Fossil Sites Research Articles

First fossil record of Perameles fasciata from New South Wales and Queensland: reassessment of Perameles sobbei

The first fossil record of the Liverpool Plains striped bandicoot, Perameles fasciata, is presented. Since this species was split from its west coast counterpart, Perameles bougainville, no fossil record had been reported. Perameles fasciata is found in five fossil sites in Queensland and New South Wales, all Pleistocene in age. Perameles sobbei, described from the Darling Downs in Queensland, is found to be a junior synonym of P. fasciata, based on morphometrics and diagnostic morphological features. A morphological phylogeny finds that P. fasciata is more closely related to Perameles nasuta, Perameles pallescens and Perameles gunnii than P. bougainville. Perameles fasciata was likely more widespread in the Pleistocene, but by the Holocene had only survived on the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales until its extinction in the 1860s, probably as a result of land clearing and the introduction of foxes. While P. bougainville has been translocated in New South Wales, P. gunnii, which co-occurred with P. fasciata, is a better ecological analogue because of it is similar size, morphology and phylogenetic affinity.Kenny J. Travouillon [Kenny.Travouillon@museum.wa.gov.au], Collections and Research Centre, Western Australian Museum, 49 Kew Street, Welshpool, WA 6106, Australia.

The fossil assemblage from Pontils, a middle Eocene primate-bearing locality from Northeastern Spain

ABSTRACT The Pontils fossil site (middle Eocene, Ebro Basin, Spain) includes several vertebrate-bearing levels situated in a sequence recording a continental to marine transition. Although the locality has been known since the 1980s and scarce mammal remains have been already documented, an intensive sampling has not been developed until now. This work presents the first results of the recent field campaigns carried out at this site. Seven levels have yielded significant vertebrate remains, revealing a diverse assemblage which includes chondrichthyans, actinopterygians, amphibians, crocodilians, squamates, metatherians, eulipotyphlans, apatotherians, chiropterans, rodents, artiodactyls, perissodactyls, and primates, besides other non-vertebrate fossils. The Pontils assemblage indicates a mangrove swamp environment with warm and humid conditions and increasing marine influence towards the top of the sequence. Among mammals, primates are particularly diverse, including abundant remains of a minuscule, still undetermined omomyiform, and scarce teeth of Pseudoloris, Necrolemur, and an undetermined anchomomyin. The occurrence of larger benthic foraminifera allows the assignment of Pontils to Shallow Benthic Zone 17 (Bartonian), solving the debate about the age of the locality, previously assigned either to the Bartonian or the Lutetian. These data, together with previous magnetostratigraphic analyses, allow correlation to chrons C18r or C18n.1r, constraining the age of Pontils to between 39.58 and 41 Ma. Therefore, the Pontils site represents a new reference section for the correlation of marine and continental biostratigraphy during the middle Eocene.

Proposal of the colour pattern reconstruction of basal cervids

ABSTRACTMethodologies that analyse the colouration and external appearance of extant species are very useful tools when facing one of the greatest challenges in the palaeoartistic reconstructions of extinct fauna: inferring the colour patterns. Earlier works have applied this methodology, for example, in the reconstruction of the Miocene bovid Tethytragus, proving that the maximum likelihood (ML) analysis to infer ancestral states has promising potential. This study offers a proposal for the reconstruction of the external appearance of Heteroprox moralesi Azanza 1989, an early cervid of the Middle Miocene present in several fossil sites of Central Spain. For the reconstruction of the external appearance, the colour patterns of all the extant species of the family Cervidae were studied with the method of ML analysis, as well as recent works about their phylogeny. The results show the most probable basal colour pattern of the cervids: dark shades on the limbs, dorsal section, and head of the animal, and, in contrast, lighter colours on the neck and perianal region. This basal pattern can be used as a basis for reconstructing colouration and to hypothesise about the external appearance of extinct taxa. Furthermore, the inferred forest habitat of H. moralesi has been taken into consideration in order to adjust the colour pattern, comparing the final results of the analysis performed in this study with that of the pattern observed in extant forest deer as well as with previous works employing this methodology.

Paleogene Ficus leaves from India and their implications for fig evolution and diversification.

