DOCSLIB.ORG

Phylogeny and Relationships of Taeniodonta, an Enigmatic Order of Eutherian Mammals (Paleogene, North America)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Phylogeny and Relationships of Taeniodonta, an Enigmatic Order of Eutherian Mammals (Paleogene, North America) Phylogeny and Relationships of Taeniodonta, an Enigmatic Order of Eutherian Mammals (Paleogene, North America) Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Deborah Lynn Weinstein Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University 2009 Thesis Committee: John Hunter, Advisor William Ausich John Wenzel Copyright by Deborah Lynn Weinstein 2009 Abstract The Taeniodonta is group of eutherian mammals from the Paleogene of North America, whose exact place in eutherian phylogeny is uncertain. Taeniodonts evolved rapidly in the Paleocene to achieve, in some forms, large body size, hypselodont (i.e., evergrowing) canine and postcanine teeth, and peculiar patterns of tooth wear. Eleven genera of taeniodonts occur in two main subclades, recognized at the level of families or subfamilies depending on author, the Conoryctidae and the Stylinodontidae. The conoryctids were smaller, probably insectivorous or omnivorous, and retained a larger number of primitive characters than did the stylinodontids. The stylinodontids were larger than the conoryctids, possessed massive canines, and exhibit a trend toward hypselodonty of the canines and molars. Prior to this study, there has not been a comprehensive phylogeny of all of the currently recognized genera of taeniodonts. In Chapter 1, I review the history of research on the systematics, evolution, and paleobiology of the taeniodonts, with emphasis on recent discoveries of transitional forms. I identify the major unresolved phylogenetic issues that concern taeniodonts that I explore in subsequent chapters including the internal relations among taeniodonts, ii monophyletic versus diphyletic origins, ancestry, and the status of the taeniodonts as either stem or crown eutherians. In Chapter 2, Internal Relations Among the Taeniodonts, I take up the relations of genera of taeniodonts to one another and overall biogeographic history. I performed cladistic analyses using NONA and Winclada to determine the evolutionary relations of the known genera of the Taeniodonta. Two clades are well supported, a clade consisting of the conoryctids exclusive of Onychodectes (i.e., Conoryctella, Conoryctes, and Huerfanodon) and a clade consisting of all the known stylinodontids (Wortmania, Schochia, Psittacotherium, Ectoganus, and Stylinodon). Stratocladistic analysis, which takes into account the temporal sequence of taxa in the fossil record, supports the results of phylogenetic analysis using morphological characters alone. Phylogenetic, stratigraphic, and geographic data contribute to reconstructing the biogeographical history of the taeniodonts. In these analyses, the Late Cretaceous taeniodont Schowalteria occupies the most basal position in taeniodont phylogeny, pre‐dating an inferred conoryctid–stylinodontid split in the early Paleocene. In Chapter 3, External Relations of the Taeniodonts, I investigate the higher‐level relations and ancestry of the taeniodonts as well as the monophyletic or diphyletic origins. I describe a newly discovered fossil lower jaw from the early Paleocene of North Dakota that I interpret to be the lower jaw of Alveugena, a taxon previously argued to be a transitional form between cimolestids and the taeniodonts. This discovery contributes new characters and facilitates study of the relations between taeniodonts iii and basal cimolestans. This study corroborates the hypothesis that Alveugena is the sister taxon of the taeniodonts. Contrary to earlier analyses, the Late Cretaceous– Paleocene Cimolestes is found to be the sister taxon of Alveugena+Taeniodonta rather than the Paleocene Procerberus, thought by some to be closer to the taeniodonts. Stratocladistics provided additional support for the conclusions of the analyses of morphology alone and implicate Cimolestes as a possible ancestor to Alveugena and the taeniodonts. Further cladistic analyses including taeniodonts, Late Cretaceous stem eutherians, and Paleogene representatives of crown eutherian clades determine the higher‐level relations of taeniodonts. This study shows that the taeniodonts lack the synapomorphies that link crown eutherians together. In the final chapter, Conclusions, I will discuss the overall aspects of the taeniodonts. I will also discuss the evolutionary rates of the canine and molar evolution in the group, as well as rediagnosing the clades. In conclusion, the taeniodonts are a monophyletic group of stem eutherian mammals whose closest known sister group is Alveugena, and most likely Cimolestes gave rise to the Alveugena and the taeniodonts. iv Acknowledgements I first thank Dr. John Hunter, for getting me started with this project and being there through all of it, and for helpful discussions on thesis matters. I would also like to thank my intrepid committee members, John Wenzel for his help with the cladistics found within and Bill Ausich for help with the past and with my future. I would also like to thank Judy Galkin for her tireless efforts as I searched the American Museum of Natural History collections and Michael Brett‐Surman for his help at the National Museum of Natural History. I thank David Fox and especially Jonathan Marcot for help using their program StrataPhy. Finally, I would like to thank the Ohio State University Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology and a University Fellowship and Teaching Associateship that have supported my work. v Vita June 2003………………..