Institutional Abbreviations Research Articles

Tactile tails: a new hypothesis for the function of the elongate tails of diplodocid sauropods

ABSTRACT Tail elongation is a trait common to many sauropod dinosaurs. In certain members of Diplodocidae, for example, the total caudal vertebrae count is as high as 70 to 80 bones, making a total estimated tail length for mature animals that is in excess of 10 metres. A number of competing hypotheses have been suggested to explain the function of this ‘hyper-elongate’ tail including use as a counterbalance, use as a defensive weapon, use as a sonic-boom-generating ‘bull-whip’ or use as a feature for sexual display. Here, a new hypothesis is presented for the function of sauropods’ hyper-elongate tails – herding co-ordination. Many sauropods are known, from multiple independent lines of evidence, to have been herding animals that moved in large groups over wide ranges; it is proposed that the elongation of the tails in many of the more massive sauropod lineages may have evolved to allow for simple and efficient communication between individuals via near continuous animal-to-animal contact during herd movement and migration. This contact, it is suggested, would have facilitated speedier, more compacted and more efficient mass movement of the animals as a group, and reduced the need for continual slowing and stopping to maintain herd formation. Institutional abbreviations: AMNH: American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA; CM: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, USA; HMN: Natural History Museum, Berlin, Germany; OMHN: Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Oklahoma, USA

New records of Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary Tuchengzi Formation petrified wood from Yanqing, Bejing, China: palaeoclimatic implications

ABSTRACT Xenoxylon is an important boreal Mesozoic fossil wood genus and has been widely reported from sites across northern China. This paper reports well-preserved Xenoxylon wood from the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary Tuchengzi Formation at Yanqing, Beijing, China. The fossil wood described here is ascribed to two species, i.e. Xenoxylon latiporosum and X. peidense. The present new finding enrichs our knowledge of the floral characteristics, especially the forest composition of the Tuchengzi Formation. These new records enlarge the fossil wood diversity of the genus Xenoxylon of the Tuchengzi Formation up to three species at Yanqing. Statistic results of the annual and mean sensitivity values of the X. latiporosum and X. peidense indicates that the trees inhabited under a sensitive climate with relatively stable interannual water supply. Additionally, some fungal remains represented by fungal hyphae were found with wood tissues of specimens of X. peidense. Typical wood rotting structures resembling those of the extant white rot are also found in X. latiporosum. This is the first record of fungal hyphae in Yanqing, Beijing, China, and provides us with new evidence that can be used to explore interactions between fungi and plants in the Late Jurassic. Institutional abbreviations: YQ = Yanqing Silicified Wood National Geopark, Beijing, China

Addendum to ‘Revision of the Late Jurassic teleosaurid genus Machimosaurus (Crocodylomorpha, Thalattosuchia)’

This addendum is to ensure that the ICZN (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature) Code criteria for the availability of new nomenclatural acts are satisfied. In our original publication [1], the newly established taxon Machimosaurus buffetauti was not named in accordance with the ICZN Code, specifically it failed to fulfil Article 8.5.3. This addendum, being a ‘corrigendum’ in the sense of the Glossary of the Code, should be consulted alongside the original publication [1]. However, it is this addendum that fulfils the ICZN Code criteria for establishing the name M. buffetauti . As such, the date of publication and nominal authority of that nomenclatural act is the date that this addendum has been published. This addendum fulfils Article 8.5.3 of the ICZN Code, namely to ‘be registered in the Official Register of Zoological Nomenclature (ZooBank) (see Article 78.2.4)’. Thus, we have officially registered the new nomenculatural act M. buffetauti (in addition to registering the genus, type species and the publication establishing them). Note that at present (14/Jan/2015), ZooBank only accepts new names, as other nomenclatural acts (such as amendment of spellings) are not currently supported. As such, Machimosaurus is currently registered under Madrimosaurus (see [1] for details). Below are the resultant LSIDs (Life Science Identifiers), and we provide an updated Systematic Palaeontology section from Young et al . [1] thus ensuring M. buffetauti sp. nov. is now a valid name. In addition to being registered with ZooBank, and having the LSIDs recorded within, the electronic edition of this work was published in a journal with an ISSN, and has been archived and is available from the following digital repositories: CLOCKSS and PORTICO. Institutional abbreviations. DFMMh, Dinosaurier-Freilichtmuseum Munchehagen, Lower Saxony, Germany; GPIT, Palaontologische Sammlung der …

