Vertebrate Localities Research Articles

Key aspects of the stratigraphy of the Upper Silesian middle Keuper, southern Poland

The stratigraphy of the Upper Silesian Keuper, a continental, mudstone-dominated succession is poorly known, although the already renowned, newly discovered vertebrate localities highlight the growing demand for a more precise intra-regional correlation and an appropriate stratigraphic reference framework. A major lithostrati- graphic unit, preliminarily proposed for the middle Keuper (i.e., above the Schilfsandstein; Stuttgart Formation in “Stratigraphische Tabelle von Deutschland”, 2002) by Szulc and Racki (2015; Przegląd Geologiczny , 63: 103– 113), is described in detail. The redefined Grabowa Variegated Mudstone-Carbonate Formation, the unit pre- viously based on inaccurately presented information, includes the Upper Gypsum Beds and the Steinmergel- keuper in the traditional scheme from Germany (= Weser and Arnstadt formations). Three members are formally defined: the Ozimek (Mudstone-Evaporite) Member, the Patoka (Marly Mudstone-Sandstone) Member and the Woźniki (Limestone) Member. Two significant bone-bearing horizons (Krasiejow and Lisowice) are placed within the Patoka Mbr. The formation thickness in a composite, regional reference section of the Upper Silesian Keuper, based on the new Woźniki K1 and Patoka 1 well profiles, is approximately 215 m thick. The Grabowa Fm generally correlates with the Norian stage, with the base located in the undefined upper Carnian, and is topped by a major, erosive disconformity and sedimentary sequence boundary, near the Norian-Rhaetian boundary. However, hiatuses in the Silesian middle Keuper succession are located and paired with a cannibalistic type of sand-mud flat deposition, largely controlled by Early Cimmerian movements of tectonic blocks associated with the Krakow– Lubliniec shear zone.

How many Upper Triassic bone-bearing levels are there in Upper Silesia (southern Poland)? A critical overview of stratigraphy and facies

At least three widely separated bone-bearing intervals in the Upper Triassic succession of Upper Silesia, ranging in age from the Carnian to Rhaetian (i.e., in the interval of 25 Ma), are presented in papers by the Warsaw research group, led mainly by Jerzy Dzik and/or Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki. The stratigraphic arguments are reviewed for the vertebrate localities studied so far, in particular for the well-known middle Keuper sites at Krasiejow and Lipie Śląskie, to show that the previously proposed age assignments are still inadequately documented and questionable. This unreliability is exemplified by the evolving stratigraphic correlation of the fragmentary Silesian sections (8–18 m thick) with informal subsurface units from central-western Poland and with the German standard succession, ultimately not corroborated by comparison with the composite reference succession of the Upper Silesian Keuper, including new profiles (ca. 260 m thick) from the Woźniki K1 and Patoka 1 wells. Based on a multidisciplinary stratigraphic study covering consistent litho-, bio-, climato- and chemostratigraphic premises, focused on the regional reference section, two bone-bed levels only are recognized in the Patoka Marly Mudstone-Sandstone Member (= Steinmergelkeuper) of the Grabowa Formation, not very different in age (Classopollis meyeriana Palynozone; probably IVb Subzone): (1) the localized Krasiejow bone breccia level (early Norian in age) in the Opole region, and (2) the far more widely distributed Lisowice bone-bearing level (middle Norian) in a vast alluvial plain (braided to anastomosing river system) during the Eo-Cimmerian tectonic-pluvial episode. As a consequence of the principal uncertainties and controversies in Upper Triassic terrestrial stratigraphy, this is still a somewhat preliminary inference. Typical skeletal concentra- tions of a combined hydraulic/sedimentologic type, related to fluvial processes, are common in the Upper Silesian Fossil-Lagerstatten, although factors governing preservation are probably important, as well.

