Faunal Relationships Research Articles

First Dapingian linguliform microbrachiopods from the Argentine Precordillera (Cuyania terrane): Taxonomy and faunal relationships

New records of linguliform brachiopods from the Middle Ordovician of Argentina, coming from the base of the Gualcamayo Formation, are described and illustrated. The sampled levels correspond to the first 3 m at the Potrerillos Creek section, Argentine Precordillera of San Juan, assigned to the lower part of the Baltoniodus navis Zone (middle Dapingian). The fauna consists of the lingulids Palaeoglossa? sp., Elliptoglossa vulgaris Hansen and Holmer and Paterula sp., together with the acrotretids Conotreta andina Lavié, Serra and Feltes, Scaphelasma zharykensis Popov, Torynelasma? sp., Numericoma simplex?, and Eoconulus sp. This relatively diverse association is the first of Dapingian age in the Cuyania terrane with a mixed fauna, which shows affinities with the regions of Baltica, Bohemia, Avalonia, South China, and Laurentia.

Holoplankton and meroplankton communities in surf zone waters of a temperate SW Atlantic sandy beach: Seasonal patterns

AbstractSandy beaches and their associated surf zones are the most common type of open shoreline, with significant ecological and socio‐economic importance. In this study, we explored the seasonal fluctuations of the surf zone holo‐ and meroplankton communities to understand the underlying environmental variables driving the temporal dynamics of each community. We also defined a surf‐zooplankton community on a temperate sandy beach (Monte Hermoso, Argentina) and related the organisms to those reported in a nearby estuary for a better understanding of the connection between adjacent coastal ecosystems. Holoplankton was very abundant (13.52–11070.4 ind m−3) and showed a strong seasonality, mainly related to the specific pattern of the two most abundant species: Acartia tonsa (>autumn) and Paracalanus parvus (>winter). This community was affected by seasonal changes in water temperature and salinity and variations in the velocity of currents, which showed that hydrodynamic forces were more significant on a short‐term time scale than seasonal ones. Meroplankton abundances (1.3–48.05 ind m−3) were significantly lower than those recorded for the holoplankton and were mainly dominated by Medusae and larvae of Bivalvia and Decapoda. This fraction also showed a clear seasonal pattern (>abundances in summer), primarily related to the seasonal changes in temperature. The abundances of the main surf‐zooplanktonic taxa were high and constant, emphasizing the importance of these waters as habitats for well‐established communities rather than being used as a transient area. Consequently, we proposed a “specific” surf‐zooplankton community for a temperate sandy beach, considering resident and non‐resident taxa. Finally, the comparison of the surf and estuarine communities indicated a faunal relationship between seascapes, highlighting the ecological role of coastal waters in planktonic life.

Biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan Shelf: an analysis across the warm Northwest Atlantic ecoregions

The biodiversity and biogeographic affinity of benthic amphipods from the Yucatan continental shelf with the warm Northwest Atlantic ecoregions were analysed using species occurrence data from benthic marine habitats of the continental shelf (< 200 m). A comprehensive collection of distributional data (presence-only) was obtained from different sources and newly-sampled material and sorted according to 12 ecoregions from the Northwest Atlantic. Distribution of species richness, taxonomic distinctness, endemism, and spatial replacement was analysed across ecoregions. The faunal relationships among ecoregions were explored using a clustering analysis based on the Sørensen dissimilarity index, and a cladistic analysis of distributions and endemism based on parsimony. Results from the Yucatan shelf showed a representative species pool from the highly diverse Northwest Atlantic amphipod fauna (202 spp.), with intermediate levels of endemism and taxonomic distinctness. Results from dissimilarity and parsimony showed two groups of amphipod assemblages consistent with two of the main biogeographic provinces in the Northwest Atlantic: Carolinian and Caribbean. The incorporation of the Yucatan shelf species assemblage, as an ecoregion into the used classification scheme, had implications on the amphipods biogeographic affinity identification. The Yucatan ecoregion led to a latitudinal spatial replacement of amphipod species across ecoregions and provinces, revealing that the Yucatan ecoregion has a higher biogeographic affinity with tropical ecoregions of the Caribbean province. The spatial replacement of amphipods suggests that the Southern Gulf of Mexico ecoregion has a higher affinity with warm-temperate ecoregions of the Carolinian province and is proposed as a transitional zone between the identified provinces.