………………………………….Revere High School 2007…………………………………………………………….B.A. Biology & Evolutionary Biology, Case Western Reserve University 2007–2008…………………………………………………..University Fellowship, Ohio State University 2008–2009…………………………………………………..Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University Publications Croft, D.A and D. Weinstein. 2008. The first application of the mesowear method to endemic South American ungulates (Notoungulata). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 269: 103–114. Fields of Study Major Field: Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology vi Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………………………………..v Vita………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..vi Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………………….vii List of Tables………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..viii List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………ix Chapter 1: Taeniodont Overview and the History of Their Classification…………………………1 Chapter 2: Internal Structure of Taeniodont Phylogeny……………..…………………….………….20 Chapter 3: Taeniodonta's Placement in the Phylogeny of Eutherian Mammals ……………32 Chapter 4: Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………………………45 References……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………54 Appendix A: Description of the lower jaw of Alveugena……………………………………………….59 Appendix B: Characters and Matrices…………………………………………………………………………..66 vii List of Tables Table 1. Literature used to code characters for the genera and species in the study..….21 Table 2. List of biogeographic placement of taeniodont specimens..……………………………27 viii List of Figures Figure 1. Schoch's (1986) reconstruction of Onychodectes……………….…………………………….1 Figure 2. Schoch's (1986) reconstruction of Stylinodon…………………………………………………..1 Figure 3. Skulls of Conoryctes (1) and Psittacotherium (2) from Matthew (1937)……………2 Figure 4. Stylinodon right manus from Matthew (1937)….……………………………………………..3 Figure 5. Known chronostratigraphic distribution of the taeniodonts.………...…………………5 Figure 6. Plot of known Taeniodonta localities…..…………………………………………………………..6 Figure 7. Schoch’s (1986) phylogeny of taeniodont genera with families also shown.....10 Figure 8. Lucas and Williamson’s (1993) phylogeny………………………………………………………12 Figure 9. Eberle’s (1999) most parsimonious phylogeny……………………………………………….15 Figure 10. Internal structure tree from cladistic analysis.....………………………………………….23 Figure 11. Internal structure trees from stratocladistic analysis…..……………………………….25 Figure 12. General movements of the taeniodonts based on biogeographical data..……28 Figure 13. Biographically optimized internal tree from cladistic analysis.……………………..30 Figure 14. Cimolestid relations of tree from cladistic analysis………………….…………………..33 Figure 15. External relations tree from cladistic analysis……………………..………..………..……35 Figure 16. External relations tree from stratocladistic analysis…….….……………………………40 Figure 17. External relations among stem Eutheria from cladistic analysis…………………..42 ix Figure 18. External relations among crown Eutheria from cladistic analysis…………………43 Figure 19. Known taeniodont stratigraphic distributions with phylogeny.…………………….46 Figure 20. Patterns of character divergence in canines and first molars.………………………49 Figure 21. Alveugena lower jaw in buccal, lingual, and occlusal view……………………………61 x Chapter 1: Taeniodont Overview and the History of Their Classification Interest in the origin of placental mammals has led to the discovery of many mammalian taxa. Although several of these groups do not lead to extant mammals, they are part of the overall biotic environment in which extant placental mammals originated. One of the most interesting of these groups is the Taeniodonta, which has been viewed variously in the Linnean hierarchy as either an order (Rose, 2006; Schoch, 1986) or a suborder (McKenna and Bell, 1997) of eutherian mammals. In this study, Taeniodonta will be viewed as an order, which
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Evolution of the Patellar Sesamoid Bone in Mammals
