DOCSLIB.ORG

Novitates No

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Novitates No NovAMERICANitatesMUSEUM PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2770, pp. 1-41, figs. 1-14 November 8, 1983 Colosteus scutellatus (Newberry), a Primitive Temnospondyl Amphibian from the Middle Pennsylvanian of Linton, Ohio ROBERT W. HOOK' CONTENTS Abstract ..................................................................... 2 Introduction .................................................................. 2 Acknowledgments ........................................................... 2 Abbreviations ............................................................... 3 Methods .................................................................... 3 Review of Previous Work .................. .................................... 4 Systematics ................................................................... 6 Description ................................................................... 7 Skull Roof.................................................................. 7 Palate .................................................................... 12 Parasphenoid and Braincase ............... ................................... 16 Mandible ................................................................... 16 Dentition ................................................................... 18 Dermal Sculpture and Lateral Line Canals ..................................... 19 Branchial Arches ............................................................ 20 Postcranial Remains ........................ ................................. 21 Occurrences of Colosteid Remains ............ .................................. 29 Characteristics and Composition of the Colosteidae ............................... 29 Shared Derived Characters of the Family ...................................... 29 Relationships Within the Family ............ .................................. 31 Relationships of the Colosteidae ........................................ ... 32 The Status of the Order Temnospondyli ................... ............ 32 The Development of the Temnospondyl Otic Notch ............................ 33 Colosteids, Edopoids, and Trimerorhachoids ................................... 34 Systematic Conclusions .................... .................................... 35 Appendix ..................................................................... 35 Literature Cited ............................................................... 37 ' Coal Geology Research Group, Department of Geology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 1983 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $3.40 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2770 ABSTRACT Colosteus scutellatus (Newberry), known exclu- (Tatarinov, 1964) is recommended in the absence sively from the classic Coal Measure locality of of shared derived characters indicating a close re- Linton, Ohio, is the genotype and youngest rep- lationship between the colosteids and any other resentative ofthe Colosteidae, an archaic group of known temnospondyls. The structure ofthe stapes temnospondyls that also includes Pholidogaster and and skull roof suggests that the colosteoids may Greererpeton. The colosteids are a monophyletic represent the plesiomorphic sister group ofall oth- group distinguished from other temnospondyls by er temnospondyls. massive stapes and no otic notch; elongate pre- An overview ofthe status ofthe Temnospondyli frontal contacting narial border, premaxilla, and indicates that exclusion of the loxommatoids is maxilla; intertemporal reduced or absent with justified, but that a possible microsaur-temno- broad postorbital-parietal contact; single pair of spondyl relationship circumvents the possibility premaxillary tusks; and single, elongate Meckelian of temnospondyl monophyly. fenestra. The use of the superfamily Colosteoidea INTRODUCTION The Temnospondyli are the largest and burkemorani Romer, a Colosteus-like form possibly most diverse order of fossil am- from the Mississippian of West Virginia, it phibians. Despite an impressive representa- became evident that the colosteids represent tion of Late Paleozoic and Triassic forms, an archaic lineage that might provide insights temnospondyls older than Pennsylvanian or into the early evolution of temnospondyls, if Westphalian age are virtually unknown. Con- not