DOCSLIB.ORG

Marine Vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in Southeastern Colorado, USA

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Marine Vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in Southeastern Colorado, USA View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by UNL | Libraries University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln U.S. Department of Agriculture: Forest Service -- USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications National Agroforestry Center 2012 Marine vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in southeastern Colorado, USA Matthew Nagrodski DePaul University Kenshu Shimada DePaul University Bruce A. Schumacher USDA Forest Service Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdafsfacpub Part of the Forest Sciences Commons Nagrodski, Matthew; Shimada, Kenshu; and Schumacher, Bruce A., "Marine vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in southeastern Colorado, USA" (2012). USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications. 161. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdafsfacpub/161 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Forest Service -- National Agroforestry Center at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USDA Forest Service / UNL Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Cretaceous Research xxx (2012) 1e13 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Cretaceous Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/CretRes Marine vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in southeastern Colorado, USA Matthew Nagrodski a, Kenshu Shimada a,b,c,*, Bruce A. Schumacher c,d a Department of Environmental Science and Studies, DePaul University, 1110 West Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA b Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA c Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS 67601, USA d USDA Forest Service, 1420 East Third Street, La Junta, CO 81050, USA article info abstract Article history: The Hartland Shale Member of the Greenhorn Limestone was deposited in the middle of the Late Creta- Received 27 November 2011 ceous Western Interior Seaway of North America. Rock samples rich in micro-vertebrate fossils were Accepted in revised form 7 March 2012 collected from the lower part of the Hartland Shale (ca. 94.6 Ma: early Late Cenomanian) in southeastern Available online xxx Colorado, USA. Through acid treatment of the rock samples, 25 marine vertebrate taxa are identified including chondrichthyans, osteichthyans, and a reptile. Chondrichthyans are represented by seven species: Keywords: Ptychodus anonymus, Squalicorax curvatus, Carcharias saskatchewanensis, Archaeolamna kopingensis, Cenomanian Cretoxyrhina mantelli, Cretomanta canadensis,andRhinobatos incertus. Osteichthyan fishes consist of 17 taxa: Greenhorn Limestone Late Cretaceous Micropycnodon kansasensis,cf.Palaeobalistum sp., Caturidae indet., Protosphyraena sp., Plethodidae indet., Palaeoecology Elopopsis sp., Pachyrhizodus minimus,cf.Pachyrhizodus sp., Albulidae indet., Cimolichthys nepaholica, Western Interior Seaway Enchodus cf. E. gladiolus, E. cf. E. shumardi, Apateodus sp., and four unidentified teleosts. The only reptilian recognized is the small aquatic lizard Coniasaurus crassidens (Dolichosauridae). The taxonomic composition of the Hartland Shale fauna is similar overall to the extensively sampled, underlying mid-Cenomanian Lincoln Limestone fauna in Colorado and Kansas, although the occurrence of Apateodus and Cimolichthys from the Hartland Shale is notable as they represent geologically the oldest record for the two genera. The vertebrates identified are mostly carnivores that include piscivorous and durophagous forms, providing new insights into the trophic structure of the palaeocommunity. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction A fossil assemblage from the Niobrara Formation (Upper ConiacianeLower Campanian) in Kansas is arguably the best The Western Interior Seaway is an epicontinental sea that documented vertebrate fauna from the Western Interior Seaway extended from north to south through the middle of North America where over 70 fish and 40 tetrapod taxa have been recorded to date during the Late Cretaceous. It developed when the continent was (Russell, 1988; Everhart, 2005; Shimada and Fielitz, 2006). A recent flooded from the north (Arctic Ocean) and south (AtlanticeTethyan study (Cumbaa et al., 2010) shows that at least 70 vertebrate taxa