Ficus is a scientifically and economically important genus with abundant fossil records from the Paleocene to Pleistocene, but with an intriguing early evolutionary history that remains unresolved. Here, the foliage of three well-preserved figs is described from the early Paleogene succession of the Gurha mine, Rajasthan, India. These fossils provide new morphological data that strengthens our understanding of the past occurrences of Ficus and, alongside all validly published records of fossil figs, helps to trace the evolutionary history of figs. Fossils were identified and described by comparison with their closest modern analogs using the Nearest Living Relative (NLR) technique. Validated fig records are listed and categorized into six geological time frames. Modern precipitation data for the current distributions of NLRs were downloaded from the Climatic Research Unit Timeseries. Fossil leaves assigned to three new species Ficus paleodicranostyla, F. paleovariegata, and F. paleoauriculata closely resemble their modern analogs based on leaf morphology. Reliable fossil records were used to hypothesize historical fig distributions and paleodispersal pathways. Precipitation data suggest higher precipitations at the fossil locality during the early Paleogene than at present. The fossils described herein supplement fig fossil records known from other regions indicating that figs were widely diverse across low latitudes by the early Paleogene. These data support a Eurasian origin for figs, highlight a pivotal role for the Indian subcontinent during the early phase of fig diversification, and depict a perhumid-to-humid climate with high rainfall concordant with paleoclimate evidence from the Gurha mine.

Pliocene seeds of Passiflora subgenus Decaloba (Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee) and the impact of the fossil record on understanding the diversification and biogeography of Passiflora.

Passiflora is a diverse genus of ~570 extant species primarily distributed in the Americas, from the eastern United States to Argentina and Chile. Nevertheless, the known fossil record of Passiflora is small. To date, only two fossil seed species have been unequivocally assigned to the genus. In this contribution, rare sulcate seeds from Gray Fossil Site are described as a third fossil seed species of Passiflora. Three partial seeds with sulcate sculpture from Gray Fossil Site, early Pliocene, Tennessee, USA, were examined, photographed, and measured. They were compared to samples of sulcate seeds from six extant Passiflora species in supersection Decaloba. A broader survey of sulcate seeds produced by modern species in the subgenera Decaloba, Deidamioides, and Tryphostemmatoides was done using published illustrations and descriptions. The Gray Fossil Site seeds are described as Passiflora sulcatasperma, sp. nov., and assigned to subgenus Decaloba, supersection Decaloba. They are characterized by their small size, elliptical shape, ridged-and-sulcate sculpture, rugulose ridges, and thin palisade seed coat. The two largest subgenera of Passiflora can be identified from Neogene fossils. Subgenus Decaloba is represented by two fossil seed species, P. bulgarica (Miocene, Bulgaria) and P. sulcatasperma (Pliocene, USA). Subgenus Passiflora is represented by fossil pollen (Miocene, Argentina and Brazil) and P. appalachiana seeds (Pliocene, USA). The distributions of fossil and modern species suggest that Passiflora may have used both North Atlantic and Antarctic routes to expand into Europe and the Asian-Oceanian Paleotropics, respectively.

New fossil remains of proboscideans from the Siwalik group of Pakistan

ABSTRACT We have described here proboscideans fossil remnants which belong to six species: Prodeinotherium pentapotamiae, Gomphotherium browni, Choerolophodon corrugatus, Protanancus chinjiensis, and Elephas planifrons. The described specimens are collected from six different localities of the Siwaliks. These localities are Bhilomar, Chinji type section, Lawa, Dhok Bun Ameer Khatoon (Chinji Formation), Ochri (Dhok Pathan Formation) and Rathian (Pinjor Formation), belongs to the Lower to Upper Siwaliks, district Chakwal and Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan. The specimens were collected from these localities after extensive fieldwork from 2015 to 2020, which confirms the presence of large mammalian fauna during the Middle Miocene to Late Pleistocene. Prodeinotherium pentapotamiae is rare taxa in the Middle Siwaliks of Pakistan, first time discovered from new fossil section Satroma wali dhal in the vicinity of the Dhok Bun Ameer Khatoon locality. Bhilomar is a less explored fossil locality belongs to the Chinji Formation, Gomphotherium browni and Choerolophodon corrugatus is reported from the Chinji type section. A beautiful juvenile mandibular ramus of Protanancus chinjiensis has been recovered first time from Lawa and Elephas planifrons were recovered from Rathian which belongs to Pinjor Formation dated as Plio-Pleistocene age of Upper subgroup of Siwaliks. Based on palaeoenvironment and stratigraphy the age of these localities is suggested as Miocene to Pleistocene. The recovered proboscideans fossil fauna indicates about the climatic changes and confirms that more seasonal extensive grasslands and savannah like ecosystem were present at that time.

