DOCSLIB.ORG

Vertebrate Fossils from the San José De Gracia Quarry, a New Late

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana / 72 (1) / 2020 / 1 Vertebrate fossils from the San José de Gracia quarry, a new Late Cretaceous marine fossil site in Puebla, Mexico Fósiles de vertebrados de la cantera San José de Gracia, un nuevo sitio fósil marino del Cretácico Superior en Puebla, México Jesús Alvarado-Ortega1,*, Kleyton M. Cantalice1, Jesús Alberto Díaz-Cruz2, Carlos Castañeda-Posadas3, Valentina Zavaleta-Villareal2 ABSTRACT 1 Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional ABSTRACT RESUMEN Autónoma de México, Circuito de la Investigación S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Alcaldía Coyoacán, CDMX, 04510, Mexico. The San José de Gracia Quarry, located La Cantera San José de Gracia, ubicada within the Municipality of Molcaxac, dentro del Municipio de Molcaxac, al sur del 2 Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad southern Puebla, Mexico, is a new Estado de Puebla, México, es un sitio paleon- Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de paleontological site discovered about a tológico descubierto hace cerca de una década. la Investigación S/N, Ciudad Universitaria, Alcaldía Coyoacán, CDMX, 04510, Mexico. decade ago. This paper is the first for- Este trabajo representa la primera contribución mal scientific contribution of this site. científica formal. Esta cantera ocupa una 3 Laboratorio de Paleontología, Facultad de The quarry occupies an area no larger superficie no mayor a las dos hectáreas explo- Ciencias Biológicas, Benemérita Universidad than the two hectares that is exploited tadas con fines comerciales, donde se extraen Autónoma de Puebla. Edificio Bio-1, Ciudad for commercial purposes, where slabs lajas de una secuencia de origen marino, Universitaria, Jardines de San Manuel, Puebla, 72570, Mexico. are extracted from a marine sequence compuesta de margas arcillosas pobremente of cream-brown strata of poorly carbonatados depositadas en estratos paralelos, * Corresponding author: (J. Alvarado-Ortega) carbonated clays, with centimetric de color marrón-crema, cuyo grosor alcanza [email protected] thickness. Although the upper and varios centímetros. A pesar de que los límites, lower limits of this sequence are not superior e inferior, de esta unidad rocosa no known; the characteristic lithology and son conocidos; sus características litológicas y fossil content do not correspond with contenido fósil no corresponden con aquellos de those of the regional geological units las unidades geológicas previamente reportadas previously reported. Although the fossil para esta región. Aunque la asociación fósil association recovered from the San recuperada de la Cantera San José de Gracia José de Gracia Quarry is composed se compone en su mayor parte de restos de mostly of fish remains; it also contains peces; ésta también contiene amonites, belem- To cite this article: ammonites, belemnites, inoceramids, nites, inocerámidos, ostreidos indeterminados, Alvarado-Ortega, J., Cantalice, K. M., Díaz- indeterminate ostreids, reptiles and few reptiles y muy escasos restos de plantas. En Cruz, J. A. Castañeda-Posadas, C., Zavaleta- plant remains. In this work, the first este trabajo se describen los primeros restos de Villareal, V., 2020, Vertebrate fossils from peces fósiles de esta localidad, entre los que se the San José de Gracia quarry, a new Late fossil fish remains from this locality are Cretaceous marine fossil site in Puebla, Mexico: described, including representatives of destacan Enchodus, Laminospondylus y un Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, Enchodus and clupeid both previously clupeido, grupos ya previamente conocidos en 72 (1), A160819. http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/ known from Mexico; as well as the first México; así como el primer registro mexicano BSGM2020v72n1a160819 record of Dercetis and Xenyllion from this de Dercetis y Xenyllion. Aquí, también se country. In addition, a yaguarasaurine reporta el hallazgo deun mosasaurio yaguara- mosasaur is also reported. Based on saurino en México. Con base en su contenido fósil y su litología, se sugiere que los estratos Manuscript received: 08/01/2018 its fossil content and its lithology, the Corrected manuscript received: 28/05/2018 fossil-bearing strata of the San José de fosilíferos de la Cantera San José de Gracia Manuscript accepted: 30/05/2018 Gracia quarry can be possibly referred son referibles posiblemente a la Formación to the Mexcala Formation (More- Mexcala (Cuenca Morelos-Guerrero) y son de los-Guerrero Basin) of Turonian age. edad Turoniana. Peer Review under the responsability of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Keywords: San José de Gracia Palabras clave: Cantera San quarry, Turonian, Puebla, Mex- José de Gracia, edad Turoniana, This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) cala Formation, vertebrates. Formación Mexcala, Puebla, vertebrados. Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the San José de Gracia quarry http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2020v72n1a160819 Artícle A160819# 2 / Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana / 72 (1) / 2020 1. Introduction to discover a peculiar fossiliferous association that we partially report in this contribution (see also In 2006, people of the San José de Gracia town, Alvarado-Ortega et al., 2009, Pulido-González, Municipality of Molcaxac, State of Puebla, central 2011; Romero-García, 2013; Zavaleta-Villareal, INTRODUCTION 2015). Mexico, began to exploit a deposit of sedimentary Fossils from the San José de Gracia quarry are rocks within the limits of their communal property scarce and poorly preserved if they are compared (Figure 1). In this site, herein formally named as with those from the Tlayúa quarry, a Mexican “San José de Gracia quarry”, cream-brown marly emblematic Lagerstätte paleontological site flagstones with reddish veins are extracted. Given located about 10 km south from Molcaxac town its good appearance and resistance, these rocks are (Applegate et al., 2006). For this reason, the work- used to cover floors and walls. The artisanal proce- ers and traders of flagstones extracted in this new dures used during their extraction have allowed us quarry have scorned the scientific and aesthetic Figure 1 Map of San José de Gracia quarry showing the geological formations present in this region of Puebla, Mexico (based on map of Servicio Geológico Mexicano, 2006). Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the San José de Gracia quarry Artícle A160819 http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2020v72n1a160819 Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana / 72 (1) / 2020 / 3 value of their fossils; this has caused the loss or The San José de Gracia quarry is located 2.5 destruction of a great quantity of San José de km west from the center of homonymous town, Gracia specimens during the extraction and sale within the Municipality of Molcaxac, Puebla, cen- of these rocks. tral Mexico. This site is in the southeastern side In 2007, Messrs. Félix and Sebastián Arangu of the Cacique Stream. Currently, the center of INTRODUCTION thy, traders of flagstones from different sources, the quarry is at the altitude of 1930 m.a.s.l. and inhabitants of Tepexi Rodríguez town (neigh- between the coordinates 18° 39’ 27.25” N and 97 boring town of Molcaxac), and collaborators of ° 52’ 13.94” W. The exploited surface in San José the Tlayúa Paleontological Project, supported by de Gracia quarry extends about 150 m from East the Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacio- to West and 40 m from North to South (Figure 1). nal Autónoma de México (UNAM), gave some Up to now, a sequence of about 4 m thick fossils from the San José de Gracia to the first of decimetric marly strata has been exploited in author of this work. Thus, in 2008, researchers the San José de Gracia quarry (Figure 2); which of the UNAM and the Benemérita Universidad includes marl layers of clays poorly carbonated, Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), as well as workers showing normal gradation, and deposited in finely of the San José de Gracia have worked together laminated parallel planes (Figure 2). Although the in order to recover fossils from this new locality, soil covers the geological features around the San with the final goal of preserving and studying José de Gracia Quarry making it impossible to rec- them formally. Currently, about 200 macrofossils ognize the presence of possible faults and contacts from this quarry have been deposited in the sci- with other lithological units; the strata exposed in entific collections of UNAM and BUAP, including this quarry have a strike and dip that suggest the invertebrates (ammonites, belemnites, gastropods, presence of an anticline. At the eastern end of the bivalves, and crabs), vertebrates (fishes and rep- quarry the strike is variable between N50-88°W, tiles), and scarce plant remains. while in the west this geomorphological feature is Figure 2 The San José de Gracia quarry; a) general view of one of the exploited sections in this quarry; b) Details of the San José de Gracia quarry showing the centimetric marl strata. Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the San José de Gracia quarry http://dx.doi.org/10.18268/BSGM2020v72n1a160819 Artícle A160819# 4 / Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana / 72 (1) / 2020 close to N90°W. At the same time, the dip in these 3. Results layers is variable between 23-35° S and 23-40° S respectively (Figure 2). As it is noted in the results 3.1. FOSSIL VERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGE OF SAN JOSÉ of this work, the hitherto known fossil assemblage DE GRACIA MATERIALS AND METHODS / RESULTS of San José de Gracia quarry includes Late Creta- ceous marine vertebrates
Recommended publications
  • Geology of the Bernal-Jalpan Area Estado De Queretaro Mexico

