Mesozoic Taxa Research Articles

A new lungfish from the Upper Triassic of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT The lungfish, the extant sister group of the tetrapods, have an evolutionary history illustrated by a fossil record extending for ∼420 million years. The post-Paleozoic fossil record of the clade is almost exclusively restricted to sediments deposited in freshwater paleoenvironments and is characterized by an abundance of highly mineralized tooth plates, whereas cranial and postcranial remains are scarce. Here, we report a sample of isolated tooth plates found in the Upper Triassic Pebbly Arkose Formation of the Mid-Zambezi Basin, Zimbabwe. It consists of pterygoid and prearticular tooth plates from adult individuals, plus some dental plates referred to juvenile individuals, which we refer to a new species of Ferganoceratodus. This discovery provides an opportunity to review briefly the tooth plates of the ‘ptychoceratodontid morphotype’ reported from around the world. We discuss how various occurrences previously referred to Ptychoceratodus may be more appropriately referred, with caution, to Ferganoceratodus. We also describe the histology of the tooth plates of the new species and note similarities with other Mesozoic taxa. The scarcity of histological data for Mesozoic lungfish tooth plates compounds the problem of assigning isolated tooth plates to genus and species level. Ferganoceratodus and closely related taxa arose in the Early Triassic in southern Gondwana and diversified worldwide in the Late Triassic. The genus then became more common in Laurasia during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and declined thereafter with relict Late Cretaceous occurrences in Madagascar and South America.

Locomotor and postural diversity among reptiles viewed through the prism of femoral microanatomy: Palaeobiological implications for some Permian and Mesozoic taxa.

The water-to-land transition by the first tetrapod vertebrates represents a key stage in their evolution. Selection pressures exerted by this new environment on animals led to the emergence of new locomotor and postural strategies that favoured access to different ecological niches and contributed to their evolutionary success. Today, amniotes show great locomotor and postural diversity, particularly among Reptilia, whose extant representatives include parasagittally locomoting erect and crouched bipeds (birds), sub-parasagittal 'semi-erect' quadrupeds (crocodylians) and sprawling quadrupeds (squamates and turtles). But the different steps leading to such diversity remain enigmatic and the type of locomotion adopted by many extinct species raises questions. This is notably the case of certain Triassic taxa such as Euparkeria and Marasuchus. The exploration of the bone microanatomy in reptiles could help to overcome these uncertainties. Indeed, this locomotor and postural diversity is accompanied by great microanatomical disparity. On land, the bones of the appendicular skeleton support the weight of the body and are subject to multiple constraints that partly shape their external and internal morphology. Here we show how microanatomical parameters measured in cross-section, such as bone compactness or the position of the medullocortical transition, can be related to locomotion. We hypothesised that this could be due to variations in cortical thickness. Using statistical methods that take phylogeny into account (phylogenetic flexible discriminant analyses), we develop different models of locomotion from a sample of femur cross-sections from 51 reptile species. We use these models to infer locomotion and posture in 7 extinct reptile taxa for which they remain debated or not fully clear. Our models produced reliable inferences for taxa that preceded and followed the quadruped/biped and sprawling/erect transitions, notably within the Captorhinidae and Dinosauria. For taxa contemporary with these transitions, such as Terrestrisuchus and Marasuchus, the inferences are more questionable. We use linear models to investigate the effect of body mass and functional ecology on our inference models. We show that body mass seems to significantly impact our model predictions in most cases, unlike the functional ecology. Finally, we illustrate how taphonomic processes can impact certain microanatomical parameters, especially the eccentricity of the section, while addressing some other potential limitations of our methods. Our study provides insight into the evolution of enigmatic locomotion in various early reptiles. Our models and methods could be used by palaeontologists to infer the locomotion and posture in other extinct reptile taxa, especially when considered in combination with other lines of evidence.

