Fossil Sites Research Articles

Middle Ordovician trilobites from the Castillejo Formation, Eastern Iberian Range (NE Spain): taxonomic reappraisal, biostratigraphy, and correlation

Middle Ordovician trilobites found in 11 fossil localities from the areas of Alpartir, Aladrén, Luesma and Fombuena (Zaragoza province), and south of Calamocha (Teruel province) are studied. Most records come from the Alpartir Member of the Castillejo Formation, which is dated as Dobrotivian in age (late Darriwilian according to the global scale), with the only exception of two localities that are slightly older, from late Oretanian age (mid−late Darriwilian). In the overlying Sierra Member, three additional localities are recorded, which have estimated age ranges from late early to late Dobrotivian (latest Darriwilian, possibly reaching the Sandbian). A total of 21 different trilobite species were identified including Uralichas hispanicus, Parabarrandia crassa and “Panderia” beaumonti that are recorded for the first time in the Eastern Iberian Range. The main trilobite assemblage from the Alpartir Member belongs to the Placoparia tournemini Biozone, which correlates with numerous areas of southwestern Europe, and here occurs in a biofacies dominated by asaphids. The scarce data derived from the Sierra Member do not allow to distinguish biozones, although the incipient development of a trilobite biofacies adapted to sandy bottoms is recognized, which ends at the top of the Placoparia borni Biozone in the whole of southwestern Europe. The correlation of the trilobite assemblages with those of other formations represented in the Cantabrian, West Asturian-leonese and Central Iberian zones is also discussed, the latter probably related through the enigmatic Central Iberian Arc, a debated orocline of the Iberian Massif.

First megafossil occurrence of Cryosophileae (Arecaceae) in Asia: anatomy, systematics, and biogeography

ABSTRACT Cryosophileae, one of eight tribes within the palm subfamily Coryphoideae, is now restricted to tropical-subtropical areas of Central America with a few megafossil records in Europe and America. However, no megafossil of the tribe has been reported from Asia. Here, we describe Cryosophiloxylon indicum Kumar et Khan sp. nov. assigned to Cryosophileae based on permineralized palm stem from the latest Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) to earliest Danian (early Paleocene) sediments (c. 63–65 Ma old) of the Deccan Intertrappean Beds of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Cryosophiloxylon indicum is characterized by a Cocos-type general stem pattern, the presence of well-preserved vaginata fibrovascular bundles (fvbs) with 2–>4 elongated metaxylem vessel elements and one phloem strand, tabular parenchyma, fibrous bundles, uniform distribution of fibrous part of fvbs from the periphery towards the centre, and compact ground tissue with oval to elongated parenchymatous cells. The present finding represents the oldest reliable megafossil record of Cryosophileae from India supporting its Gondwanan occurrence and so is important for tracing its migration pathways from India to other continents (North and South America, Europe). The extinction of modern members of the tribe from fossil locality may be related to the intensification of the East Asian monsoon.

The palaeontological heritage of the Capo Vaticano – Monte Poro area (Vibo Valentia, Italy): research, protection, and management

The Late Miocene successions of the Capo Vaticano-Monte Poro (Southern Italy) area, well exposed at Cessaniti – Cava Gentile, preserve a palaeontological record particularly relevant for phylogenetic studies and paleogeographic reconstructions as well as for the popular scientific divulgation and museology. The rich record of Sirenians highly contributed to the knowledge of phylogeny and intraspecific variability of Metaxytherium serresii. The exclusive terrestrial mammal association, having African and Greco-Iranian affinities, allows intriguing suggestions in the paleogeography of the Central Mediterranean. New taphonomic analyses on invertebrates and vertebrates, here presented, suggest that the good fossil preservation is due to the rapid burial of skeletons in a semipermeable mixture of sandy/muddy sediments which were quickly cemented. Late partial dissolution of the carbonate cement among particles made the fossils easy to extract from the sediment. The collaboration among palaeontology researchers, fossil collectors, and local administrators, under the direction of Superintendence and the control of Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, allowed the recovery, study, and promotion of this precious paleontological record. The area has a good flow of tourists for the pleasant seaside, and fossiliferous sites could attract cultural tourism, through educational trails and a museum network which valorize the palaeontological and archaeological heritage of the hinterland.