    Geology of the Bernal-Jalpan Area Estado De Queretaro Mexico

    Geology of the Bernal-Jalpan Area Estado de Queretaro Mexico By KENNETH SEGERSTROM GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS IN MEXICO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1104-B Prepared in cooperation with the Instituto Nacional para la Investigation de Recursos Minerales, under the auspices of the International Cooperation Admin­ istration of the Department of State UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1961 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEW ART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. CONTENTS Page Abstract __..---_.--___-____._-___---___.______..____._._...______ 19 Introduction __-_______--_____-_____-____-_______._____..__..__.___ 19 Location _____________________________________________________ 19 Fieldwork and acknowledgments._______________________________ 19 Geography ___________________________________________________ 2 ] Accessibility ___________________________________________ ___ 21 Topography and drainage__________________________________ 22 Climate. _--__--_-___-_--_--___._____-_ ____________.______ 24 Vegetation_ _ _______--..___.__.__________._____-_____.___ 26 Water supply and agriculture_-___-_______-__---__--_-______ 27 Archeology ---_-----_---_------_--___---____-_____--______ 29 Sedimentary, metamorphic, and volcanic rocks....____.-_____..____._. 29 Jurassic system or older.___---_-_____--___---____-__--_-_______ 30 Pre-Las Trancas rocks.____________________________________ 30 Jurassic system.
  • Estimating the Evolutionary Rates in Mosasauroids and Plesiosaurs: Discussion of Niche Occupation in Late Cretaceous Seas

    Estimating the Evolutionary Rates in Mosasauroids and Plesiosaurs: Discussion of Niche Occupation in Late Cretaceous Seas

    Estimating the evolutionary rates in mosasauroids and plesiosaurs: discussion of niche occupation in Late Cretaceous seas Daniel Madzia1 and Andrea Cau2 1 Department of Evolutionary Paleobiology, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland 2 Independent, Parma, Italy ABSTRACT Observations of temporal overlap of niche occupation among Late Cretaceous marine amniotes suggest that the rise and diversification of mosasauroid squamates might have been influenced by competition with or disappearance of some plesiosaur taxa. We discuss that hypothesis through comparisons of the rates of morphological evolution of mosasauroids throughout their evolutionary history with those inferred for contemporary plesiosaur clades. We used expanded versions of two species- level phylogenetic datasets of both these groups, updated them with stratigraphic information, and analyzed using the Bayesian inference to estimate the rates of divergence for each clade. The oscillations in evolutionary rates of the mosasauroid and plesiosaur lineages that overlapped in time and space were then used as a baseline for discussion and comparisons of traits that can affect the shape of the niche structures of aquatic amniotes, such as tooth morphologies, body size, swimming abilities, metabolism, and reproduction. Only two groups of plesiosaurs are considered to be possible niche competitors of mosasauroids: the brachauchenine pliosaurids and the polycotylid leptocleidians. However, direct evidence for interactions between mosasauroids and plesiosaurs is scarce and limited only to large mosasauroids as the Submitted 31 July 2019 predators/scavengers and polycotylids as their prey. The first mosasauroids differed Accepted 18 March 2020 from contemporary plesiosaurs in certain aspects of all discussed traits and no evidence Published 13 April 2020 suggests that early representatives of Mosasauroidea diversified after competitions with Corresponding author plesiosaurs.
  • (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Of