seas), and merged in the midcontinent during the early Middle were present in the seaway during the mid-Cenomanian. This study Cenomanian (Kauffman and Caldwell, 1993). It served as habitat for also reveals that the time frame marked the onset of the “Niobrara a diversity of marine invertebrates including ammonoid cephalo- fauna” because the mid-Cenomanian fauna includes approximately pods and inoceramid bivalves as well as many marine vertebrates ten species that are represented in it (Cumbaa et al., 2010). including sharks, bony fishes, and tetrapods, such as plesiosaurs, The Hartland Shale Member of the Greenhorn Limestone (Fig. 1A) mosasaurs, sea turtles, and aquatic and shore birds (e.g., Everhart, in southeastern Colorado was deposited in the middle of the 2005; Cumbaa et al., 2010). Western Interior Seaway. It lies immediately above the Lincoln Limestone Member of the same formation where the composition of vertebrate taxa has been extensively studied previously (e.g., Liggett * Corresponding author. Department of Environmental Science and Studies, et al., 2005; Shimada et al., 2006; Shimada and Martin, 2008). þ DePaul University, 1110 West Belden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. Tel.: 1773 Although a few fish and plesiosaur remains have been noted in the 325 4697; fax: þ1 773 325 7448. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Nagrodski), kshimada@ Hartland Shale from Kansas (Hattin, 1975; Riggs, 1944; Shimada and depaul.edu (K. Shimada), [email protected] (B.A. Schumacher). Nagrodski, 2010), very little is known about the vertebrate fauna in 0195-6671/$ e see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2012.03.007 Please cite this article in press as: Nagrodski, M., et al., Marine vertebrates from the Hartland Shale (Upper Cretaceous: Upper Cenomanian) in southeastern Colorado, USA, Cretaceous Research (2012), doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2012.03.007 2 M. Nagrodski et al. / Cretaceous Research xxx (2012) 1e13 Fig. 1. A, stratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Greenhorn Formation in southeastern Colorado and central Kansas. B, exposure of the Hartland Shale at the Bear Springs locality in southeastern Colorado; X marks the sample location in drainage just below visible level in this photograph; horizontal line ¼ boundary between Hartland Shale and Bridge Creek Limestone. this portion of the Greenhorn Limestone. In 2006, one of us (BAS) stratigraphic range than shown or the boundary between the Lincoln discovered a Hartland Shale exposure (‘Bear Springs locality’; Fig. 1B) Limestone and Hartland Shale needs to be lowered slightly to take on the Comanche National Grassland in southeastern Colorado that into account this diachronous contact in southeastern Colorado. contains a thin fossiliferous, calcarenite bed. Samples of the deposit Regardless, the fossiliferous calcarenite bed examined in our study is were sent to DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, for examination of interpreted to be early Late Cenomanian in age (ca. 94.6 Ma). the composition of vertebrate remains. This study reports the find- Kauffman et al. (1993) radiometrically dated the C. cantiaurinum ings, which provide further insight into the palaeoecology and ammonite zone, which is immediately below the Dunveganoceras evolution of the Western Interior Seaway. problematicum ammonite zone, to approximately 94.6 Ma. This agrees with the work of Cobban et al. (2006),whichdemonstrates 2. Stratigraphy and geological setting that the D. problematicum ammonite zone is immediately above the D. pondi ammonite zone, dated as 94.71 Æ 0.49 Ma, but well below The Greenhorn Limestone disconformably overlies the Graneros the next younger radiometrically-dated zone (Vascoceras diartianum Shale and underlies the Carlile Shale (Fig. 1A). In Colorado, it ammonite zone), which is 93.99 Æ 0.72 Ma and middle Late Cen- consists of three lithostratigraphic members. In ascending order, omanian in age. As testament to this, a single specimen of Vascoceras they are the Lincoln Limestone, Hartland Shale, and Bridge Creek sp. (FHSM IP-1476) was collected about 3.2 km from the Bear Springs Limestone (Kauffman, 1969) where their lithology reflects a trans- locality within the lower portion of the Bridge Creek Limestone. gressive event termed the Greenhorn Cyclothem (Kauffman, 1977). Deposition of the Bridge Creek Limestone marks the maximum 3. Collecting method and specimen repository transgressive phase of this cyclothem, where the water column in eastern Colorado is thought to have been greatest in the deepest Rock samples containing noticeable fish remains (e.g., Fig. 2A) part of the Western Interior Seaway, estimated maximum depths were collected directly from the rock exposure. Apart from one rock being 0.6e0.9 km (Eicher, 1967). slab preserved for reference in an unaltered state, the sample slabs The fossiliferous calcarenite examined is located in the lower one- weighing approximately 2.3 kg (5 lbs) in total were submerged third of the Hartland Shale Member, roughly 4 m above the contact