On the Occurrence of the Gar Obaichthys africanus Grande in the Cretaceous of Portugal: Palaeoecological and Palaeobiogeographical Implications

Several disarticulated fish scales and a vertebral centrum were collected from the uppermost middle to lowermost upper Cenomanian beds of the vertebrate fossil site of Casais dos Carecos (Baixo Mondego region, Coimbra, West Portugal), corresponding to shallow carbonate and mixed facies (“Unit B”) of the Tentúgal Formation. The taphonomic preservation of these remains is adequate for their detailed taxonomical study. The scales are diagnosable for the species Obaichthys africanus Grande, as each one has a strong spine protruding from the middle of the posterior border in a rostrocaudal direction, a dorsoventral peg and socket, and a small anterodorsal process for articulation of adjacent scales. The sculpture with ganoid ridges and grooves distinguishes the studied remains from those of O. decoratus Wenz and Brito, which display rounded tubercles. The isolated Lepisosteoidea centrum is tentatively attributed to O. africanus as well, as it was found together with the scales, and no other compatible remains were found in the site. The fish material reported here constitutes the first record of O. africanus in the Baixo Mondego region and northern ranges of the Albian–Turonian West Portuguese Carbonate Platform, as well as in the uppermost middle to basal upper Cenomanian of Portugal.

The Pleistocene grassland-dominated mammal fauna from Tham Kra Duk (Nakhon Si Thammarat, Peninsular Thailand)

ABSTRACT Controversy exists as to whether the Pleistocene vegetation in northern Sundaland was dominated by lowland tropical grasslands or rainforests, due to limited palaeoecological evidence recorded from the region. We describe a new Pleistocene large mammal fauna from Tham Kra Duk, a cave in the Tham Phedan mountain, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in Peninsular Thailand, with emphasis on its palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental investigations using the stable isotope analysis of mammalian tooth enamel. The fossil site has yielded at least nine mammalian taxa almost comparable to late middle to latest Pleistocene faunas in the mainland, thus suggesting the same biogeographic mammal elements with a range extension south of the Kra Isthmus. The stable isotope results indicate that mixed woodland to grassland ecosystems were dominated by C4 vegetation in the area. This supports the assumption that the expansion of Pleistocene tropical savanna ecosystems might have held the key to facilitating the southward distribution range of grazing mammals such as gaurs and Himalayan gorals into the Thai-Malay Peninsula. The presence of the Tham Kra Duk fauna was probably linked to some major biogeographic events of Pleistocene hominin and mammal migration through the land-bridge peninsula into the islands of Southeast Asia during a period of glaciation.

The Mwesia Beds of northern Malawi in relation to the Tanganyika Problem

Abstract In this paper, we trace the saga of the rocks and fossils discovered along Stevenson Road, northern Malawi. Fish and bivalves discovered along the road were proclaimed the first fossils of Central Africa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they became a large part of the ‘Tanganyika Problem’, the notion of whether a Jurassic incursion of the sea left fossils in what is now Malawi and relict marine invertebrates in Lake Tanganyika. Later studies clarified both the geology and zoology of the region, but no more informative fossils were found in Malawi until 2016 when a specimen of Eunotosaurus was discovered by a herdsman in the original nineteenth century fossil locality. He presented the fossil to the Cultural and Museum Centre Karonga, the public face of geoheritage in Malawi. That specimen constrains the upper age limit of the site to approximately 259 Ma (Late Permian). The Tanganyika Problem is now largely of historical interest, yet in a more current multidisciplinary context – the timing and mechanisms of the evolutionary transition of clades from the marine realm into freshwater biomes open new questions about historical biogeography in a geological context.

Squirrels (Rodentia, Sciuridae) from the Late Miocene Pavlodar fossil site in northern Kazakhstan: implications for cranial anatomy and evolutionary history of the early marmotine ground squirrel genus Sinotamias

ABSTRACT Although sciurids are among the most distinctive rodents of the Neogene age in Eurasia and North America, there remain significant gaps in knowledge of their fossil record, particularly that of Central Asia. Here we report on Sciuridae specimens from the Pavlodar (Gusinyi Perelet) fossil site in northern Kazakhstan (western Siberia), which pertain to Sinotamias orientalis, a basal marmotine ground squirrel genus from the Middle Miocene – Early Pliocene of Eastern Europe and Eastern Asia. The new specimens document the previously unknown cranial (maxillary and palatine) features of Sinotamias, which confirms the distinctiveness of the genus from chipmunks (subtribe Tamiina), suggesting a close phylogenetic relationship between Sinotamias and basal extant Marmotina genera Ammospermophilus and Callospermophilus. We review the rodent assemblage of Pavlodar 1A and propose the latest Miocene, Baodean age for the locality, correlative to the late Turolian, 7.5–6.5 Mya.