Analysis of the Anomalies in a Middle Eocene Shell of Neochelys (Pleurodira, Podocnemididae) from the Duero Basin (Zamora, Spain)

Turtle shells frequently exhibit anomalous osseous modifications on their surface which can sometimes compromise the survival of the organism. Nowadays, despite the large number of anomalies identified in both extant and extinct turtle shells, the etiology, as well as the pathogenesis, of the various osseous modifications remains unknown in most documented extinct representatives. In fact, the interpretation of these anomalies in most fossil turtles is often speculative, the great majority of anomalous osseous modifications being attributed to vertebrate feeding traces, without considering other potential causative agents. In this context, we herein re-analyzed the shell anomalies recognized in an individual determined as Neochelys sp. (Pleurodira, Podocnemididae) from the middle Eocene (Lutetian) of the El Tejar fossil site (Corrales del Vino, Zamora, Spain), previously proposed as traumatic injuries resulting from a crocodile attack. The re-evaluation of these osseous alterations through detailed physical examination, comparison through direct observation and from the literature on extant turtles, and the use of the files obtained from a computerized axial tomography scan, allows the proposal of diverse causal agents, none of them supporting the previous interpretation. In addition, information regarding the pathogenesis and stages of the healing of the shell anomalies studied herein is provided.

Euarchontans from Fantasia, an upland middle Eocene locality at the western margin of the Bighorn Basin

The fossil record of North American Eocene mammals is best known from relatively low-elevation ‘basin center’ fossil localities in intermontane depositional basins of the Western Interior. This sampling bias, largely drawn from preservational bias, has limited our understanding of fauna from higher elevation Eocene fossil localities. Here we describe new specimens of crown primates and microsyopid plesiadapiforms from a middle Eocene (Bridgerian) locality (‘Fantasia’) from the western margin of the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. Fantasia has been considered a ‘basin-margin’ site and geological evidence suggests that it was already at a high elevation relative to the basin center at the time of deposition. New specimens were described and identified using comparisons across museum collections and published faunal descriptions. Linear measurements were used to characterize the patterns of variation in dental size. Contrary to expectations derived from other Eocene basin-margin sites in the Rocky Mountains, Fantasia has low anaptomorphine omomyid diversity and lacks evidence for the co-occurrence of ancestor-descendant pairs. Fantasia also differs from other Bridgerian sites in having low abundance of Omomys and unusual body sizes of several euarchontan taxa. Some specimens of Anaptomorphus and cf. Omomys are larger than those found in coeval sites, while specimens of Notharctus and Microsyops are intermediate in size between middle and late Bridgerian samples of these genera from basin-center sites. These findings suggest that high elevation fossil localities like Fantasia may record atypical faunal samples that should be more thoroughly explored to understand faunal dynamics during the periods of significant regional uplift like that represented by the middle Eocene record of the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, modern faunal data indicate that species body mass may be influenced by elevation, which may further complicate the use of body mass to determine species identity in the fossil record in the regions of high topographic relief.

A fossil beech fern (cf. <i>Phegopteris</i> (C. Presl) Fée) from Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, British Columbia

Ferns are important components of the biodiversity of wet forests across Canada, and the fossil record offers insights into the origins of fern diversity and biogeography. In 1967, Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park in north-central British Columbia was declared an Eocene Epoch plant, insect, fish, bird, and mammal fossil site of national scientific significance to preserve the Driftwood Creek fossil beds. The fossil plants from this important fossil site remain largely unknown. Here, a first record of a beech fern from the Eocene of British Columbia—morphologically comparable to the Phegopteris connectilis group—is illustrated, further revealing the past biodiversity of ancient British Columbia. The absence of sori and other key anatomical characters prevents definitive identification. Today, the circumpolar to temperate species Northern Beech Fern (Phegopteris connectilis) is widespread across British Columbia, occurring in wet coniferous forests; other members of the P. connectilis group also occur in temperate climates.