Load more

Recommended publications
  • JVP 26(3) September 2006—ABSTRACTS
    Neoceti Symposium, Saturday 8:45 acid-prepared osteolepiforms Medoevia and Gogonasus has offered strong support for BODY SIZE AND CRYPTIC TROPHIC SEPARATION OF GENERALIZED Jarvik’s interpretation, but Eusthenopteron itself has not been reexamined in detail. PIERCE-FEEDING CETACEANS: THE ROLE OF FEEDING DIVERSITY DUR- Uncertainty has persisted about the relationship between the large endoskeletal “fenestra ING THE RISE OF THE NEOCETI endochoanalis” and the apparently much smaller choana, and about the occlusion of upper ADAM, Peter, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; JETT, Kristin, Univ. of and lower jaw fangs relative to the choana. California, Davis, Davis, CA; OLSON, Joshua, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, Los A CT scan investigation of a large skull of Eusthenopteron, carried out in collaboration Angeles, CA with University of Texas and Parc de Miguasha, offers an opportunity to image and digital- Marine mammals with homodont dentition and relatively little specialization of the feeding ly “dissect” a complete three-dimensional snout region. We find that a choana is indeed apparatus are often categorized as generalist eaters of squid and fish. However, analyses of present, somewhat narrower but otherwise similar to that described by Jarvik. It does not many modern ecosystems reveal the importance of body size in determining trophic parti- receive the anterior coronoid fang, which bites mesial to the edge of the dermopalatine and tioning and diversity among predators. We established relationships between body sizes of is received by a pit in that bone. The fenestra endochoanalis is partly floored by the vomer extant cetaceans and their prey in order to infer prey size and potential trophic separation of and the dermopalatine, restricting the choana to the lateral part of the fenestra.
    [Show full text]
  • Vertebral Morphology, Dentition, Age, Growth, and Ecology of the Large Lamniform Shark Cardabiodon Ricki
    Vertebral morphology, dentition, age, growth, and ecology of the large lamniform shark Cardabiodon ricki MICHAEL G. NEWBREY, MIKAEL SIVERSSON, TODD D. COOK, ALLISON M. FOTHERINGHAM, and REBECCA L. SANCHEZ Newbrey, M.G., Siversson, M., Cook, T.D., Fotheringham, A.M., and Sanchez, R.L. 2015. Vertebral morphology, denti- tion, age, growth, and ecology of the large lamniform shark Cardabiodon ricki. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 (4): 877–897. Cardabiodon ricki and Cardabiodon venator were large lamniform sharks with a patchy but global distribution in the Cenomanian and Turonian. Their teeth are generally rare and skeletal elements are less common. The centra of Cardabiodon ricki can be distinguished from those of other lamniforms by their unique combination of characteristics: medium length, round articulating outline with a very thick corpus calcareum, a corpus calcareum with a laterally flat rim, robust radial lamellae, thick radial lamellae that occur in low density, concentric lamellae absent, small circular or subovate pores concentrated next to each corpus calcareum, and papillose circular ridges on the surface of the corpus calcareum. The large diameter and robustness of the centra of two examined specimens suggest that Cardabiodon was large, had a rigid vertebral column, and was a fast swimmer. The sectioned corpora calcarea show both individuals deposited 13 bands (assumed to represent annual increments) after the birth ring. The identification of the birth ring is supported in the holotype of Cardabiodon ricki as the back-calculated tooth size at age 0 is nearly equal to the size of the smallest known isolated tooth of this species. The birth ring size (5–6.6 mm radial distance [RD]) overlaps with that of Archaeolamna kopingensis (5.4 mm RD) and the range of variation of Cretoxyrhina mantelli (6–11.6 mm RD) from the Smoky Hill Chalk, Niobrara Formation.
