Synchrotron Imaging of Dentition Provides
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The Phylogenetic Position of Ambiortus: Comparison with Other Mesozoic Birds from Asia1 J
ISSN 00310301, Paleontological Journal, 2013, Vol. 47, No. 11, pp. 1270–1281. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2013. The Phylogenetic Position of Ambiortus: Comparison with Other Mesozoic Birds from Asia1 J. K. O’Connora and N. V. Zelenkovb aKey Laboratory of Evolution and Systematics, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, 142 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Beijing China 10044 bBorissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya ul. 123, Moscow, 117997 Russia email: [email protected], [email protected] Received August 6, 2012 Abstract—Since the last description of the ornithurine bird Ambiortus dementjevi from Mongolia, a wealth of Early Cretaceous birds have been discovered in China. Here we provide a detailed comparison of the anatomy of Ambiortus relative to other known Early Cretaceous ornithuromorphs from the Chinese Jehol Group and Xiagou Formation. We include new information on Ambiortus from a previously undescribed slab preserving part of the sternum. Ambiortus is superficially similar to Gansus yumenensis from the Aptian Xiagou Forma tion but shares more morphological features with Yixianornis grabaui (Ornithuromorpha: Songlingorni thidae) from the Jiufotang Formation of the Jehol Group. In general, the mosaic pattern of character distri bution among early ornithuromorph taxa does not reveal obvious relationships between taxa. Ambiortus was placed in a large phylogenetic analysis of Mesozoic birds, which confirms morphological observations and places Ambiortus in a polytomy with Yixianornis and Gansus. Keywords: Ornithuromorpha, Ambiortus, osteology, phylogeny, Early Cretaceous, Mongolia DOI: 10.1134/S0031030113110063 1 INTRODUCTION and articulated partial skeleton, preserving several cervi cal and thoracic vertebrae, and parts of the left thoracic Ambiortus dementjevi Kurochkin, 1982 was one of girdle and wing (specimen PIN, nos. -
The Skull of the Upper Cretaceous Snake Dinilysia Patagonica Smith-Woodward, 1901, and Its Phylogenetic Position Revisited
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 164, 194–238. With 24 figures The skull of the Upper Cretaceous snake Dinilysia patagonica Smith-Woodward, 1901, and its phylogenetic position revisited HUSSAM ZAHER1* and CARLOS AGUSTÍN SCANFERLA2 1Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Nazaré 481, Ipiranga, 04263-000, São Paulo, SP, Brasil 2Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Av. Angel Gallardo 470 (1405), Buenos Aires, Argentina Received 23 April 2010; revised 5 April 2011; accepted for publication 18 April 2011 The cranial anatomy of Dinilysia patagonica, a terrestrial snake from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina, is redescribed and illustrated, based on high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and better preparations made on previously known specimens, including the holotype. Previously unreported characters reinforce the intriguing mosaic nature of the skull of Dinilysia, with a suite of plesiomorphic and apomorphic characters with respect to extant snakes. Newly recognized plesiomorphies are the absence of the medial vertical flange of the nasal, lateral position of the prefrontal, lizard-like contact between vomer and palatine, floor of the recessus scalae tympani formed by the basioccipital, posterolateral corners of the basisphenoid strongly ventrolaterally projected, and absence of a medial parietal pillar separating the telencephalon and mesencephalon, amongst others. We also reinterpreted the structures forming the otic region of Dinilysia, confirming the presence of a crista circumfenes- tralis, which represents an important derived ophidian synapomorphy. Both plesiomorphic and apomorphic traits of Dinilysia are treated in detail and illustrated accordingly. Results of a phylogenetic analysis support a basal position of Dinilysia, as the sister-taxon to all extant snakes. -
Ontogeny Reveals Function and Evolution of the Hadrosaurid Dinosaur Dental Battery Aaron R
