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A New Addition to the Cretaceous Seaway of ND
A New Addition to the Cretaceous Seaway of North Dakota Clint A. Boyd In July of 2015, 17-year-old Deborah Shepherd from Green Cove Springs, Florida was visiting the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area in northeastern North Dakota (Cavalier County) with her family. One member of Deborah’s family had previously attended the Pembina Gorge public fossil dig, and they had brought the family up to the roadside marker near the fossil site to see the area. The group was exploring the area and had dispersed a bit when they heard Deborah excitedly call out. She came running up to the group holding a fist-sized piece of white bone encased in a crust of black shale (fig. 1). Along one side of the bone four large teeth were present. Deborah had found part of the jaw of an ancient sea monster: a mosasaur. Mosasaurs were large aquatic reptiles that lived in the oceans during the Mesozoic while dinosaurs were ruling the land. Though they lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, they are actually more closely related to snakes and monitor lizards (like the Komodo dragon) than they are to dinosaurs. They swam using four large flippers and an extremely long, stiff tail, and had to return to the surface to breathe (fig. 2), just like modern whales and dolphins. They were the top predators of the seas during their time, with some species reaching lengths Figure 2. Reconstruction of a mosasaur. Painting by Becky Barnes. of close to 50 feet and displaying teeth as large as whom, and took temporary possession of the fossil. -
(Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae) from the Maastrichtian of the Harrana Fauna–Jordan
Kaddumi, Gigantatypus salahi n.gen., n.sp., from Harrana www.PalArch.nl, vertebrate palaeontology, 3, 1, (2006) A new genus and species of gigantic marine turtles (Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae) from the Maastrichtian of the Harrana Fauna–Jordan H.F. Kaddumi Eternal River Museum of Natural History Amman–Jordan, P.O. Box 11395 [email protected] ISSN 1567–2158 7 figures Abstract Marine turtle fossils are extremely rare in the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of the Harrana Fauna in comparison to the relatively rich variety of other vertebrate fossils collected from this locality. This paper reports and describes the remains of an extinct marine turtle (Chelonioidea) which will be tentatively assigned to a new genus and species of marine turtles (Cheloniidae Bonaparte, 1835) Gigantatypus salahi n.gen., n.sp.. The new genus represented by a single well–preserved right humerus, reached remarkably large proportions equivalent to that of Archelon Wieland, 1896 and represents the first to be found from this deposit and from the Middle East. The specimen, which exhibits unique combinations of features is characterized by the following morphological features not found in other members of the Cheloniidae: massive species reaching over 12 feet in length; a more prominently enlarged lateral process that is situated more closely to the head; a ventrally situated capitellum; a highly laterally expanded distal margin. The presence of these features may warrant the placement of this new species in a new genus. The specimen also retains some morphological features found in members of advanced protostegids indicating close affinities with the family. Several bite marks on the ventral surface of the fossilized humerus indicate shark–scavenging activities of possibly Squalicorax spp. -
The Ancestral Flower of Angiosperms and Its Early Diversification
