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Abstract
Female mosquitoes are among the most notorious blood-feeding insects, sometimes causing severe allergic responses or vectoring a variety of microbial pathogens.1,2 Hematophagy in insects is likely a feeding shift from plant fluids, with the piercing-sucking mouthparts serving as suitable exaptation for piercing vertebrates' skin. The origins of these habits are mired in an often-poor fossil record for many hematophagous lineages,3,4 particularly those of sufficient age, as to give insights into the paleoecological context in which blood feeding first appeared or even to arrive at gross estimates as to when such shifts have occurred. This is certainly the case for mosquitoes, a clade estimated molecularly to date back to the Jurassic.5 The known Mesozoic Culicidae are Late Cretaceous, assigned to the modern Anophelinae or to the extinct Burmaculicinae, sister to other Culicidae, all with mouthparts of a modern type. Here, we report the discovery, in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon, of two conspecific male mosquitoes unexpectedly with piercing mouthparts, armed with denticulate sharp mandibles and laciniae. These male fossils were likely hematophagous. They represent a lineage that diverged earlier than Burmaculicinae, extending the definitive occurrence of the family into the Early Cretaceous and serving to narrow the ghost-lineage gap for mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Azar
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Lebanese University, Faculty of Science II, Natural Sciences Department, Fanar - El-Matn, P.O. Box 90656 Jdeidet, Beirut, Lebanon.
| | - André Nel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France.
| | - Diying Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Center for Excellence in Life and Palaeoenvironment, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Michael S Engel
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, 75005 Paris, France; Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA; Museum at Prairiefire, 5801 West 135(th) Street, Overland Park, KS 66223, USA
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2
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Barker CT, Naish D, Gostling NJ. Isolated tooth reveals hidden spinosaurid dinosaur diversity in the British Wealden Supergroup ( Lower Cretaceous). PeerJ 2023; 11:e15453. [PMID: 37273543 PMCID: PMC10239232 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Isolated spinosaurid teeth are relatively well represented in the Lower Cretaceous Wealden Supergroup of southern England, UK. Until recently it was assumed that these teeth were referable to Baryonyx, the type species (B. walkeri) and specimen of which is from the Barremian Upper Weald Clay Formation of Surrey. British spinosaurid teeth are known from formations that span much of the c. 25 Ma depositional history of the Wealden Supergroup, and recent works suggest that British spinosaurids were more taxonomically diverse than previously thought. On the basis of both arguments, it is appropriate to doubt the hypothesis that isolated teeth from outside the Upper Weald Clay Formation are referable to Baryonyx. Here, we use phylogenetic, discriminant and cluster analyses to test whether an isolated spinosaurid tooth (HASMG G369a, consisting of a crown and part of the root) from a non-Weald Clay Formation unit can be referred to Baryonyx. HASMG G369a was recovered from an uncertain Lower Cretaceous locality in East Sussex but is probably from a Valanginian exposure of the Hastings Group and among the oldest spinosaurid material known from the UK. Spinosaurid affinities are both quantitatively and qualitatively supported, and HASMG G369a does not associate with Baryonyx in any analysis. This supports recent reinterpretations of the diversity of spinosaurid in the Early Cretaceous of Britain, which appears to have been populated by multiple spinosaurid lineages in a manner comparable to coeval Iberian deposits. This work also reviews the British and global records of early spinosaurids (known mainly from dental specimens), and revisits evidence for post-Cenomanian spinosaurid persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris T. Barker
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Darren Naish
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Neil J. Gostling
- Institute for Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
