Marine Vertebrate Fauna Research Articles

New fossil Cetaceans from the Middle Miocene of Cuba

Remains of cetaceans, particularly odontocetes, are scarce in the Cuban fossil record. Here we describe the second odontocete (toothed whale) record from the Neogene of Cuba and extends the temporal distribution of this group in the Insular Caribbean into the Middle Miocene. This account is based on two isolated teeth found in limestones of the Güines Formation that crop out in a quarry near the town of Guanábana, Matanzas City, northwestern Cuba. The specimens are referred to the superfamily Physeteroidea incertae sedis. These findings, along with other fossils recovered from other Early and Middle Miocene localities in the region support the hypothesis of a complex, diverse marine vertebrate fauna on the formerly called “Habana-Matanzas channel” and circum-Cuban waters during the Neogene.

New marine vertebrates (elasmobranchs, actinopterygians, reptiles)from the Upper Cretaceous Arabic Platform of SE Turkey

Here we describe new marine vertebrate remains, mainly isolated teeth, from the Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian-Santonian) of near Mardin, SE Turkey. This is the first report in this area of ptychodontid sharks (elasmobranchs), enchodontid teleosts (actinopterygians) and mosasaurid squamates (reptiles). The respective taxa Ptychodus cf. mortoni, Enchodus sp., Platecarpus sp. and Mosasaurinae indet. are described. These new data improve our knowledge on early Late Cretaceous marine vertebrate faunas from the Arabic Platform, classically known previously mostly from the Maastrichtian outcrops of Middle-East and Northwestern Africa, and extend the palaeobiogeographical distribution of these taxa into the western part of the Mediterranean Tethys, confirming their cosmopolitan status.

Historical material of cf. Thoracosaurus from the Maastrichtian of Denmark provides new insight into the K/Pg distribution of Crocodylia

Crocodylia are one of the distinctive groups that survived the K/Pg mass extinction event. New material from Upper Cretaceous–lower Palaeogene deposits is therefore important to understanding shifts in crocodylian distribution and ecology. This paper describes a fragmentary mandible of a marine crocodylian, from the lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) of Møns Klint (Denmark). The specimen is referred to cf. Thoracosaurus (Gavialoidea). Although the material was collected in 1968, it has not yet been formally described. However, the specimen warrants further attention, given its palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical significance. For instance, the Møns Klint “Thoracosaurus” is an indication of increased competition between large piscivores, and of added predation pressure on fish and cephalopod communities. This gavialoid therefore provides new insight into predator-prey interactions in the Danish Chalk palaeoenvironment. Regarding crocodylian distribution, the Møns Klint specimen represents the oldest European gavialoid record, with all other material deriving from uppermost Maastrichtian and Danian deposits. This indicates that Gavialoidea were present in the European “Chalk Sea” throughout the Maastrichtian, rather than being latest Maastrichtian arrivals. Furthermore, the Møns Klint “Thoracosaurus” represents one of few lower Maastrichtian gavialoids worldwide, the other two being from Mississippi and New Jersey (USA). The specimen thus extends the palaeogeographical range of lower Maastrichtian gavialoids across the proto-Atlantic. This reveals transatlantic distribution of Gavialoidea dating back to the earliest Maastrichtian, providing further evidence for distributional communication between marine vertebrate faunas of North America and Europe. These factors make the Møns Klint “Thoracosaurus” particularly valuable to understanding the distribution of K/Pg Crocodylia.

(Bio)stratigraphic overview and paleoclimatic-paleoceanographic implications of the middle-upper Eocene deposits from the Ica River Valley (East Pisco Basin, Peru)