Mammalian faunal change of the Miocene Dove Spring Formation, Mojave region, southern California, USA, in relation to tectonic history

Tectonic processes drive the evolution of basins through local and regional changes in topographic relief, which have long-term effects on mammalian richness and distribution. Mammals respond to the resulting changes in landscape and climate through evolution, shifts in geographic range, and by altering their community composition. Here, we evaluate the relationship between tectonic episodes and the diversification history of fossil mammals in the Miocene Dove Spring Formation (12.5−8.5 Ma) of southern California, USA. This formation contains a rich fossil record of mammals and other vertebrates as well as structural and sedimentological evidence for tectonic episodes of basin extension, rotation, and translation. We used several methods to compare the fossil record to the tectonic history of the Dove Spring Formation. We updated the formation’s geochronology to incorporate current radiometric dating standards and measured additional stratigraphic sections to refine the temporal resolution of large mammal (>1 kg) fossil localities to 200-kyr (or shorter) intervals. Observed species richness over time follows the same trend as the number of localities and specimens, suggesting that richness reflects sampling intensity. Estimates of stratigraphic ranges with 80% confidence intervals were used to conduct per capita diversification analysis and a likelihood approach to changes in faunal composition from one time interval to the next. While edge effects influence time bins at the beginning and end of the study interval, we found changes in diversification rates and faunal composition that are not solely linked to preservation. Several rare species appear at 10.5 Ma and persist through the top of the formation despite variable preservation rates. Changes in faunal composition at 12.1 Ma and 10.5 Ma are not associated with elevated preservation rates, which indicates that some faunal changes are not primarily driven by sampling effort. The lower portion of the formation is characterized by high origination rates and long residence times. The upper portion has high per capita extinction rates that increased in magnitude as basin rotation and translation progressed from 10.5 Ma. The greatest change in faunal composition coincided with basin rotation and translation that interrupted a long-running extensional period. Tectonics played key roles in the diversity of mammals by determining fossil productivity and shaping the landscapes that they inhabited.

Taxonomic revision of the giant marine snake genus Pterosphenus Lucas, 1898, based on new fossil material from the middle Eocene (Bartonian) Harudi Formation of Kachchh (Kutch) Basin, India

ABSTRACT Fossil snakes of the family Palaeophiidae are primarily known from rare, isolated vertebrae, leading to a poor understanding of the intra- and inter-columnar variation within a palaeophiid species. This leads to ambiguity in the taxonomic identity of these snakes, as in the case of the Eocene-age marine snakes of the genus Pterosphenus, in which the majority of species have been described by characters of problematic taxonomic value. Here, we propose a taxonomic revision of the genus based on an articulated to semi-articulated section of the vertebral column at the anterior to mid trunk-transition of Pterosphenus schucherti discovered from the middle Eocene (Bartonian) Harudi Formation, Kachchh (Kutch) Basin. The characters that separate Pterosphenus schucherti from ‘Pterosphenus schweinfurthi’ and ‘Pterosphenus biswasi,’ viz., the height of the pterapophysis and the anterior concavity of the zygosphene, have been found to be non-diagnostic, and the latter two species have been synonymized with the type species. Additionally, we utilized 2D and 3D landmark-based geometric morphometry to determine the morphometric affinity of palaeophiids amongst the alethinophidian snakes. The body size of the snake was estimated based on extant snakes with a morphometric affinity to Palaeophiidae. The cosmopolitan distribution of Pterosphenus schucherti is modelled based on the sea surface temperature (SST) constraints of the modern cosmopolitan snake Hydrophis platurus, and the known fossil localities of the species. The present findings provide crucial insights into the global paleoecological landscape of the Eocene, and the interactions of Pterosphenus schucherti with other palaeophiid snakes as well as the other Eocene fauna.