Hidden species diversity of Corrosella Boeters, 1970 (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea) in the Moroccan Atlas reveals the ancient biogeographic link between North Africa and Iberia

Despite the high species richness of freshwater gastropods in the western Mediterranean, the evolutionary patterns of the North African taxa are poorly understood. In a recent survey of spring habitats in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (western Maghreb), we discovered ten snail populations anatomically resembling the genus Corrosella (family Hydrobiidae), which was supposedly endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Through morphological and molecular investigations, we assessed the taxonomic status of these populations and their evolutionary origins. Molecular phylogenies based on three gene fragments (COI, 16S rRNA and 28S rRNA) from snails of the newly collected populations and 12 additional congeners distributed across the Iberian Peninsula and southern France clustered together the Moroccan populations within Corrosella in a well-supported clade comprising six putative species: two previously identified as Hydrobia marocana and Pseudamnicola pallaryi and four unknown lineages here described as species new to science. According to a molecular clock analysis calibrated with an external rate, the Moroccan clade originated ca. 7.6 million years ago (Mya) (11–4.5 Mya) and its divergence from the southern Iberia lineages likely occurred 8.4 Mya (12.5–5.5 Mya). This suggests that the biogeography of Corrosella in the western Maghreb has been shaped by old vicariance events likely associated with the Late Miocene-Pliocene geological setting of the region and their interplay with the isolation conditions of springs. Our findings considerably expand knowledge of the diversity and geographic range of Corrosella and provide new insight into faunal relationships between North Africa and Europe.

A new species of Cricosaurus (Thalattosuchia: Crocodylomorpha) from southern Germany: the first three-dimensionally preserved Cricosaurus skull from the Solnhofen Archipelago

Cricosaurus represents one of the most important radiations within Metriorhynchidae, a specialized marine clade of Crocodylomorpha that flourished in marine environments from the Middle Jurassic until the Early Cretaceous. Here, we describe a new species of Cricosaurus, Cricosaurus rauhuti sp. nov., from the Mörnsheim Formation (lower Tithonian) of southern Germany. The specimen is the first three-dimensionally preserved Cricosaurus from this realm, and it is represented by a partially preserved cranium and lower jaw that has autapomorphic characters that distinguish it from any other species of Cricosaurus. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the new species is more closely related to some non-European forms from the Late Jurassic and one taxon from the Valanginian of Germany (all 3D-preserved) than to other Late Jurassic Cricosaurus from southern Germany (all 2D-preserved). Our exploratory analyses confirm that this is not a preservation bias. For the first time, this shows that there are two clades of Cricosaurus present during the Late Jurassic in Germany. Furthermore, it provides additional evidence of a close faunal relationship between Europe and South America in the Late Jurassic, as also evidenced by the fossil record of other marine reptiles. Finally, the distribution of metriorhynchids in localities of the Solnhofen Archipelago suggests a change in the taxic diversity of the region during the early Tithonian, which might be the result of environmental changes in the Solnhofen Archipelago. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:488705BF-AEAD-4F02-BB4E-429E3117BCD1

On faunal legal relations and their legal nature

On faunal legal relations and their legal nature

On the legal regulation of faunal relations in foreign countries

On the legal regulation of faunal relations in foreign countries

On the legal nature of faunal relations

On the legal nature of faunal relations

Unraveling late Pennsylvanian brachiopod assemblages from the San Rafael Basin (Argentina): Biostratigraphic implications to southwestern Gondwana