The Eocene sediment successions of the East Pisco Basin (southern Peru) host an exceptionally rich and well-preserved assemblage of vertebrate fossils. However, due to the dearth of geochronological and biostratigraphic controls as well as of stratigraphic correlations, our understanding of these rocks and their fossil content remains elusive.This paper provides a comprehensive calcareous nannofossil, diatom, and silicoflagellate biostratigraphic framework for the Eocene strata exposed at four localities along the Ica River Valley, permitting a robust chronological calibration of the marine vertebrate fauna entombed therein and a better definition of important appearance/ extinction events. The Paracas Formation, deposited directly on top of the Proterozoic and Paleozoic rocks of the crystalline basement, is formed by a siliciclastic-bioclastic sand-sized deposit (Los Choros member) and calcareous-terrigenous siltstone (Yumaque member) that was deposited from the Lutetian (47.8–41.2 Ma) through the Bartonian (41.2–37.7 Ma) to the early Priabonian (37.7–33.9 Ma). The unconformably overlying Otuma Formation consists of a basal sandstone, followed by calcareous siltstone intercalated by diatomite layers towards the top. In the study area, the Otuma Formation is Priabonian in age and is truncated at the top by an unconformity at the base of the overlying Miocene Chilcatay Formation. Due to the angular nature of the unconformity, the upper Otuma strata reach the Oligocene elsewhere.Average sedimentation rates range from 17 to 24 m/My in the Yumaque member of the Paracas Formation and increase to 147–170 m/My in the Otuma Formation. The microfossil assemblages witness a coastal setting with warm-temperate conditions for the Paracas Formation that become slightly cooler (though still temperate) in the upper Otuma Formation. Diatomaceous layers in the upper Otuma Formation indicate an overall increase in nutrient availability, which could reflect the global reorganization of ocean currents at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. However, the taxonomic composition of the diatom assemblage suggests seasonal rather than persistent upwelling conditions.

Late Cretaceous marine reptiles from Malyy Prolom in Ryazan Oblast, Central Russia

During the Cenomanian–Turonian transition (~94 Ma), what is today Central Russia formed part of the northern epicontinental margin of the Tethys Ocean. Diverse marine vertebrate faunas inhabited these palaeoenvironments, but their fossils are incompletely documented. Here, we report the discovery of marine reptile remains, recovered together with pterosaur, chondrichthyan, and actinopterygian fish material from a basal-most glauconitic sand and gravel layer of the Dmitrov Formation. These strata are exposed in an active quarry near the village of Malyy Prolom in the Shatsky District of Ryazan Oblast, Central Russia. The Dmitrov Formation deposits are middle–upper Santonian, but unconformably contact the underlying lower–middle Cenomanian Yakhroma Formation via a condensed boundary horizon that contains the vertebrate fossils with bivalve shell fragments and siliceous and phosphatic clasts. Such sedimentary characteristics indicate a high-energy shoreface setting where the vertebrate teeth and bones were likely reworked during cyclical regressions commencing in the latest Cenomanian–early Turonian. Time-averaging is also evidenced by the mixed occurrences of brachauchenine pliosaurids, elasmosaurid and polycotylid plesiosauroids, ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurians similar to Pervushovisaurus, and a possible yaguarasaurine mosasauroid. These taxa are typical of Cenomanian–Turonian assemblages from across the northern peri-Tethys, and represent components of what were probably palaeobiogeographically widespread marine reptile faunas.

The Palestinian Marine and Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Preserved at the Biology Exhibition, Islamic University of Gaza, Bombarded by the Israeli Army in December, 2008

The Palestinian Marine and Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna Preserved at the Biology Exhibition, Islamic University of Gaza, Bombarded by the Israeli Army in December, 2008