A new durophagous scincomorphan lizard genus from the Late Cretaceous Iharkút locality (Hungary, Bakony Mts)

The Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Iharkut terrestrial vertebrate locality in Hungary has already yielded scincomorphan taxa such as the polyglyphanodontines Bicuspidon and Distortodon and the chamopsiid Pelsochamops. Besides these, more lacertilian material is available, including a single right mandible, different from both the abovementioned genera from Iharkut and from other previously known taxa. This specimen is described here as Chromatogenys tiliquoides gen. nov. sp. nov. The open Meckelian canal, the wide subdental shelf with deep sulcus dentalis, and the pleurodont teeth support the referral of the specimen to Scincomorpha. Within that, Chromatogenys differs from groups known from Iharkut, such as polyglyphanodontines and chamopsiids, and is also distinct from other contemporary scincomorphs from Europe, North America, and Asia. It exhibits a combination of mixed characters, some of which are shared by scincids, cordylids, and contogeniids. Chromatogenys might be a representative of a new family within Scincomorpha, but its familiar relationships should be considered to be uncertain (familia incertae sedis) until more material is found. Chromatogenys had a durophagous dentition similar to those of extant skinks such as Tiliqua, and most probably had a similar diet too, composed of molluscs, eggs, insects, small vertebrates, and fruits.

Taphonomic and paleoecologic investigations of the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) Iharkút vertebrate assemblage (Bakony Mts, Northwestern Hungary)

The Iharkút vertebrate locality, an open-pit mine in the Bakony Mountains (western Hungary), has provided a rich and diverse assemblage of Late Cretaceous (Santonian) continental vertebrates. The isolated and associated remains represent 31 different taxa including fish, amphibians, turtles, lizards, pterosaurs, crocodilians, non-avian dinosaurs and birds. Sedimentologic investigations suggest that the Iharkút depositional environment was represented by the floodplain of a very low-gradient river. The 10–50cm thick bonebed of site SZ-6, is the most important fossiliferous layer in the open-pit mine and analysis of this site indicates alternating energy conditions during the bone accumulation, which resulted in fossils of different states of preservation being deposited together. The vertebrate assemblage of site SZ-6 includes three main different subsets with widely different taphonomic history. The characteristics and the preservation mode (high rate of abrasion and the spherical shape) of the “bone pebbles” suggest that this type of the isolated bones was more exposed to abrasion and probably the remains were transported from farther away than the other isolated bones. The second group includes 88% of the Iharkút collection, containing most of the identified isolated bones and teeth, and represents polytypic attritional remains transported and deposited by high density flow during ephemeral flood events. Meanwhile the monospecific ankylosaur skeletal material from Iharkút site SZ-6 may represent a mass death assemblage because seven skeletons of Hungarosaurus were discovered from an area of approximately 400m2 and in many cases close to each other in the same layer. The Iharkút vertebrate assemblage is dominated by bones of aquatic/semi-aquatic animals, while the number of terrestrial animal remains is subordinate. The taphonomic analysis of the ankylosaur material from Iharkút locality further strengthens the previously suggested hypothesis that some of the ankylosaurs preferred wetland habitats (e.g. areas along fluvial systems) while the other two herbivorous dinosaur groups from Iharkút (ornithopods and ceratopsians) were probably living in distal habitats.

A late Miocene mammalian fauna from Olba in the Sarrión Depression, eastern Spain

The Olba vertebrate locality, discovered in 1974, was mentioned in several publications, but its fauna has never been studied. The locality is situated in the Sarrion Depression, on the road from La Escaleruela to Olba, and it is included in the lower unit of this depression, which unconformably covers the Jurassic-Cretaceous basement and the early Miocene deposits of the Rubielos de Mora graben. This paper presents an exhaustive study of the remains of large and small mammals that were collected by E. Moissenet and preserved up to the present time in the Paleontology collections of the Paris Natural History Museum. The major taxa represented in this material are Ruminantia (Lucentia iberica and ?Micromeryx sp.), Suidae (Microstonyx cf. major), Equidae (Hipparion sp.), Erinaceidae (Parasorex ibericus), Ochotonidae (Prolagus crusafonti) and the muroids (Hispanomys cf. adroveri and Occitanomys sp). An age of early-middle Turolian can be assigned to this fauna based on the similarities of these species with Crevillente 2 and Los Mansuetos, both in Spain, which are respectively the reference localities of the Neogene mammalian zones MN11 and MN12. The composition of the fauna is comparable to that of Turolian localities in the Calatayud-Teruel Basin, indicating an open woodland environment.