The ancestral flower of angiosperms and its early diversification The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Sauquet, H., M. von Balthazar, S. Magallón, J. A. Doyle, P. K. Endress, E. J. Bailes, E. Barroso de Morais, et al. 2017. “The ancestral flower of angiosperms and its early diversification.” Nature Communications 8 (1): 16047. doi:10.1038/ncomms16047. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms16047. Published Version doi:10.1038/ncomms16047 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:34375361 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA ARTICLE Received 1 Nov 2016 | Accepted 18 May 2017 | Published 1 Aug 2017 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms16047 OPEN The ancestral flower of angiosperms and its early diversification Herve´ Sauquet1, Maria von Balthazar2, Susana Magallo´n3, James A. Doyle4, Peter K. Endress5, Emily J. Bailes6, Erica Barroso de Morais5, Kester Bull-Heren˜u7, Laetitia Carrive1, Marion Chartier2, Guillaume Chomicki8, Mario Coiro5, Raphae¨l Cornette9, Juliana H.L. El Ottra10, Cyril Epicoco1, Charles S.P. Foster11, Florian Jabbour9, Agathe Haevermans9, Thomas Haevermans9, Rebeca Herna´ndez3, Stefan A. Little1, Stefan Lo¨fstrand2, Javier A. Luna12, Julien Massoni13, Sophie Nadot1, Susanne Pamperl2, Charlotte Prieu1, Elisabeth Reyes1, Patrı´cia dos Santos14, Kristel M. Schoonderwoerd15, Susanne Sontag2, Anae¨lle Soulebeau9, Yannick Staedler2, Georg F. Tschan16, Amy Wing-Sze Leung17 &Ju¨rg Scho¨nenberger2 Recent advances in molecular phylogenetics and a series of important palaeobotanical dis- coveries have revolutionized our understanding of angiosperm diversification. -
The Tylosaurine Mosasaurs (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe and Africa
BULLETIN DE L'INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUE, SCIENCES DE LA TERRE, 62: 171-194, 1992 BULLETIN VAN H ET KONINKLIJK BELGISCH INSTITUT VOOR NATUURWETENSCH APPEN, AARDWETENSCHAPPEN, 62: 171-194, 1992 The Tylosaurine Mosasaurs (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe and Africa by THEAGARTEN LINGHAM-SOLIAR Abstract La biomécanique du crâne des tylosauriens est examinée principale• ment suite à l'hypothèse selon laquelle le grand rostre servait à atta• quer les proies (RUSSELL, 1967). Divers autres aspects du comporte• This study represents the first relatively extensive description of the ment prédateur des tylosauriens sont aussi mentionnés. PUUM Hainosaurus Dono, 1885. The description of H. bernardi DOLLO, 1885 is based on the holotype and on a previously undescri- Mots-clefs: Hainosaurus, Tylosaurus, Leiodon, prédation, plongée. bed specimen. A new specimen of H. gaudryi (THEVENIN, 1896) from France is also described. Mosasaurus iembeensis TELLES-ANTUNES, 1964, from the Turonian of Angola is reassigned to the genus Tylosau• rus MARSH, 1872. The only other tylosaurine species from Africa, T. Introduction capensis (BROOM, 1912) is also briefly described. The biomechanics of the skull of tylosaurines is examined primarily The gigantic tylosaurine Hainosaurus bernardi DOLLO, because of the hypothesis that the large rostrum was used in ramming 1885 was the first mosasaur to be discovered in Belgium. prey (RUSSELL, 1967). Various other aspects of tylosaurine predatory behaviour are also mentioned. Almost the entire skeleton was found intact, although considerably abraded, in the Ciply Phosphatic Chalk in Key-words: Hainosaurus, Tylosaurus, Leiodon, ramming, ambush- a region known as "La Malogne" (Fig.l). -
REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS Colección De Paleobotánica
MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA E INNOVACIÓN REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRÁFICAS Colección de Paleobotánica ÁLVAREZ RAMIS, C. 1964. Contribución al estudio de la Flora Carbonífera de Tineo (Asturias). Boletín del Instituto de Estudios Asturianos, 9: 163-168. ÁLVAREZ RAMIS, C. 1966. Trabajos sobre la flora del Estefaniense cantabroastúrico. Acta Geológica Hispánica, 1 (2): 19-20. AREITIO y LARRINAGA, A. 1873. Materiales para la flora fósil de España. Anales de la Sociedad española de Historia Natural, 2: 379-383. AREITIO y LARRINAGA, A. 1874. Enumeración de plantas fósiles españolas. Anales de la Sociedad española de Historia Natural, 3: 225-259. BARRÓN, E. 1992. Presencia de Fraxinus excelsior Linné (Oleaceae, Gentianales) en el Mioceno superior de la Depresión Ceretana. Implicaciones tafonómicas y paleoecológicas. Revista Española de paleontología, 7 (2): 101-108. BARRÓN, E. 1993. Taphonomic studies of the plant remains from the Ceretana Basin (Lérida, Spain). Kaupia, 2: 127-132. BARRÓN, E. 1995. Estudio tafonómico y análisis paleoecológico de la macro y microflora miocena de la Cuenca de la Cerdaña. Tesis Doctoral. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 714 págs. Láms. I-XXIX. BARRÓN, E. 1996. Caracterización de la familia Betulaceae S. F. Gray (Magnopliophyta) en el Vallesiense (Neógeno) de la Cerdanya (Lleida, España). Treballs del Museu de Geología de Barcelona, 5: 171-211 BARRÓN, E. 1996. Caracterización del género Acer L. en el vallesiense de la Cerdaña (Lérida, España). Boletín Geológico y Minero, 107 (1): 38-54. BARRÓN, E. 1996. El paragénero Daphnogene Unger (Lauraceae) en el Oligoceno de Izarra (Alava). Estudios del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Alava, 10-11: 45-52. -
