The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-025-00372-7.</p>","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"144 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12162803/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144303619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New information on the dentition of Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis (Reptilia, Ichthyosauriformes) from the Early Triassic of Yuan’an, Hubei Province, China","authors":"Li-Ang Gu, Andrzej S. Wolniewicz, Jun Liu","doi":"10.1186/s13358-024-00331-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-024-00331-8","url":null,"abstract":"Chaohusaurus is an early ichthyosauriform represented by three species known from the Early Triassic of Chaohu, Anhui Province, China, with a fourth species—Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis—known from the Nanzhang-Yuan’an region of Hubei Province. In contrast to the Chaohusaurus species from Chaohu, Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis remains poorly known, hindering our understanding of early ichthyosauriform evolution. Here, we report a new specimen of Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis, which provides new information on its dentition. The new specimen confirms that Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis had heterodont dentition consisting of pointed anterior teeth and robust, rounded posterior teeth, indicating a generalist diet. The posterior teeth of Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis are more robust (broader and larger) than the posterior dentition of Chaohusaurus chaoxianensis and Chaohusaurus brevifemoralis from Chaohu. This suggests differences in hard-shelled prey preference between species of Chaohusaurus from Chaohu and Nanzhang-Yuan’an, with Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis likely capable of feeding on harder and larger prey than Chaohusaurus brevifemoralis and Chaohusaurus chaoxianensis. In turn, this probably reflects differences in durophagous prey availability between the shallow-marine palaeoecosystem of Nanzhang-Yuan’an and the deeper, slope-basin palaeoecosystem of Chaohu. The posterior dentition and forefin of Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis are strikingly similar to those of Chaohusaurus geishanensis, the rarest species of Chaohusaurus from the Chaohu fauna. The scarcity of Chaohusaurus geishanensis in the Chaohu fauna, and its morphological similarity to Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis, possibly indicate that Chaohusaurus geishanensis was closely related with Chaohusaurus zhangjiawanensis and that it was also a shallow-marine species that was not a typical component of the Chaohu fauna. It probably occasionally wandered out into the deeper waters of Chaohu from a nearby coastal environment.","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260546","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":"New diverse amphibian and reptile assemblages from the late Neogene of northern Greece provide novel insights into the emergence of extant herpetofaunas of the southern Balkans","authors":"Georgios L. Georgalis, Andrea Villa, Martin Ivanov, Massimo Delfino","doi":"10.1186/s13358-024-00332-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-024-00332-7","url":null,"abstract":"We here describe abundant new fossil material of amphibians and reptiles from different late Neogene localities of northern Greece: the Early Pliocene (MN 14) of Spilia 0, Spilia 1, and Spilia 2; the Early Pliocene (MN 15) of Spilia 3, Spilia 4, Spilia 5, and Vevi; and the Late Miocene or Pliocene of Chalicorrema and Rema Marmara. These new late Neogene herpetofaunas are highly diverse, documenting a considerably rich herpetofauna allowing the identification of at least two salamander, seven frog, two turtle, seven lizard, and eight snake taxa. Salamanders are represented by the salamandrid genera Ommatotriton and Ichthyosaura. Frogs are represented by the bombinatorid Bombina, the discoglossids Latonia cf. ragei and Latonia sp., the pelobatid Pelobates aff. praefuscus and Pelobates sp., the ranids Pelophylax and Rana cf. dalmatina, the hylid Hyla gr. arborea, and the bufonid Bufotes gr. viridis. Turtles are represented by the emydid Emys and an indeterminate geoemydid. Lizards are represented by the scincid Ophiomorus, two lacertids (one of which potentially pertaining to Lacerta), amphisbaenians, agamids, the anguid Pseudopus, and a potential varanid. Snakes are represented by the erycid Eryx, the natricid Natrix aff. rudabanyaensis, a small-sized elapid, an “Oriental viper”, the colubriforms Periergophis and Paraxenophis, as well as two further distinct but still indeterminate morphotypes of colubriforms. For the material from Spilia tentatively referred to Ommatotriton, this is only the third occurrence in the fossil record globally. The new material of Ichthyosaura and Bombina mark the first documentation of these genera in the Greek fossil record. Abundant cranial and postcranial material from Spilia is tentatively referred to Latonia ragei, a taxon previously known from the Early Miocene of Western Europe. The new record of Pelobates represents the oldest documented occurrences of the genus in the Greek fossil record. Interestingly, the Pelobates from Spilia bears much resemblance to an extinct taxon, Pelobates aff. praefuscus, which is otherwise known from the Late Miocene of the Caucasus, and not to the extant species that currently inhabits the area. The identification of Pelophylax and Rana adds to the rather poor Neogene record of ranids from Greece. Particularly for the case of Rana cf. dalmatina from Spilia 4, this corresponds to the only documented occurrence of this extant taxon in the Greek fossil record. Similarly, the identification of Hyla gr. arborea in Spilia 1, Spilia 3, and Spilia 4, marks only the third documented occurrence of this genus in the Greek fossil record. The Bufotes material from Spilia 1, Spilia 3, and Spilia 4 represents the first documented fossil occurrence of the extant Bufotes viridis complex in Greece. The material of Emys gr. orbicularis from Vevi marks the only known pre-Quaternary record of the genus in Greece and one of the only few Neogene members of the genus known from Europe. The scincid Ophiomo","PeriodicalId":56059,"journal":{"name":"Swiss Journal of Palaeontology","volume":"99 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142260642","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}