all Paleozoic amphibians. Subsequent sequently, the astonishing array of temno- study of additional colosteid material (Ro- spondyls that first appears in the Coal Mea- mer, 1972; Panchen, 1975; Smithson, 1982) sures of North America and Europe has has identified the need for a more detailed consistently frustrated paleontologists who understanding of the genotype of the family. wish to incorporate at least a modicum of The objective of the present paper is to phylogeny in their classifications ofthe order. provide a thorough description of the genus The variety and abundance of Pennsylva- Colosteus and an accurate characterization of nian temnospondyls is nowhere better doc- the Colosteidae. Although the affinities ofthe umented than in collections acquired from family are also considered, re-evaluation of the once-active coal mines of Linton, Ohio. other primitive temnospondyls is necessary In addition to a dozen species of fishes and before the problem of interrelationships can a score ofother tetrapods, this prolific locality be fully addressed. has produced seven temnospondyl genera, four of which are unique to Linton (Hook, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1981). The most common of these indige- nous temnospondyls is Colosteus scutellatus, I am greatly indebted to Dr. Donald Baird, a heavily scaled amphibian with an elongate whose commitment over the past 30 years body and diminutive limbs. Because similar to the collection, preparation, and identifi- forms are unknown from younger deposits, cation ofLinton fossils made the present study such as the Texas redbeds (Romer, 1935), possible. I am also grateful to Dr. Robert R. early workers generally considered Colosteus Reisz for support and thoughtful criticism. as a novel adaptation to the coal swamp en- My thanks are due to Dr. Andrew R. Mil- vironment. Thus, after a somewhat check- ner, Messrs. John Chom, Stephen Godfrey, ered taxonomic history, Colosteus and the Timothy R. Smithson, and Carl F. Wellstead family to which it gives its name, the Colos- for free exchange of information on unpub- teidae, were removed from the main line lished material; to Dr. Robert L. Carroll for of temnospondyl evolution (Romer, 1947, initially directing my attention to the need 1966). for a review of the Linton colosteids and for With the 1969 description of Greererpeton making available unpublished drawings by 1983 HOOK: COLOSTEUS SCUTELLA TUS NEWBERRY 3 Mrs. Pamela Gaskill; to Drs. Richard Lund YPM, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale and Kathy V. Bossy for loans of peels of Lin- University ton specimens; to Dr. Malcolm J. Heaton for interest in my work and advice on the prep- ANATOMICAL aration of specimens and figures; to Ms. Di- a, angular ane Scott for helpful suggestions in the pro- a.p.f., anterior palatal fenestra duction of illustrations; and to Mr. Steven art, articular Jaunzems for expert photographic services. c, clavicle I also thank Drs. Anne E. Fry and Dennis cb, ceratobranchial ossifications Radabaugh of Ohio Wesleyan University for ch, choana their in c.r., conical recess assistance recovering Dr. Baird's peels ct, cultriform process from the research materials of the late Dr. cth, cleithrum John N. Chase. Dr. Robert W. Morris of Wit- co, coronoid tenberg University and Mr. Michael C. Han- d, dentary sen of the Ohio Geological Survey provided ect, ectopterygoid valuable guidance in the early stages of this eo, exoccipital work. f, frontal It is similarly a pleasure to acknowledge h, humerus the assistance of individuals at institutions hb, hypobranchial cartilage where I have studied Linton material. These i, interclavicle ic, intercentrum include Drs. Eugene S. Gaffney and John G. im.f., intermandibular fenestra Maisey, American Museum of Natural His- j, jugal tory; Dr. Angela C. Milner, British Museum 1, lacrimal (Natural History); Dr. David S. Berman, Car- m, maxilla negie Museum of Natural History; Dr. Mi- n, nasal chael E. Williams, Cleveland Museum of p, parietal Natural History; Dr. John R. Bolt, Field Mu- pal, palatine seum of Natural History; Dr. Donald Brink- pa.f., para-articular foramen man and Mr. Charles R. Schaff, Museum of pra, prearticular Comparative Zoology, Harvard University; pc, pleurocentrum pf, postfrontal Dr. Stig M. Bergstrom, Orton Museum, Ohio pl, pleuracanth shark tooth State University; and Ms. Ruth L. Elder, Mu- pm, premaxilla seum of