Fossil Squamates of Pedernales Province, Dominican Republic: Novel Record of Human-Induced Extinction and Extirpation

Hispaniola (Haiti & Dominican Republic (D.R.)), is the second largest island in the Caribbean and is a hotspot of squamate diversity (~184 species), yet little is known about their fossil record and how it relates to the present. Past studies on mammalian communities suggest that many rodent species go extinct after human arrival (~7,000 y.B.P.), most significantly after European colonization (~530 y.B.P.) corresponding to a rapid loss of 70-98% of original forest. Pedernales Province in the D.R., has much of its original forest cover, yet fossil squamates from this region have not been documented. Our study of Holocene dry cave fossil sites and a new archeological site located in Pedernales allows for evaluation of extinction in squamates in an area where deforestation is not a primary concern. Using dentigerous elements, several genera of squamates (Ameiva, Anolis, Celestus, Cyclura, Leiocephalus, and Geckos) were identified. We recorded their abundance at each depth, and found Anolis, Celestus, and Geckos to be the most common fossils. From this collection we discovered two new species of Celestus, a new species of Gecko, and revised the taxonomy of Leiocephalus. One of the newly identified large Celestus species, originally only known from fossils, was later discovered in a separate cave as a living specimen. These results suggest that deforestation is not the only driver of extinction in the D.R., and that even in well preserved areas, extinction of small taxa is happening. Additionally, some cryptic taxa may be unrecognized. The arrival of domesticated animals and associated pests (mice, rats, etc.), likely had a dramatic influence on these extinctions, as well as direct human predation, first reported here. Further radiocarbon and geochemical sampling of these herpetofaunal fossils will help assess why these species went extinct, and such trends can inform modern conservation efforts as to which taxa are most at risk.

Charophyte flora from the Oligocene fossil site of Suceag (Transylvanian Basin, Romania)

A charophyte assemblage composed of six species has been recovered from lower Oligocene deposits of the Dâncu Formation at the fossil site of Suceag (Transylvanian Basin, Romania). The assemblage is dominated by the two varieties of the species Lychnothamnus pinguis (L. pinguis forma pinguis and L. pinguis forma major). Accessory species include Lychnothamnus prealangeri, Nitellopsis (Tectochara) merianii, and few Sphaerochara sp. and Harrisichara sp. gyrogonites. L. pinguis is the index species of the homonymous Rupelian European biozone which was previously correlated in Western Europe with the Mammal Paleogene Reference Levels of MP21–MP23, and calibrated with the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), chrones C13N and C12R. From a paleobiogeographic viewpoint, this study confirms the presence of L. pinguis forma pinguis and L. praelangeri in Romania and in the whole Eastern Europe. Moreover, the charophyte assemblage from Suceag belongs to the Priabonian–Rupelian European charophyte bioprovince. While the vertebrate fossils reported in the same fossil locality indicate that the Dâncu Formation at Suceag sedimented in an estuarine environment, the charophyte assemblage suggests a more complex pattern, with presence of freshwater lakes too.

Palaeoecology of Middle Miocene charophytes from the Vallès‒Penedès and Vilanova basins (Catalonia, Spain)

ABSTRACT A diverse charophyte assemblage from the Middle Miocene of the Vallès‒Penedès and Vilanova basins (Catalonia, NE Spain) is here described and illustrated for the first time. This flora has been recovered from three localities: els Casots (Subirats), Vilobí del Penedès, and Mas de l´Alonso‒el Pi Gros (Vilanova i La Geltrú). The charophyte assemblages comprise ten different species distributed among three distinctive aquatic environments, and are approximately simultaneous to major fossil vertebrate sites of these basins. Sphaerochara ulmensis, Chara cf. vulgaris, Chara molassica var. notata, Lychnothamnus barbatus var. antiquus, Lychnothamnus sp., Nitellopsis (Tectochara) merianii, and Nitellopsis sp. occur associated to abraded benthic foraminifera in organic-rich claystones related to palustrine and shallow freshwater coastal lakes. Lamprothamnium papulosum forms monospecific assemblages in gypsum-claystone alternations attributed to a coastal brackish water salina. Chara cf. hispida and Chara sp. are found to be associated with ostracods in marls and limestones related to a permanent oligohaline and alkaline lake. The discovery of this aquatic flora sheds new light on the palaeoenvironmental conditions that prevailed in the Vallès‒Penedès Basin during the Langhian in the context of the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum and in the Vilanova Basin during the Serravallian.