Three bird taxa (Aves: Anatidae, Phasianidae, Scolopacidae) from the Late Miocene of the Sea of Azov (Southwestern Russia)

European Late Miocene avian faunas are very insufficiently known. Until now, no Mio-Pliocene birds have been described from the eastern part of the Eastern Paratethys, and the entire record of birds from the Eastern Paratethys is restricted to several poorly described taxa from Ukraine and Moldova. Here we describe the remains of three bird species from the recently discovered Late Miocene vertebrate locality Morskaya-2, which has yielded the first known avian fauna of this age in the European part of Russia and also the easternmost Neogene avian fauna in Europe. The three taxa represent the families Phasianidae, Anatidae and Scolopacidae, which have not been documented from the Miocene of the Eastern Paratethys before. A small quail from Morskaya is assigned to Plioperdix hungarica comb. nov., which was previously known from the Late Miocene of Hungary. We show that the morphology of the acrocoracoid process of the coracoid is very diagnostic in phasianids and fits the molecular phylogeny of the family relatively well. Apomorphic characters indicate that Plioperdix is a sister taxon of the extant genus Coturnix. A medium-sized duck is assigned to the genus Anas s.s. and described as a new species, A. kurochkini sp. nov. Although metrically close to S. clypeata, this duck is morphologically distinct from all extant dabbling ducks. The presence of the quail and the duck indicates a certain degree of similarity between the avian faunas across the northern borders of the Central and Eastern Paratethys in the latest Miocene. The third reported taxon is a large snipe, which is described here as Gallinago azovica sp. nov.

A new and primitive species of Protophiomys (Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from the late middle Eocene of Djebel el Kébar, Central Tunisia

Based on fossil discoveries and phylogenetic studies, an Eocene Asian origin for hystricognathous rodents and anthropoid primates has gained strong support in recent years. The two groups then invaded both Africa and South America, which promoted their evolutionary success. However, the fossil record has so far failed to constrain the nature and precise timing of these pivotal dispersal events. In Africa, given the apparent absence of hystricognaths and anthropoids in early to early middle Eocene localities, it is suggested that these mammal groups dispersed from Asia to Africa sometime during the middle Eocene. In this paper, we report the discovery of several isolated teeth of a rodent from a new vertebrate locality situated in central Tunisia (Djebel el Kebar, KEB-1), dating from the late middle Eocene (Bartonian, ~39.5 Myr). These fossils document a diminutive new species of Protophiomys (P. tunisiensis nov. sp.), a basal genus of hystricognathous rodents which is well known from several North African mammalian-bearing localities of the end of the Eocene. The teeth of P. tunisiensis display a suite of anatomical details comparable with those observed in the other species of the genus, but with a lesser degree of development. Such an apparent primitive evolutionary stage is corroborated by the greater antiquity of this Tunisian species. P. tunisiensis nov. sp. is so far the most ancient representative of hystricognaths in Africa. However, it can be expected that hystricognaths were already present on that landmass given the new data on early caviomorphs recently reported from South America (at ~41 Myr). The arrival of hystricognaths in Africa from South Asia certainly predates the depositional period of the Kebar sediments, but perhaps not by much time.

Terrestrial vertebrates from the Sarmatian (late Serravallian) of the Central Paratethys – the fossil site of Gratkorn (Styrian Basin, Austria)

The Paratethys Sea represents a huge landlocked water body of western Eurasia, which evolved during the Cenozoic era from open to restricted marine conditions towards brackish and lacustrine basins (Rogl and Steininger 1983). Due to the endemic evolution of Paratethyan biota and the tectonics of the Alpine orogeny, chronostratigraphic correlations and basin evolution are still partly a matter of debate and a subject of intense scientific research. Despite the mainly marine or lacustrine sedimentation (Steininger et al. 1985), fossils of continental biota are not rare in deposits in the Paratethyan realm. Notably, terrestrial vertebrates have been known for a long time (e.g. Eichwald 1835), but well-documented excavations and faunas are rare or absent from many stratigraphic stages and basins. This is especially true for the Sarmatian regional stage when the Paratethys was becoming isolated from the world oceans (Piller et al. 2007). This chronostratigraphic stage is crucial, because the Sarmatian sensu stricto (=Volhynian and early Bessarabian) represents the last period with a uniform marine biofacies in the entire Paratethys, extending from the Styrian Basin in the west to the Lake Aral in the east (Steininger and Wessely 2000). While the deposits cover a huge area, terrestrial biota are still a rarity, and those from the early to late Sarmatian transition (Volhynian–Bessarabian transition) virtually unknown. The discovery of the Gratkorn fossil site due to geologic mapping in 2005 gives a unique opportunity to study continental ecosystems of this specific time horizon (12.2– 12.0 Ma, early to late Sarmatian transition). Systematic palaeontologic excavations starting in 2006 have been carried out in a cooperation between the Universalmuseum Joanneum (Graz), the Ludwig Maximillians Universitat Munchen, and the Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen. Besides abundant fossils of plants (leafand carpoflora), molluscs (gastropods and mussels), and arthropods (insects, ostracodes, and crabs), more than 1,500 specimens of vertebrates have so far been excavated. These fossils cover all major groups of vertebrates, namely fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, rendering Gratkorn a benchmark locality for continental biota from the Sarmatian of the Central Paratethys. This special issue is dedicated to Prof. Dr. Friedrich Franz Steininger on the occasion of his 75th birthday in 2014, and in honour of his noteworthy scientific contributions to chronostratigraphy, palaeogeography, and biofacies of the Paratethys Sea. Twelve publications have been brought together summarising the first nearly 10 years of research at Gratkorn. They deal with the geology of the Gratkorn locality, the vertebrate taphonomy, and selected aspects of vertebrate taxonomy and ecology. Further scientific contributions to Gratkorn, e.g. the macro-flora and the carnivore mammals, are in preparation and will shortly be published in a forthcoming issue of Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments. This article is a contribution to the special issue “The Sarmatian vertebrate locality Gratkorn, Styrian Basin.”