Paleontology, University of Michi- po, postorbital gan. pp, postparietal Drs. C. S. Churcher, Thomas S. Parsons, prf, prefrontal and P. J. Pointing read an early version of pt, pterygoid the manuscript. The suggestions of Drs. qj, quadratojugal Baird and Milner improved the final draft. r, radius sa, surangular ABBREVIATIONS sp, splenial spp, postsplenial INSTITUTIONAL st, supratemporal t, tabular AMNH, American Museum of Natural History u, ulna BM[NH], British Museum (Natural History) u.p., uncinate process CM, Carnegie Museum of Natural History v, vomer FMNH, Field Museum of Natural History of manus MCZ, Museum ofComparative Zoology, Harvard I-IV, digits University OSU, Orton Museum, Ohio State University METHODS PU, Museum of Natural History, Princeton Uni- versity Vertebrate remains from Linton
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Die Microsauria Des Mitteleuropäischen Rotliegend
    Die Microsauria des mitteleuropäischen Rotliegend Dissertation zur Erlangung des Grades „Doktor der Naturwissenschaften" im Promotionsfach Geologie/Paläontologie am Fachbereich Chemie, Pharmazie und Geowissenschaften der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz Sabine Glienke geb. in Worms Mainz, 2011 http://d-nb.info/1058187503 Inhalt Inhalt 1. Einleitung 6 1.1. Allgemeine Merkmale und Bearbeitungsgeschichte 6 1.2. Fundorte und Erhaltung 9 2. Methoden, Abkürzungen und Material 16 2.1. Methoden 16 2.1.1. Bearbeitung der Skelette 16 2.1.2. Gewinnung und Bearbeitung der Einzelknochen 16 2.1.3. Kladogramme 17 2.2. Abkürzungen 17 2.2.1. Sammlungen 17 2.2.2. In den Zeichnungen verwendete Abkürzungen 17 2.3. Übersicht über die untersuchten Skelette 19 3. Beschreibungen 21 3.1. Die Familie Brachystelechidae CARROLL& GASKILL, 1978 21 3.1.1. Systematische Stellung 21 3.1.2. Diagnose 21 3.2. Die Gattung Batropetes CARROLL & GASKILL, 1971 21 3.2.1. Systematische Stellung 21 3.2.2. Diagnose 22 3.2.3. Die vier Spezies der Gattung Batropetes 22 3.3. Batropetes niederkirchensis n. sp 26 3.3.1. Diagnose 26 3.3.2. Beschreibung 28 3.3.2.1. Schädel 28 3.3.2.1.1. Schädeldach 28 3.3.2.1.2. Gaumen 38 3.3.2.1.3. Hirnkapsel 43 3.3.2.1.4. Unterkiefer 46 3.3.2.2. Postcraniales Skelett 48 Inhalt 3.4. Batropetes palatinus n. sp 62 3.4.1. Diagnose 62 3.4.2. Beschreibung 63 3.4.2.1. Schädel 74 3.4.2.1.1. Schädeldach 74 3.4.2.1.2.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Archosaur Phylogeny and the Relationships of the Crocodylia
    8. Archosaur phylogeny and the relationships of the Crocodylia MICHAEL J. BENTON Department of Geology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK JAMES M. CLARK* Department of Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA Abstract The Archosauria include the living crocodilians and birds, as well as the fossil dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and basal 'thecodontians'. Cladograms of the basal archosaurs and of the crocodylomorphs are given in this paper. There are three primitive archosaur groups, the Proterosuchidae, the Erythrosuchidae, and the Proterochampsidae, which fall outside the crown-group (crocodilian line plus bird line), and these have been defined as plesions to a restricted Archosauria by Gauthier. The Early Triassic Euparkeria may also fall outside this crown-group, or it may lie on the bird line. The crown-group of archosaurs divides into the Ornithosuchia (the 'bird line': Orn- ithosuchidae, Lagosuchidae, Pterosauria, Dinosauria) and the Croco- dylotarsi nov. (the 'crocodilian line': Phytosauridae, Crocodylo- morpha, Stagonolepididae, Rauisuchidae, and Poposauridae). The latter three families may form a clade (Pseudosuchia s.str.), or the Poposauridae may pair off with Crocodylomorpha. The Crocodylomorpha includes all crocodilians, as well as crocodi- lian-like Triassic and Jurassic terrestrial forms. The Crocodyliformes include the traditional 'Protosuchia', 'Mesosuchia', and Eusuchia, and they are defined by a large number of synapomorphies, particularly of the braincase and occipital regions. The 'protosuchians' (mainly Early *Present address: Department of Zoology, Storer Hall, University of California, Davis, Cali- fornia, USA. The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods, Volume 1: Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds (ed. M.J. Benton), Systematics Association Special Volume 35A . pp. 295-338. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1988.