Gerinces fosszíliák és kutatásuk a Kárpát-medencében

The richest vertebrate sites in the Carpathian Basin are mainly Neogene and Pleistocene, but there are also some Mesozoic localities that have been researched for decades and are of great international interest. The highly sporadic Paleozoic finds are mostly based on microfossils (conodonts) and some Carboniferous-Perm footprints, the former being biostratigraphically and the latter paleobiogeographically important. In addition to some significant scattered finds (Placochelys placodonta) from the Triassic period, old and new localities in Bihar and Villany provided diverse, predominantly marine vertebrate faunas that significantly added to our knowledge on shelf faunas of the southern Eurasian margin. Our Jurassic vertebrate record is composed of mainly isolated finds (e.g. the Magyarosuchus marine crocodile) or tracksites (Komlosaurus). The oldest fauna of the Cretaceous period is the archosaurian assemblage trapped in the Berriasian aged bauxite of Bihar, followed in time by recently discovered fish and reptile bones and teeth from the Albian Alsopere Bauxite. The Santonian aged Iharkut and Ajka vertebrate sites, discovered 20 years ago, provided a unique and diverse assemblage that fills a significant gap in the Late Cretaceous European record. The Maastrichtian Transylvanian localities, discovered 125 years ago, provided a highly unique island fauna including huge pterosaurs, dwarf sauropods and dome-headed multituberculate mammals. These Late Cretaceous assemblages are now among the dominant continental vertebrate records worldwide, providing a great insight into the insular faunal evolution of the European archipelago. From the Hungarian Paleogene mainly sporadic fossil sites with aquatic vertebrates were discovered and only few of them yielded richer, terrestrial faunas (e.g. Mariahalom, Bodajk). The 17-million-year-old Ipolytarnoc footprints, conserved by a volcanic eruption, are the best known of the Lower Miocene fossils. The famous giant petrified pine trunk and a rich shark tooth assemblage have also been preserved in this site. Many remains of Badenian, Sarmatian and later (Pannonian) sea cows, seals and cetaceans were collected from the Mecsek sand layers (eg. Danitzpuszta sand mine). Several significant sites from the terrestrial Middle Miocene have been excavated in the last three decades (Samsonhaza, Matraszőlős, Hasznos, Tasad/Tasad), their small mammal faunas were preserved by swamps and lacustrine accumulations. They are indicators of a warm and humid subtropical climate. The fossil ape Rudapithecus hungaricus, which is the best known palaeontological finding of Hungary, is an element of the rich late Miocene (10 million years old) subtropical ecosystem of Rudabanya. A similar fossil community was discovered in the covering layer of a gypsum mine in Alsotelekes. Gyepufuzes (Kohfidisch), Gotzendorf, Sumeg, Csakvar, Berbaltavar, Tardosbanya, Polgardi and other rich sites reflect on the environmental transformation during the Pannonian Age when the rich, subtropical forests disappeared and were replaced by wooded and then grassy savannas and finally sporadic desert areas. The alginate layers of Pula locality were deposited in a Pliocene volcanic crater lake. They yielded many, well-preserved leaf and arthropod fossils, fish, and mammalian remains. The findings from Ajnacskő(Hajnacka) were preserved by a volcanic eruption, while the fauna of Ivanhaza was discovered in the sediments of karst fissures. The karst fillings of Csarnota, Beremend and Ostramos show the faunal changes of the end of Pliocene and the beginning of Lower Pleistocene. Exceptionally rich Quaternary assemblages were yielded by Gombaszog (Gombasek) in the Hungarian Highlands and from Betfia in Transylvania. More than 100 localities were described from the Pleistocene of Hungary and at least 150 different faunas were found in them. Most of them are from fillings of karst cavities, but there are also fluviatile and aeolian sediments. Many findings of ancient humans have also been found in several localities (e.g. Vertesszőlős: Homo hedelbergensis, Subalyuk: Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, Istalloskő: Homo sapiens sapiens). Detailed multidisciplinary investigations have been carried out in some of these faunas (e.g. Somssich Hill, Suttő, Tokod, Vaskapu Cave) by research groups of different specialists recently. Macro- and microfaunas of these sites appropriately reflect on Quaternary climatic changes.

Seabird and pinniped shape soil bacterial communities of their settlements in Cape Shirreff, Antarctica.