    (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous Of

    C. R. Palevol 14 (2015) 483–493 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Comptes Rendus Palevol www.sci encedirect.com General Palaeontology, Systematics and Evolution (Vertebrate Palaeontology) An halisaurine (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, with a preserved tympanic disc: Insights into the mosasaur middle ear Un halisauriné (Squamata : Mosasauridae) du Crétacé supérieur de Patagonie, à disque tympanique conservé : un aperc¸ u de l’oreille moyenne des mosasaures a,∗ b Marta S. Fernández , Marianella Talevi a CONICET - División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Argentina b CONICET - Instituto de Investigación en Paleobiología y Geología, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro, Isidro Lobo y Belgrano, 8332 General Roca, Río Negro, Argentina a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Halisaurinae is a subfamily of enigmatic, small- to medium-sized mosasauroids, which Received 15 September 2014 retain a mosaic of primitive and derived features. The first record of a South American Hal- Accepted after revision 13 May 2015 isaurus with precise stratigraphic information includes a quadrate carrying a tympanic disc together with twelve vertebrae, collected in the Late Maastrichtian of Jagüel Formation Handled by Nathalie Bardet in northern Patagonia (Argentina). The preservation of a tympanic disc allows exploring and discussing the mechanisms of sound transmission in these mosasauroids. The loca- Keywords: tion of the tympanic disc resembles that one formed by the extracolumella of aquatic Halisaurus turtles and at least one extant lizard. Based on morphological comparison of the middle Patagonia ear we discuss previous hypotheses on the modification of the tympanic middle ear system Late Maastrichtian of mosasauroids for underwater hearing, in a manner similar to that observed in aquatic Cretaceous turtles.
  • Download Full Article in PDF Format

    Download Full Article in PDF Format

    comptes rendus palevol 2021 20 20 iles — Jean- pt Cl re au d d n e a R s a n g a e i — b i h P p a l a m e a o f b o i o y l h o p g a y r g a o n e d g p o i a l b a o e DIRECTEURS DE LA PUBLICATION / PUBLICATION DIRECTORS : Bruno David, Président du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle Étienne Ghys, Secrétaire perpétuel de l’Académie des sciences RÉDACTEURS EN CHEF / EDITORS-IN-CHIEF : Michel Laurin (CNRS), Philippe Taquet (Académie des sciences) ASSISTANTE DE RÉDACTION / ASSISTANT EDITOR : Adenise Lopes (Académie des sciences ; [email protected]) MISE EN PAGE / PAGE LAYOUT : Fariza Sissi (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle ; [email protected]) RÉVISIONS LINGUISTIQUES DES TEXTES ANGLAIS / ENGLISH LANGUAGE REVISIONS : Kevin Padian (University of California at Berkeley) RÉDACTEURS ASSOCIÉS / ASSOCIATE EDITORS : Micropaléontologie/Micropalaeontology Maria Rose Petrizzo (Università di Milano, Milano) Paléobotanique/Palaeobotany Cyrille Prestianni (Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels) Métazoaires/Metazoa Annalisa Ferretti (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena) Paléoichthyologie/Palaeoichthyology Philippe Janvier (Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Académie des sciences, Paris) Amniotes du Mésozoïque/Mesozoic amniotes Hans-Dieter Sues (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington) Tortues/Turtles Juliana Sterli (CONICET, Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Trelew) Lépidosauromorphes/Lepidosauromorphs Hussam Zaher (Universidade de São Paulo) Oiseaux/Birds Eric Buffetaut (CNRS, École Normale Supérieure, Paris) Paléomammalogie (mammifères de moyenne et grande taille)/Palaeomammalogy (large and mid-sized mammals) Lorenzo Rook* (Università degli Studi di Firenze, Firenze) Paléomammalogie (petits mammifères sauf Euarchontoglires)/Palaeomammalogy (small mammals except for Euarchontoglires) Robert Asher (Cambridge University, Cambridge) Paléomammalogie (Euarchontoglires)/Palaeomammalogy (Euarchontoglires) K.
  • Russellosaurus Coheni N. Gen., N. Sp., a 92 Million-Year-Old Mosasaur from Texas (USA), and the Definition of the Parafamily Russellosaurina

    Russellosaurus Coheni N. Gen., N. Sp., a 92 Million-Year-Old Mosasaur from Texas (USA), and the Definition of the Parafamily Russellosaurina