The Eocene SANUs from the Chubut River Valley (Cerro Pan de Azúcar and Bryn Gwyn, Chubut, Argentina)

As result of the expedition during 1897 in the Valle Inferior del Río Chubut, near Gaiman city (Chubut Province, Argentina), the Swiss naturalist Santiago Roth collected a small but interesting assemblage of South American native ungulates from the Paleogene fossiliferous levels of the Cerro Pan de Azúcar fossil locality. Here, after more than one hundred years after, most of them are first figured and described. We propose a different taxonomic interpretation for Monolophodon minutus and Lelfunia haugi, the two ungulate species endemic for this locality. We also describe the specimens of other historical collections from both Cerro Pan de Azúcar and Bryn Gwyn fossil sites gathered by several expeditions throughout the 20th century. We recognize two clearly distinguished assemblages of South American Native Ungulates. The presence of Henricosbornia lophodonta, Kibenikhoria sp., Isotemnus sp., Notoungulata indet., and Peripantostylops sp. in the upper Las Flores Formation at Cerro Pan de Azúcar establishes affinities with other faunas from the same unit (Cañadón Hondo and Bajo Palangana, Chubut Province) and suggests a slightly older age than the Vacan fauna. On the other hand, the presence of Oldfieldthomasia sp., Henricosbornia lophodonta, Notostylops sp., and Trigonostylops sp. in the Pan de Azúcar Member (lower Sarmiento Formation) at Pan de Azúcar fossil site and Thomashuxleya sp. in Bryn Gwyn fossil site establishes affinities with the Barrancan faunas of the Sarmiento Formation, suggesting a Bartonian age for these levels.

Exploring the restricted Lontras Shale fossil record: Data biases or preservational casualties?

Throughout the Phanerozoic, numerous well-preserved fossiliferous sites have provided valuable insights into the evolution of ecosystems and organisms. Among these sites, the Lontras Shale Lagerstätte (LSL) within the Lontras Member in southern Brazil stands out as a rare glimpse into Carboniferous ecosystems of western Gondwana. The LSL is renowned for its diverse array of well-preserved fossils like insects, wood, fishes, larval cases, and poriferans, with different types of preservational pathways. Moreover, the Lontras Member is considered a maximum flooding surface that marks an interglacial warming peak of the final Late Paleozoic Ice Age, highlighting its paleoclimatological and paleogeographical relevance. However, the occurrence of fossils within the extensive Lontras Member is restricted to a few sites, raising questions about the factors influencing this constrained lateral and vertical distribution. Through meticulous literature review, this study aims not only to solidify the understanding of the Lontras Member's lithostratigraphy and paleontology but also to explore its broader implications and paleoenvironmental significance. We propose a comprehensive stratigraphic section for the Lontras Member, integrating local and regional sections from Santa Catarina and Paraná States, surveying paleontological sites and fossils exhaustively. By examining two additional fossil-rich sites in addition to the Lagerstätte outcrop, and analyzing vertical and horizontal distributions of the Member, we thoroughly explore the methodological, paleoenvironmental, and taphonomic factors that restricts this fossil record. This analysis extends beyond comparisons with paleontological insights from other units, locations, and Lagerstätten, encompassing modern analogous environments. The methodological biases are tied to stratigraphic focus, fieldwork scale, fossil size, and weathering degree of outcrops, constraining new fossil discoveries. Paleobiological and paleoclimatological factors, like transitional climatic conditions, limited organism diversity, inhospitable deep environments distant from the coast, and anoxic bottoms impact organism distribution and fossil recovery. The fossil transportability and the compositional resilience under widespread anoxia contributed as preservational constraints. While the LSL offers unique conditions for the proliferation and preservation of organisms, limiting the taphonomic window, facies of more energetic depositional conditions in other Lontras Member sites is more likely to harbor fossils, particularly transportable fragments and disarticulated pieces of chitinophosphatic or phosphatic composition. Addressing these biases unveils insights into flourishing ecosystems and organisms during this specific time period.

First record of Macrocollum itaquii (Dinosauria: Sauropodomorpha) outside the type locality and its biostratigraphic significance

ABSTRACT The early radiation of dinosaurs was an evolutionary event characterized by distinct episodes. While the earliest unequivocal records are from Carnian strata and relatively well-documented, the subsequent moment of dinosaur radiation is poorly studied. The fossil record of early Norian dinosaurs from Brazil provides one of the best samples regarding the dawn of the “Prosauropod Empire”. In the present study, we describe the first occurrence of Macrocollum itaquii outside its type locality and discuss its biostratigraphic implications. This dinosaur is of particular interest due to its significance as the oldest sauropodomorph with an elongated neck, expressing the typical body plan seen in post-Carnian sauropodomorphs. The new specimen consists of a partial posterior autopodium, sharing anatomical features exclusively with M. itaquii among sauropodomorphs. The presence of this unaysaurid at the “Boi da Guampa Torta” site allows the biostratigraphic correlation with the “Wachholz” site. According to the phylogenetic affinities of M. itaquii (which is more derived than Pampadromaeus barberenai and Bagualosaurus agudoensis), both fossiliferous sites are younger than the “Várzea do Agudo” site. Nevertheless, further specimens are necessary in order to determine the position of the sites with M. itaquii in relation to the other surrounding outcrops (i.e., Siriusgnathus-bearing outcrops).