The Oligocene/Miocene boundary in the ON-Mol-1 and Weelde boreholes along the southern margin of the North Sea Basin, Belgium

Based on palynologic interpretations, the Oligocene/Miocene boundary was identified in the cored samples of the ON-Mol-1 and Weelde boreholes in the southern North Sea Basin. In both boreholes, the presumed location of the Oligocene/Miocene boundary is marked by a thin gravel bed, which testifies of a hiatus, within a continuation of shelly, dark green to black fine glauconitic sands. In the Weelde borehole, the hiatus is relatively short as the dinocysts under- and overlying the gravel bed suggest a late(st) Chattian and early Aquitanian age. This study thereby for the first time indicates the presence of Aquitanian strata in the area. In the ON-Mol-1 borehole, located south of the Weelde borehole, the hiatus is longer as dinocysts under- and overlying the gravel bed suggest an early Chattian and late Aquitanian age. The wider ranges of the hiatus might be the result of the combination of erosion/non-deposition of late Chattian strata and the gradual transgression of the southern North Sea Basin from north to south after the Oligocene/Miocene sea-level fall. The sampled interval around the Oligocene/Miocene boundary contains a lot of reworked Paleogene (including irregular upper Oligocene species occurrences) and Mesozoic taxa, which explains why the Miocene strata in the ON-Mol-1 and Weelde boreholes were dated as Chattian by previous studies.

Geometric morphometric analysis of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) with two new Mesozoic taxa from Myanmar and China

A new genus and species of Labenopimplinae (Ichneumonidae), Heteropimpla megista Li, Shih, Kopylov & Ren gen. et sp. nov., is erected based on a specimen in mid-Cretaceous Myanmar (Burmese) amber. A key to genera of Labenopimplinae is provided. In addition, a new species, Amplicella abbreviata Li, Shih, Kopylov & Ren (Tanychorinae) from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation is described. Geometric morphometric analysis (GMA) was applied to study forewing venation of 24 Cretaceous species of Ichneumonidae and the results are presented for the first time. The GMA results not only confirm the taxonomic position of new taxa and relationships among these genera consistent with subfamily classifications, but also clarify the methodological differences between classical taxonomy and the GMA.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DC98459D-45C1-4B78-B59E-F32787B787F1

Flight, symmetry and barb angle evolution in the feathers of birds and other dinosaurs.

There has been much discussion over whether basal birds (e.g. Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis) exhibited active flight. A recent study of barb angles has suggested they likely could not but instead may have exhibited a gliding phase. Pennaceous primary flight feathers were proposed to show significant shifts in barb angle values of relevance to the inference of flight in these extinct taxa. However, evolutionary trends in the evolution of these barb angle traits in extant volant taxa were not analysed in a phylogenetic frame. Neither the ancestral crown avian condition nor the condition in outgroup dinosaurs with symmetrical feathers were assessed. Here, we expand the fossil sample and reanalyse these data in a phylogenetic frame. We show that extant taxa, including strong flyers (e.g. some songbirds), show convergence on trailing barb angles and barb angle asymmetry observed in Mesozoic taxa that were proposed not to be active fliers. Trailing barb angles in these Mesozoic taxa are similar to symmetrical feathers in outgroup dinosaurs, indicating that selective regimes acted to modify primarily the leading-edge barb angles. These trends inform dynamics in feather shape evolution and challenge the notion that barb angle and barb angle ratios in extant birds directly inform the reconstruction of function in extinct stem taxa.

Lower Jurassic corals from Morocco with skeletal structures convergent with those of Paleozoic rugosan corals

Neorylstonia nom. nov. pseudocolumellata, a replacement name for Mesophyllum pseudocolumellatum Beauvais, 1986, is only known from uppermost Sinemurian to uppermost Pliensbachian (Lower Jurassic) strata of Morocco. This solitary coral species went extinct during the Pliensbachian-Toarcian transition (~183.5 My), which is currently considered to be a second order biodiversity crisis linked to a period of rapid and global paleoenvironmental disturbances. Neorylstonia pseudocolumellata has a distinctive skeletal organization. The axial structure of the corallite, which has no equivalent in Mesozoic taxa, is reminiscent of the skeletal organization of some Paleozoic rugose corals such as Amygdalophyllum Dun and Benson, 1920, or Rylstonia Hudson and Platt, 1927. This similarity is based on the occurrence of a calicular boss also named pseudocolumella. As Rugosa and Scleractinia do not appear closely related, we consider that this feature cannot be due to evolutionary inheritance from a Rugosan ancestor. The morphological aspects of the skeleton have been assessed in order to understand the function and growth of this axial “calicular boss” as well as to more precisely describe the genus and species characters. The organization of the septal apparatus points to a typical Scleractinian pattern, which is also supported by the original aragonitic mineralogy of the skeleton. This implies a convergence phenomenon, leaving open the question of the functional significance of such a calicular organization. We posit that this feature was used for sexual reproduction and so did not always develop in a population.