LeBlanc et al. BMC Evolutionary Biology (2016) 16:152 DOI 10.1186/s12862-016-0721-1 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Ontogeny reveals function and evolution of the hadrosaurid dinosaur dental battery Aaron R. H. LeBlanc1*, Robert R. Reisz1,2, David C. Evans3 and Alida M. Bailleul4 Abstract Background: Hadrosaurid dinosaurs, dominant Late Cretaceous herbivores, possessed complex dental batteries with up to 300 teeth in each jaw ramus. Despite extensive interest in the adaptive significance of the dental battery, surprisingly little is known about how the battery evolved from the ancestral dinosaurian dentition, or how it functioned in the living organism. We undertook the first comprehensive, tissue-level study of dental ontogeny in hadrosaurids using several intact maxillary and dentary batteries and compared them to sections of other archosaurs and mammals. We used these comparisons to pinpoint shifts in the ancestral reptilian pattern of tooth ontogeny that allowed hadrosaurids to form complex dental batteries. Results: Comparisons of hadrosaurid dental ontogeny with that of other amniotes reveals that the ability to halt normal tooth replacement and functionalize the tooth root into the occlusal surface was key to the evolution of dental batteries. The retention of older generations of teeth was driven by acceleration in the timing and rate of dental tissue formation. The hadrosaurid dental battery is a highly modified form of the typical dinosaurian gomphosis with a unique tooth-to-tooth attachment that permitted constant and perfectly timed tooth eruption along the whole battery. Conclusions: We demonstrate that each battery was a highly dynamic, integrated matrix of living replacement and, remarkably, dead grinding teeth connected by a network of ligaments that permitted fine scale flexibility within the battery. -
(Early Palaeocene), Withers, 1914
Meded. Werkgr. Tert. Kwart. Geol. 25(2-3) 175-196 2 figs, 1 pi. Leiden, oktober 1988 The biostratigraphy of the Geulhem Member (Early Palaeocene), with reference to the occurrence of Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 (Crustacea, Cirripedia) by J.W.M. Jagt Venlo, The Netherlands and J.S.H. Collins London, United Kingdom Jagt, &J.S.H. Collins. The biostratigraphy of the Geulhem reference of Member (Early Palaeocene), with to the occurrence Pyc- nolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 (Crustacea, Cirripedia).—Meded. Werkgr. Tert. Kwart. Geol., 25(2-3): 175-196, 2 figs, 1 pi. Leiden, October 1988. Valves of the brachylepadomorph cirripede Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, 1914 are reported from the Early Palaeocene of the environs of Maastricht (The Netherlands and NE Belgium). The occurrenceof this distinctive species provides additional proof of a correlationof the with the in Maastricht Danish Danian Early Palaeocene the area. A discussion of the biostratigraphy of the Geulhem Member (Houthem Formation) from which the cirripede remains were collected is presented. It is concluded that P. bruennichi is restricted to strata of Palaeocene in Denmark well in the Early (Danian) age as as Maastrichtian type area (SE Netherlands, NE Belgium). John W.M. Jagt, 2de Maasveldstraat 47, 5921 JN Venlo, The Netherlands; J. S.H. Collins, 63 Oakhurst Grove, East Dulwich, Lon- don SE22 9AH, United Kingdom. Contents 176 Samenvatting, p. Introduction, p. 176 177 Systematic description, p. and distribution of P. 178 Stratigraphic geographic bruennichi, p. of the Geulhem 182 Stratigraphy Member, p. Conclusion, p. 190 191 Acknowledgements, p. References, p. 191. 176 Samenvatting De de Geulhem Kalksteen voorkomen biostratigrafie van (Vroeg Paleoceen) naar aanleiding van het 1914 van Pycnolepas bruennichi Withers, (Crustacea, Cirripedia). -
Theropod Teeth from the Upper Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation “Sue” Quarry: New Morphotypes and Faunal Comparisons