The maxillary depression of Pholidosauridae: an anatomical study

Goniopholidids and pholidosaurids are common crocodilians in Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous freshwater environments in many parts of the world, although evidence that goniopholidids ever reached Gondwanan regions needs to be substantiated. In the ‘mid’-Cretaceous, some pholidosaurids (Terminonaris, Oceanosuchus) became adapted to life in the sea, a domain that goniopholidids apparently never occupied. Whereas goniopholidids were mainly mesorostral forms, pholidosaurids were longirostral. There is currently no consensus about the phylogenetic relationships between goniopholidids and pholidosaurids. They have been considered as closely related on the basis of various shared characters (Buffetaut, 1982), but in some recent phylogenetic analyses (e.g., Jouve et al., 2006; Jouve, 2009; Pol et al., 2009) at least some pholidosaurids cluster with other longirostral forms such as dyrosaurids and thalattosuchians, which may suggest that the family Pholidosauridae is not monophyletic. Nevertheless, a number of characters uniting Pholidosauridae have recently been proposed (Hua et al., 2007), but were not tested in a phylogenetic framework. On the other hand, only one unambiguous character diagnoses the clade Goniopholididae in phylogenetic studies: the presence of a depression on the posterior end of the maxilla, described as the ‘depression maxillaire’ (maxillary depression) by Buffetaut (1982; see also Lauprasert et al., 2007). On this basis, Goniopholididae is accepted as a monophyletic entity comprising the generaCalsoyasuchus,Goniopholis,Eutretauranosuchus, Siamosuchus, and Sunosuchus (Tykoski et al., 2002; Lauprasert et al., 2007; Smith et al., 2010), thus agreeing with pre-cladistic views (Buffetaut, 1982). Functionally, the maxillary depression may have housed a sensory organ helping to localize and capture prey in the aquatic environment (Brandalise de Andrade, 2009). Here, we report for the first time the presence of a maxillary depression in Pholidosauridae. Its morphology and position is for the first time described in taxa where the maxillojugal area is preserved. Implications for a close relationship between Goniopholididae and Pholidosauridae are discussed on the basis of this previously overlooked character. Institutional Abbreviations—AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, New York, U.S.A.; BYU, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, U.S.A.; CHE, Universite Lyon 1, Lyon, France, specimen from Cherves de Cognac; CMNH, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.; DORCM, Dorset County Museum, Dorchester, United Kingdom; MNHN, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France;MNN, Musee National du Niger, Niamey, Republique du Niger; NHMUK, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.

Platycephalus americanus Sauvage, 1878, a junior synonym ofGrammoplites scaber (Linnaeus, 1758) (Scorpaeniformes: Platycephalidae)

I n 1878, Sauvage described a platycephali& Platycephalus americanus, based on a single specimen said to have come from the Potomac River in the U.S.A. Jordan and Evermann (1898) gave the substance o f Sauvage 's description and declared that "this specimen, o f course, never came f rom the Potomac River." Blanc and Hureau (1968) listed the hototype ( M N H N 6839), type locality (Potomac), and standard (19l ram) and total (217 mm) lengths. To date, no one has discussed the validity o f the species and no additional specimens have been reported. Recently, I examined the holotype o f P. americanus and found it to be a junior synonym of Grammoplites scaber (Linnaeus, 1758). The type specimen(s) o f G. scaber have not been examined as they are presumed to have been lost (Knapp, pers. comm.) , Counts and measurements were made according to Hubbs and Lagler (1958). Specimen lengths were expressed as standard length (SL). Measurements were made with calipers to the nearest 0.1 ram. Names o f head spines follow Knapp (1986). Institutional abbreviations follow Leviton et al. (1985).

New records of the abyssal grenadiersCoryphaenoides armatus andC. yaquinae from the western North Pacific

The abyssal grenadier, Coryphaenoides armatus, was first described by Hector (1875) from off New Zealand at a depth of 400 fathoms (732 m). It is known as the only cosmopolitan rattail recorded from all oceans except the Arctic (e.g., Grey, 1956; Nybelin, 1957). C. yaquinae is very closely related to C. armatus, and was confused with the latter in the eastern North Pacific until Iwamoto and Stein (1974) described it as a new species. Wilson and Waples (1983, 1984) discussed in detail the distribution, depth range, morphology, ecology, biochemical genetics and nomenclature of the two species. Both have been recorded from the Pacific Ocean except in the northwestern area. C. arrnatus is distributed vertically at depths of about 2000-4300 m and C. yaquinae at about 3400-5800m (Wilson and Waples, 1983). Our material agrees well with the descriptions of Iwamoto and Stein (1974). These are the first records of C. armatus (new Japanese name: Yoroidara) and C. yaquinae (new Japanese name: Shinkaiyoroi-dara) from the western North Pacific around the Japan trench. Moreover, the capture depth of 6380-6450m for C. yaquinae is the deepest record for a macrourid. Methods for taking meristic and morphometric data follow Hubbs and Lagler (1958) and Okamura (1970) except for the pelvic fin ray counts (i.e., total number of both sides) which follow Wilson and Waples (1984). Institutional abbreviations follow Leviton et al. (1985).