    A peer-reviewed version of this preprint was published in PeerJ on 21 March 2017. View the peer-reviewed version (peerj.com/articles/3103), which is the preferred citable publication unless you specifically need to cite this preprint. Samuels ME, Regnault S, Hutchinson JR. 2017. Evolution of the patellar sesamoid bone in mammals. PeerJ 5:e3103 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3103 Evolution of the patellar sesamoid bone in mammals Mark E Samuels 1, 2 , Sophie Regnault 3 , John R Hutchinson Corresp. 3 1 Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2 Centre de Recherche du CHU Ste-Justine, Montreal, Quebec, Canada 3 Structure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom Corresponding Author: John R Hutchinson Email address: [email protected] The patella is a sesamoid bone located in the major extensor tendon of the knee joint, in the hindlimb of many tetrapods. Although numerous aspects of knee morphology are ancient and conserved among most tetrapods, the evolutionary occurrence of an ossified patella is highly variable. Among extant (crown clade) groups it is found in most birds, most lizards, the monotreme mammals and almost all placental mammals, but it is absent in most marsupial mammals as well as many reptiles. Here we integrate data from the literature and first-hand studies of fossil and recent skeletal remains to reconstruct the evolution of the mammalian patella. We infer that bony patellae most likely evolved between four to six times in crown group Mammalia: in monotremes, in the extinct multituberculates, in one or more stem-mammal genera outside of therian or eutherian mammals, and up to three times in therian mammals.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Reconstruction of the Inner Ear of Leptictidium Auderiense
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by RERO DOC Digital Library Published in "Paläontologische Zeitschrift 90(1): 153–171, 2016" which should be cited to refer to this work. Digital reconstruction of the inner ear of Leptictidium auderiense (Leptictida, Mammalia) and North American leptictids reveals new insight into leptictidan locomotor agility Irina Ruf1,2 • Virginie Volpato1,3 • Kenneth D. Rose4 • Guillaume Billet2,5 • Christian de Muizon5 • Thomas Lehmann1 Abstract Leptictida are basal Paleocene to Oligocene semicircular canals than the leptictids under study. Our eutherians from Europe and North America comprising estimations reveal that Leptictidium was a very agile ani- species with highly specialized postcranial features mal with agility score values (4.6 and 5.5, respectively) including elongated hind limbs. Among them, the Euro- comparable to Macroscelidea and extant bipedal saltatory pean Leptictidium was probably a bipedal runner or jum- placentals. Leptictis and Palaeictops have lower agility per. Because the semicircular canals of the inner ear are scores (3.4 to 4.1), which correspond to the more gener- involved in detecting angular acceleration of the head, their alized types of locomotion (e.g., terrestrial, cursorial) of morphometry can be used as a proxy to elucidate the agility most extant mammals. In contrast, the angular velocity in fossil mammals. Here we provide the first insight into magnitude predicted from semicircular canal angles sup- inner ear anatomy and morphometry of Leptictida based on ports a conflicting pattern of agility among leptictidans, but high-resolution computed tomography of a new specimen the significance of these differences might be challenged of Leptictidium auderiense from the middle Eocene Messel when more is known about intraspecific variation and the Pit (Germany) and specimens of the North American pattern of semicircular canal angles in non-primate Leptictis and Palaeictops.
    [Show full text]
  • The World at the Time of Messel: Conference Volume
    T. Lehmann & S.F.K. Schaal (eds) The World at the Time of Messel - Conference Volume Time at the The World The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference 2011 Frankfurt am Main, 15th - 19th November 2011 ISBN 978-3-929907-86-5 Conference Volume SENCKENBERG Gesellschaft für Naturforschung THOMAS LEHMANN & STEPHAN F.K. SCHAAL (eds) The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference Frankfurt am Main, 15th – 19th November 2011 Conference Volume Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung IMPRINT The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates 22nd International Senckenberg Conference 15th – 19th November 2011, Frankfurt am Main, Germany Conference Volume Publisher PROF. DR. DR. H.C. VOLKER MOSBRUGGER Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Editors DR. THOMAS LEHMANN & DR. STEPHAN F.K. SCHAAL Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany [email protected]; [email protected] Language editors JOSEPH E.B. HOGAN & DR. KRISTER T. SMITH Layout JULIANE EBERHARDT & ANIKA VOGEL Cover Illustration EVELINE JUNQUEIRA Print Rhein-Main-Geschäftsdrucke, Hofheim-Wallau, Germany Citation LEHMANN, T. & SCHAAL, S.F.K. (eds) (2011). The World at the Time of Messel: Puzzles in Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, and the History of Early Primates. 22nd International Senckenberg Conference. 15th – 19th November 2011, Frankfurt am Main. Conference Volume. Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Frankfurt am Main. pp. 203.