    [Show full text]
  • New Permian Fauna from Tropical Gondwana
    ARTICLE Received 18 Jun 2015 | Accepted 18 Sep 2015 | Published 5 Nov 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9676 OPEN New Permian fauna from tropical Gondwana Juan C. Cisneros1,2, Claudia Marsicano3, Kenneth D. Angielczyk4, Roger M. H. Smith5,6, Martha Richter7, Jo¨rg Fro¨bisch8,9, Christian F. Kammerer8 & Rudyard W. Sadleir4,10 Terrestrial vertebrates are first known to colonize high-latitude regions during the middle Permian (Guadalupian) about 270 million years ago, following the Pennsylvanian Gondwanan continental glaciation. However, despite over 150 years of study in these areas, the bio- geographic origins of these rich communities of land-dwelling vertebrates remain obscure. Here we report on a new early Permian continental tetrapod fauna from South America in tropical Western Gondwana that sheds new light on patterns of tetrapod distribution. Northeastern Brazil hosted an extensive lacustrine system inhabited by a unique community of temnospondyl amphibians and reptiles that considerably expand the known temporal and geographic ranges of key subgroups. Our findings demonstrate that tetrapod groups common in later Permian and Triassic temperate communities were already present in tropical Gondwana by the early Permian (Cisuralian). This new fauna constitutes a new biogeographic province with North American affinities and clearly demonstrates that tetrapod dispersal into Gondwana was already underway at the beginning of the Permian. 1 Centro de Cieˆncias da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Piauı´, 64049-550 Teresina, Brazil. 2 Programa de Po´s-Graduac¸a˜o em Geocieˆncias, Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, 50740-533 Recife, Brazil. 3 Departamento de Cs. Geologicas, FCEN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, IDEAN- CONICET, C1428EHA Ciudad Auto´noma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
    [Show full text]
  • Stuttgarter Beiträge Zur Naturkunde
    S^5 ( © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie B (Geologie und Paläontologie) Herausgeber: Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk. Ser. B Nr. 278 175 pp., 4pls., 54figs. Stuttgart, 30. 12. 1999 Comparative osteology oi Mastodonsaurus giganteus (Jaeger, 1828) from the Middle Triassic (Lettenkeuper: Longobardian) of Germany (Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Thüringen) By Rainer R. Schoch, Stuttgart With 4 plates and 54 textfigures Abstract Mastodonsaurus giganteus, the most abundant and giant amphibian of the German Letten- keuper, is revised. The study is based on the excellently preserved and very rieh material which was excavated during road construction in 1977 near Kupferzeil, Northern Baden- Württemberg. It is shown that there exists only one diagnosable species of Mastodonsaurus, to which all Lettenkeuper material can be attributed. All finds from other horizons must be referred to as Mastodonsauridae gen. et sp. indet. because of their fragmentary Status. A sec- ond, definitely diagnostic genus of this family is Heptasaurus from the higher Middle and Upper Buntsandstein. Finally a diagnosis of the family Mastodonsauridae is provided. Ä detailed osteological description of Mastodonsaurus giganteus reveals numerous un- known or formerly inadequately understood features, yielding data on various hitherto poor- ly known regions of the skeleton. The sutures of the skull roof, which could be studied in de- tail, are significantly different from the schemes presented by previous authors. The endocra- nium and mandible are further points of particular interest. The palatoquadrate contributes a significant part to the formation of the endocranium by an extensive and complicated epi- pterygoid.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny and Evolution of the Dissorophoid Temnospondyls
    Journal of Paleontology, 93(1), 2019, p. 137–156 Copyright © 2018, The Paleontological Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 0022-3360/15/0088-0906 doi: 10.1017/jpa.2018.67 The putative lissamphibian stem-group: phylogeny and evolution of the dissorophoid temnospondyls Rainer R. Schoch Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany 〈[email protected]〉 Abstract.—Dissorophoid temnospondyls are widely considered to have given rise to some or all modern amphibians (Lissamphibia), but their ingroup relationships still bear major unresolved questions. An inclusive phylogenetic ana- lysis of dissorophoids gives new insights into the large-scale topology of relationships. Based on a TNT 1.5 analysis (33 taxa, 108 characters), the enigmatic taxon Perryella is found to nest just outside Dissorophoidea (phylogenetic defintion), but shares a range of synapomorphies with this clade. The dissorophoids proper are found to encompass a first dichotomy between the largely paedomorphic Micromelerpetidae and all other taxa (Xerodromes). Within the latter, there is a basal dichotomy between the large, heavily ossified Olsoniformes (Dissorophidae + Trematopidae) and the small salamander-like Amphibamiformes (new taxon), which include four clades: (1) Micropholidae (Tersomius, Pasawioops, Micropholis); (2) Amphibamidae sensu stricto (Doleserpeton, Amphibamus); (3) Branchiosaur- idae (Branchiosaurus, Apateon, Leptorophus, Schoenfelderpeton); and (4) Lissamphibia. The genera Platyrhinops and Eos- copus are here found to nest at the base of Amphibamiformes. Represented by their basal-most stem-taxa (Triadobatrachus, Karaurus, Eocaecilia), lissamphibians nest with Gerobatrachus rather than Amphibamidae, as repeatedly found by former analyses.