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Li Y, Wang X, Jiang S. A new pterosaur tracksite from the Lower Cretaceous of Wuerho, Junggar Basin, China: inferring the first putative pterosaur trackmaker. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11361. [PMID: 34131515 PMCID: PMC8176908 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the discovery of 114 small pterosaur footprints preserved in a greyish-green fine sandstone slab comprising 57 manus imprints and 57 pes imprints. Due to the chaotic distribution of footprints, the trackways are difficult to recognize. The pes imprints are sub-triangular and enlongate, the metatarsal part is roughly subequal to the digital part. The manus imprints are asymmetrical, longer than wide, and the lengths of digits I–III gradually increase. According to the diagnostic features of the Wuerho small pterosaur tracks, the present set was classified as Pteraichnus and is different from the nine reported valid ichnospecies of Pteraichnus. We therefore propose a new ichnospecies, Pteraichnus wuerhoensis isp. nov. The description is based on the anatomical characteristics (lengths of digits I–IV, length of digital part, length of metatarsal part) extracted from the pes imprints and comparisons with the pes bone fossils of Noripterus complicidens. We infer that the footprints were probably left by N. complicidens and the total width of the wings was presumably 2–2.3 m. In addition, the high density (365 per square meter) and varied sizes of the Wuerho small pterosaur tracks suggest that many pterosaurs of different ages lived in Huangyangquan Reservoir tracksite 1 area. Thus the trackmakers may have had gregarious behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shunxing Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Abstract
A new basal ornithopod dinosaur, based on two nearly complete articulated skeletons, is reported from the Lujiatun Beds (Yixian Fm, Lower Cretaceous) of western Liaoning Province (China). Some of the diagnostic features of Changmiania liaoningensis nov. gen., nov. sp. are tentatively interpreted as adaptations to a fossorial behavior, including: fused premaxillae; nasal laterally expanded, overhanging the maxilla; shortened neck formed by only six cervical vertebrae; neural spines of the sacral vertebrae completely fused together, forming a craniocaudally-elongated continuous bar; fused scapulocoracoid with prominent scapular spine; and paired ilia symmetrically inclined dorsomedially, partially covering the sacrum in dorsal view. A phylogenetic analysis places Changmiania liaoningensis as the most basal ornithopod dinosaur described so far. It is tentatively hypothesized that both Changmiania liaoningensis specimens were suddenly entrapped in a collapsed underground burrow while they were resting, which would explain their perfect lifelike postures and the complete absence of weathering and scavenging traces. However, further behavioural inference remains problematic, because those specimens lack extensive sedimentological and taphonomic data, as it is also the case for most specimens collected in the Lujiatun Beds so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Yang
- College of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.,College of Paleontology, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China.,Key Laboratory for Evolution of Past Life and Change of Environment, Province of Liaoning, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
| | - Wenhao Wu
- Key Laboratory for Evolution of Past Life and Environment in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.,Research Center of Paleontology and Stratigraphy, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Paul-Emile Dieudonné
- Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Pascal Godefroit
- Directorate 'Earth and History of Life', Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
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Yang Y, Wang Y, Ferguson DK. A new macrofossil ephedroid plant with unusual bract morphology from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of northeastern China. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:19. [PMID: 32019502 PMCID: PMC7001366 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1569-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The evolution of the Jehol Biota of western Liaoning in China includes three phases, initiation in the Dabeigou phase, radiation in the Yixian phase, and decline in the Jiufotang phase. Numerous ephedroid macrofossils were reported from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation. However, so far none has been found in the younger Jiufotang Formation (ca. 120.3 Ma) of western Liaoning. RESULTS Here we report a new species Jianchangia verticillata gen. et sp. nov. with unusual morphology from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jiufotang Formation, Lamadong Village, Jianchang County, Liaoning. This species is the first record of gnetophytes from the Jiufotang Formation. It is similar to other ephedroid species from the Yixian Formation in possessing linear leaves with parallel veins, jointed shoots with swollen nodes and longitudinally furrowed internodes, and ovulate cones possessing two whorls of bracts enclosing two chlamydosperms, but differs from all known species by the ovulate cone having multiple fine linear verticillate bracts. CONCLUSIONS This study expands our knowledge about the diversity of early gnetophytes in the Lower Cretaceous, and demonstrates the lineage continuity of gnetophytes from the Yixian Formation to the younger Jiufotang Formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China.