Devonian to Triassic paleobotanical record from Chile: An overview of the micro- and macrofossil record and fossil localities

Late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic floras are well represented in Chile by several continental fossiliferous outcrops across the country. The oldest floras are Late Devonian in age, and they are mostly located in northern Chile (e.g., El Toco, Arrayán, Las Placetas formations) and are dominated by herbaceous lycopsids. In turn, Middle to Late Triassic floras are widely distributed throughout Chile (e.g., Mamiña, La Ternera, San Felix, Las Breas, El Puquén, Santa Juana, and Panguipulli formations), and are characterized by typical Triassic Gondwanan taxa, such as the ferns Asterotheca, Cladophlebis and Dictyophyllum; the sphenophyte Neocalamites; the corystosperm Dicroidium; the cycadophytes Pterophyllum, and Pseudoctenis; the ginkgophytes Baiera, Sphenobaiera and Ginkgoites; the conifer Heidiphyllum, and gymnosperms of uncertain affinities (i.e., Linguifolium and Taeniopteris). Lycophytes are hitherto unknown in the Chilean Triassic macrofloras. A single fossil locality has been regarded tentatively as Early Triassic in age based on palynomorphs. Most of the Devonian to Triassic plants found in Chile are preserved as impressions, lacking organic matter. However, some adpression plant fossils and palynomorphs have also been found. Fossil woods have been reported from several Triassic sediments of Chile, especially in the northern part of the country. The plant fossil record from Chile is relevant for understanding the dynamics and evolution of the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic vegetation in the southwestern edge of Gondwana. This contribution provides a general framework that will support future and more detailed paleobotanical studies in Chile. Lastly, this work intents to motivate new generations of paleobotanists in Chile.

Rhabdopleurid epibionts from the Ordovician Fezouata Shale biota and the longevity of cross-phylum interactions

Evidence of interspecific interactions in the fossil record is rare but offers valuable insights into ancient ecologies. Exceptional fossiliferous sites can preserve complex ecological interactions involving non-biomineralized organisms, but most of these examples are restricted to Cambrian Lagerstätten. Here we report an exceptionally preserved cross-phylum interspecific interaction from the Tremadocian-aged Lower Fezouata Shale Formation of Morocco, which consists of the phragmocone of an orthocone cephalopod that has been extensively populated post-mortem by tubicolous epibionts. Well-preserved transverse bands in a zig-zag pattern and crenulations along the margin of the unbranched tubes indicate that they correspond to pterobranch hemichordates, with a close morphological similarity to rhabdopleurids based on the bush-like growth of the dense tubarium. The discovery of rhabdopleurid epibionts in the Fezouata Shale highlights the paucity of benthic graptolites, which also includes the rooted dendroids Didymograptus and Dictyonema, relative to the substantially more diverse and abundant planktic forms known from this biota. We propose that the rarity of Paleozoic rhabdopleurid epibionts is likely a consequence of their ecological requirement for hard substrates for initial settlement and growth. The Fezouata rhabdopleurid also reveals a 480-million-year-old association of pterobranchs as epibionts of molluscs that persist to the present day.

Let’s play with fire! Preliminary results of new experiments on animal bone of thermo-alterations

ABSTRACT Thermo-alterations in skeletal remains result from circumstances that can be key to understanding the context in which these appear. Here, we present the results of a series of experiments based on the exposure of animal remains to a range of different conditions and temperatures (up to 900°C) to document a variety of contexts that provide valuable information in fossil sites and forensic cases. Meat-bearing and defleshed remains (i.e. meat manually removed before the experiment) were exposed to high-temperatures, both directly or buried in different types of sediments (silt, sand, gravel and mixed sediment), in order to document colour changes and survival of soft tissues. Thus, our main goal was to monitor colour alteration and superficial modifications on the bone surface (i.e. cracks, as well as disarticulation of small mammal carcasses caused by high temperatures).