Seabirds and pinnipeds play an important role in biogeochemical cycling by transferring nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial environments. Indeed, soils rich in animal depositions have generally high organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents. Several studies have assessed bacterial diversity in Antarctic soils influenced by marine animals; however most have been conducted in areas with significant human impact. Thus, we chose Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, an Antarctic Specially Protected Area designated mainly to protect the diversity of marine vertebrate fauna, and selected sampling sites with different types of animals coexisting in a relatively small space, and where human presence and impact are negligible. Using 16S rRNA gene analyses through massive sequencing, we assessed the influence of animal concentrations, via their modification of edaphic characteristics, on soil bacterial diversity and composition. The nutrient composition of soils impacted by Antarctic fur seals and kelp gulls was more similar to that of control soils (i.e. soils without visible presence of plants or animals), which may be due to the more active behaviour of these marine animals compared to other species. Conversely, the soils from concentrations of southern elephant seals and penguins showed greater differences in soil nutrients compared to the control. In agreement with this, the bacterial communities of the soils associated with these animals were most different from those of the control soils, with the soils of penguin colonies also possessing the lowest bacterial diversity. However, all the soils influenced by the presence of marine animals were dominated by bacteria belonging to Gammaproteobacteria, particularly those of the genus Rhodanobacter. Therefore, we conclude that the modification of soil nutrient composition by marine vertebrates promotes specific groups of bacteria, which could play an important role in the recycling of nutrients in terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems.

The Geology and Vertebrate Paleontology of Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, USA

The last comprehensive review of the fossil vertebrates from the Miocene of Calvert Cliffs was published more than 100 years ago. This volume is a collection of papers that updates some of the geological features of Calvert Cliffs and provides reviews of the fossil biota that include representatives from the following taxonomic groups: chondrichthyans (chimaeras, shark, skates, and rays), actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes), crocodilians (crocodiles), and sirenians (sea cows). Peter Vogt, Ralph E. Eshelman, and Stephen J. Godfrey document how the 20–40 m [65–130 ft] high Calvert Cliffs along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay continue to yield insights into 18–8 mya (Miocene) geology, marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna, and the origin and evolution of Chesapeake Bay and Calvert Cliffs up to the present. These exposures rank high among the best-known fossiliferous deposits of any age. Bretton W. Kent describes the cartilaginous fish (the chondrichthyan) fauna, consisting of 54 species—3 chimaeras (ratfishes), 39 sharks, and 12 skates and rays—a fauna rich in large macrophagous sharks and large neritic rays. In an addendum to Kent’s chapter, he and David J. Ward describe a new species of giant thresher shark with serrated teeth. Giorgio Carnevale and Stephen J. Godfrey present an account of the 38 actinopterygian taxa known from osteological remains and a diverse otolith assemblage of at least 55 taxa. These actinopterygians show an affinity for well-oxygenated muddy and sandy substrates dominated primarily by shallow-water species characteristic of the inner shelf and secondarily by epipelagic taxa. Robert E. Weems details the crocodilians referable to the tomistomine Thecachampsa. The closest living relative is Tomistoma schlegelii, the false gharial of Southeast Asia. Two species are present: Thecachampsa sericodon and T. antiquus. These tomistomines are found in shallow marine coastal deposits, indicating that they inhabited coastal waters. Daryl P. Domning reports that fossils of the Miocene marine fauna include rare sirenians of the family Dugongidae. Three taxa are known: the halitheriine dugongid Metaxytherium crataegense, the dugongine dugongid Nanosiren sp., and another dugongine, aff. Corystosiren. The St. Marys Formation contains remains that may be referable to Metaxytherium floridanum, but confirmation awaits the discovery of more complete specimens.

Marine vertebrate fauna from the late Eocene Samlat Formation of Ad-Dakhla, southwestern Morocco

AbstractLate Eocene deposits of the Samlat Formation, south of Ad-Dakhla city, southwestern Morocco, have yielded a mixed marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna. Abundant and diversified chondrichthyans and archaeocete whales have been found, as well as the remains of sirenians and proboscideans. Here we describe the rest of this fossil assemblage which includes actinopterygians, turtles, palaeophiid snakes, crocodiles and pelagornithid seabirds. Actinopterygians are represented by at least two large-sized taxa, a scombroid probably close to the extantAcanthocybiumor to the EoceneAramichthys, and a siluriform related to the Ariidae. Turtles include at least four species represented by shell fragments. This mixed coastal and continental turtle fauna includes one littoral species of Podocnemididae, one or two deep-sea species of Dermochelyidae and one deep-sea species of Cheloniidae. Another turtle species is assigned to the terrestrial Testudinidae. Fragmentary crocodilian remains indicate the presence of undetermined eusuchians tentatively referred to Gavialidae and/or to Crocodylidae. Snake vertebrae are tentatively attributed to the genusPterosphenus(Palaeophiidae) pending the discovery of new material. Avian remains belong to a large pseudo-toothed bird (Pelagornithidae). Pseudo-tooth morphology resembles that of the late Oligocene – Neogene genusPelagornis. Additional bird remains are needed for a more precise taxonomic assignment. The fossil assemblage and palaeoenvironment of the upper Eocene deposits of the Samlat Formation appear closely related to those of the upper Eocene – lower Oligocene deposits of the Fayum (Egypt). The initial overview of this fauna provides an important contribution to the study of vertebrate evolution in North Africa near the Eocene–Oligocene transition.