New and previous fossil remains and resulting biostratigraphy of the El Imperial Formation at Arroyo del Imperial, Quebrada de La Horqueta, and Cañón del Atuel key sections are analyzed, while the faunal relationships among them are clarified. Two diachronnous faunas, the pTS and TSAIII associations, relatives to the Tivertonia-Streptorhynchus assemblage are recognized and constrained to early late Bashkirian and Moscovian ages, respectively. These age assignments are supported by statistical analyses and available palynological and radiometric dating. Previous mentions of brachiopods from Arroyo del Imperial and Quebrada de La Horqueta are elucidated with the identification of Buxtonia cf. riojanae (Leanza), Streptorhynchus inaequiornatus Leanza, Spiriferellina? sp., Septosyringothyris (Precosyringothyris) aff. jaguelensis Lech, Septosyringothyris (Precosyringothyris) cf. feruglioi (Amos), Saltospirifer guevarai Cisterna and Archbold and Pericospira sp. A new marine fauna from the upper part of the Cañón del Atuel section (Cabecera del Cañón Member) is reported. It includes the brachiopods Argentiella cf. A. stappenbecki Archbold, Cisterna and Sterren, Oehlertella annae (Feruglio), Orbiculoidea saltensis Reed, Calytrixia piersoni Taboada, Coolkilella aredesi Taboada, Costatumulus sp. and Septosyringothyris? sp. A bio-chronostratigraphic correlation scheme, including key lithostratigraphic units and biozones of central-western Argentina is updated.

Bathyuriscus mendozanus (RUSCONI, 1945), TRILOBITES DEL CÁMBRICO MEDIO DE LA PRECORDILLERA ARGENTINA

Se realiza una revisión taxonómica del trilobite corynexochido Plesioparabolina mendozana, que es reclasificado como Bathyuriscus mendozanus, que presenta caracteres morfológicos distintivos respecto a las otras 19 especies laurénticas incluidas en este género. También se incluyen en esta especie algunos ejemplares del mismo género previamente determinados en nomenclatura abierta y, además, se incorporan nuevos especímenes coleccionados por los autores. La mayoría de los fósiles estudiados se encuentran en olistolitos cámbricos, de calizas de plataforma externa, que se hallan alojados en pelitas ordovícicas. Los trilobites estudiados proceden de las localidades ubicadas en quebrada Ojos de Agua, quebrada Los Sombreros, Cordón del Alojamiento y San Isidro, de la Precordillera Argentina. La edad de la especie estudiada se ubica en el Cámbrico medio, Marjumiense, Zona de Oryctocephalus, según el esquema cronoestratigráfico tradicional de Laurentia, lo que equivale en el esquema bioestratigráfico mundial propuesto por la International Subcommission on Cambrian Stratigraphy (ISCS) a la Series 3, a la parte superior del Piso 5 del Cámbrico

Sharks, rays and skates (Chondrichthyes, Elasmobranchii) from the Upper Marine Molasse (middle Burdigalian, early Miocene) of the Simssee area (Bavaria, Germany), with comments on palaeogeographic and ecological patterns

Elasmobranch remains are quite common in Miocene deposits and were the subject of numerous studies since the middle of the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, the taxonomic diversity of the Marine Molasse sharks, rays and skates is still largely unknown. Here, we describe 37 taxa from the lower Miocene of the Molasse Basin: 21 taxa could be identified at species level, whereas 15 taxa could only be assigned to genus and one taxon is left as order incertae sedis. The material was collected from deposits of the Auwiesholz Member of the Achen Formation (middle Burdigalian, middle Ottnangian age, ca. 17.8 Ma) exposed near Simssee, Upper Bavaria. This faunal assemblage is a mixture of shallow marine, near-coastal, pelagic and deep-water taxa. The fauna from Simssee displays different biogeographic dynamics at local and regional scales, possibly related to the intense climatic, oceanographic and tectonic events that occurred during the Eggenburgian–Ottnangian stages. The faunal relationships of the early Miocene chondrichthyan faunas from the Mediterranean Sea and Paratethys with others regions are established on the basis of qualitative (presence/absence) data. The beta diversity (Sørensen–Dice coefficient) of the Miocene Molasse elasmobranchs was used to characterize the taxonomic differentiation between localities and regions. According to our results, the fauna from Simssee shows close similarities with those from Switzerland, Austria, France and northern Germany. Faunal similarities and differences are mainly related to tectonic events and oceanographic variables (i.e. migration through seaway passages) or might represent collecting biases.