Theropod teeth from the upper Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation “Sue” Quarry: New morphotypes and faunal comparisons TERRY A. GATES, LINDSAY E. ZANNO, and PETER J. MAKOVICKY Gates, T.A., Zanno, L.E., and Makovicky, P.J. 2015. Theropod teeth from the upper Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation “Sue” Quarry: New morphotypes and faunal comparisons. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 60 (1): 131–139. Isolated teeth from vertebrate microfossil localities often provide unique information on the biodiversity of ancient ecosystems that might otherwise remain unrecognized. Microfossil sampling is a particularly valuable tool for doc- umenting taxa that are poorly represented in macrofossil surveys due to small body size, fragile skeletal structure, or relatively low ecosystem abundance. Because biodiversity patterns in the late Maastrichtian of North American are the primary data for a broad array of studies regarding non-avian dinosaur extinction in the terminal Cretaceous, intensive sampling on multiple scales is critical to understanding the nature of this event. We address theropod biodiversity in the Maastrichtian by examining teeth collected from the Hell Creek Formation locality that yielded FMNH PR 2081 (the Tyrannosaurus rex specimen “Sue”). Eight morphotypes (three previously undocumented) are identified in the sample, representing Tyrannosauridae, Dromaeosauridae, Troodontidae, and Avialae. Noticeably absent are teeth attributed to the morphotypes Richardoestesia and Paronychodon. Morphometric comparison to dromaeosaurid teeth from multiple Hell Creek and Lance formations microsites reveals two unique dromaeosaurid morphotypes bearing finer distal denticles than present on teeth of similar size, and also differences in crown shape in at least one of these. These findings suggest more dromaeosaurid taxa, and a higher Maastrichtian biodiversity, than previously appreciated. -
Dinosaur Gallery Explorer’S Notebook
Dinosaur Gallery Explorer’s Notebook Name: Class: Level 3 © Museum of Natural Sciences Education Service 2012 29, Rue Vautier, 1000 Brussels. Tel: +32 (0)2 627 42 52 [email protected] www.sciencesnaturelles.be 1 Dinosaur Gallery - Level 3 Plan of the Gallery Each time you see a number in the margin of this notebook you must move to a new place in the gallery. Find where you are on the plan. entrance via mezzanine (level 0) stairs down to level -2 stairs up to level -1 The numbers on the plan correspond to the different stages on the dinosaur gallery. The numbers start on page 6 of this notebook Make sure you have a sharp pencil and a rubber with you! Make a team of three to answer the questions. 2 Dinosaur Gallery - Level 3 Before your visit... The first pages of this notebook will help you prepare for your visit to the museum! * Words followed by an asterisk are explained in the glossary on the last page. What is a dinosaur? Below are some characteristics of dinosaurs feet underneath their bodies 4 feet terrestrial eggs with shells vertebrate* ATTENTION Dinosaurs were terrestrial animals. At the same time, sea reptiles and flying reptiles lived on the Earth, but these animals were NOT dinosaurs! Herbivore or carnivore? To know whether a dinosaur ate meat or plants, take a look at its teeth herbivore carnivore When a dinosaur was a When a dinosaur was a herbivore, its teeth had flat ends, carnivore, its teeth had pointed like the prongs of a rake or like ends, like knives. -
Download Vol. 11, No. 3
BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Volume 11 Number 3 CATALOGUE OF FOSSIL BIRDS: Part 3 (Ralliformes, Ichthyornithiformes, Charadriiformes) Pierce Brodkorb M,4 * . /853 0 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Gainesville 1967 Numbers of the BULLETIN OF THE FLORIDA STATE MUSEUM are pub- lished at irregular intervals. Volumes contain about 800 pages and are not nec- essarily completed in any one calendar year. WALTER AuFFENBERC, Managing Editor OLIVER L. AUSTIN, JA, Editor Consultants for this issue. ~ HILDEGARDE HOWARD ALExANDER WErMORE Communications concerning purchase or exchange of the publication and all manuscripts should be addressed to the Managing Editor of the Bulletin, Florida State Museum, Seagle Building, Gainesville, Florida. 