    [Show full text]
  • Morphology, Phylogeny, and Evolution of Diadectidae (Cotylosauria: Diadectomorpha)
    Morphology, Phylogeny, and Evolution of Diadectidae (Cotylosauria: Diadectomorpha) by Richard Kissel A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy Graduate Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto © Copyright by Richard Kissel 2010 Morphology, Phylogeny, and Evolution of Diadectidae (Cotylosauria: Diadectomorpha) Richard Kissel Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Toronto 2010 Abstract Based on dental, cranial, and postcranial anatomy, members of the Permo-Carboniferous clade Diadectidae are generally regarded as the earliest tetrapods capable of processing high-fiber plant material; presented here is a review of diadectid morphology, phylogeny, taxonomy, and paleozoogeography. Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of Diadectidae within Diadectomorpha, the sister-group to Amniota, with Limnoscelis as the sister-taxon to Tseajaia + Diadectidae. Analysis of diadectid interrelationships of all known taxa for which adequate specimens and information are known—the first of its kind conducted—positions Ambedus pusillus as the sister-taxon to all other forms, with Diadectes sanmiguelensis, Orobates pabsti, Desmatodon hesperis, Diadectes absitus, and (Diadectes sideropelicus + Diadectes tenuitectes + Diasparactus zenos) representing progressively more derived taxa in a series of nested clades. In light of these results, it is recommended herein that the species Diadectes sanmiguelensis be referred to the new genus
    [Show full text]
  • 71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
    ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Tetrapod Relationships Revisited
    Biol. Rev. (2003), 78, pp. 251–345. f Cambridge Philosophical Society 251 DOI: 10.1017/S1464793102006103 Printed in the United Kingdom Early tetrapod relationships revisited MARCELLO RUTA1*, MICHAEL I. COATES1 and DONALD L. J. QUICKE2 1 The Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, The University of Chicago, 1027 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL 60637-1508, USA ([email protected]; [email protected]) 2 Department of Biology, Imperial College at Silwood Park, Ascot, Berkshire SL57PY, UK and Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW75BD, UK ([email protected]) (Received 29 November 2001; revised 28 August 2002; accepted 2 September 2002) ABSTRACT In an attempt to investigate differences between the most widely discussed hypotheses of early tetrapod relation- ships, we assembled a new data matrix including 90 taxa coded for 319 cranial and postcranial characters. We have incorporated, where possible, original observations of numerous taxa spread throughout the major tetrapod clades. A stem-based (total-group) definition of Tetrapoda is preferred over apomorphy- and node-based (crown-group) definitions. This definition is operational, since it is based on a formal character analysis. A PAUP* search using a recently implemented version of the parsimony ratchet method yields 64 shortest trees. Differ- ences between these trees concern: (1) the internal relationships of aı¨stopods, the three selected species of which form a trichotomy; (2) the internal relationships of embolomeres, with Archeria
    [Show full text]
  • And Early Jurassic Sediments, and Patterns of the Triassic-Jurassic
    and Early Jurassic sediments, and patterns of the Triassic-Jurassic PAUL E. OLSEN AND tetrapod transition HANS-DIETER SUES Introduction parent answer was that the supposed mass extinc- The Late Triassic-Early Jurassic boundary is fre- tions in the tetrapod record were largely an artifact quently cited as one of the thirteen or so episodes of incorrect or questionable biostratigraphic corre- of major extinctions that punctuate Phanerozoic his- lations. On reexamining the problem, we have come tory (Colbert 1958; Newell 1967; Hallam 1981; Raup to realize that the kinds of patterns revealed by look- and Sepkoski 1982, 1984). These times of apparent ing at the change in taxonomic composition through decimation stand out as one class of the great events time also profoundly depend on the taxonomic levels in the history of life. and the sampling intervals examined. We address Renewed interest in the pattern of mass ex- those problems in this chapter. We have now found tinctions through time has stimulated novel and com- that there does indeed appear to be some sort of prehensive attempts to relate these patterns to other extinction event, but it cannot be examined at the terrestrial and extraterrestrial phenomena (see usual coarse levels of resolution. It requires new fine- Chapter 24). The Triassic-Jurassic boundary takes scaled documentation of specific faunal and floral on special significance in this light. First, the faunal transitions. transitions have been cited as even greater in mag- Stratigraphic correlation of geographically dis- nitude than those of the Cretaceous or the Permian junct rocks and assemblages predetermines our per- (Colbert 1958; Hallam 1981; see also Chapter 24).