A LATE MIOCENE – EARLY PLIOCENE PARATETHYAN TYPE OSTRACOD FAUNA FROM THE DENIZLI BASIN (SW ANATOLIA) AND ITS PALAEOGEOGRAPHIC IMPLICATIONS

The upper Miocene – lower Pliocene sedimentary succession of the Denizli Basin (SW Anatolia) displays a unique record of undisturbed stratigraphy and provides an excellent opportunity to study long-term palaeoecological changes. This paper documents the ostracod assemblages of two sections of the Neogene Kolankaya Formation, resulting in the following taxonomic, palaeobiogeographic and ecological interpretations. The ostracod assemblages from the two sections consist of a mixture of oligohaline to mesohaline tolerant taxa but expose fundamental differences in their composition. This is reflected by the fact that out of 32 determined species, both sections only have 3 in common. In the stratigraphic older succession, the diverse ostracod fauna resembles taxa known from the Paratethys. Faunal relations to the brackish lake habitats of the Euxinic and Pannonian basins are apparent and the palaeobiogeographic significance of the fauna is discussed. The ostracod association of the younger section indicates a low brackish water habitat with fluctuating salinities, most likely in the oligohaline range. The ostracod assemblage of the Kolankaya Formation only permits a broad age assignment to the late Miocene – early Pliocene.

Cold-seep fossil macrofaunal assemblages from Vestnesa Ridge, eastern Fram Strait, during the past 45 000 years

Four cores from Vestnesa Ridge on the western Svalbard margin from water depth of 1200 m have been studied. The Vestnesa Ridge is known for the presence of numerous pockmarks and active methane gas seepage is often observed in the form of acoustic gas flares. Three of the cores were collected from a pockmark with active seepage of methane and one core was taken just outside the seepage area for comparison. The cores show a range of influence from methane from no seepage (control core), moderate seepage, strong seepage to very strong seepage. All cores have been analyzed for the distribution of macrofossils, trace fossils, planktic foraminifera, stable isotopes, geochemistry and sedimentology. The main purpose of the study is to improve knowledge about the fossil macrofauna and past methane emissions in the area. The results show a major difference between the fauna recovered from cores taken inside a pockmark with chemosymbiotic bivalves and in some cases with a rich macrofauna&nbsp; and from the core recovered outside the pockmark that contained no macrofauna. The faunal relationships with the sedimentary environments confirm a close connection between the macrofauna and the presence/absence of cold-seepage, particularly seen in the occurrence of chemosymbiotic bivalves Archivesica arctica, Isorropodon nyeggaensis, potentially chemosymbiotic Rhacothyas kolgae and polychaetes. A barren zone in the core that was taken from the deepest part of the pockmark may indicate that a blow-out took place in the late glacial and the deglaciation into the early Holocene at c. 21,000–9000 years.

Island biogeography in continental areas: inferring dispersal based on distributional patterns of Pronophilina butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) in the north Andean massifs

Faunal structure, species relationships and distribution patterns of Pronophilina butterflies, a Neotropical montane section of the Satyrinae (Nymphalidae), of 5 isolated north Andean massifs —Cordillera de Merida, Sierra El Tama, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Cordillera de la Costa and Sierra de Perija— are analyzed from the island biogeography perspective. El Tama range, a part of the “continental” Eastern Cordillera, is considered as the source area of the faunas of the Sierra de Perija and the Cordillera de Merida, which in turn are stepping stones for the dispersal of species to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Cordillera de La Costa. The role of major biogeographical variables is evaluated in the process of colonization of these areas. It is conlcuded that the maximum elevation between the neighbouring ranges is the most important variable, not the distance. This is related to the fact that dispersal in this group of butterflies seems to occur by slow expansion through ecological corridors not by long distance flights. Faunal relationships between the 5 ranges and the elevational bands occupied by widespread and endemic species allow inferring the extent of vertical movements of cloud forests in the past.