82601 Published June 12, 1967 Price for this issue $2.20 CATALOGUE OF FOSSIL BIRDS: Part 3 ( Ralliformes, Ichthyornithiformes, Charadriiformes) PIERCE BRODKORBl SYNOPSIS: The third installment of the Catalogue of Fossil Birds treats 84 families comprising the orders Ralliformes, Ichthyornithiformes, and Charadriiformes. The species included in this section number 866, of which 215 are paleospecies and 151 are neospecies. With the addenda of 14 paleospecies, the three parts now published treat 1,236 spDcies, of which 771 are paleospecies and 465 are living or recently extinct. The nominal order- Diatrymiformes is reduced in rank to a suborder of the Ralliformes, and several generally recognized families are reduced to subfamily status. These include Geranoididae and Eogruidae (to Gruidae); Bfontornithidae -
PROGRAMME ABSTRACTS AGM Papers
The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting 15th–21st December 2019 University of Valencia, Spain PROGRAMME ABSTRACTS AGM papers Palaeontological Association 6 ANNUAL MEETING ANNUAL MEETING Palaeontological Association 1 The Palaeontological Association 63rd Annual Meeting 15th–21st December 2019 University of Valencia The programme and abstracts for the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association are provided after the following information and summary of the meeting. An easy-to-navigate pocket guide to the Meeting is also available to delegates. Venue The Annual Meeting will take place in the faculties of Philosophy and Philology on the Blasco Ibañez Campus of the University of Valencia. The Symposium will take place in the Salon Actos Manuel Sanchis Guarner in the Faculty of Philology. The main meeting will take place in this and a nearby lecture theatre (Salon Actos, Faculty of Philosophy). There is a Metro stop just a few metres from the campus that connects with the centre of the city in 5-10 minutes (Line 3-Facultats). Alternatively, the campus is a 20-25 minute walk from the ‘old town’. Registration Registration will be possible before and during the Symposium at the entrance to the Salon Actos in the Faculty of Philosophy. During the main meeting the registration desk will continue to be available in the Faculty of Philosophy. Oral Presentations All speakers (apart from the symposium speakers) have been allocated 15 minutes. It is therefore expected that you prepare to speak for no more than 12 minutes to allow time for questions and switching between presenters. We have a number of parallel sessions in nearby lecture theatres so timing will be especially important. -
New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Nemegt Formation of Southwestern Mongolia
Bull. Natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo, Ser. C, 30, pp. 95–130, December 22, 2004 New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Nemegt Formation of Southwestern Mongolia Junchang Lü1, Yukimitsu Tomida2, Yoichi Azuma3, Zhiming Dong4 and Yuong-Nam Lee5 1 Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China 2 National Science Museum, 3–23–1 Hyakunincho, Shinjukuku, Tokyo 169–0073, Japan 3 Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, 51–11 Terao, Muroko, Katsuyama 911–8601, Japan 4 Institute of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China 5 Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Geology & Geoinformation Division, 30 Gajeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305–350, South Korea Abstract Nemegtia barsboldi gen. et sp. nov. here described is a new oviraptorid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (mid-Maastrichtian) Nemegt Formation of southwestern Mongolia. It differs from other oviraptorids in the skull having a well-developed crest, the anterior margin of which is nearly vertical, and the dorsal margin of the skull and the anterior margin of the crest form nearly 90°; the nasal process of the premaxilla being less exposed on the dorsal surface of the skull than those in other known oviraptorids; the length of the frontal being approximately one fourth that of the parietal along the midline of the skull. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Nemegtia barsboldi is more closely related to Citipati osmolskae than to any other oviraptorosaurs. Key words : Nemegt Basin, Mongolia, Nemegt Formation, Late Cretaceous, Oviraptorosauria, Nemegtia. dae, and Caudipterygidae (Barsbold, 1976; Stern- Introduction berg, 1940; Currie, 2000; Clark et al., 2001; Ji et Oviraptorosaurs are generally regarded as non- al., 1998; Zhou and Wang, 2000; Zhou et al., avian theropod dinosaurs (Osborn, 1924; Bars- 2000). -