Pseudoasterophyllites Cretaceus from the Cenomanian (Cretaceous) of the Czech Republic: a Possible Link Between Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllum
Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2016 Pseudoasterophyllites cretaceus from the Cenomanian (Cretaceous) of the Czech Republic: a possible link between Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllum Kvaček, Jiří ; Doyle, James A ; Endress, Peter K ; Daviero-Gomez, Véronique ; Gomez, Bernard ; Tekleva, Maria Abstract: Pseudoasterophyllites cretaceus from the Cenomanian of Bohemia was recently recognized as an angiosperm by association with stamens containing monosulcate pollen of the Tucanopollis type. New material indicates that the stamens were borne in short spikes, with each stamen subtended by a bract, whereas the carpels were solitary and contained a single pendent, orthotropous ovule. We have inves- tigated the phylogenetic position of Pseudoasterophyllites by including it in a morphological analysis of extant angiosperms using backbone constraint trees that represent the current range of hypotheses on relationships of the five mesangiosperm clades. With a backbone tree in which Chloranthaceae are linked with magnoliids and Ceratophyllum with eudicots, the most parsimonious position of Pseudoasterophyl- lites is sister to Chloranthaceae, but a sister-group relationship to Ceratophyllum is only one step less parsimonious. With a backbone tree in which Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllum form a clade, Pseu- doasterophyllites is sister to Ceratophyllum, based on derived features shared with both Chloranthaceae and Ceratophyllum plus solitary female flowers (as -
A Mosasaur from the Lewis Shale
(1974)recently reported a number of ammo- nites and other invertebratesfrom the Lewis A mosasaurfrom the Lewis Shale Shale along the easternedge of the San Juan Basin. UNM-V-070 is southeastof their lo- (UpperGretaceous), northwestern cality D4l5l and northeastof their locality D5067. Both D4l5l and D5087 are strati- graphically higher in the Lewis Shale than NewMexico Uf.ftU-V-OZOand are placed by Cobban and History,Yale University' others (1974) in the Late Campanian Didy- by'NewHaven,CT,andPeterK.Reser,OiiartmentotAnthropology,University0fNewMexico,Albuquerque,NMSpencer G Lucas,Department of Geology and Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural mocerascheyennense ammonite zone. Prob- ably UNM-V-070 is Late Campanianin age (no older strata are known in the Lewis Shale) Mosasaursare an extinct group of giant The following abbreviationsare usedin the (Cobban and others, 1974)and older than the a marinelizards that flourishedduring the Late text: AMNH-Department of VertebratePa- D. cheyennense zone. Unfortunately, out- Cretaceous. Their fossilized remains are leontology, American Museum of Natural diligent searchof the limited Lewis Shale yielded un- known from all the continentsexcept Antarc- History, New York; UNM-Department of crops around UNM-V-070 only tica; the largestand best known collections Geology,University of New Mexico, Albu- diagnostic fragments of inoceramid shells; precisely come from the Niobrara Formation in Kan- querque;YPM-Peabody Museumof Natural hence,its age cannot be more deter- sas. Although marine sediments of Late History,Yale University, New Haven. mined. cretaceousage are exposedthroughout large areas of New Mexico, only three mosasaur LewisShale and its fauna specimenshave previously been reported from The Lewis Shale was named by Cross and the state. -
Phylogenetic Analyses of Cretaceous Fossils Related to Chloranthaceae and Their Evolutionary Implications