Biostratigraphy, geochronology and sedimentation rates of the upper Miocene Pisco Formation at two important marine vertebrate fossil-bearing sites of southern Peru

The Mio – Pliocene Pisco Formation, Peru, is a world renowned Konservat-Lagerstatte. Beside its potential in preserving important information on the history of the Pacific Ocean during the Miocene, the Pisco Fm. provides palaeontologists with the unique opportunity to study in detail the evolution of marine vertebrate fauna during the Neogene. Because diatomites are one of the main lithologies of the Pisco Fm., previous authors have hypothesised exceptionally high sedimentation rates related to the deposition of diatom frustules as the main cause leading to the formation of the Lagerstatte. However, sedimentation rates were never calculated. With the perspective to build a solid stratigraphic framework for the whole Pisco Fm., we started to investigate two important fossiliferous sites: Cerro Colorado and Cerro Los Quesos. Within these two areas, measurement of multiple stratigraphic sections combined with extensive field mapping of a number of distinct marker beds was carried out, which allowed a high-resolution correlation and creation of a local lithostratigraphic framework. Integrated tephrostratigraphy,40Ar/39 Ar dating and diatom biostratigraphy permitted an accurate chronostratigraphy to be established. Both biostratigraphic and radiometric ages converge to indicate a late Miocene age for the two sites, amending previous attribution of Cerro Colorado and Cerro Los Quesos to the middle Miocene. Age models for the site of Cerro Los Quesos reveal that sedimentation rates are high but in line with those of high-productivity environments, thus invalidating the hypothesis of exceptional sedimentation rates as the main cause for the formation of the Lagerstatte. These results are extremely important also in the perspective of building a complete stratigraphic framework for the Pisco Fm.

Virtual reexamination of a plesiosaurian specimen (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Goulmima, Morocco, using computed tomography

ABSTRACTTuronian deposits of the Goulmima area, Er-Rachidia Province in southern Morocco, have yielded a diverse marine vertebrate fauna, including chondrichthyans, bony fishes, and large marine reptiles such as plesiosaurians, mosasauroids, and turtles. These fossils are included in ovoid calcareous nodules that are difficult to prepare. Moreover, bones may be partially or totally dissolved, making their study difficult. Using computed tomography, we have reconstructed the entire skull anatomy of SMNS 81783, one of the rare plesiosaurian specimens found in this locality and more generally in Africa. The digital three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull and the mandible offers for the first time the possibility to describe this specimen exhaustively. The new anatomical characters recorded confirm that SMNS 81783 belongs to Elasmosauridae on the basis of (1) slender and triangular skull; (2) beak index equal to 42%; (3) temporal fossa estimated to occupy about 40% of the skull length; (4) long process of the premaxillae extending posteriorly to meet the parietal above the orbit and separating the frontals; and (5) margin of the temporal fenestra lacking obvious contribution from the frontal. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis confirms its elasmosaurid affinity. The relationships between SMNS 81783, Libonectes atlasense, and Libonectes morgani, as well as the presence of stapes and pineal foramen, are discussed.SUPPLEMENTAL DATA—Supplemental materials are available for this article for free at www.tandfonline.com/UJVPCitation for this article: Allemand, R., N. Bardet, A. Houssaye, and P. Vincent. 2017. Virtual reexamination of a plesiosaurian specimen (Reptilia, Plesiosauria) from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of Goulmima, Morocco, using computed tomography. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1325894.