Poecilia teresae, a New Species of Poeciliid Fish from Belize, Central America

SL is used throughout. Counts and measurements follow Hubbs and Lagler (1964), except that the last two rays of the dorsal and anal fins were not counted as one unless they are borne on the same pterygiophore (last two rays not automatically counted as one). All gill rakers, including rudiments, on the first arch of the left side were counted. The first predorsal scale is the enlarged median one lying on the occipital region. Dorsal-anal distance is the oblique measurement from the origin of the anal fin or gonopodium to the origin of the dorsal fin. Measurements were made using dial calipers to the nearest 0.1 mm and are expressed as thousandths of SL. Data for the holotype are presented first, followed in parentheses by the range for paratypes (where variable) plus the mean for morphometric data or mode for meristic data. Principal component analysis (PCA) was computed for four body proportions (head length, caudal peduncle depth, caudal peduncle length, and dorsal-anal distance) using the Sigma Soft Biostat II MPCA package with Log 10 transformation (Pimentel and Smith, 1985). Institutional abbreviations are as listed in Leviton et al. (1985).

Annotated List of Lower Vertebrates from the Paleocene Nacimiento Formation (Puercan-Torrejonian), San Juan Basin, New Mexico

Juan Basin, New Mexico represent one of the most significant records of Paleocene vertebrate evolution. Two fossilvertebrate-bearing intervals in the Nacimiento Formation produce the standard land-mammal assemblages for the Puercan (earliest Paleocene) and Torrejonian (late early Paleocene) landmammal ages (Wood and others, 1941). Although relatively recent lists of the Puercan and Torrejonian mammal taxa from the Nacimiento Formation are available (Russell, 1967; Van Valen, 1978; Tsentas, 1981), no attempt to list the lower vertebrate taxa from the Nacimiento Formation has been made since the now obsolete list of Matthew (1937). This progress report of ongoing research on Puercan and Torrejonian lower vertebrates will provide a current summary (Table 1). Below we list, and briefly comment on, all Paleocene (Puercan-Torrejonian) taxa of lower vertebrates (Osteichthyes, Amphibia, Reptilia) from the Nacimiento Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico. Important new and revised occurrences reported here since Matthew (1937) for the Puercan are: Palatobaena bairdi and Teiidae indeterminate; for the Torrejonian: Neurankylus n. sp., Parodaxosaurus sanjuanensis, Plesiorhineura tsentasi, Diplocynodon (=Leidyosuchus) multidentatus and Navajosuchus novomexicanus; for both Puercan and Torrejonian: Amia sp., Lepisosteus sp., Harbrosaurus dilatus, Comsemys victa, Odaxosaurus piger (questionable Torrejonian occurrence) and Pr xestops jepseni. The taxa Platypeltis antiqua, Champsosaurus australis, C. puercensis and C. saponensis are nomina dubia. Institutional abbreviations are as follows: AMNH = American Museum of

Two New Species of Caribbean Deep-Dwelling Jawfishes (Opistognathus, Opistognathidae)

Measurements are all straight-line measurements between points made with dial calipers. All measurements involving snout tip originate at the mid-dorsal point of upper lip. Caudal and procurrent rays are reported as a two-part formula, the first figure refers to rays associated with the dorsal hypural and the second figure refers to rays associated with the ventral hypural. The number of lateral scale rows reported are only approximations because of their irregularity and frequent absence. The first lateral scale row counted is the one just touching or just posterior to the upper posterior end of the opercular flap. The last two rays in the dorsal and anal fins have their bases closely approximated, share a common pterygiophore, and were counted as one ray. Institutional abbreviations used in this paper are: ANSP-Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; UMML-University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science; and USNM-U. S. National Mu-

Letter-sequence habits in children

The characteristics of letter associations in 7-year-old children, 10-year-old children, and college-age adults were compared. The study focuses on developmental changes in letter-to-letter habits, including the specific habits studied on the college-age adults by Underwood and Schulz (1960) . With respect to strategies in responding, children showed greater evidence of repetitive strategies, e.g., repetition of a stimulus term, alphabetical responding etc., than adults; but the frequency of meaningful units, e.g., words and initialed abbreviations of institutions, increased with age. In addition, frequencies of specific letter responses for adults tended on the whole to conform more closely to the frequencies in the language than did the children's frequencies. There was also a clear developmental trend toward increased strength of primary with age.