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. -
Appendix A. Supplementary Material
Appendix A. Supplementary material Comprehensive taxon sampling and vetted fossils help clarify the time tree of shorebirds (Aves, Charadriiformes) David Cernˇ y´ 1,* & Rossy Natale2 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA 2Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago 60637, USA *Corresponding Author. Email: [email protected] Contents 1 Fossil Calibrations 2 1.1 Calibrations used . .2 1.2 Rejected calibrations . 22 2 Outgroup sequences 30 2.1 Neornithine outgroups . 33 2.2 Non-neornithine outgroups . 39 3 Supplementary Methods 72 4 Supplementary Figures and Tables 74 5 Image Credits 91 References 99 1 1 Fossil Calibrations 1.1 Calibrations used Calibration 1 Node calibrated. MRCA of Uria aalge and Uria lomvia. Fossil taxon. Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758). Specimen. CASG 71892 (referred specimen; Olson, 2013), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA. Lower bound. 2.58 Ma. Phylogenetic justification. As in Smith (2015). Age justification. The status of CASG 71892 as the oldest known record of either of the two spp. of Uria was recently confirmed by the review of Watanabe et al. (2016). The younger of the two marine transgressions at the Tolstoi Point corresponds to the Bigbendian transgression (Olson, 2013), which contains the Gauss-Matuyama magnetostratigraphic boundary (Kaufman and Brigham-Grette, 1993). Attempts to date this reversal have been recently reviewed by Ohno et al. (2012); Singer (2014), and Head (2019). In particular, Deino et al. (2006) were able to tightly bracket the age of the reversal using high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of two tuffs in normally and reversely magnetized lacustrine sediments from Kenya, obtaining a value of 2.589 ± 0.003 Ma. -
Norntates PUBLISHED by the AMERICAN MUSEUM of NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST at 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024 Number 3265, 36 Pp., 15 Figures May 4, 1999
AMERICANt MUSEUM Norntates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024 Number 3265, 36 pp., 15 figures May 4, 1999 An Oviraptorid Skeleton from the Late Cretaceous of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, Preserved in an Avianlike Brooding Position Over an Oviraptorid Nest JAMES M. CLARK,I MARK A. NORELL,2 AND LUIS M. CHIAPPE3 ABSTRACT The articulated postcranial skeleton of an ovi- presence of a single, ossified ventral segment in raptorid dinosaur (Theropoda, Coelurosauria) each rib as well as ossified uncinate processes from the Late Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation associated with the thoracic ribs. Remnants of of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, is preserved over- keratinous sheaths are preserved with four of the lying a nest. The eggs are similar in size, shape, manal claws, and the bony and keratinous claws and ornamentation to another egg from this lo- were as strongly curved as the manal claws of cality in which an oviraptorid embryo is pre- Archaeopteryx and the pedal claws of modern served, suggesting that the nest is of the same climbing birds. The skeleton is positioned over species as the adult skeleton overlying it and was the center of the nest, with its limbs arranged parented by the adult. The lack of a skull pre- symmetrically on either side and its arms spread cludes specific identification, but in several fea- out around the nest perimeter. This is one of four tures the specimen is more similar to Oviraptor known oviraptorid skeletons preserved on nests than to other oviraptorids. The ventral part of the of this type of egg, comprising 23.5% of the 17 thorax is exceptionally well preserved and pro- oviraptorid skeletons collected from the Dja- vides evidence for other avian features that were dokhta Formation before 1996.