An Upper Cretaceous (middle Campanian) marine chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fauna from the Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member of the Aguja Formation in West Texas

A thin phosphate-granule conglomerate within the Upper Cretaceous (middle Campanian) Rattlesnake Mountain sandstone member of the Aguja Formation preserves a diverse chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fauna. This highly fossiliferous deposit (the ‘Ten Bits Microsite’) yielded about 5000 teeth, spines, and denticles in a small amount of matrix (c. 150 kg). About 30 identifiable species of sharks, rays, and bony fishes are recognized. Two of the three most abundant chondrichthyan species at Ten Bits (Scapanorhynchus texanus and Ischyrhiza mira) are also the most common species in other middle to late Campanian marine vertebrate faunas along the Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain. The myliobatiform rays Brachyrhizodus and Rhombodus that occur at Ten Bits also appear to be characteristic of the Gulf and Atlantic Coast, as are lamniform sharks such as Cretalamna and Serratolamna. These taxa are entirely absent or extremely rare in Western Interior Campanian faunas. In contrast, some small orectolobiform sharks (Cantioscyllium, Chiloscyllium, Columbusia) and small rays (Protoplatyrhina) found at Ten Bits are common in shallow water faunas of the Western Interior and Texas Coastal Plain, but rarely reported from the eastern Gulf or Atlantic Coast. The common Western Interior ray Myledaphus bipartitus does not occur at Ten Bits or in any Gulf or Atlantic Coast fauna. Ptychotrygon agujaensis is abundantly represented in the Ten Bits fauna, but unknown in correlative marine faunas. Although Ptychotrygon occurs in all Western Interior, Gulf and Atlantic Coastal Plain faunas, it is represented elsewhere by apparently endemic species at each collection site. The differences between Western Interior, Gulf, and Atlantic Coastal Plain faunas probably reflect latitudinal variation in water temperature or salinity, or different oceanic water circulation patterns between the Western Interior Seaway and the Gulf or Atlantic Coast that restricted the distributions of some marine fish species. The Ten Bits fauna shares typical species with both Western Interior and Gulf and Atlantic Coast faunas, reflecting its position at the border between these provinces; however, the dominant taxa found at Ten Bits are the same as those found on the Gulf and Atlantic Coast, and indicate that western Texas was more closely allied biogeographically with that province than with the Western Interior of North America. One species tentatively identified in the Ten Bits fauna on the basis of a single tooth, Igdabatis cf. I. indicus, is otherwise known only from southern Europe and Asia, although a similar large myliobatid ray also occurs rarely in Texas Coastal Plain faunas. These occurrences indicate that western Texas may have been near the northern limit of the range for some tropical Tethyan marine vertebrate species.

Late Cretaceous Marine Vertebrate Fauna from the Fairport Chalk Member of the Carlile Shale in Southern Ellis County, Kansas, U.S.A.

The Fairport Chalk (middle Turonian) of the Carlile Shale is an Upper Cretaceous rock unit deposited in the middle of the Western Interior Seaway during the early regressive phase of the Seaway following its peak transgressive phase. The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas, U.S.A., houses a collection of marine vertebrate fossils from the Fairport Chalk in southern Ellis County, Kansas. The fossil fauna consists of at least 16 taxa, including 11 chondrichthyans, four osteichthyans, and one reptilian. They show wide ecological diversity, with examples of small to medium-sized opportunistic (Squalicorax), large predaceous (Cardabiodon and Cretoxyrhina), and durophagous (Ptychodus) sharks, as well as small (Enchodus), medium-sized (Plethodidae and Pachyrhizodus), and large (Ichthyodectes) bony fishes. Another notable finding is the occurrence of Telodontaspis agassizensis in which the species was previously known only from Cenomanian deposits, making the specimen from the Fairport Chalk the g...