    [Show full text]
  • Annotated Checklist of Fossil Fishes from the Smoky Hill Chalk of the Niobrara Chalk (Upper Cretaceous) in Kansas
    Lucas, S. G. and Sullivan, R.M., eds., 2006, Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35. 193 ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF FOSSIL FISHES FROM THE SMOKY HILL CHALK OF THE NIOBRARA CHALK (UPPER CRETACEOUS) IN KANSAS KENSHU SHIMADA1 AND CHRISTOPHER FIELITZ2 1Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University,2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614; and Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, Kansas 67601;2Department of Biology, Emory & Henry College, P.O. Box 947, Emory, Virginia 24327 Abstract—The Smoky Hill Chalk Member of the Niobrara Chalk is an Upper Cretaceous marine deposit found in Kansas and adjacent states in North America. The rock, which was formed under the Western Interior Sea, has a long history of yielding spectacular fossil marine vertebrates, including fishes. Here, we present an annotated taxo- nomic list of fossil fishes (= non-tetrapod vertebrates) described from the Smoky Hill Chalk based on published records. Our study shows that there are a total of 643 referable paleoichthyological specimens from the Smoky Hill Chalk documented in literature of which 133 belong to chondrichthyans and 510 to osteichthyans. These 643 specimens support the occurrence of a minimum of 70 species, comprising at least 16 chondrichthyans and 54 osteichthyans. Of these 70 species, 44 are represented by type specimens from the Smoky Hill Chalk. However, it must be noted that the fossil record of Niobrara fishes shows evidence of preservation, collecting, and research biases, and that the paleofauna is a time-averaged assemblage over five million years of chalk deposition.
    [Show full text]
  • Papers in Press
    Papers in Press “Papers in Press” includes peer-reviewed, accepted manuscripts of research articles, reviews, and short notes to be published in Paleontological Research. They have not yet been copy edited and/or formatted in the publication style of Paleontological Research. As soon as they are printed, they will be removed from this website. Please note they can be cited using the year of online publication and the DOI, as follows: Humblet, M. and Iryu, Y. 2014: Pleistocene coral assemblages on Irabu-jima, South Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Paleontological Research, doi: 10.2517/2014PR020. doi:10.2517/2018PR013 Features and paleoecological significance of the shark fauna from the Upper Cretaceous Hinoshima Formation, Himenoura Group, Southwest Japan Accepted Naoshi Kitamura 4-8-7 Motoyama, Chuo-ku Kumamoto, Kumamoto 860-0821, Japan (e-mail: [email protected]) Abstract. The shark fauna of the Upper Cretaceous Hinoshima Formation (Santonian: 86.3–83.6 Ma) of the manuscriptHimenoura Group (Kamiamakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan) was investigated based on fossil shark teeth found at five localities: Himedo Park, Kugushima, Wadanohana, Higashiura, and Kotorigoe. A detailed geological survey and taxonomic analysis was undertaken, and the habitat, depositional environment, and associated mollusks of each locality were considered in the context of previous studies. Twenty-one species, 15 genera, 11 families, and 6 orders of fossil sharks are recognized from the localities. This assemblage is more diverse than has previously been reported for Japan, and Lamniformes and Hexanchiformes were abundant. Three categories of shark fauna are recognized: a coastal region (Himedo Park; probably a breeding site), the coast to the open sea (Kugushima and Wadanohana), and bottom-dwelling or near-seafloor fauna (Kugushima, Wadanohana, Higashiura, and Kotorigoe).