UC Davis UC Davis Previously Published Works Title Phylogenetic Analyses of Cretaceous Fossils Related to Chloranthaceae and their Evolutionary Implications Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0d58r5r0 Journal Botanical Review, 84(2) ISSN 0006-8101 Authors Doyle, JA Endress, PK Publication Date 2018-06-01 DOI 10.1007/s12229-018-9197-6 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Phylogenetic Analyses of Cretaceous Fossils Related to Chloranthaceae and their Evolutionary Implications James A. Doyle & Peter K. Endress The Botanical Review ISSN 0006-8101 Volume 84 Number 2 Bot. Rev. (2018) 84:156-202 DOI 10.1007/s12229-018-9197-6 1 23 Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by The New York Botanical Garden. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self- archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com”. 1 23 Author's personal copy Bot. Rev. (2018) 84:156–202 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-018-9197-6 Phylogenetic Analyses of Cretaceous Fossils Related to Chloranthaceae and their Evolutionary Implications James A. -
I Exploring the Relationship Between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving
Exploring the Relationship between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving Behavior, and Size Variation of the Parietal Eye in Mosasaurs By Andrew M. Connolly Submitted to the graduate degree program in Geology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. __________________________________ Stephen T. Hasiotis, Chairperson __________________________________ Rafe M. Brown __________________________________ Jennifer A. Roberts Date Defended: March 25, 2016 i The Thesis Committee for Andrew M. Connolly certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Exploring the Relationship between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving Behavior, and Size Variation of the Parietal Eye in Mosasaurs __________________________________ Stephen T. Hasiotis, Chairperson Date Approved: March 25, 2016 ii ABSTRACT Andrew M. Connolly, M.S. Department of Geology, March 2015 University of Kansas The parietal eye (PE) in modern squamates (Reptilia) plays a major role in regulating body temperature, maintaining circadian rhythms, and orientation via the solar axis. This study is the first to determine the role, if any, of the PE in an extinct group of lizards. We analyzed variation in relative size of the parietal foramen (PF) of five mosasaur genera to explore the relationship between PF size and paleolatitudinal distribution. We also surveyed the same specimens for the presence of avascular necrosis—a result of deep- diving behavior—in the vertebrae. Plioplatecarpus had the largest PF followed by Platecarpus, Tylosaurus, Mosasaurus, and Clidastes. A weak relationship exists between paleolatitudinal distribution and PF size among genera, as Plioplatecarpus had the highest paleolatitudinal distribution (~78°N) and the largest PF among genera. -
This Might Be the First Flowering Plant in Earth's History the Plant Grew 125 to 130 Million Years Ago
This Might Be the First Flowering Plant in Earth's History The plant grew 125 to 130 million years ago Indiana University scientist David Dilcher and fellow paleobotanists at research institutes in Europe believe to have found the first flowering plant ever to grow on Earth. Well, either that or at least one of the earliest ever documented. The newly identified species, named Montsechia vidalii and described in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science this Monday, grew on our planet around 125 to 130 million years ago. Interestingly, it didn't really produce flowers According to David Dilcher and his colleagues, Montsechia vidalii was an aquatic plant, its preferred habitat freshwater lakes in present-day Spain. Based on fossil evidence, the researchers suspect the plant was a dominant species in these bodies of water. What's interesting is that, although an angiosperm, i.e. a fruiting plant, the now extinct Montsechia vidalii did not produce flowers per se. Rather, it managed to form the fruits containing its seeds without having to first bloom. “Montsechia possesses no obvious 'flower parts,' such as petals or nectar-producing structures for attracting insects, and lives out its entire life cycle under water,” researcher David Dilcher said in an interview, as cited by Phys Org. The reason the paleobotanists are describing Montsechia vidalii as one of the earliest flowering plants on Earth - if not the first ever - is because, to biologists, all plants that deliver their seeds inside fruits count as flowering ones. Mind you, the plant has competition to the title David Dilcher and his colleagues might like to think of Montsechia vidalii as the earliest angiosperm ever to grown and breed on Earth, but the fact of the matter is there are other contender to this title. -