The earliest direct evidence of frogs in wet tropical forests from Cretaceous Burmese amber

Frogs are a familiar and diverse component of tropical forests around the world. Yet there is little direct evidence from the fossil record for the antiquity of this association. We describe four fossil frog specimens from mid-Cretaceous (~99 mya) amber deposits from Kachin State, Myanmar for which the associated fauna provides rich paleoenvironmental context. Microcomputed tomographic analysis provides detailed three-dimensional anatomy for these small frogs, which is generally unavailable for articulated anurans in the Mesozoic. These crown-group anuran specimens provide the earliest direct evidence for anurans in a wet tropical forest. Based on a distinct combination of skeletal characters, at least one specimen has clear similarities to living alytoid frogs as well as several Mesozoic taxa known from the Jehol Biota in China. Whereas many Mesozoic frogs are from seasonal and mesic paleoenvironments, these fossils provide the earliest direct evidence of anurans in wet tropical forests.

Discovery of a long-term refuge for ostracods (Crustacea) after the end-Permian extinction: a unique Carnian (Late Triassic) fauna from the Mersin Mélange, southern Turkey

The Mersin Mélange, located in southern Turkey north-west of the city of Mersin, includes blocks and tectonic slices of different origins. The Kilek section in the Mersin Mélange was sampled for a thorough examination of its lithology, biostratigraphy and fossil content. Two samples from the cherty limestone layers within the Huglu Tuffites at the top of the section yielded a rich silicified ostracod fauna of late Early Carnian (based on a two-fold Carnian subdivision) or middle Middle Carnian age (based on a three-fold Carnian subdivision), deposited in an open marine environment, in the outer platform-upper slope zone. We report 121 ostracod species belonging to 53 genera. Two new genera are described: Edithobairdia Forel gen. nov. and Gencella Forel gen. nov., as well as 16 new species: Acanthoscapha mersinella Forel sp. nov., Bairdia hugluensis Forel sp. nov., Acratia kollmanni Forel sp. nov., Citrella? carniana Forel sp. nov., Cytheropteron? schornikovi Forel sp. nov., Eucytherura lacerata Forel sp. nov., Gencella taurensis Forel sp. nov., Kerocythere dorsidenticulata Forel sp. nov., Kerocythere tricostata Forel sp. nov., Monoceratina praevulsaformis Forel sp. nov., Patellacythere tourkosella Forel sp. nov., Polycope kilekensis Forel sp. nov., Ptychobairdia praekristanae Forel sp. nov., Simeonella daginikella Forel sp. nov., Spinomicrocheilinella reliquiaella Forel sp. nov. and Triassocythere tavuscayiriensis Forel sp. nov. The diagnosis of Acratia goemoeryi Kozur is emended. The Kilek fauna retains primitive characteristics illustrated by the first known occurrence of Palaeocopida and Rectonariidae (typical Palaeozoic forms) in the Late Triassic, associated with typical Triassic–modern elements such as thick-shelled and ornamented Bairdiidae and diverse Cytheroidea known from the Middle and Late Triassic worldwide. The unique composition of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic taxa from the Kilek section illustrates unexpected long-term survival in a deep-sea refuge zone following the end-Permian extinction, and the diachronous character of the ostracod recovery in different environments.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org.pub:662C3D5C–2B86–4D7B–BDB5–8F8B6A1AD1E7

A New Bethylid Wasp in Lebanese Early Cretaceous Amber (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea), with Comments on other Mesozoic Taxa

ABSTRACT A new genus and species of bethylid wasps is described and figured from a female preserved in Early Cretaceous (Barremian) amber from Lebanon. Holopsenella primotica, new genus and species, is distinguished from other bethylids and segregated into a new subfamily, Holopsenellinae, along with Cretabythus sibiricus Evans in Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Taimyrian amber. Holopsenellines are perhaps basal within the family, representing a stem group to other Bethylidae, and, if so, those features shared with the coeval Lancepyrinae suggest a basal position for that lineage as well. In addition, Lancepyris alavaensis Ortega-Blanco and Engel in Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from northern Spain is considered generically distinct from the type species of the genus, L. opertus Azevedo and Azar in Lebanese amber, and is transferred to the new genus, Zophepyris, resulting in the new combination, Zophepyris alavaensis (Ortega-Blanco and Engel). The genus Archaepyris Evans, currently considered as incertae se...