    [Show full text]
  • New Theropod, Thyreophoran, and Small Sauropod Tracks from the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation, Bornholm, Denmark
    New theropod, thyreophoran, and small sauropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation, Bornholm, Denmark JESPER MILÀN Milàn, J. 2011. New theropod, thyreophoran, and small sauropod tracks from the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation, Bornholm, Denmark © 2011 by Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark, Vol. 59, pp. 51–59. ISSN 0011–6297. (www.2dgf.dk/publikationer/bulletin) https://doi.org/10.37570/bgsd-2011-59-06 Three new dinosaur tracks are described from the Middle Jurassic Bagå Formation of Bornholm, Denmark. The tracks are all preserved as natural casts on the underside of fluvial sandstone blocks originating from the old Hasle Klinkefabrik’s clay pit, now called Pyritsøen. The new tracks are from a medium-sized theropod, a thyreophoran, and a small sauropod. Together with a thyreophoran track and large sauropod tracks described in 2005, the Middle Jurassic dinosaur fauna of Bornholm now comprises theropods, two sizes of sauropods and at least one type of thyreophoran dinosaur. This is important additional data for the very scarce Middle Jurassic dinosaurian skeletal record of Europe. Received 22 November 2010 Accepted in revised form Key words: Dinosaur fauna, trace fossils, Middle Jurassic, theropod, thyreophoran, sauropod. 21 September 2011 Published online Jesper Milàn [[email protected]], GeomuseumFaxe, Østsjællands Museum, Østervej 2, DK-4640 Faxe, 30 September 2011 Denmark. Also Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Remains of Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates are scarce Dinosaur remains are more commonly encountered in Denmark and have so far only been found in the in the southern part of Sweden, where numerous di- few Mesozoic outcrops along the west and southwest nosaur tracks and trackways of theropod dinosaurs, a coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of Chordate Larvae Donald I Williamson* Marine Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom
    lopmen ve ta e l B Williamson, Cell Dev Biol 2012, 1:1 D io & l l o l g DOI: 10.4172/2168-9296.1000101 e y C Cell & Developmental Biology ISSN: 2168-9296 Research Article Open Access The Origins of Chordate Larvae Donald I Williamson* Marine Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, United Kingdom Abstract The larval transfer hypothesis states that larvae originated as adults in other taxa and their genomes were transferred by hybridization. It contests the view that larvae and corresponding adults evolved from common ancestors. The present paper reviews the life histories of chordates, and it interprets them in terms of the larval transfer hypothesis. It is the first paper to apply the hypothesis to craniates. I claim that the larvae of tunicates were acquired from adult larvaceans, the larvae of lampreys from adult cephalochordates, the larvae of lungfishes from adult craniate tadpoles, and the larvae of ray-finned fishes from other ray-finned fishes in different families. The occurrence of larvae in some fishes and their absence in others is correlated with reproductive behavior. Adult amphibians evolved from adult fishes, but larval amphibians did not evolve from either adult or larval fishes. I submit that [1] early amphibians had no larvae and that several families of urodeles and one subfamily of anurans have retained direct development, [2] the tadpole larvae of anurans and urodeles were acquired separately from different Mesozoic adult tadpoles, and [3] the post-tadpole larvae of salamanders were acquired from adults of other urodeles. Reptiles, birds and mammals probably evolved from amphibians that never acquired larvae.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution of the Cretaceous Lamnoid Sharks of the Genus Eostriatolamia L
    Paleontological Journal, Vol. 32, No. 4, 1998, pp. 376–384. Translated from Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal, No. 4, 1998, pp. 54–62. Original Russian Text Copyright © 1998 by Glickman, Averianov. English Translation Copyright © 1998 by åÄàä ç‡Û͇ /Interperiodica Publishing (Russia). Evolution of the Cretaceous Lamnoid Sharks of the Genus Eostriatolamia L. S. Glickman* and A. O. Averianov** * Pr. Elizarova 1, kv. 30, St. Petersburg, 193029 Russia ** Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, St. Petersburg, 199034 Russia Received April 9, 1997 Abstract—The “archaic” tooth form and comparatively few tooth rows are characteristic of the Cretaceous sharks of the genus Eostriatolamia (Odontaspididae). This is in contrast to the conditions in the Cenozoic sand sharks and thus makes it possible to regard this as a valid genus. The evolution and systematics of Eostriatola- mia are reconsidered, in particular, on the basis of statistical methods. The cluster and principal component analyses were used to process a large quantity of teeth from 17 samples from the Albian-Campanian. Six or seven species are included in the genus