    Netherlands Journal of Geosciences — Geologie en Mijnbouw | 84 - 3 | 321 - 333 | 2005 Russellosaurus coheni n. gen., n. sp., a 92 million-year-old mosasaur from Texas (USA), and the definition of the parafamily Russellosaurina M.J. Polcyn1'* & G.L. Bell Jr.2 1 Shuler Museum of Paleontology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas 75275, USA. 2 Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Salt Flat, Texas 79847, USA. * Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Manuscript received: November 2004; accepted: January 2005 Abstract A new mosasaur, Russellosaurus coheni, is described from the Collignoniceras woollgari Zone (lower Middle Turonian) at Cedar Hill, Dallas County, Texas. At approximately 92 Ma, it is the oldest well-preserved mosasaur skull from North America. It possesses characters diagnostic of Plioplatecarpinae but retains numerous plesiomorphies as well. Phylogenetic analysis indicates a close relationship with Yaguarasaurus columbianus, and these two, together with Tethysaurus nopcsai, form a clade that occupies a position basal to the divergence of the subfamilies Tylosaurinae and Plioplatecarpinae. Russellosaurus coheni is proposed as the nominal taxon of a new mosasaur clade, parafamily taxon novum Russellosaurina, which includes Plioplatecarpinae, Tylosaurinae, their common ancestor and all descendants. Tethysaurus retains a plesiopedal limb and girdle morphology, and along with Russellosaurus and Yaguarasaurus, cranial plesiomorphies. Dallasaurus turneri, a temporally and geographically sympatric plesiopedal mosasaur, occupies a basal position within Mosasaurinae. This phyletic arrangement confirms that marine adaptations, such as development of paddle-like limbs, occurred independently in at least two lineages of mosasaurs, once within Mosasaurinae and once within Russellosaurina. Keywords: Mosasaur, Plioplatecarpinae, Tethysaurus, Turonian, Yaguarasaurus Introduction knowledge of the early evolutionary history of the group.
  • Papers Resulting from the First Moasaur Meeting, Maastricht, the Netherlands, May 2004

    Papers Resulting from the First Moasaur Meeting, Maastricht, the Netherlands, May 2004

    Papers resulting from the First Moasaur Meeting, Maastricht, The Netherlands, May 2004. Bardet, N., Pereda Suberbiola, X., Iarochène, M., Amalik M., and Bouya, B. 2005. Durophagous Mosasauridae (Squamata) from the Upper Cretaceous phosphates of Morocco, with description of a new species of Globidens. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 167-176. Bell, G.L. Jr. and Polcyn, M.J. 2005. Dallasaurus turneri, a new primitive mosasauroid from the Middle Turonian of Texas and comments on the phylogeny of Mosasauridae (Squamata). Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 177-194. Buchy, M.-C., Smith, K.T., Frey, E., Stinnesbeck, W., González González, A.H., Ifrim, C., López-Oliva, J.G. and Porras-Muzquiz, H. 2005. Annotated catalogue of marine squamates (Reptilia) from the Upper Cretaceous of northeastern Mexico. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 195-206. Caldwell, M.W. and Bell, G.L. Jr. 2005. Of German princes and North American rivers: Harlan’s lost mosasaur snout rediscovered. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 207-212. Caldwell, M.W. and Diedrich, C. G. 2005. Remains of Clidastes Cope, 1868, an unexpected mosasaur in the upper Campanian of NW Germany. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 213-220. Dutchak, A.R. 2005. A review of the taxonomy and systematics of aigialosaurs. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences / Geologie en Mijnbouw, 84(3), p. 221-230. Everhart. M.J. 2005. Tylosaurus kansasensis, a new species of tylosaurine (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Niobrara Chalk of western Kansas, USA.
  • Events of the Cenomanian-Turonian Succession, Southern Mexico