| | - Yingwei Wang
- Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
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Leite KJ, Fortier DC. The palate and choanae structure of the Susisuchus anatoceps (Crocodyliformes, Eusuchia): phylogenetic implications. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5372. [PMID: 30128185 PMCID: PMC6089207 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Crocodyliformes is a group with a broad fossil record, in which several morphological changes have been documented. Among known transformations the most iconic is perhaps the series of changes seen in the structural evolution of the choanae. The change in the position of the choanae was important during the evolutionary history of the Crocodyliformes. This structure is relevant in the phylogenetic position of many crocodyliforms. The new skull of Susisuchus anatoceps from the Crato Formation of the Santana Group (Lower Cretaceous) is described and the preservation in the ventral view allows character encoding not yet observed for the species. The new specimen shows a typical eusuchian palate for Susisuchus anatoceps, in which the choana is fully enclosed by the pterygoid. The Susisuchidae clade has been placed in different phylogenetic positions: as a sister group of Eusuchia, advanced Neosuchia and in Eusuchia. In Isisfordia there are reports that the choana of this taxon is or is not fully enclosed by the pterygoid. The encoding of the ventral characters of S. anatoceps places Susisuchidae in Eusuchia. However, this position must be further studied, since the matrices showed fragility in the reconstitution of the Neosuchia–Eusuchia transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla J Leite
- Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Daniel C Fortier
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Floriano, Piauí, Brazil
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Mikó I, van de Kamp T, Trietsch C, Ulmer JM, Zuber M, Baumbach T, Deans AR. A new megaspilid wasp from Eocene Baltic amber (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea), with notes on two non-ceraphronoid families: Radiophronidae and Stigmaphronidae. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5174. [PMID: 30140594 PMCID: PMC6103384 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ceraphronoids are some of the most commonly collected hymenopterans, yet they remain rare in the fossil record. Conostigmus talamasi Mikó and Trietsch, sp. nov. from Baltic amber represents an intermediate form between the type genus, Megaspilus, and one of the most species-rich megaspilid genera, Conostigmus. We describe the new species using 3D data collected with synchrotron-based micro-CT equipment. This non-invasive technique allows for quick data collection in unusually high resolution, revealing morphological traits that are otherwise obscured by the amber. In describing this new species, we revise the diagnostic characters for Ceraphronoidea and discuss possible reasons why minute wasps with a pterostigma are often misidentified as ceraphronoids. Based on the lack of ceraphronoid characteristics, we remove Dendrocerus dubitatus Brues, 1937, Stigmaphronidae, and Radiophronidae from Ceraphronoidea and consider them as incertae sedis. We also provide some guidance for their future classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Mikó
- Frost Entomological Museum, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Thomas van de Kamp
- Laboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Carolyn Trietsch
- Frost Entomological Museum, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Jonah M. Ulmer
- Frost Entomological Museum, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Marcus Zuber
- Laboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Tilo Baumbach
- Laboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Andrew R. Deans
- Frost Entomological Museum, Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
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Xu X, Tan Q, Gao Y, Bao Z, Yin Z, Guo B, Wang J, Tan L, Zhang Y, Xing H. A large-sized basal ankylopollexian from East Asia, shedding light on early biogeographic history of Iguanodontia. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2018; 63:556-563. [PMID: 36658842 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
A presumably mostly quadrupedal ankylopollexian iguanodontian, Bayannurosaurus perfectus gen. et sp. nov., is reported here, and is represented by an excellently well-preserved skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous Bayingebi Formation of Inner Mongolia, China. The diagnosis of the taxon includes several autapomorphies, notably a dorsally directed, strap-like posterodorsal process of the jugal and a horizontally oriented preacetabular process of the ilium. The nearly complete caudal series retains eight posterior-most caudals with procoelous, trapezoidal centra in dorsal view, and the last three caudals are fully fused. The discovery of B. perfectus opens a critical new window on the early evolution and intercontinental dispersal of Iguanodontia. The skeleton displays a transitional morphology between non-hadrosauriform ankylopollexians and Hadrosauriformes. A phylogenetic analysis indicates that Bayannurosaurus is positioned higher on the tree than Hypselospinus, but below Ouranosaurus just outside of Hadrosauriformes. The tree topology of Iguanodontia with temporal and spatial constraints reveals a possible biogeographic scenario supported by the statistical dispersal-vicariance analysis: around the J/K boundary, non-hadrosauriform ankylopollexians experienced multiple dispersal events from Europe to Asia, accompanying the coeval fall of the global sea level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China.