Eostriatolamia: E. gracilis (Albian of Europe and Kazakhstan), E. stri- atula (Aptian–Albian of Europe), E. subulata (=E. amonensis?) (Cenomanian of Europe, Kazakhstan and ?USA), E. venusta (=E. samhammeri?, =E. sanguinei?) (Santonian–Early Campanian of Europe, ? Late Cam- panian of USA), E. segedini (=E. aktobensis?) (Santonian–Early Campanian of Kazakhstan), ?E. lerichei (the latest Early Campanian–beginning of the Late Campanian of Kazakhstan) and E. holmdelensis (Late Campa- nian of the USA). INTRODUCTION chondrichthyan fishes (Capetta, 1987) the genus Teeth of small sand sharks of the family Odontaspi- Eostriatolamia is questionably synonymized with the didae often dominate in the Cretaceous marine verte- genus Synodontaspis White, 1931 (the senior available brate oryctocomplexes.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.Taxonomic Review and Phylogenetic Analysis Of
    Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ISSN: 0001-3765 [email protected] Academia Brasileira de Ciências Brasil SILVA, HILDA M.A.; GALLO, VALÉRIA Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of Enchodontoidei (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, vol. 83, núm. 2, enero-junio, 2011, pp. 483-511 Academia Brasileira de Ciências Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=32719267009 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative “main” — 2011/5/11 — 19:20 — page 483 — #1 Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2011) 83(2): 483-511 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 www.scielo.br/aabc Taxonomic review and phylogenetic analysis of Enchodontoidei (Teleostei: Aulopiformes) HILDA M.A. SILVA and VALÉRIA GALLO Laboratório de Sistemática e Biogeografia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil Manuscript received on September 24, 2010; accepted for publication on December 22, 2010 ABSTRACT Enchodontoidei are extinct marine teleost fishes with a long temporal range and a wide geographic distribution. As there has been no comprehensive phylogenetic study of this taxon, we performed a parsimony analysis using a data matrix with 87 characters, 31 terminal taxa for ingroup, and three taxa for outgroup. The analysis produced 93 equally parsimonious trees (L = 437 steps; CI = 0.24; RI = 0.49).
    [Show full text]
  • Short Communication a Remarkable Case of a Shark
    Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(2):592–597, March 2010 © 2010 by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology SHORT COMMUNICATION A REMARKABLE CASE OF A SHARK-BITTEN ELASMOSAURID PLESIOSAUR ∗ KENSHU SHIMADA, ,1,2 TAKANOBU TSUIHIJI,3 TAMAKI SATO,4 and YOSHIKAZU HASEGAWA5; 1Environmental Science Program and Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 North Clifton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60614, U.S.A., [email protected]; 2Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University, 3000 Sternberg Drive, Hays, Kansas 67601, U.S.A.; 3National Museum of Nature and Science, 3-23-1 Hyakuhin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan, [email protected]; 4Department of Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Tokyo Gakugei University, 4-1-1 Nukui-Kita-Machi, Koganei City, Tokyo 184-8501, Japan, [email protected]; 5Gunma Museum of Natural History, 1674-1 Kamikuroiwa, Tomimoka, Gunma 370-2345, Japan, [email protected] Futabasaurus suzukii Sato, Hasegawa, and Manabe, 2006, is an is embedded near the anterodorsal corner of the right humerus elasmosaurid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous in central immediately distal to its tuberosity (Fig. 3A). The labial face of Japan. The holotype and the only known specimen of this taxon Tooth 85 faces the posterior side of the right humerus, suggest- is a partial skeleton (Fig. 1), which co-occurred with “several tens ing that the shark bit the forelimb from its anterior side. Two of shark teeth” (Sato et al., 2006:468). The shark teeth were pre- teeth, Teeth 83 and 84, are embedded in the posterodorsal cor- viously identified as those of ‘Odontaspis sp.’ (e.g., Obata et al., ner of the neural spine of “Vertebra #34,” a posterior cervical 1970), but we re-identified them as an extinct lamniform shark, vertebra (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Ichthyodectiform Fishes from the Late Cretaceous
    Mesozoic Fishes 5 – Global Diversity and Evolution, G. Arratia, H.