    Events of the Cenomanian-Turonian Succession, Southern Mexico

    ISSN: 0378-102X www.ucm.es \JIG Journal of Iberian Geology 31 (2004) 25-50 Events of the Cenomanian-Turonian Succession, Southern Mexico Eventos de una Sucesión del Cenomaniano-Turoniano del Sur de México Noemí Aguilera-Franco1 and Peter Allison2 1Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, Gerencia de Geociencias, Edificio 6, Eje Central Norte Lázaro Cárdenas 152, C.P. 07730, México D.F. MEXICO. E-mail address:[email protected] 2T.H. Huxley School of Environment, Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, Prince Consort Road, London SW7 2BP, UK. Received: 22/10/03 / Accepted: 16/06/04 Abstract The Cenomanian-Turonian succession of the Guerrero-Morelos basin contains a number of paloecommunities that can be cor- related. These palaeocommunities have been recognized and interpreted as the result of environmental disturbances. Some of these bioevents are probably local (platform-wide) and reflect successive stages of the platform drowning, whereas others have equiva- lents in other parts of the world and are probably linked to global paleoceanographic changes. Bioevents that can be used for cor- relation are: 1) the last appearance of Pseudorhapydionina dubia (94.4Ma); 2) the disappearance of most large benthic foraminifers and calcareous algae (94.2Ma); 3) the first appearance of hippuritid mollusks (93.5Ma); 4) the first appearance ofHelvetoglobotrun - cana helvetica (93.0Ma) accompanied by a diversification of keeled planktonic foraminifers. Increase in13 C and TOC values in the deeper-water facies covering the carbonate platform suggests a probable link between the drowning of the platform and the global Cenomanian-Turonian Anoxic Event. The deposition of organic-rich facies in the upper Whiteinella archaeocretacea and lower Helvetoglobotruncana helvetica Zones is associated with the establishment of oxygen poor and eutrophic conditions.
  • I Exploring the Relationship Between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving

    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.
  • 1. Introduction the Location of the Study Area Between Two Extensive

    1. Introduction the Location of the Study Area Between Two Extensive

    Journal of South American Earth Sciences 13 (2000) 443#457 www.elsevier.nl/locate/jsames Stratigraphic assessment of the Arcelia#Teloloapan area, southern Mexico: implications for southern Mexico$s post-Neocomian tectonic evolution E. Cabral-Canoa,*, H.R. Langb, C.G.A. Harrisonc aInstituto de Geof ´%sica, Universidad Nacional A ut ´onoma de Me´ xico, Ciudad Universitaria, M e´ xico , D F 04510, M exico bJet P ropulsion L aboratory, California I nstitute of Technology, 4 800 Oak Grove D rive, P asadena, CA 91109, USA cMarine Geology and Geophysics, R osenstiel School of Marine and A tmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4 600 R ickenbacker Cswy, M iami, FL 33149, USA Abstract Stratigraphic assessment of the &Tierra Caliente Metamorphic Complex+ (TCMC) between Arcelia and Teloloapan in southern Mexico, based on photo interpretation of Landsat Thematic Mapper images and field mapping at the 1:100,000 scale, tests different tectonic evolution scenarios that bear directly on the evolution of the southern North American p late margin. The regional geology, emphasizing the strati- graphy of a portion of the TCMC within the area between Arcelia and Teloloapan is p resented. Stratigraphic relationships with units in adjacent areas are also described. The b ase of the stratigraphic section is a chlorite grade metamorphic sequence that includes the Taxco Schist, the Roca Verde Taxco Viejo Formation, and the Almoloya Phyllite Formation. These metamorphic units, as thick as 2.7 km, are covered disconformably b y a sedimentary sequence, 2.9 km thick, composed of the Cretaceous marine Pochote, Morelos, and Mexcala Formations, as well as undifferentiated Tertiary continental red b eds and volcanic r ocks.
  • The First Freshwater Mosasauroid (Upper Cretaceous, Hungary) and a New Clade of Basal Mosasauroids

    The First Freshwater Mosasauroid (Upper Cretaceous, Hungary) and a New Clade of Basal Mosasauroids

    The First Freshwater Mosasauroid (Upper Cretaceous, Hungary) and a New Clade of Basal Mosasauroids La´szlo´ Maka´di1*, Michael W. Caldwell2, Attila O˝ si3 1 Department of Paleontology and Geology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary, 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 3 MTA-ELTE Lendu¨let Dinosaur Research Group, Eo¨tvo¨s University Department of Physical and Applied Geology, Pa´zma´ny Pe´ter se´ta´ny 1/c, Budapest, Hungary Abstract Mosasauroids are conventionally conceived of as gigantic, obligatorily aquatic marine lizards (1000s of specimens from marine deposited rocks) with a cosmopolitan distribution in the Late Cretaceous (90–65 million years ago [mya]) oceans and seas of the world. Here we report on the fossilized remains of numerous individuals (small juveniles to large adults) of a new taxon, Pannoniasaurus inexpectatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Csehba´nya Formation, Hungary (Santonian, Upper Cretaceous, 85.3–83.5 mya) that represent the first known mosasauroid that lived in freshwater environments. Previous to this find, only one specimen of a marine mosasauroid, cf. Plioplatecarpus sp., is known from non-marine rocks in Western Canada. Pannoniasaurus inexpectatus gen. et sp. nov. uniquely possesses a plesiomorphic pelvic anatomy, a non-mosasauroid but pontosaur-like tail osteology, possibly limbs like a terrestrial lizard, and a flattened, crocodile-like skull. Cladistic analysis reconstructs P. inexpectatus in a new clade of mosasauroids: (Pannoniasaurus (Tethysaurus (Yaguarasaurus, Russellosaurus))). P. inexpectatus is part of a mixed terrestrial and freshwater faunal assemblage that includes fishes, amphibians turtles, terrestrial lizards, crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and birds.
  • Late Cretaceous Dwarf Decapods from Guerrero, Southern Mexico and Their Migration Patterns