| | - Qingwei Tan
- Long Hao Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Hohhot 010010, China
| | - Yilong Gao
- Bureau of Land and Resources of Bayannur, Bayannur 015000, China
| | - Zhiqiang Bao
- Bureau of Land and Resources of Bayannur, Bayannur 015000, China
| | - Zhigang Yin
- Bureau of Land and Resources of Bayannur, Bayannur 015000, China
| | - Bin Guo
- Bureau of Land and Resources of Bayannur, Bayannur 015000, China
| | - Junyou Wang
- Inner Mongolia Museum of Natural History, Hohhot 010020, China
| | - Lin Tan
- Long Hao Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Hohhot 010010, China
| | - Yuguang Zhang
- Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Hai Xing
- Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing 100050, China.
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Romilio A, Hacker JM, Zlot R, Poropat G, Bosse M, Salisbury SW. A multidisciplinary approach to digital mapping of dinosaurian tracksites in the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3013. [PMID: 28344899 PMCID: PMC5363262 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The abundant dinosaurian tracksites of the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Barremian) Broome Sandstone of the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia, form an important part of the West Kimberley National Heritage Place. Previous attempts to document these tracksites using traditional mapping techniques (e.g., surface overlays, transects and gridlines combined with conventional photography) have been hindered by the non-trivial challenges associated with working in this area, including, but not limited to: (1) the remoteness of many of the tracksites; (2) the occurrence of the majority of the tracksites in the intertidal zone; (3) the size and complexity of many of the tracksites, with some extending over several square kilometres. Using the historically significant and well-known dinosaurian tracksites at Minyirr (Gantheaume Point), we show how these issues can be overcome through the use of an integrated array of remote sensing tools. A combination of high-resolution aerial photography with both manned and unmanned aircraft, airborne and handheld high-resolution lidar imaging and handheld photography enabled the collection of large amounts of digital data from which 3D models of the tracksites at varying resolutions were constructed. The acquired data encompasses a very broad scale, from the sub-millimetre level that details individual tracks, to the multiple-kilometre level, which encompasses discontinuous tracksite exposures and large swathes of coastline. The former are useful for detailed ichnological work, while the latter are being employed to better understand the stratigraphic and temporal relationship between tracksites in a broader geological and palaeoecological context. These approaches and the data they can generate now provide a means through which digital conservation and temporal monitoring of the Dampier Peninsula's dinosaurian tracksites can occur. As plans for the on-going management of the tracks in this area progress, analysis of the 3D data and 3D visualization will also likely provide an important means through which the broader public can experience these spectacular National Heritage listed landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Romilio
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
| | - Jorg M Hacker
- Airborne Research Australia, Flinders University of South Australia , Adelaide , South Australia , Australia
| | - Robert Zlot
- Autonomous Systems, CSIRO , Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
| | - George Poropat
- Mine Environment Imaging, CSIRO , Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
| | - Michael Bosse
- Autonomous Systems Lab, ETH Zurich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Steven W Salisbury
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland , Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
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10
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Cau A. Specimen-level phylogenetics in paleontology using the Fossilized Birth-Death model with sampled ancestors. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3055. [PMID: 28265519 PMCID: PMC5335686 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Bayesian phylogenetic methods integrating simultaneously morphological and stratigraphic information have been applied increasingly among paleontologists. Most of these studies have used Bayesian methods as an alternative to the widely-used parsimony analysis, to infer macroevolutionary patterns and relationships among species-level or higher taxa. Among recently introduced Bayesian methodologies, the Fossilized Birth-Death (FBD) model allows incorporation of hypotheses on ancestor-descendant relationships in phylogenetic analyses including fossil taxa. Here, the FBD model is used to infer the relationships among an ingroup formed exclusively by fossil individuals, i.e., dipnoan tooth plates from four localities in the Ain el Guettar Formation of Tunisia. Previous analyses of this sample compared the results of phylogenetic analysis using parsimony with stratigraphic methods, inferred a high diversity (five or more genera) in the Ain el Guettar Formation, and interpreted it as an artifact inflated by depositional factors. In the analysis performed here, the uncertainty on the chronostratigraphic relationships among the specimens was included among the prior settings. The results of the analysis confirm the referral of most of the specimens to the taxa Asiatoceratodus, Equinoxiodus, Lavocatodus and Neoceratodus, but reject those to Ceratodus and Ferganoceratodus. The resulting phylogeny constrained the evolution of the Tunisian sample exclusively in the Early Cretaceous, contrasting with the previous scenario inferred by the stratigraphically-calibrated topology resulting from parsimony analysis. The phylogenetic framework also suggests that (1) the sampled localities are laterally equivalent, (2) but three localities are restricted to the youngest part of the section; both results are in agreement with previous stratigraphic analyses of these localities. The FBD model of specimen-level units provides a novel tool for phylogenetic inference among fossils but also for independent tests of stratigraphic scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cau
- Department of Earth, Life and Environmental Sciences, Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna University, Bologna, Italy; Geological and Paleontological Museum "G. Capellini", Bologna, Italy
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11
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Lallensack JN, van Heteren AH, Wings O. Geometric morphometric analysis of intratrackway variability: a case study on theropod and ornithopod dinosaur trackways from Münchehagen ( Lower Cretaceous, Germany). PeerJ 2016; 4:e2059. [PMID: 27330855 PMCID: PMC4906676 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A profound understanding of the influence of trackmaker anatomy, foot movements and substrate properties is crucial for any interpretation of fossil tracks. In this case study we analyze variability of footprint shape within one large theropod (T3), one medium-sized theropod (T2) and one ornithopod (I1) trackway from the Lower Cretaceous of Münchehagen (Lower Saxony, Germany) in order to determine the informativeness of individual features and measurements for ichnotaxonomy, trackmaker identification, and the discrimination between left and right footprints. Landmark analysis is employed based on interpretative outline drawings derived from photogrammetric data, allowing for the location of variability within the footprint and the assessment of covariation of separate footprint parts. Objective methods to define the margins of a footprint are tested and shown to be sufficiently accurate to reproduce the most important results. The lateral hypex and the heel are the most variable regions in the two theropod trackways. As indicated by principal component analysis, a posterior shift of the lateral hypex is correlated with an anterior shift of the margin of the heel. This pattern is less pronounced in the ornithopod trackway, indicating that variation patterns can differ in separate trackways. In all trackways, hypices vary independently from each other, suggesting that their relative position a questionable feature for ichnotaxonomic purposes. Most criteria commonly employed to differentiate between left and right footprints assigned to theropods are found to be reasonably reliable. The described ornithopod footprints are asymmetrical, again allowing for a left–right differentiation. Strikingly, 12 out of 19 measured footprints of the T2 trackway are stepped over the trackway midline, rendering the trackway pattern a misleading left–right criterion for this trackway. Traditional measurements were unable to differentiate between the theropod and the ornithopod trackways. Geometric morphometric analysis reveals potential for improvement of existing discriminant methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens N Lallensack
- Division of Paleontology, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn , Bonn , Germany
| | - Anneke H van Heteren
- Division of Paleontology, Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Current affiliation: Sektion Mammalogie, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, München, Germany
| | - Oliver Wings
- Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum , Hannover , Germany
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12