Vertebral Giant Cell Tumor: Diagnosis Difficulties and Therapeutics’ Challenges

Giant cell tumor remains one of the most controversial and discussed bone tumors. Its diagnosis may be very difficult especially in vertebral localization as it requires a careful study of the pathology tissue. The authors report a series of four patients, treated in the MT Kassab orthopaedic Institute for vertebral giant cell tumor (GCT), with different clinical presentation and therapeutic strategies. By presenting those cases we point to surgical and medical treatments’ difficulties and the challenge of avoiding local recurrence and distant metastasis of this tumor.

Mid-Pliocene Carnivora from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia

The Woranso-Mille paleontological study area, located in the central Afar region of Ethiopia, is one of the most important Pliocene sites in eastern Africa. Since the Woranso-Mille Research Project began its investigation in 2005, more than 7,500 mammalian fossils, including hominins, have been collected from 80 vertebrate localities. This paper provides a preliminary assessment of the Woranso-Mille carnivoran record, a record that is of great interest given the high level of species richness of African carnivorans during the middle Pliocene. Craniodental and postcranial material of canids, lutrine mustelids, viverrids, herpestids, machairodontine and feline felids, and hyaenids has been recovered. Thus, this diverse fauna includes not only the largest carnivorans from this time period (e.g., Enhydriodon and Homotherium), but also some of the smallest, including mongooses, civets, genets, and felids, some of which represent new species. However, the diversity of small taxa does not yet approach that found in the roughly contemporaneous Upper Laetolil Beds of Tanzania. In contrast, lutrine mustelids are better represented at Woranso-Mille than at Kanapoi (Kenya) or Laetoli (Tanzania), which is to be expected given the diversity of habitats represented at these sites. While more material from these sites and others are necessary to truly understand the increased diversity within the early to middle Pliocene eastern African carnivoran guild, it is clear that the material from Woranso-Mille has the potential to fill many of the gaps in our knowledge of carnivorans during this time period.

Robust 3D–2D image registration: application to spine interventions and vertebral labeling in the presence of anatomical deformation

We present a framework for robustly estimating registration between a 3D volume image and a 2D projection image and evaluate its precision and robustness in spine interventions for vertebral localization in the presence of anatomical deformation. The framework employs a normalized gradient information similarity metric and multi-start covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy optimization with local-restarts, which provided improved robustness against deformation and content mismatch. The parallelized implementation allowed orders-of-magnitude acceleration in computation time and improved the robustness of registration via multi-start global optimization. Experiments involved a cadaver specimen and two CT datasets (supine and prone) and 36 C-arm fluoroscopy images acquired with the specimen in four positions (supine, prone, supine with lordosis, prone with kyphosis), three regions (thoracic, abdominal, and lumbar), and three levels of geometric magnification (1.7, 2.0, 2.4). Registration accuracy was evaluated in terms of projection distance error (PDE) between the estimated and true target points in the projection image, including 14 400 random trials (200 trials on the 72 registration scenarios) with initialization error up to ±200 mm and ±10°. The resulting median PDE was better than 0.1 mm in all cases, depending somewhat on the resolution of input CT and fluoroscopy images. The cadaver experiments illustrated the tradeoff between robustness and computation time, yielding a success rate of 99.993% in vertebral labeling (with ‘success’ defined as PDE <5 mm) using 1,718 664 ± 96 582 function evaluations computed in 54.0 ± 3.5 s on a mid-range GPU (nVidia, GeForce GTX690). Parameters yielding a faster search (e.g., fewer multi-starts) reduced robustness under conditions of large deformation and poor initialization (99.535% success for the same data registered in 13.1 s), but given good initialization (e.g., ±5 mm, assuming a robust initial run) the same registration could be solved with 99 993% success in 6.3 s. The ability to register CT to fluoroscopy in a manner robust to patient deformation could be valuable in applications such as radiation therapy, interventional radiology, and an assistant to target localization (e.g., vertebral labeling) in image-guided spine surgery.