-P. Schultze & M. V. H. Wilson (eds.): pp. 247-266, 12 figs., 2 tabs. © 2013 by Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München, Germany – ISBN 978-3-89937-159-8 Ichthyodectiform fi shes from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of Arkansas, USA Kelly J. IRWIN and Christopher FIELITZ Abstract Several specimens of the ichthyodectiform fishes Xiphactinus audax and Saurocephalus cf. S. lanciformis are reported from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Brownstown Marl and Ozan formations of southwestern Arkansas, U.S.A. Seven individuals of Xiphactinus, based on incomplete specimens, are represented by various elements: disarticu- lated skull bones, jaw fragments, pectoral fin-rays, or vertebrae. The circular vertebral centra are diagnostic for X. audax rather than X. vetus. The specimen of Saurocephalus consists of a three-dimensional skull, lacking much of the skull roof bones. It is identified as Saurocephalus based on the shape of the predentary bone. This specimen provides the first record of entopterygoid teeth in Saurocephalus. These specimens represent new geographic and geologic distribution records of these taxa from the western Gulf Coastal Plain, which biogeographically links records from the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain with those from the Western Interior Sea. Introduction LEIDY (1854) was the first to report the presence of Cretaceous marine vertebrate fossils from Arkansas, yet in the intervening 150+ years, the body of work on the paleoichthyofauna of Arkansas remains limited (WILSON & BRUNER 2004). BARDACK (1965), GOODY (1976), CASE (1978), and RUSSELL (1988) re- ported geographic and geologic distributions for specific taxa, but few descriptive works on fossil fishes are available (see HUSSAKOF 1947; MEYER 1974; BECKER et al.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geology, Paleontology and Paleoecology of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation
    The Geology, Paleontology and Paleoecology of the Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Patagonia (Argentina) A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Victoria Margaret Egerton in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2011 © Copyright 2011 Victoria M. Egerton. All Rights Reserved. ii Dedications To my mother and father iii Acknowledgments The knowledge, guidance and commitment of a great number of people have led to my success while at Drexel University. I would first like to thank Drexel University and the College of Arts and Sciences for providing world-class facilities while I pursued my PhD. I would also like to thank the Department of Biology for its support and dedication. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, for his guidance and patience. Additionally, I would like to thank him for including me in his pursuit of knowledge of Argentine dinosaurs and their environments. I am also indebted to my committee members, Dr. Gail Hearn, Dr. Jake Russell, Dr. Mike O‘Connor, Dr. Matthew Lamanna, Dr. Christopher Williams and Professor Hermann Pfefferkorn for their valuable comments and time. The support of Argentine scientists has been essential for allowing me to pursue my research. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to work with such kind and knowledgeable people. I would like to thank Dr. Fernando Novas (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales) for helping me obtain specimens that allowed this research to happen. I would also like to thank Dr. Viviana Barreda (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales) for her allowing me use of her lab space while I was visiting Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales.
    [Show full text]
  • Highly Diversified Late Cretaceous Fish Assemblage Revealed by Otoliths (Ripley Formation and Owl Creek Formation, Northeast Mississippi, Usa)
    Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia (Research in Paleontology and Stratigraphy) vol. 126(1): 111-155. March 2020 HIGHLY DIVERSIFIED LATE CRETACEOUS FISH ASSEMBLAGE REVEALED BY OTOLITHS (RIPLEY FORMATION AND OWL CREEK FORMATION, NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI, USA) GARY L. STRINGER1, WERNER SCHWARZHANS*2 , GEORGE PHILLIPS3 & ROGER LAMBERT4 1Museum of Natural History, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana 71209, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 2Natural History Museum of Denmark, Zoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected] 3Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 39202, USA. E-mail: [email protected] 4North Mississippi Gem and Mineral Society, 1817 CR 700, Corinth, Mississippi, 38834, USA. E-mail: [email protected] *Corresponding author To cite this article: Stringer G.L., Schwarzhans W., Phillips G. & Lambert R. (2020) - Highly diversified Late Cretaceous fish assemblage revealed by otoliths (Ripley Formation and Owl Creek Formation, Northeast Mississippi, USA). Riv. It. Paleontol. Strat., 126(1): 111-155. Keywords: Beryciformes; Holocentriformes; Aulopiformes; otolith; evolutionary implications; paleoecology. Abstract. Bulk sampling and extensive, systematic surface collecting of the Coon Creek Member of the Ripley Formation (early Maastrichtian) at the Blue Springs locality and primarily bulk sampling of the Owl Creek Formation (late Maastrichtian) at the Owl Creek type locality, both in northeast Mississippi, USA, have produced the largest and most highly diversified actinopterygian otolith (ear stone) assemblage described from the Mesozoic of North America. The 3,802 otoliths represent 30 taxa of bony fishes representing at least 22 families. In addition, there were two different morphological types of lapilli, which were not identifiable to species level.
    [Show full text]