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Abstract
Sandownids are a group of Early Cretaceous-Paleocene turtles that for several decades have been only known by cranial and very fragmentary postcranial elements. Here I report and describe the most complete sandownid turtle known so far, including articulated skull, lower jaw and postcranial elements, from the Early Cretaceous (upper Barremian-lower Aptian, >120 Ma), Paja Formation, Villa de Leyva town, Colombia. The new Colombian sandownid is defined here as Leyvachelys cipadi new genus, new species and because of its almost identical skull morphology with a previously reported turtle from the Glen Rose Formation, Texas, USA, both are grouped in a single and officially (ICNZ rules) defined taxon. Phylogenetic analysis including L. cipadi supports once again the monophyly of Sandownidae, as belonging to the large and recently redefined Pan-Chelonioidea clade. The morphology of L. cipadi indicates that sandownids were not open marine turtles, but instead littoral to shallow marine durophagous dwellers. Leyvachelys cipadi not only constitutes the first record of sandowinds in South America, but also the earliest global record for the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Cadena
- Centro de Investigaciones Paleontológicas , Villa de Leyva , Colombia
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Pittman M, Pei R, Tan Q, Xu X. The first dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Bayan Gobi Formation of Nei Mongol, China. PeerJ 2015; 3:e1480. [PMID: 26664809 PMCID: PMC4675113 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The first dromaeosaurid theropod from the Lower Cretaceous Bayan Gobi Formation is identified based on an incompletely preserved partially-articulated left leg, increasing the known diversity of its understudied ecosystem. The leg belongs to specimen IVPP V22530 and includes a typical deinonychosaurian pedal phalanx II-2 with a distinct constriction between the enlarged proximal end and the distal condyle as well as a typical deinonychosaurian enlarged pedal phalanx II-3. It possesses a symmetric metatarsus and a slender and long MT V that together suggest it is a dromaeosaurid. Two anatomical traits suggest the leg is microraptorine-like, but a more precise taxonomic referral was not possible: metatarsals II, III and IV are closely appressed distally and the ventral margin of the medial ligament pit of phalanx II-2 is close to the centre of the rounded distal condyle. This taxonomic status invites future efforts to discover additional specimens at the study locality because—whether it is a microraptorine or a close relative—this animal is expected to make important contributions to our understanding of dromaeosaurid evolution and biology. IVPP V22530 also comprises of an isolated dromaeosaurid manual ungual, a proximal portion of a right theropod anterior dorsal rib and an indeterminate bone mass that includes a collection of ribs. Neither the rib fragment nor the bone mass can be confidently referred to Dromaeosauridae, although they may very well belong to the same individual to whom the left leg belongs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Pittman
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong, China
| | - Rui Pei
- Vertebrate Palaeontology Laboratory, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong, China
| | - Qingwei Tan
- Long Hao Institute of Geology and Paleontology , Hohhot, Nei Mongol , China
| | - Xing Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
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Abstract
The early diversification of angiosperms in diverse ecological niches is poorly understood. Some have proposed an origin in a darkened forest habitat and others an open aquatic or near aquatic habitat. The research presented here centers on Montsechia vidalii, first recovered from lithographic limestone deposits in the Pyrenees of Spain more than 100 y ago. This fossil material has been poorly understood and misinterpreted in the past. Now, based upon the study of more than 1,000 carefully prepared specimens, a detailed analysis of Montsechia is presented. The morphology and anatomy of the plant, including aspects of its reproduction, suggest that Montsechia is sister to Ceratophyllum (whenever cladistic analyses are made with or without a backbone). Montsechia was an aquatic angiosperm living and reproducing below the surface of the water, similar to Ceratophyllum. Montsechia is Barremian in age, raising questions about the very early divergence of the Ceratophyllum clade compared with its position as sister to eudicots in many cladistic analyses. Lower Cretaceous aquatic angiosperms, such as Archaefructus and Montsechia, open the possibility that aquatic plants were locally common at a very early stage of angiosperm evolution and that aquatic habitats may have played a major role in the diversification of some early angiosperm lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Gomez