    [Show full text]
  • The Evolution of Micro-Cursoriality in Mammals
    © 2014. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | The Journal of Experimental Biology (2014) 217, 1316-1325 doi:10.1242/jeb.095737 RESEARCH ARTICLE The evolution of micro-cursoriality in mammals Barry G. Lovegrove* and Metobor O. Mowoe* ABSTRACT Perissodactyla) in response to the emergence of open landscapes and In this study we report on the evolution of micro-cursoriality, a unique grasslands following the Eocene Thermal Maximum (Janis, 1993; case of cursoriality in mammals smaller than 1 kg. We obtained new Janis and Wilhelm, 1993; Yuanqing et al., 2007; Jardine et al., 2012; running speed and limb morphology data for two species of elephant- Lovegrove, 2012b; Lovegrove and Mowoe, 2013). shrews (Elephantulus spp., Macroscelidae) from Namaqualand, Loosely defined, cursorial mammals are those that run fast. South Africa, which we compared with published data for other However, more explicit definitions of cursoriality remain obscure mammals. Elephantulus maximum running speeds were higher than because locomotor performance is influenced by multiple variables, those of most mammals smaller than 1 kg. Elephantulus also including behaviour, biomechanics, physiology and morphology possess exceptionally high metatarsal:femur ratios (1.07) that are (Taylor et al., 1970; Garland, 1983a; Garland, 1983b; Garland and typically associated with fast unguligrade cursors. Cursoriality evolved Janis, 1993; Stein and Casinos, 1997; Carrano, 1999). In an in the Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla and Carnivora coincident with evaluation of these definition problems, Carrano (Carrano, 1999) global cooling and the replacement of forests with open landscapes argued that ‘…morphology should remain the fundamental basis for in the Oligocene and Miocene. The majority of mammal species, making distinctions between locomotor performance…’.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalian Faunal Succession in the Cretaceous of the Kyzylkum Desert
    Journal of Mammalian Evolution, Vol. 12, Nos. 1/2,C 2005)June 2005 ( DOI: 10.1007/s10914-005-4867-3 A number of typographical errors were introduced during copyediting. All that were found were corrected in this version. Mammalian Faunal Succession in the Cretaceous of the Kyzylkum Desert J. David Archibald1,3 and Alexander O. Averian2 ov Both metatherians and eutherians are known from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian, 125 mya; million years ago) of China, while eutherian-dominated mammalian faunas appeared in Asia at least by the earliest Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian, 95 mya). The approximately 99–93 my old (Cenomanian) Sheikhdzheili l.f. from western Uzbekistan is a small sample of only eutherians, including three zhelestids and a possible zalambdalestoid. The much better-known 90 my old (Turonian) Bissekty l.f. at Dzharakuduk iin central Uzbekistan includes 15 named and un- named species, based on ongoing analyses. Of these, 12 are eutherians represented by at least the three groups—asioryctitheres, zalambdalestids, and zhelestids—plus an eutherian of uncertain position—Paranyctoides. Zalambdalestids and zhelestids have been argued to be related to the origin of the placental gliriforms (Euarchontoglires) and ferungulates (Laurasiatheria), respec- tively. Although there are four previously recognized metatherians, we believe three are referable to the deltatheroid Sulestes karakshi and the fourth, Sailestes quadrans, may belong to Paranyc- toides. There is one multituberculate and one symmetrodont in the Bissekty l.f. While comparably aged (Turonian) localities in North America have somewhat similar non-therians, they have more metatherians and no eutherians. The next younger localities (early Campanian, ∼80 mya) in North America have both a zhelestid and Paranyctoides, suggesting dispersal of eutherians from Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Constraints on the Timescale of Animal Evolutionary History
    Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Constraints on the timescale of animal evolutionary history Michael J. Benton, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Robert J. Asher, Matt Friedman, Thomas J. Near, and Jakob Vinther ABSTRACT Dating the tree of life is a core endeavor in evolutionary biology. Rates of evolution are fundamental to nearly every evolutionary model and process. Rates need dates. There is much debate on the most appropriate and reasonable ways in which to date the tree of life, and recent work has highlighted some confusions and complexities that can be avoided. Whether phylogenetic trees are dated after they have been estab- lished, or as part of the process of tree finding, practitioners need to know which cali- brations to use. We emphasize the importance of identifying crown (not stem) fossils, levels of confidence in their attribution to the crown, current chronostratigraphic preci- sion, the primacy of the host geological formation and asymmetric confidence intervals. Here we present calibrations for 88 key nodes across the phylogeny of animals, rang- ing from the root of Metazoa to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens. Close attention to detail is constantly required: for example, the classic bird-mammal date (base of crown Amniota) has often been given as 310-315 Ma; the 2014 international time scale indicates a minimum age of 318 Ma. Michael J. Benton. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Philip C.J. Donoghue. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Robert J.