    [Show full text]
  • The Scapulocoracoid of an Early Triassic Stem−Frog from Poland
    The scapulocoracoid of an Early Triassic stem−frog from Poland MAGDALENA BORSUK−BIAŁYNICKA and SUSAN E. EVANS Borsuk−Białynicka, M. and Evans, S.E. 2002. The scapulocoracoid of an Early Triassic stem−frog from Poland. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 47 (1): 79–96. The scapulocoracoid of Czatkobatrachus polonicus Evans and Borsuk−Białynicka, 1998, a stem−frog from the Early Tri− assic karst locality of Czatkowice (Southern Poland), is described. The overall type of scapulocoracoid is plesiomorphic, but the subcircular shape and laterally oriented glenoid is considered synapomorphic of Salientia. The supraglenoid fora− men is considered homologous to the scapular cleft of the Anura. In Czatkobatrachus, the supraglenoid foramen occupies an intermediate position between that of the early tetrapod foramen and the scapular cleft of Anura. The cleft scapula is probably synapomorphic for the Anura. In early salientian phylogeny, the shift in position of the supraglenoid foramen may have been associated with an anterior rotation of the forelimb. This change in position of the forelimb may reflect an evolutionary shift from a mainly locomotory function to static functions (support, balance, eventually shock−absorption). Laterally extended limbs may have been more effective than posterolateral ones in absorbing landing stresses, until the specialised shock−absorption pectoral mechanism of crown−group Anura had developed. The glenoid shape and position, and the slender scapular blade, of Czatkobatrachus, in combination with the well−ossified joint surfaces on the humerus and ulna, all support a primarily terrestrial rather than aquatic mode of life. The new Polish material also permits clarifica− tion of the pectoral anatomy of the contemporaneous Madagascan genus Triadobatrachus.
    [Show full text]
  • Phylogeny and Evolution of the Dissorophoid Temnospondyls
    Journal of Paleontology, 93(1), 2019, p. 137–156 Copyright © 2018, The Paleontological Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 0022-3360/15/0088-0906 doi: 10.1017/jpa.2018.67 The putative lissamphibian stem-group: phylogeny and evolution of the dissorophoid temnospondyls Rainer R. Schoch Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany 〈[email protected]〉 Abstract.—Dissorophoid temnospondyls are widely considered to have given rise to some or all modern amphibians (Lissamphibia), but their ingroup relationships still bear major unresolved questions. An inclusive phylogenetic ana- lysis of dissorophoids gives new insights into the large-scale topology of relationships. Based on a TNT 1.5 analysis (33 taxa, 108 characters), the enigmatic taxon Perryella is found to nest just outside Dissorophoidea (phylogenetic defintion), but shares a range of synapomorphies with this clade. The dissorophoids proper are found to encompass a first dichotomy between the largely paedomorphic Micromelerpetidae and all other taxa (Xerodromes). Within the latter, there is a basal dichotomy between the large, heavily ossified Olsoniformes (Dissorophidae + Trematopidae) and the small salamander-like Amphibamiformes (new taxon), which include four clades: (1) Micropholidae (Tersomius, Pasawioops, Micropholis); (2) Amphibamidae sensu stricto (Doleserpeton, Amphibamus); (3) Branchiosaur- idae (Branchiosaurus, Apateon, Leptorophus, Schoenfelderpeton); and (4) Lissamphibia. The genera Platyrhinops and Eos- copus are here found to nest at the base of Amphibamiformes. Represented by their basal-most stem-taxa (Triadobatrachus, Karaurus, Eocaecilia), lissamphibians nest with Gerobatrachus rather than Amphibamidae, as repeatedly found by former analyses.
    [Show full text]
  • Physical and Environmental Drivers of Paleozoic Tetrapod Dispersal Across Pangaea
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07623-x OPEN Physical and environmental drivers of Paleozoic tetrapod dispersal across Pangaea Neil Brocklehurst1,2, Emma M. Dunne3, Daniel D. Cashmore3 &Jӧrg Frӧbisch2,4 The Carboniferous and Permian were crucial intervals in the establishment of terrestrial ecosystems, which occurred alongside substantial environmental and climate changes throughout the globe, as well as the final assembly of the supercontinent of Pangaea. The fl 1234567890():,; in uence of these changes on tetrapod biogeography is highly contentious, with some authors suggesting a cosmopolitan fauna resulting from a lack of barriers, and some iden- tifying provincialism. Here we carry out a detailed historical biogeographic analysis of late Paleozoic tetrapods to study the patterns of dispersal and vicariance. A likelihood-based approach to infer ancestral areas is combined with stochastic mapping to assess rates of vicariance and dispersal. Both the late Carboniferous and the end-Guadalupian are char- acterised by a decrease in dispersal and a vicariance peak in amniotes and amphibians. The first of these shifts is attributed to orogenic activity, the second to increasing climate heterogeneity. 1 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK. 2 Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany. 3 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. 4 Institut
    [Show full text]