Integrated biochronology for Triassic marine vertebrate faunas of Guizhou Province, South China

The Middle and Upper Triassic marine deposits of Guizhou Province, which yielded exceptionally well-preserved vertebrate faunas, are further investigated. New age-diagnostic conodonts and ammonoids from six measured sections, together with already published data, allow us to construct an integrated biochronology straddling strata from the upper Guanling Formation (Anisian, Middle Triassic) to the basal Xiaowa Formation (Carnian, Upper Triassic). Age constrains for those fossil Lagerstätten are now dated to the substage and zone levels: the Panxian Fauna, within the conodont Nicoraella kockeli Zone and broadly coexisted with the ammonoid ‘Schreyerites’ binodosus, is suggested as latest Pelsonian (middle Anisian) in age; the Xingyi Fauna is assumed to be not younger than the middle Longobardian (Late Ladinian) because the conodont Paragondolella inclinata with free-blade and the ammonoid Haoceras xingyiensis are recorded from slightly younger strata; the conodont Paragondolella auriformis and the ammonoid Trachyceras multituberculatum and Austrotrachyceras triadicum clearly indicate that the Guanling Fauna is not older than Julian (early Carnian) in age (time interval between Aon Zone or Aonoides Zone). With the new biostratigraphic data, a relative sequence and correlation of the Middle Triassic vertebrate faunas from Guizhou (South China) and Monte San Giorgio (Southern Alps, Switzerland/Italy) is proposed.

Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, northeast Japan

ABSTRACTA flightless fossil duck (Aves, Anatidae), Shiriyanetta hasegawai, gen. et sp. nov., is described as a member of the Shiriya local fauna, a middle–late Pleistocene marine and terrestrial vertebrate fauna from fissure-fill deposits in the Shiriya area, northeast Japan. The species is represented by isolated bones, including skull fragments, vertebrae, pectoral and pelvic girdle elements, and most of the major limb elements. Osteological features of Shiriyanetta suggest that it had taxonomic affinity with tribe Mergini (seaducks) of subfamily Anatinae, and specifically with Recent Polysticta and Somateria (eiders). Although the overall large size, several unique skeletal features, and the proportions of the limb bones of Shiriyanetta strongly resemble North American seaducks of the genus Chendytes Miller, 1925, extinct relatives of Somateria, most elements of the two genera are diagnostically different from one another. Comparisons of these taxa and other flightless anatids with their relatives show that some of the apparently shared osteological features of Shiriyanetta and Chendytes are probably associated with flightlessness rather than reflecting a close relationship between the two genera. Given that Recent Somateria has an impaired flight ability, or the occurrence of a temporary flightless condition, it is quite possible that Shiriyanetta and Chendytes might have lost their flight ability independently, resulting in the contemporaneous occurrence of flightless ducks on both sides of the Pleistocene North Pacific.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F23D3DBD-F31B-4129-8C92-EC00710603C7Citation for this article: Watanabe, J., and H. Matsuoka. 2015. Flightless diving duck (Aves, Anatidae) from the Pleistocene of Shiriya, northeast Japan. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2014.994745.

A marine vertebrate fauna from the Late Triassic of Somerset, and a review of British placodonts

The British Rhaetian (latest Triassic) is famous for its bone beds containing abundant remains of fishes and reptiles. Most Rhaetian bone beds are assumed to have been similar in faunal composition, representing long-distance mixing of transported remains, and deposition some distance from shore. In the Mendip Hills of southwest England, some Rhaetian bone beds lie unconformably on Carboniferous Limestone, where the marine sediments of the Rhaetian Transgression lapped onto the shorelines of the palaeo-islands. The fauna from the Marston Road site, near Holwell, Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, shows a remarkable association of some coastal and terrestrial reptile remains mixed with the usual teeth and scales of sharks and bony fishes. We report unequivocal fossils of a small lepidosaur, probably a sphenodontian, a terrestrial wash-in, as well as marine reptiles, the possible thalattosaur Pachystropheus and placodonts. Sphenodontian remains are abundant in Late Triassic red bed fissure fills from nearby, and the Marston Road site provides a palaeoecological/topographic link between terrestrial and marine deposits, hinting also that the development of some of the vertebrate-bearing fissures may have been coeval with the Rhaetian transgression.