Стратиграфическое положение и местонахождения тэмлянской флоры бассейна нижнего течения р. Анадырь

Plant fossils from the volcano-clastic deposits of the lower part of the Tanyurer Formation and lower part of the Tavaivaam Unit in the Anadyr city area (Northeastrn Russia) are described for the first time. This assemblage was named as the Temlyan flora. It consists of 25 taxa and includes ferns, horsetails, lycophytes, ginkgoaleans, czekanowskialeans, cycadophytes, conifers and angiosperms. The Temlyan flora is similar in systematic composition to the Rarytkin flora from the upper part of the Rarytkin Formation which was dated as the late Maastrichtian-Danian. But it is distinguished from the latter by presence of the numerous relicts (Lokyma, Nilssonia, Encephalartopsis, Phoenicopsis and Ginkgo ex gr. sibirica). Probably the presence of relicts in the Temlyan flora is connected with influence of volcanic activity. Age of the Temlyan flora is determined as the late Maastrichtian-Danian on the basis of systematic similarity with the Rarytkin Flora. However this age may be slightly younger, possibly only early Paleocene, because the Tanyurer Formation superposes the Rarytkin Formation. Stratigraphic range of Lokyma, Nilssonia, Encephalartopsis, Phoenicopsis and Ginkgo ex gr. sibirica is extended from its previously known latest records in the early Campanian or middle Maastrichtian up to as late as the latest Maastrichtian or early Paleocene. It is very possible, that these typical Mesozoic taxa may have persisted into the Paleogene.

A Strigogyps-like bird from the middle Paleocene of China with an unusual grasping foot

ABSTRACT We describe a new avian species, Qianshanornis rapax, gen. et sp. nov., from the middle Paleocene Wanghudun Formation of the Qianshan Basin in Anhui Province, China. The holotype consists of an incomplete articulated foot and a few associated bones, mainly of the leg, wing, and pectoral girdle. Qianshanornis rapax is characterized by a derived foot morphology and may have had a hyperextendible second toe, which has so far only been reported for some Mesozoic taxa. The new species is markedly different from all other known Cenozoic birds and is here classified in the new taxon Qianshanornithidae. The leg bones, especially the distal end of the tibiotarsus, most closely resemble those of Strigogyps (Ameghinornithidae) from the Eocene, and possibly Oligocene, of Europe, but unlike the latter, the much smaller Q. rapax appears to have had well-developed flight capabilities.

Impact of the Evolution of Carbonate Ballasts on Marine Biogeochemistry in the Mesozoic and Associated Changes in Energy Delivery to Subsurface Waters

We have examined the impact of the Mesozoic algal revolution using biogeochemical simulations to analyze the energy flux into the subsurface environment. In particular, the delivery scheme of energy to the subsurface was dramatically altered by the appearance of mineralized exoskeletons, both in algal groups (e.g., coccolithophores) and in zooplanktic taxa. These biominerals, acting as ballast, accentuated the delivery of organic matter to subsurface waters. Thus, the elevated organic carbon flux associated with evolutionary developments in Mesozoic taxa caused an intense but short-lived oceanic euxinia, without an associated mass extinction event, in sharp contrast to the relatively prolonged Paleozoic euxinia that were generally coincident with mass extinctions.

On the mesozoic taxa of scarabaeoid beetles of the family Hybosoridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)

Three new species of scarabaeoid beetles of the family Hybosoridae are described in the new genus Protohybosorus, gen. nov. from the Middle-Upper Jurassic of Kazakhstan (Karatau-Mikhailovka locality). The Lower Cretaceous species Geotrupoides fortus Ren, Zhu et Lu, 1995 (Inner Mongolia, China) is transferred to the genus Leptosorus Nikolajev, 2006.