A new polyglyphanodontine lizard (Squamata: Borioteiioidea) from the Late Cretaceous Iharkút locality (Santonian, Hungary)

In recent years the Late Cretaceous (Santonian) terrestrial vertebrate locality at Iharkút (western Hungary) has yielded well-preserved remains of lizard taxa besides the remains of fishes, amphibians, turtles, crocodiles, pterosaurs and dinosaurs. Previously the polyglyphanodontine lizard Bicuspidon aff. hatzegiensis has been reported from Iharkút. However, recent excavations at this site produced more lacertilian remains including new polyglyphanodontine material, namely a maxilla and two dentaries which suggest the presence of a new genus in the Iharkút fauna. This previously unknown lizard (described here as Distortodon rhomboideus n. g. n. sp.) is distinct from other polyglyphanodontines such as Bicuspidon, Paraglyphanodon, Polyglyphanodon, Dicothodon and Peneteius. It differs from these genera mainly in having the lingual cusp situated more distally compared to the labial one on its bicuspid teeth located in the distal part of the tooth row, thus the crowns having a unique rhomboidal shape in occlusal view. Distortodon rhomboideus further strengthens the dominance of borioteiioid lizards in the Iharkút fauna. The growing presence of borioteiioids in European localities supports previous theories which suggest some paleobiogeographic connections between the western Tethyan archipelago and North America in the Late Cretaceous.

Using Multicriteria Plan Quality Metrics to Perform an Objective, Retrospective Analysis of Complex Head and Neck Plan Quality Differences Between Different VMAT Vendors

Purpose/Objective(s): To determine if x-ray projection radiation therapy setup images could be used to perform patient identification and detect gross errors in patient setup using a computer algorithm. Materials/Methods: Three patient cohorts treated using a commercially available image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) system were retrospectively analyzed: a group of 100 cranial radiation therapy patients, a group of 100 prostate cancer patients, and a group of 83 patients treated for spinal lesions. In the prostate and cranial patient groups, localizations using image registration were performed between computed tomography (CT) images from radiation therapy planning and setup x-ray images both corresponding to the same patient, and corresponding to different patients. For the group of spinal patients, localizations were performed to the correct vertebral body, and to vertebral bodies off by one from the correct body, using planning CTs and setup x-rays from the same patient. An image similarity measure used by the image registration algorithm of the IGRT system was recorded from the log files of the IGRT system and evaluated as a discriminant for error detection. Results: A threshold value of the similarity measure could be chosen to separate correct and incorrect patient matches and correct and incorrect vertebral body localizations with excellent accuracy for these patient cohorts. A 10-fold cross-validation using linear discriminant analysis yielded misclassification probabilities of 0.000, 0.0045, and 0.014 for the cranial, prostate, and spinal cases respectively. Conclusions: An automated measure of the image similarity between x-ray setup images and corresponding planning CT images could be used to perform automated patient identification and detection of localization errors in radiation therapy treatments. Author Disclosure: J.M. Lamb: None. N. Agazaryan: None. D.A. Low: None.

The first known chamopsiid lizard (Squamata) from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe (Csehbánya Formation; Hungary, Bakony Mts)

The Upper Cretaceous (Santonian) Iharkút terrestrial vertebrate locality, in Hungary, has yielded several lacertilian taxa since its discovery in 2000. One of these is represented by a left mandible fragment and two dentary fragments. The characters observed on these remains support assignment to the family Chamopsiidae (Scincomorpha). Moreover, the remains belong to a new genus and species, Pelsochamops infrequens n. g. n. sp. Pelsochamops is the first known occurrence of chamopsiids outside North America and adds another scincomorphan lizard to the Iharkút fauna. It represents an additional evidence for dispersal routes between North America and Europe.