    [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]
  • Eutherians Experienced Elevated Evolutionary Rates in the Immediate
    Table S1 – Dates of the Cretaceous geological stages and Cenozoic North American Land Mammal Ages as used for dating the topologies and determining taxon occurrences. STAGE START TIME END TIME STAGE START TIME END TIME BERRIASIAN 145 139.8 TIFFANIAN 60.2 56.8 VALANGINIAN 139.8 132.9 CLARKFORKIAN 56.8 55.8 HAUTERIVIAN 132.9 129.4 WASATCHIAN 55.8 50.3 BARREMIAN 129.4 125 BRIDGERIAN 50.3 46.2 APTIAN 125 113 UINTAN 46.2 42 ALBIAN 113 100.5 DUCHESNEAN 42 38 CENOMANIAN 100.5 93.9 CHADRONIAN 38 33.9 TURONIAN 93.9 89.8 ORELLAN 33.9 30.8 CONIACIAN 89.8 86.3 ARIKAREEAN 30.8 20.6 SANTONIAN 86.3 83.6 HEMINGFORDIAN 20.6 16.3 CAMPANIAN 83.6 72.1 BARSTOVIAN 16.3 13.6 MAASTRICHTIAN 72.1 66 CLARENDONIAN 13.6 10.3 PUERCAN 66 63.3 HEMPHILLIAN 10.3 4.9 TORREJONIAN 63.3 60.2 BLANCAN TO RECENT 4.9 0 Table S2 – Occurrences of each genus in this analysis in the time bins from Table 1. Stage 1 is the Berriasian, Stage 12 the Maastrichtian, Stage 13 the Puercan, and so on. TAXON FIRST STAGE LAST STAGE TAXON FIRST STAGE LAST STAGE Peramus 1 1 Mimatuta 13 13 Deltatheridium 11 12 Desmatoclaenus 13 15 Sheikhdzheilia 6 7 Protoselene 13 15 Avitotherium 11 11 Bunophorus 17 18 Gallolestes 11 11 Diacodexis 17 18 Alostera 11 12 Homacodon 18 20 Parazhelestes 9 9 Hyopsodus 16 20 Aspanlestes 9 11 Meniscotherium 17 17 Zhelestes 8 9 Phenacodus 14 18 Paranyctoides 8 12 Macrocranion 15 20 Batodon 11 12 Alsaticopithecus 18 18 Maelestes 11 11 Teilhardimys 15 18 Bobolestes 6 7 Apheliscus 15 17 Bulaklestes 9 9 Haplomylus 15 19 Daulestes 8 9 Hilalia 18 18 Uchkudukodon 9 9 Orthaspidotherium
    [Show full text]
  • Functional Morphology of the Vertebral Column in Remingtonocetus (Mammalia, Cetacea) and the Evolution of Aquatic Locomotion in Early Archaeocetes
    Functional Morphology of the Vertebral Column in Remingtonocetus (Mammalia, Cetacea) and the Evolution of Aquatic Locomotion in Early Archaeocetes by Ryan Matthew Bebej A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) in The University of Michigan 2011 Doctoral Committee: Professor Philip D. Gingerich, Co-Chair Professor Philip Myers, Co-Chair Professor Daniel C. Fisher Professor Paul W. Webb © Ryan Matthew Bebej 2011 To my wonderful wife Melissa, for her infinite love and support ii Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank each of my committee members. I will be forever grateful to my primary mentor, Philip D. Gingerich, for providing me the opportunity of a lifetime, studying the very organisms that sparked my interest in evolution and paleontology in the first place. His encouragement, patience, instruction, and advice have been instrumental in my development as a scholar, and his dedication to his craft has instilled in me the importance of doing careful and solid research. I am extremely grateful to Philip Myers, who graciously consented to be my co-advisor and co-chair early in my career and guided me through some of the most stressful aspects of life as a Ph.D. student (e.g., preliminary examinations). I also thank Paul W. Webb, for his novel thoughts about living in and moving through water, and Daniel C. Fisher, for his insights into functional morphology, 3D modeling, and mammalian paleobiology. My research was almost entirely predicated on cetacean fossils collected through a collaboration of the University of Michigan and the Geological Survey of Pakistan before my arrival in Ann Arbor.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleobios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017
    PaleoBios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017 PaleoBios OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF PALEONTOLOGY William A. Clemens (2017). Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA. Cover photo: Left maxillary of Procerberus sp. cf. P. grandis (UCMP 137189) from the Fort Union Formation, Montana, USA in buccal (A), occlusal (B) and lingual (C) views. Photo credit: Dave Strauss. Citation: Clemens, W.A. 2017. Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA. PaleoBios, 34. ucmp_paleobios_34494 PaleoBios 34: 1–26, April 11, 2017 Procerberus (Cimolestidae, Mammalia) from the Latest Cretaceous and Earliest Paleocene of the Northern Western Interior, USA WILLIAM A. CLEMENS University of California Museum of Paleontology and Department of Integrative Biology, 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-4780 email: [email protected] Three species of the cimolestid Procerberus are currently recognized in the northern North American Western Interior in latest Cretaceous and earliest Paleocene (Puercan North American Land Mammal Age) faunas: P. formicarum, P. andesiticus, and P. g randi s . Analysis of a new topotypic sample of P. formicarum from the Bug Creek Anthills locality provides an estimate of the range of variation of its postcanine denti- tion. The three currently recognized species occur in Puercan 1 (Pu1) interval zone faunas, but two other occurrences indicate that the genus originated and initially diversified prior to the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. Rare occurrences at several localities and entries in faunal lists suggest even greater taxonomic diversity. Limited evidence suggests continued diversification in the later Puercan and possible survival of the genus into the Torrejonian.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Iktman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin* Wyoming
    Distribution and Stratigraphip Correlation of Upper:UB_ • Ju Paleocene and Lower Eocene Fossil Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Iktman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin* Wyoming U,S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESS IONAL PAPER 1540 Cover. A member of the American Museum of Natural History 1896 expedition enter­ ing the badlands of the Willwood Formation on Dorsey Creek, Wyoming, near what is now U.S. Geological Survey fossil vertebrate locality D1691 (Wardel Reservoir quadran­ gle). View to the southwest. Photograph by Walter Granger, courtesy of the Department of Library Services, American Museum of Natural History, New York, negative no. 35957. DISTRIBUTION AND STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION OF UPPER PALEOCENE AND LOWER EOCENE FOSSIL MAMMAL AND PLANT LOCALITIES OF THE FORT UNION, WILLWOOD, AND TATMAN FORMATIONS, SOUTHERN BIGHORN BASIN, WYOMING Upper part of the Will wood Formation on East Ridge, Middle Fork of Fifteenmile Creek, southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. The Kirwin intrusive complex of the Absaroka Range is in the background. View to the west. Distribution and Stratigraphic Correlation of Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene Fossil Mammal and Plant Localities of the Fort Union, Willwood, and Tatman Formations, Southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming By Thomas M. Down, Kenneth D. Rose, Elwyn L. Simons, and Scott L. Wing U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1540 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1994 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Robert M. Hirsch, Acting Director For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Map Distribution Box 25286, MS 306, Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Resolving the Relationships of Paleocene Placental Mammals
    Biol. Rev. (2015), pp. 000–000. 1 doi: 10.1111/brv.12242 Resolving the relationships of Paleocene placental mammals Thomas J. D. Halliday1,2,∗, Paul Upchurch1 and Anjali Goswami1,2 1Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K. 2Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K. ABSTRACT The ‘Age of Mammals’ began in the Paleocene epoch, the 10 million year interval immediately following the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction. The apparently rapid shift in mammalian ecomorphs from small, largely insectivorous forms to many small-to-large-bodied, diverse taxa has driven a hypothesis that the end-Cretaceous heralded an adaptive radiation in placental mammal evolution. However, the affinities of most Paleocene mammals have remained unresolved, despite significant advances in understanding the relationships of the extant orders, hindering efforts to reconstruct robustly the origin and early evolution of placental mammals. Here we present the largest cladistic analysis of Paleocene placentals to date, from a data matrix including 177 taxa (130 of which are Palaeogene) and 680 morphological characters. We improve the resolution of the relationships of several enigmatic Paleocene clades, including families of ‘condylarths’. Protungulatum is resolved as a stem eutherian, meaning that no crown-placental mammal unambiguously pre-dates the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Our results support an Atlantogenata–Boreoeutheria split at the root of crown Placentalia, the presence of phenacodontids as closest relatives of Perissodactyla, the validity of Euungulata, and the placement of Arctocyonidae close to Carnivora. Periptychidae and Pantodonta are resolved as sister taxa, Leptictida and Cimolestidae are found to be stem eutherians, and Hyopsodontidae is highly polyphyletic.
    [Show full text]