Hangenberg Black Shale with cymaclymeniid ammonoids in the terminal Devonian of South China

The Hangenberg Crisis at the end of the Devonian is marked by a sudden global mass extinction (main Hangenberg Event), which was especially severe for ammonoids. Among the order Clymeniida, only the cymaclymeniids survived for a short time. We report the first discovery of Postclymenia cf. evoluta in South China in equivalents of the Hangenberg Black Shale (the regional Changshun Shale) at the Jiarantang section in Guizhou. The South China plate was far away and completely different from the Euramerica continent, where the Hangenberg Event/Crisis was first recognised. The presence of similar ammonoids as in contemporaneous beds of the Rhenish Massif, Germany, suggests close faunal relationship through the Palaeotethys Ocean. It agrees with a sudden spread of opportunistic extinction survivors with the initial Hangenberg Transgression. The regional facies and faunal succession at Jiarantang confirms previous concepts of a eustatically driven, significant transgressive-regressive couplet in the lower/middle crisis interval. The near-global distribution of cymaclymeniid survivors shows that their extinction at the end of the extended crisis interval must have been caused by a so far neglected, small-scale global extinction event in the open marine realm.

The biogeography of non-marine molluscs in the Tuscan Archipelago reveals combined effects of current eco-geographical drivers and paleogeography

We investigated the role of present (Recent) and historical (Pleistocene, i.e., Wurmian Last Glacial Maximum) eco-geographical variables on the richness and diversity of non-marine molluscs in the Tuscan Archipelago, as well as inter-island faunal dissimilarity and relationships with source pools (Sardinia and Corsica, Tuscany). The association between species richness and present and historical eco-geographical variables were assessed with Spearman’s rank correlation test, while faunal dissimilarity both between islands and with their source pools was analyzed through beta-diversity partitioning (Sorensen index and its nestedness and turnover component) with UPGMA clustering tested with a multiscale bootstrap procedure. Non-metric multidimensional scaling in RGB color space was also used. Multiple regressions on distance matrices were then applied to explain assemblage composition between islands. Analyses were performed on all species and on all species except aliens. The overall framework showed the combined effects of current eco-geographical and paleogeographical imprints on non-marine malacofauna in the Tuscan Archipelago. However, excluding aliens, differences in species spatial turnover showed a clear correlation with Pleistocene inter-island distances, evidence of stronger historical biogeographical relationships between islands. This may indicate that widespread native species established their distribution during the Pleistocene, while alien species spread into the Tuscan Archipelago through stochastic and human-mediated dispersion events in recent times. Interestingly, Giglio’s relationships do not agree with the most accepted paleogeographical model, suggesting that this island might have been connected to the Tuscan mainland during the Wurmian Last Glacial Maximum. An in-depth revision of the paleogeographic framework of the northern Tyrrhenian is therefore called for.

Biogeography of the freshwater fishes of the Guianas using a partitioned parsimony analysis of endemicity with reappraisal of ecoregional boundaries.

The Guianas are one of the most diverse regions of the Neotropics, hosting a particularly high rate of freshwater fish endemism. The present distributional patterns of freshwater fish species in the major catchments of the Guianas (comprising Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) were analysed to reveal the faunal relationships between rivers, evaluate different hypotheses concerning biogeographical units, and redefine the boundaries of the Guianese freshwater ecoregions. A parsimony analysis of endemicity was performed using a data partitioning strategy to alleviate some drawbacks inherent to the method (e.g. long branch attraction artefact, heterotachy), and take into account alternative parsimony models assigning different constraints on state changes for the different species. A strong spatial element was present in the data with a structuring of species along a west-east gradient. Two main biogeographical units were highlighted: one to the west, ranging from the Essequibo to the Commewijne rivers and including the Proto Berbice and Surinamese regions, and one to the east ranging from the Maroni to the Oyapock rivers and including the Western, Central and Eastern French Guiana regions. Each ecoregion possessed distinctive fish assemblages, and three to four potential zones of faunal exchanges between Amazonian and Guianese rivers have been confirmed.