- CNRS-UMR 5276 Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon-Terre, Planètes, Environnement, Université Lyon 1 (Claude Bernard), 69622 Villeurbanne, France;
| | - Véronique Daviero-Gomez
- CNRS-UMR 5276 Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon-Terre, Planètes, Environnement, Université Lyon 1 (Claude Bernard), 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Clément Coiffard
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Carles Martín-Closas
- Departament d'Estratigrafia, Paleontologia i Geociències marines, Facultat de Geologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - David L Dilcher
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405
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Abstract
Lampreys are one of the two surviving jawless vertebrate groups and one of a few vertebrate groups with the best exemplified metamorphosis during their life cycle, which consists of a long-lasting larval stage, a peculiar metamorphosis, and a relatively short adulthood with a markedly different anatomy. Although the fossil records have revealed that many general features of extant lamprey adults were already formed by the Late Devonian (ca. 360 Ma), little is known about the life cycle of the fossil lampreys because of the lack of fossilized lamprey larvae or transformers. Here we report the first to our knowledge discovery of exceptionally preserved premetamorphic and metamorphosing larvae of the fossil lamprey Mesomyzon mengae from the Lower Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China. These fossil ammocoetes look surprisingly modern in having an eel-like body with tiny eyes, oral hood and lower lip, anteriorly positioned branchial region, and a continuous dorsal skin fin fold and in sharing a similar feeding habit, as judged from the detritus left in the gut. In contrast, the larger metamorphosing individuals have slightly enlarged eyes relative to large otic capsules, thickened oral hood or pointed snout, and discernable radials but still anteriorly extended branchial area and lack a suctorial oral disk, which characterize the early stages of the metamorphosis of extant lampreys. Our discovery not only documents the larval conditions of fossil lampreys but also indicates the three-phased life cycle in lampreys emerged essentially in their present mode no later than the Early Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mee-mann Chang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China; School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; and
| | - Feixiang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Desui Miao
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045
| | - Jiangyong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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Lukeneder A, Uchman A, Gaillard C, Olivero D. The late Barremian Halimedides horizon of the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy). Cretac Res 2012; 35:199-207. [PMID: 27087717 PMCID: PMC4819036 DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2012.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 01/10/2012] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
A new trace fossil marker level, the Halimedides horizon, is proposed for the Lower Cretaceous pelagic to hemipelagic succession of the Puez area (Southern Alps, Italy). The horizon occurs in the middle part of the late Barremian Gerhardtia sartousiana Zone (Gerhardtia sartousiana Subzone). It is approximately 20 cm thick and restricted to the uppermost part of the Puez Limestone Member (marly limestones; Hauterivian-Barremian; Puez Formation). It is fixed to the top 20 cm of bed P1/204. The grey-whitish limestone bed of the G. sartousiana Zone is penetrated by Aptian red marls-siltstones of the Redbed Member. The horizon is documented for the first time from the Southern Alps, including the Dolomites, and can be correlated with other Mediterranean localities. The trace fossil assemblage of this marker bed with the co-occurrence of Halimedides, Spongeliomorpha and Zoophycos sheds light on the Lower Cretaceous sedimentological history and current system of the Puez area within the Dolomites. It also highlights the palaeoenvironmental evolution of basins and plateaus and provides insights into the late Barremian interval.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Lukeneder
- Natural History Museum, Geological-Palaeontological Department, Burgring 7, 1010 Wien, Austria
| | - Alfred Uchman
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2a, 30-063 Kraków, Poland