Pliocene Paleoenvironments of Southeastern Queensland, Australia Inferred from Stable Isotopes of Marsupial Tooth Enamel

The Chinchilla Local Fauna is a diverse assemblage of both terrestrial and aquatic Pliocene vertebrates from the fluviatile Chinchilla Sand deposits of southeastern Queensland, Australia. It represents one of Australia's few but exceptionally rich Pliocene vertebrate localities, and as such is an important source of paleoecological data concerning Pliocene environmental changes and its effects on ecosystems. Prior inferences about the paleoenvironment of this locality made on the basis of qualitative observations have ranged from grassland to open woodland to wetland. Examination of the carbon and oxygen isotopes in the tooth enamel of marsupials from this site represents a quantitative method for inferring the paleoenvironments and paleoecology of the fossil fauna. Results from Chinchilla show that Protemnodon sp. indet. consumed both C3 and C4 photosynthesis plant types (mean δ13C = −14.5±2.0‰), and therefore probably occupied a mixed vegetation environment. Macropus sp. indet. from Chinchilla also consumed a mixed diet of both C3 and C4 plants, with more of a tendency for C4 plant consumption (mean δ13C = −10.3±2.3‰). Interestingly, their isotopic dietary signature is more consistent with tropical and temperate kangaroo communities than the sub-tropical communities found around Chinchilla today. Other genera sampled in this study include the extinct kangaroo Troposodon sp. indet. and the fossil diprotodontid Euryzygoma dunense each of which appear to have occupied distinct dietary niches. This study suggests that southeastern Queensland hosted a mosaic of tropical forests, wetlands and grasslands during the Pliocene and was much less arid than previously thought.

Percutaneous Vertebroplasty for Pain Management in Patients with Multiple Myeloma: Is Radiofrequency Ablation Necessary?

This study was designed to investigate the added role of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to vertebroplasty on the pain management of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Thirty-six patients (51-82 years) with vertebral localization of MM were randomly divided into two groups: 18 patients (group A) who underwent RFA and then vertebroplasty, and 18 patients (group B) who underwent only vertebroplasty. Primary endpoints were technical success and pain relief score rate measured by the visual analogue pain scores (VAS) and Roland-Morris Questionnaire (RMQ); secondary endpoint was the amount of administered analgesia. Survival and complications were compared. Technical success was 100 % in both groups. The VAS score (at 24 h and 6 weeks postprocedure) decreased in equal manner for both groups from a mean of 9.1-3.4 and 2.0 for group A and from a mean of 9.3-3.0 and 2.3 for group B; RMQ mean score was 19.8 for group A and 19.9 for group B and decreased to a mean of 9.6 and 8.2 for group A and 9.5 and 8.7 for group B. The amount of medication was equally decreased in the two groups. No statistically significant difference was noted. No major complication occurred and two patients died from other causes. The use of percutaneous vertebroplasty alone appears to be effective for the pain management of the patients with vertebral involvement of multiple myeloma. The use of RFA that includes cost and time does not offer any clear added benefit on the midterm pain management of such patients.

Functional Dissection of the Drosophila melanogaster Condensin Subunit Cap-G Reveals Its Exclusive Association with Condensin I

The heteropentameric condensin complexes have been shown to participate in mitotic chromosome condensation and to be required for unperturbed chromatid segregation in nuclear divisions. Vertebrates have two condensin complexes, condensin I and condensin II, which contain the same structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) subunits SMC2 and SMC4, but differ in their composition of non–SMC subunits. While a clear biochemical and functional distinction between condensin I and condensin II has been established in vertebrates, the situation in Drosophila melanogaster is less defined. Since Drosophila lacks a clear homolog for the condensin II–specific subunit Cap-G2, the condensin I subunit Cap-G has been hypothesized to be part of both complexes. In vivo microscopy revealed that a functional Cap-G-EGFP variant shows a distinct nuclear enrichment during interphase, which is reminiscent of condensin II localization in vertebrates and contrasts with the cytoplasmic enrichment observed for the other EGFP-fused condensin I subunits. However, we show that this nuclear localization is dispensable for Cap-G chromatin association, for its assembly into the condensin I complex and, importantly, for development into a viable and fertile adult animal. Immunoprecipitation analyses and complex formation studies provide evidence that Cap-G does not associate with condensin II–specific subunits, while it can be readily detected in complexes with condensin I–specific proteins in vitro and in vivo. Mass-spectrometric analyses of proteins associated with the condensin II–specific subunit Cap-H2 not only fail to identify Cap-G but also the other known condensin II–specific homolog Cap-D3. As condensin II–specific subunits are also not found associated with SMC2, our results question the existence of a soluble condensin II complex in Drosophila.