The Neogene record of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali, Elasmobranchii) from northern Chile: A review and identification guide

The abundance of fossil sharks and other cartilaginous fishes in northern Chile is widely known. Fossil sites such as the Bahia Inglesa Formation were affected by intense exploitation by fossil traffickers, which caused the departure of numerous specimens that are currently in foreign collections. Fortunately, this has decreased in the last decade and the study of Chilean specimens has been increasing. This study seeks to synthesize and update our knowledge about fossil chondrichthyans from northern Chile, specifically during the Neogene, offering a review of the species mentioned in the literature, along with key characters that can help in their identification. In this way, we seek to generate a guide for the classification of dental elements, and outline future works that can validate some of these records. This is important if we take into account that a third of the records mentioned in the literature remain unconfirmed, due to the lack of adequate descriptions or images to validate the assignments. Furthermore, most confirmed records can only be validated at the genus level. Despite these difficulties, we identified 42 chondrichthyan taxa for the region and discuss their reliability. Of these only 28 can be confirmed based on the current evidence which, based on a rarefaction analysis, we estimate could represent 76% of the potential taxa to be discovered for the Neogene of northern Chile. This highlight the need for more studies on all unconfirmed taxa and to continue exploring these basins.

Stratigraphic revision of the early Miocene Kiahera Formation from Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya

Decades of research in Early Miocene deposits on Rusinga Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya, have made its fossil record pivotal for interpreting floral and faunal evolution in eastern Africa during the early Neogene. Paleontological research has largely focused on Rusinga Island's fossil-rich Hiwegi Formation, and because that work has largely motivated geological research a similar bias can also be found in stratigraphic studies of the island's deposits. Hence, the resolution of paleoclimate, paleohabitat, and floral and faunal community reconstructions from other formations is limited, and discrepancies in stratigraphic placement and correlations among outcrops limit our ability to fully assess the interplay of climate and evolution.New lithostratigraphic and sedimentologic analyses of the Kiahera Formation on Rusinga Island clarify these discrepancies. Our work demonstrates that the Kiahera Formation comprises ten facies and can be divided into three discrete clastic units (from bottom to top): Nyamita Spring Member, Ukowe Member, and Rondo Member. The lithofacies in the formation are composed of conglomerates, sandstones, airfall tuffaceous units, and paleosols. Conglomerates, sandstones, and paleosols are found primarily within fluvially-dominated sediments in the Nyamita Spring and Rondo Members, interpreted to represent little to no volcanic input. Tuffaceous units occur within the middle Ukowe Member and record a series of eruptions of the neighboring Kisingiri Volcano. Importantly, reassessment of the type section of the Wayando Formation, which previous researchers identified as the oldest formation on Rusinga Island, demonstrates that it is stratigraphically and lithologically equivalent with the upper member of the Kiahera Formation. Other deposits historically attributed to the Wayando Formation can likewise be correlated with sections of the Kiahera Formation. Hence, the Kiahera Formation represents the oldest sediments on Rusinga. Finally, our revised descriptions and analysis enabled us to identify the basal member of the Kiahera Formation in outcrops on neighboring Mfangano Island, but stratigraphically well above where previous researchers had positioned them. This provides a new basis for interpreting the relationship between Mfangano Island's important fossil assemblages and the better-known assemblages from Rusinga Island. In total, clarification and consolidation of Rusinga Island's Kiahera Formation significantly impact paleontological and paleoecological characterizations of this unit and of the entire Early Miocene geological sequence on the island, further informing interpretations of how Rusinga's fossil sites formed with respect to the evolving Kisingiri Volcano.