Marine reptiles from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) deposits of White Cliffs, southeastern Australia: implications of a high latitude, cold water assemblage

Marine reptile remains, represented by several fragmentary skeletons and isolated elements, are described from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) southern high latitude deposits (Doncaster Member, Wallumbilla Formation) of White Cliffs in southeastern Australia. The specimens are attributable to at least three families of plesiosaur (Elasmosauridae, Polycotylidae and Pliosauridae) and probably one family of ichthyosaur (Ophthalmosauridae). Polycotylid material from White Cliffs is amongst the oldest from anywhere in the world, and could point to an eastern Gondwanan origin for the group. Interestingly, the White Cliffs marine reptile fossils occur in association with palaeoclimatic indicators denoting seasonally very cold to near freezing conditions. This differs markedly from the climate regimes typically tolerated by modern aquatic reptiles but suggests that some Mesozoic taxa were able to cope with low temperature environments. Exactly what adaptations facilitated their survival is unknown. However, various strategies including elevated metabolic rates, rapid growth and/or seasonal migration/hibernation might have enabled their exploitation of cold water habitats along the southern coastal margin of the Australian Cretaceous epicontinental seaway.

Equisetites pusillus sp. nov. from the Aptian of Patagonia, Argentina

Compressions of fertile equisetacean branches belonging to the new species Equisetites pusillus are described using light microscopy. The specimens were collected at the Estancia Bajo Tigre locality in strata referred to the Anfiteatro de Tico Formation, Baquero Group (Aptian) from the Santa Cruz province, Argentina. The fertile stems bear an oval and solitary terminal cone with spores. The spores are alete, circular and without elaters. Equisetites pusillus sp. nov . is compared with other fossil equisetacean taxa from Argentina and elsewhere. The spores are compared with those of two extant Equisetum species from Argentina, and also with other mesozoic taxa. The compressions were found in sediments rich in organic matter, deposited in shallow waters surrounded by environments colonized by sphenophytes, ferns and bryophytes. This type of landscape was frequent during the Aptian originating a common type of deposit (lenticular) in the Anfiteatro de Tico Formation.

The limits of the family Evaniidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) and a new genus from Lebanese Amberamber

AbstractThe definition of the family Evaniidae is revised and Cretevaniidae are synonymised with Evaniidae based on evidence derived from recently described Mesozoic taxa and a new genus and species, Lebanevania azari, described here from Lebanese amber. A fore leg with a long trochanter and a 12-segmented antenna are autapomorphies of the new genus. A large, high and wide head and a high and short mesosoma are derived characters shared with other Evaniidae. The new genus also has complete fore wing venation and lacks a tubular petiole, which are ground plan features of the Evanioidea. A cladistic analysis of fossil and extant members of the superfamily Evanioidea and notes on fossil taxa are presented.

Phylogeny of the Cardiidae (Mollusca, Bivalvia): Protocardiinae, Laevicardiinae, Lahilliinae, Tulongocardiinae subfam. n. and Pleuriocardiinae subfam. n.

In a preliminary cladistic analysis of the bivalve family Cardiidae (Schneider 1992), members of the subfamilies Protocardiinae, Lahilliinae, and Laevicardiinae, plus the genus Nemocardium, were found to be the least derived taxa of cardiids. A cladistic analysis is undertaken of the genera and subgenera of these cardiid taxa, plus several Mesozoic taxa which have never been assigned to any subfamily. The Late Triassic Tulongocardium, which is placed in Tulongocardiinae subfam. n., is the sister taxon to all other cardiids. Protocardiinae is restricted to the genus Protocardia. Most other Mesozoic taxa which have been placed in the Protocardiinae are found to be members of the Lahilliinae. Nemocardium is placed in the Laevicardiinae. Incacardium, Pleuriocardia, and Dochmocardia form a monophyletic group, Pleuriocardiinae subfam. n. Pleuriocardiinae, Laevicardiinae, and the remaining members of the Cardiidae (herein informally termed “cucardiids”) form a monophyletic group.