Ataxia due to vertebral hemangiosarcoma with evidence of disseminated disease in a 20-year old Swiss Warmblood mare

A 20-year old Swiss Warmblood mare was referred to the Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine with a history of poor performance, coughing and ataxia and hindlimb weakness which progressed to recumbency. Lung auscultation revealed pronounced wheezing, blood work showed signs of chronic inflammation and increased bone turnover and thoracic ultrasound indicated patchy pulmonary consolidation. Cerebrospinal fluid revealed only mild, unspecific changes allowing exclusion of meningoencephalomyelitis and clinically relevant bleeding. Despite medical treatment and support in a sling the mare did not improve and was euthanized. Necropsy revealed a poorly demarcated, non-encapsulated and invasively growing mass dorsally in the musculature at the level of the forth cervical vertebra (C4) infiltrating the vertebral body and the spinal canal at the level of C1–C2. Multiple nodular, firm masses were present in all lobes of the lung and appeared to be mainly located in vessels. Histologically the masses were composed of spindle cells with marked anisocytosis, anisocaryosis, a high mitotic activity and showed invasive growth. These neoplastic cells stained positive for CD31, an endothelial cell marker, which confirmed diagnosis of a hemangiosarcoma. Definite ante mortem diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, which is rare in horses, is challenging. Besides the vertebral localization, disseminated, locally invasive and cutaneous forms of hemangiosarcoma exist and can be either acquired or congenital. Prognosis for equine hemangiosarcoma and response to treatment are usually poor and progression of clinical signs is rapid. Vertebral hemangiosarcoma is an uncommon cause of spinal ataxia in horses.

The Chinchilla Local Fauna: an exceptionally rich and well-preserved Pliocene vertebrate assemblage from fluviatile deposits of south-eastern Queensland, Australia

The Chinchilla Sand is a formally defined stratigraphic sequence of Pliocene fluviatile deposits that comprise interbedded clays, sands, and conglomerates located in the western Darling Downs, south-east Queensland, Australia. Vertebrate fossils from the deposits are referred to as the Chinchilla Local Fauna. Despite over a century and a half of collection and study, uncertainties concerning the taxa in the Chinchilla Local Fauna continue, largely from the absence of stratigraphically controlled excavations, lost or destroyed specimens, and poorly documented provenance data. Here we present a detailed and updated study of the vertebrate fauna from this site. The Pliocene vertebrate assemblage is represented by at least 63 taxa in 31 families. The Chinchilla Local Fauna is Australia’s largest, richest and best preserved Pliocene vertebrate locality, and is eminently suited for palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental investigations of the late Pliocene.

Late Messinian rodents from Verduno (Piedmont, NW Italy): Biochronological, paleoecological and paleobiogeographic implications

The stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental context of the Verduno fossil vertebrate locality is discussed herein based on its rodent record. The Verduno section crops out in the southern part of the Tertiary Piedmont Basin (TPB), and can be included in the Messinian post-evaporitic Cassano Spinola Fm., chronologically corresponding to the so-called Lago-Mare event. Rodents are represented by a relatively rich assemblage. Murids are by far the most diverse and abundant, with at least four taxa, including the common Centralomys benericettii and Paraethomys meini, and the rare Apodemus gudrunae and Occitanomys sp. Cricetids are represented by a single species, Apocricetus cf. A. barrierei. Muscardinus aff. M. vireti appears to be the only glirid present at Verduno. The Verduno rodent assemblage shares some taxa with other Messinian post-evaporitic localities from Italy bearing continental vertebrate remains, such as Brisighella (central Italy) and Moncucco Torinese (NW Italy) (e.g., C. benericettii, P. meini) and, possibly, with Ciabòt Cagna (NW Italy). However, the general structure of these four Messinian assemblages displays substantial differences, which may reflect different palaeoenvironmental conditions.