Late Pleistocene paleoenvironments and megafauna from the Sierra Madre del Sur flanks and the Central Depression of Chiapas (Southern México)

Pleistocene fluvial sequences have been recognised in some regions of México as an important source of information on past environmental change using a wide range of proxies. However, this has not been attempted in Mexico's southernmost state of Chiapas until the current paper, where the main aim is to describe and date five new Late Pleistocene fossil rich sequences and to interpret their paleoenvironmental record and changes that they indicate. This interpretation is based on the sedimentology, pollen record and stable isotopes from vertebrate fossils together with the radiocarbon dating of the fluvial sediments. At Los Mangos and El Bajión fossil sites the fluvial sediment record reported here includes a conspicuous layer with aerodynamic Fe magnetic microspherules associated with the Younger Dryas (YD) meteorite impact which adds to the type of paleoenvironments in which such meteorite impacts have been recognised. The sediment dating indicates that the fossiliferous sites are Late Pleistocene in age, and they add new locations and information for México for this climatic phase.

New remains of Dinocrocuta (Percrocutidae; Carnivora) from Markhal, Dhok Pathan Formation, Pakistan

ABSTRACT This paper describes a well-preserved left mandible of Dinocrocuta from a new fossil locality of Markhal area, Dhok Pathan Formation (Middle Siwaliks), Pakistan. The morphometric analysis of the studied materials with already known species of family Percrocutidae allows to attribute this specimen to Dinocrocuta grandis. The representation of this species exists in literature based on the already described materials, but it is the first description based on new fossil materials from the Siwaliks. In this regard, the discovery of a new material from the study area is important to resolve the generic attribution, stratigraphic range as well as the diversification of percrocutids in the Dhok Pathan Formation of the Siwaliks. Description of a new and rare fossil material from the Siwalik continental deposits is thus important to provide more information on percrocutids and to discuss its relationships with other species of genus Dinocrocuta, family Percrocutidae.

On the presence of a carnivore archosaur in the São Luiz site, an iconic Upper Triassic fossiliferous locality from Brazil

The Triassic of South America is known for its wide fossil diversity, which includes several terrestrial tetrapods, such as (but not restricted to) non-mammaliaform cynodonts, dicynodonts, early archosauromorphs, procolophonoids, pseudosuchians, and dinosaurs. However, carnivore archosaurs are rare from Brazilian Norian outcrops, being represented by sparse records of dinosaurs, one phytosaur, and some indeterminate isolated teeth. The São Luiz fossil site is one of Brazil's most iconic Norian outcrops, and a great diversity of fossils has already been found there. Most of them, however, are remains of small-sized taxa (less than 40 cm). Here, we describe an isolated tooth of a comparatively large archosaur from this site. The morphology of the new specimen indicates affinities with archosaurs, with serrations restricted to its distal carina and composed of sub-quadrangular denticles with a density of two to three denticles per millimeter. Despite being isolated, this new record adds information on the São Luiz outcrop diversity, indicating the presence of a still undescribed medium/large-sized carnivore.

Pampean megamammals in Europe: the fossil collections from Santiago Roth

Santiago Roth was a Swiss fossil finder, naturalist, and paleontologist that emigrated to Argentina in 1866. His work largely influenced the discipline in the country at the end of the twentieth century, particularly the stratigraphy of the Pampean region. Some of his collections of Pampean fossils were sold to museums and private collectors in Europe and were accompanied by elaborated catalogues. Fossils in the Roth’s catalogues N° 2 and 3 are housed today in the Natural History Museum of Denmark, fossils from catalogues N° 4 to 6, were sold to Swiss museums, with Catalogue N° 5 currently housed at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich. Here, we provide a general framework on the stratigraphy from the Roth’s Pampean fossil sites, summarize the history of the Pampean fossils in Europe originally collected by Roth, and provide historical and curatorial details of the Roth’s collection at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich.

A new anuran family from the fossil sites of Langebaanweg and Cooper’s Cave, South Africa

ABSTRACT Enigmatic frog ilia were recovered from two geographically and temporally disparate fossil sites in South Africa, namely the Early Pliocene (5.1 Ma) fossil site of Langebaanweg (south-western Cape), and Cooper’s Cave D (Northern province), which dates to around 1.38 Ma. The fossil ilia appear to represent an extinct anuran genus that subsisted in southern Africa over several million years, had a previously undocumented mode of locomotion, and possibly exceptional jumping ability. Relative to extant anurans, the fossil ilia show a unique suite of characteristics pertaining to the acetabulum, dorsal protuberance, ventral ridge of the shaft, and dorsal crest; features which would have facilitated and stabilised jumping.