Giant Mosasaurus Hoffmanni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Penza, Russia
Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS Vol. 318, No. 2, 2014, рр. 148–167 УДК 568.113.3 GIANT MOSASAURUS HOFFMANNI (SQUAMATA, MOSASAURIDAE) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN) OF PENZA, RUSSIA D.V. Grigoriev Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT This study provides a morphological description of the fragmentary skull of a mosasaur discovered in 1927 in the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) deposits in the city of Penza (Russia). Some bones from the original material had been lost since their discovery; their description is based on plaster casts. The Penza mosasaur displays characteristic features of Mosasaurus hoffmanni such as the posterior carina that shifts from a somewhat lateral position in the anterior teeth to a posterior position further along the tooth row, a frontal with convex lateral margins, and a powerfully built dentary. This is the first unequivocal record of this taxon from Russia. M. hoffmanni from the Penza is one of the largest mosasaurs ever known with an overall length of the body about 17 m. Key words: Maastrichtian, Cretaceous, Penza, Mosasaurus hoffmanni, Mosasauridae ГИГАНТСКИЙ MOSASAURUS HOFFMANNI (SQUAMATA, MOSASAURIDAE) ИЗ ПОЗДНЕГО МЕЛА (МААСТРИХТА) ПЕНЗЫ, РОССИЯ Д.В. Григорьев Санкт-Петербургский Государственный Университет, Университетская наб. 7-9, 199034 Санкт-Петербург, Россия; e-mail: [email protected] РЕЗЮМЕ Приведено детальное морфологическое описание фрагментарного черепа мозазавра, найденного в 1927 г. в верхнемеловых отложениях (маастрихт) г. Пенза, Россия. Часть оригинальных костей была впоследствии утрачена; их описание выполнено по сохранившимся гипсовым слепкам. На основании изменения положе- ния зубной карины от передних к задним зубам, лобной кости с выгнутыми боковыми сторонами и массив- ных зубных костей пензенская особь отнесена к Mosasaurus hoffmanni. -
The Palaeontology Newsletter
The Palaeontology Newsletter Contents 90 Editorial 2 Association Business 3 Association Meetings 11 News 14 From our correspondents Legends of Rock: Marie Stopes 22 Behind the scenes at the Museum 25 Kinds of Blue 29 R: Statistical tests Part 3 36 Rock Fossils 45 Adopt-A-Fossil 48 Ethics in Palaeontology 52 FossilBlitz 54 The Iguanodon Restaurant 56 Future meetings of other bodies 59 Meeting Reports 64 Obituary: David M. Raup 79 Grant and Bursary Reports 81 Book Reviews 103 Careering off course! 111 Palaeontology vol 58 parts 5 & 6 113–115 Papers in Palaeontology vol 1 parts 3 & 4 116 Virtual Palaeontology issues 4 & 5 117–118 Annual Meeting supplement >120 Reminder: The deadline for copy for Issue no. 91 is 8th February 2016. On the Web: <http://www.palass.org/> ISSN: 0954-9900 Newsletter 90 2 Editorial I watched the press conference for the publication on the new hominin, Homo naledi, with rising incredulity. The pomp and ceremony! The emotion! I wondered why all of these people were so invested just because it was a new fossil species of something related to us in the very recent past. What about all of the other new fossil species that are discovered every day? I can’t imagine an international media frenzy, led by deans and vice chancellors amidst a backdrop of flags and flashbulbs, over a new species of ammonite. Most other fossil discoveries and publications of taxonomy are not met with such fanfare. The Annual Meeting is a time for sharing these discoveries, many of which will not bring the scientists involved international fame, but will advance our science and push the boundaries of our knowledge and understanding.