| | - Christian Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, UMR 5276 CNRS, Domaine Scientifique de La Doua, Géode – 2, rue Raphaël Dubois, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
| | - Davide Olivero
- Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, Université Claude-Bernard, Lyon 1, UMR 5276 CNRS, Domaine Scientifique de La Doua, Géode – 2, rue Raphaël Dubois, F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
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Lukeneder A. New biostratigraphic data on an Upper Hauterivian-Upper Barremian ammonite assemblage from the Dolomites (Southern Alps, Italy). Cretac Res 2012; 35:1-21. [PMID: 27087716 PMCID: PMC4819040 DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2011.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
A biostratigraphic subdivision, based on ammonites, is proposed for the Lower Cretaceous pelagic to hemipelagic succession of the Puez area (Southern Alps, Italy). Abundant ammonites enable recognition of recently established Mediterranean ammonite zones from the upper Hauterivian Balearites balearis Zone (Crioceratites krenkeli Subzone) to the upper Barremian Gerhardtia sartousiana Zone (Gerhardtia sartousiana Subzone). Ammonites are restricted to the lowermost part of the Puez Formation, the Puez Limestone Member (ca. 50 m; marly limestones; Hauterivian-Barremian). Numerous ammonite specimens are documented for the first time from the Southern Alps (e.g., Dolomites). Ammonite abundances are clearly linked to sea-level changes from Late Hauterivian to mid Late Barremian times. Abundance and diversity peaks occur during phases of high sea-level pulses and the corresponding maximum flooding surfaces (P. mortilleti/P. picteti and G. sartousiana zones). The ammonite composition of the Puez Formation sheds light on the Early Cretaceous palaeobiogeography of the Dolomites. It also highlights the palaeoenvironmental evolution of basins and plateaus and provides insights into the faunal composition and distribution within the investigated interval. The intermittent palaeogeographic situation of the Puez locality during the Early Cretaceous serves as a key for understanding Mediterranean ammonite distribution.
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Homan A, Wegierek P. A new family of aphids (Hemiptera, Sternorrhyncha) from the Lower Cretaceous of Baissa, Transbaikalia. Zookeys 2012:167-74. [PMID: 22259274 PMCID: PMC3260757 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.130.1444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2011] [Accepted: 07/13/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The family Rasnitsynaphididaefam. n. has a unique combination of characters: 9-segmented antennae; rhinaria arranged in many transverse rows, surrounding the antennal segments; segment IX narrower than other segments of flagellum, always without rhinaria; cubitus branches separated; ovipositor present; siphuncular pores absent. The new family comprises the genus Rasnitsynaphisgen. n. with three species, Rasnitsynaphis ennearticulatasp. n., Rasnitsynaphis coniunctasp. n., and Rasnitsynaphis quadratasp. n., all from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Homan
- Department of Zoology, University of Silesia, Bankowa 9, 40-007 Katowice, Poland
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Azar D, Nel A. The oldest psyllipsocid booklice, in Lower Cretaceous amber from Lebanon (Psocodea, Trogiomorpha, Psocathropetae, Psyllipsocidae). Zookeys 2012:153-65. [PMID: 22259273 PMCID: PMC3260756 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.130.1430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2011] [Accepted: 07/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Libanopsyllipsocus alexanderasnitsynigen. et sp. n., of Psyllipsocidae is described and figured from the Lower Cretaceous amber of Lebanon. The position of the new taxon is discussed and the fossil is compared to other psyllipsocids. The species represents the earliest record of the family Psyllipsocidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Azar
- Lebanese University, Faculty of Sciences II, Department of Natural Sciences, Fanar, Fanar - Matn - P.O. Box 26110217, Lebanon
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Abstract
Cretorabus rasnitsynisp. n., belonging to the extinct subfamily Protorabinae of Carabidae, was described based on a well-preserved specimen from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Yangshuwanzi, Inner Mongolia. The diagnostic characters forCretorabus are revised, and the key to species of the genus was presented. The fossil record of Protorabinae was summarized. Sinocarabus Hong, 1982 and Obesofemoria Hong, 1982 cannot be attributed to Protorabinae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 39 East Beijing Rd., Nanjing 210008, China
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