Late cretaceous continental and marine vertebrate assemblages from the Laño quarry (Basque-Cantabrian Region, Iberian Peninsula): an update

The vertebrate-bearing beds of the Lano quarry (Condado de Trevino) are among the most relevant sites from the Late Cretaceous of Europe. Geologically, Lano and the adjacent region are set on the southern limb of the South-Cantabrian Synclinorium (SE Basque-Cantabrian Region, northern Iberian Peninsula). The Lano sites were discovered in 1984; thousands of bones and teeth, including microfossils, have been collected during the prospection in the field and excavation campaigns. The vertebrate remains occur at two different stratigraphic horizons within a continental to shallow marine succession of Late Campanian-Maastrichtian age. The lower horizon contains the Lano 1 and Lano 2 sites, whereas the upper horizon contains the Albaina site. In the Lano sites, three fossiliferous beds (called L1A, L1B and L2) are known within an alluvial system composed mainly of fluvial sands and silts. The sedimentary structures are consistent with channel areas within an extensive braided river system. Based mainly on stratigraphic correlations, the fluvial beds of Lano are regarded as Late Campanian to Early Maastrichtian in age. These deposits have yielded a very diverse vertebrate assemblage, which consists of nearly 40 species, including actinopterygians, lissamphibians, lepidosaurs, turtles, crocodyliforms, dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and mammals. Seven genera and ten species have been erected to date in Lano. With reference to the marine vertebrate association of Albaina, it consists of at least 37 species, including sharks and rays, actinopterygians, mosasaurids, and plesiosaurs. Two genera and species of rhinobatoids (family indet.) and two new species of rhinobatids have been erected in Albaina. The fossil association indicates a Late (but not latest) Maastrichtian age. Recently, isolated turtle and dinosaur fossils have been discovered in the sublittoral beds of Albaina. The Lano quarry is one of the most noteworthy Campanian-Maastrichtian vertebrate localities of Europe by its taxonomic diversity, and provides useful information about the composition and affinities of both continental and marine vertebrate faunas from the latest Cretaceous of southwestern Europe.

First dinosaur and turtle remains from the latest Cretaceous shallow marine deposits of Albaina (Laño quarry, Iberian Peninsula)

We report here on new vertebrate fossils from the latest Cretaceous of Albaina (Laño quarry, Condado de Treviño), northern Iberian Peninsula. They consist of an incomplete hadrosauroid femur and two partial plates of turtles, one belonging to a Pleurodira (Bothremydidae), the other one to an indeterminate taxon, probably corresponding to a Pan-Cryptodira. They are the first dinosaur and turtle remains found in the Late Maastrichtian sublittoral beds of Albaina. Other components of this shallow marine vertebrate fauna are selachians (sharks, rays), actinopterygians (pycnodonts, teleosts) and marine reptiles (mosasaurids, plesiosaurs). The Albaina femur is one of the few hadrosauroid remains from the Late Maastrichtian of Europe found in marine environments, and the first one described from this kind of deposits in the Iberian Peninsula. The histological structure of the bone indicates that it belongs to an immature individual of small size.

THE LOST WORLD OF GEORGES CUVIER: MOSASAURIDS FROM THE CAMPANIAN MEUDON CHALK (FRANCE)

The Late Campanian white Chalk of Meudon, a city located in the suburbs of Paris (France), has yielded during the 19 th century several mosasaurid remains consisting mainly in isolated teeth, most being nowadays lost. These specimens, which history is associated to the most famous French palaeontologists of that time like Georges Cuvier, Paul Gervais and Albert Gaudry, represent the earliest mosasaurid discoveries from France. As such, they are precious and unique witnesses of a lost world. In this paper, an historical approach has been privileged, focusing on the history of their discovery and how they were originally perceived and interpreted by Cuvier and others. On a systematical point of view, the material is referred mostly to indeterminate species of the tylosaurine genus Hainosaurus but also of the plio- platecarpine Plioplatecarpus and possibly of the mosasaurine Prognathodon , attesting of the occurrence of the three major clades of mosasaurids in this Late Campanian marine vertebrate fauna of France.