The Ordovician System of South Africa: a review

AbstractOutcrops of the Ordovician System in South Africa are extensive; they cover significant portions of the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape provinces as part of the Cape Fold Belt as well as the KwaZulu-Natal Province as supracrustal cover overlying the Natal sector of the Paleoproterozoic Namaqua-Natal metamorphic province. Within the Cape Fold Belt, Ordovician rocks of the Table Mountain Group (Piekenierskloof, Graafwater, Peninsula, Pakhuis and Cedarberg formations as well as the enigmatic Sardinia Bay Formation) outcrop extensively whilst pre-Cape rocks of the Kansa Group (Vaartwell, Uitvlug, Gezwinds Kraal and Schoongezigt formations) and Schoemanspoort Formation are present within the Kango Inlier encapsulated by the fold belt. The Natal Group (Durban and Mariannhill formations) is entirely located within KwaZulu-Natal. For the most part, these metasiliciclastic rocks are markedly unfossiliferous except for the world class fossil deposits of the Cedarberg Formation and important trace fossil sites in the Graafwater, Peninsula and Pakhuis formations. The lack of palaeontological material and other accurate geochronological proxies in these successions (as well as those of the Kansa and Natal groups and Schoemanspoort Formation) makes estimations of relative age constraints tenuous at best and difficult to correlate with global Ordovician chronostratigraphic frameworks. Regardless of the challenges faced in correlating these rocks within global frameworks, these rocks provide a unique low latitude glimpse into Earth surface processes and the feedback loops that ensued within the biological realm along the southern margin of Gondwana.

Pleistocene subtribe Terminaliinae (Combretaceae) fossils in the middle-lower Uruguay river basin, South America

The El Palmar Formation is a lithostratigraphic unit deposited by the Uruguay River and has an extensive Upper Pleistocene fossil record. The aims of this study are i. to describe in detail three new silicified wood specimens recovered in the Punta Viracho and Santa Ana fossiliferous localities that have the diagnostic features of the Combretaceae, and ii. to add new data to their significance of palaeoenvironmental and phytogeographical implications. Through the study of wood anatomy, the taxonomic identification of fossil woods is carried out. The mesomorphy and the efficiency of the water conduction system in the fossil woods are calculated. The Nearest Living Relatives (NLRs) method by Mosbrugger (1999) based on assemblage taxa is used to obtain paleoenvironmental data. This work provides three new fossil species related to Terminalia sensu lato (Combretaceae) based on fossil wood specimens. Features such as simple perforation plate, short vessel elements, density and diameter of the vessels suggest a strictly mesomorphic structure; where water conductivity efficiency was the predominant condition of these trees. The nearest living relatives of the fossils currently occur in the Atlantic forest in Brazil but are not present in the study area. We conclude that the present-day Atlantic woodland where these species coexist was more widespread in the Upper Pleistocene, reaching higher latitudes to the south (ca. 32° S).

On the validity of the Macrochorobates scalabrinii Biozone (early Huayquerian Stage/Age, Late Miocene). Multi-proxy analysis of the enigmatic Arenas Blancas site (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina)

Arenas Blancas is a poorly known fossiliferous site located in the lower reach of the Chasicó creek (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina), with great relevance from a biostratigraphic viewpoint. The Macrochorobates scalabrinii Biozone was defined in this site, proposed as the biostratigraphic basis of the early Huayquerian Stage/Age (Late Miocene); however, the geological context and faunal record of this site have never been studied in detail. In this work, we perform a multi-proxy analysis of the Arenas Blancas site, as well as a nearby site here called Curva de la Vaca, and provide new interpretations on their origin, age, and biostratigraphy. Sedimentological, stratigraphic, and geomorphological characteristics of both sites suggest that the sequences include fluvial/alluvial deposits that represent Quaternary terraces. The taxonomic analysis of the Arenas Blancas faunal assemblage evidences the presence of 14 mammal taxa, together with some fishes, reptiles, and birds; the assemblage is correlated with the assemblage from the Cerro Azul Formation assigned to the Chasicoan Stage/Age (Late Miocene), also recovered from the lower reach of the Chasicó creek. The use of the taxa proposed in previous works to characterize the Macrochorobates scalabrinii Biozone (including this species) is not supported due to their taxonomic status and/or temporal distribution. Taphonomic evaluation indicates that the assemblage is constituted by reworked specimens; in this frame, it is proposed that fluvio/alluvial events, occurred during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, eroded the Upper Miocene substrate and reworked fossil remains. Based on the present evidence, the Macrochorobates scalabrinii Biozone is here rejected as a valid biostratigraphic unit.