Biogeographical patterns among deep sea megabenthic communities across the Drake Passage

AbstractBiogeographical patterns among deep sea benthic communities in the Drake Passage remain poorly understood as a consequence of poor sampling resolution and the spatial remoteness of many sea floor features. Hard-bottom features, including at least 20 seamounts, remain uncharacterized with respect to their benthic megafaunal community assemblages. Here, we present community assemblage patterns from several locations across the Drake Passage to better understand the faunal relationships between deep sea floor communities in the region. Towed camera surveys were conducted on nine topographical features ranging from shelf environments on the southern Chilean Margin, the western Antarctic Peninsula shelf and seamounts in the central Drake Passage. These are the first quantitative measurements of megafaunal abundance at two seamount complexes in the central Drake Passage and multivariate analyses are used to examine the factors influencing species distributions. Three biogeographical groupings were identified based on species assemblages and environmental variables specific to major water mass boundaries in the region: sub-Antarctic Mode Water (318–523 m), Antarctic Intermediate Water (504–1128 m) and Circumpolar Deep Water (1837–3034 m). Further examination of megafaunal associations between sea floor structures may provide clues as to how sub-Antarctic communities are connected throughout the greater Southern Ocean.

Soil Invertebrates in Different Land Use Systems: How Integrated Production Systems and Seasonality Affect Soil Mesofauna Communities

Abstract: The soil mesofauna plays a role in organic matter comminution and decomposition, and can be used as bioindicators, since they are sensitive to soil management, vegetation and climate changes. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate mesofauna density and diversity in different land use systems to identify faunal relationships with soil properties, management and seasonality. The study area included five land use systems in Ponta Grossa municipality, Parana State: integrated crop-livestock (ICL), integrated crop-livestock-forestry (ICLF), grazed native pasture (NP), Eucalyptus dunnii plantation (EU) and no-tillage (NT) cropping systems. In each system, eight soil samples for mesofauna were collected with Berlese funnels of 8 cm diameter along a transect in three replicate plots of 50 m × 100 m. For physical and chemical analysis, soil was sampled at five points per plot in two seasons: winter 2012 and autumn 2013. Data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan?s test (P < 0.05), nonparametric statistics (when necessary) and redundancy analysis (RDA). Diversity was calculated based on the group richness and Simpson index. The main mesofauna groups found were: Acarina, Collembola and Hymenoptera. Diplopoda, Enchytraeidae, Isopoda, Collembola, Hemiptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera larvae were more abundant in autumn than winter. Soil moisture was the main factor responsible for higher mesofauna abundance in autumn. Integrated production systems, especially ICLF had similar invertebrate community abundance and composition with EU, while NT favored Oribatid mites, although the use of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides reduced total mesofauna density. Most correlations between mesofauna and physical-chemical attributes in the winter were not observed in the autumn and vice versa, revealing that there are more factors involved in regulating soil mesofauna distribution.

Stasis and change in Holocene small mammal diversity during a period of aridification in southeastern Utah

Biological conservation depends on understanding and disentangling the effects of decadal- to centennial-scale dynamics from the millennial-scale dynamics documented in the fossil record. The American Southwest is expected to become increasingly arid over the next few decades and will continue to experience large-scale human land use in various forms. A primary question is whether the ecological fluctuations recorded over the past few decades fall outside the range of variation expected in the absence of recent land use and management. I excavated and quantified mammal diversity change in two fossil-bearing alcoves, East Canyon Rims 2 and Rone Bailey Alcove, located in San Juan County, Utah. AMS radiocarbon dates on 33 bone samples from these sites span ~4.4–0.5 kyr and shed light on pre-industrial faunal dynamics in the region over the course of environmental change. Localities with comparable small mammal diversity have not been reported from this region previously, so these deposits provide novel insight into Holocene mammal diversity in southeastern Utah. Taxa recorded in these sites include leporids, sciurids, perognathines, arvicolines, Onychomys, Cynomys, Dipodomys, Peromyscus, Neotoma, and Thomomys. Using temporal cross-correlation, I tested for a relationship between regional temperature and species richness, evenness, relative abundance, and rank abundance. I also tested for changes in the overall taxon abundance distribution and visualized faunal relationships among time bins using non-metric multidimensional scaling of relative abundance data. None of the measures of diversity tested here were correlated with temperature change through time except for relative abundance of leporids. Overall, these results suggest that climatic fluctuations of the magnitude preserved in these deposits did not significantly alter the small mammal community, nor is there evidence that the presence, then exodus, of Native Americans from the region significantly affected small mammals.