Oxygen isotope analysis of pygmy hippo’s fossil bone and tooth apatite from Aghia Napa, Cyprus

Dwarf elephants, pygmy hippos and various species of micromammals are some of the animals that lived on the island of Cyprus, 11,000 to 13,000 years ago. Fossil skeletal material of the pygmy hippopotamus Phanourios minor has been excavated from various fossiliferous sites in Cyprus, including Aghia Napa. Phanourios minor is considered to be the smallest of all known insular hippopotamuses. The animal is estimated to have measured about 76 cm (2.5 ft) tall and 121 cm (4.0 ft) long. During our study, material from Aghia Napa was used in order to attempt to reconstruct the palaeoclimatic conditions at the time this species lived on the island. The method used to determine the living conditions of this extinct species is the isotopic analysis of the bioapatite of bone and tooth samples.According to our results, and in comparison, to data from other similar studies, the average temperature in Cyprus was probably lower than 24 °C and in general the palaeoclimate (based on temperature) in Aghia Napa, Cyprus 12,000 years ago, was not very different to what it is currently, even though the age of the site coincides with the Younger dryas cold event. This has also been reported by other isotopic studies from Greece and the SE Mediterranean region for the specific era, according to which a cold climate is indicated, slowly passing on to a warmer period. According to today's data, we are now experiencing a warm period. The question that remains is how and to which extent, the SE Mediterranean region was actually affected by the cold event.

History of the Giraffe Pipe locality inferred from microfossil remains: a thriving freshwater ecosystem near the Arctic Circle during the warm Eocene

AbstractHow will freshwater lakes in the Arctic respond to climate change, especially if polar amplification results in even greater warming at these northern latitudes? Deep time analogs offer opportunities to understand the potential effects of future climate warming on arctic environments. A core from the Giraffe Pipe fossil locality located in the Northwest Territories of Canada offers a window into the life of a thriving Arctic freshwater ecosystem in the Eocene during greenhouse conditions. The remains of an extensive deposit of microfossils, including photosynthetic protists (chrysophytes, diatoms, and green algae), heterotrophic protists (euglyphids, heliozoans, paraphysomonads, and rotosphaerids), and sponges, were used to reconstruct the history of the ancient waterbody. Concentrations and diversity of chrysophyte taxa were extensive throughout the core, accounting for >70% of the microfossil remains. The ratio of chrysophyte cysts to diatom valves, with a mean value near 14 throughout the core, further emphasized the dominance of the chrysophytes, and given the high diversity of taxa, the locality represents a “paleo-hotspot” for this eukaryote lineage. Based on the totality of fossil evidence, the waterbody within the Giraffe Pipe crater represented a series of relatively shallow aquatic habitats, with changing physical and chemical conditions, and varying water depths. Five major zones were identified, each found to be stable for an extended period of time, but with distinct transitions between successive zones signaling significant shifts in environmental conditions. The study provides valuable insight on how Arctic freshwater ecosystems responded to past warm climates, and to the organisms that could potentially thrive in these environments under future warming scenarios.

THE BISON AND THE BLOW FLY: USING PUPARIA OF THE BLACK BLOW FLY (PHORMIA REGINA: DIPTERA, CALLIPHORIDAE) TO CONSTRAIN THE SEASON OF DEATH AND TAPHONOMIC HISTORY OF AN EARLY HISTORIC-AGE BISON, CARSON CITY, NEVADA, USA

ABSTRACT We report the occurrence of abundant dipteran puparia of Phormia regina, the black blow fly, in association with an early historic-age bison skeleton excavated near Carson City, Nevada. Cut marks on some of the bones indicate that the bison was butchered and probably skinned by humans. Radiocarbon dating provides two possible age intervals for the death of the bison: (1) latest seventeenth to early eighteenth century or (2) early nineteenth to early twentieth century; we consider the more recent age to be more plausible. The purpose of this study is to explore how the presence of puparia of this well-studied, necrophagous fly species can be used to help constrain the season of death and inform the interpretation of the taphonomic history of the bison. The life cycle of P. regina requires a minimum of 8.8 days within a temperature range of 14°C to 35°C, so the bison carcass must have been exposed to the air for at least that long within that temperature range. However, of the thousands of recovered puparia, 35% remain closed and did not produce adult flies; of this cohort, only a tiny percentage exhibit small exit holes attributable to parasitoid wasps. Cold temperatures, and not parasitoid wasps, are the most probable cause of the high pupal mortality. Climate data for the region, along with P. regina temperature constraints and streamflow and flooding records for the Carson River watershed, indicate that the bison died and was colonized by black blow flies in the spring, when night-time temperatures were low. A short time later the skinned and butchered skeleton was buried by floodplain sediments. Blow fly puparia can contribute useful information for the taphonomic analysis of vertebrate fossil sites.