    Late Cretaceous Dwarf Decapods from Guerrero, Southern Mexico and Their Migration Patterns

    Contributions to Zoology, 75 (3/4) 121-132 (2006) Late Cretaceous dwarf decapods from Guerrero, southern Mexico and their migration patterns René H.B. Fraaije1 , Francisco J. Vega2, Barry W.M. van Bakel1 and Luis M. Garibay-Romero2,3 1 Oertijdmuseum De Groene Poort, Bosscheweg 80, NL-5283 WB Boxtel, The Netherlands, E-mail: info@ oertijdmuseum.nl; 2 Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510, México, D. F., México, E-mail: [email protected]; 3 Unidad Académica de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Ex Hacienda de San Juan Bautista, 40200, Taxco el Viejo, Guer- rero, México Key words: Dwarfi sm, decapoda, Cretaceous, new species, Mexico Abstract Introduction Two new brachyuran species are described for the Upper Cre- The Mexcala Formation crops out in southern Mexi- taceous Mexcala Formation, Guerrero State, Mexico. Longu- co. It is reported from the states of Puebla, Morelos sorbis quadratus new species (Coniacian, Temalac region) is the oldest and southernmost record for the genus. Xanthosia and Guerrero. This lithostratigraphic unit is a com- zoquiapensis new species (Campanian, Zoquiapa region) is the plex sedimentary sequence, as it includes deep-wa- fi rst record for the genus in Mexico. In addition, the age for ter facies as well as very shallow marine sediments, Costacopluma bishopi Vega and Feldmann is discussed (Co- with lateral and vertical changes, overlying Lower niacian, Temalac region) and represents the oldest and south- Cretaceous limestones of the Morelos Formation. ernmost record for Cretaceous representatives of this genus in North America. All specimens are considerably smaller com- Defi ned by Fries (1960) as a 1,220 m fl ysh-like se- pared to other species of the same genera and are interpreted as quence of pelagic limestones and marls at its base, the fi rst example of brachyuran dwarfi sm in the geological the Mexcala Formation grades upward to shales, record.
  • A New High-Latitude Tylosaurus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Canada with Unique

    A New High-Latitude Tylosaurus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Canada with Unique

    A new high-latitude Tylosaurus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Canada with unique dentition A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Biological Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences by Samuel T. Garvey B.S. University of Cincinnati B.S. Indiana University March 2020 Committee Chair: B. C. Jayne, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Mosasaurs were large aquatic lizards, typically 5 m or more in length, that lived during the Late Cretaceous (ca. 100–66 Ma). Of the six subfamilies and more than 70 species recognized today, most were hydropedal (flipper-bearing). Mosasaurs were cosmopolitan apex predators, and their remains occur on every continent, including Antarctica. In North America, mosasaurs flourished in the Western Interior Seaway, an inland sea that covered a large swath of the continent between the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean during much of the Late Cretaceous. The challenges of paleontological fieldwork in high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere have biased mosasaur collections such that most mosasaur fossils are found within 0°–60°N paleolatitude, and in North America plioplatecarpine mosasaurs are the only mosasaurs yet confirmed to have existed in paleolatitudes higher than 60°N. However, this does not mean mosasaur fossils are necessarily lacking at such latitudes. Herein, I report on the northernmost occurrence of a tylosaurine mosasaur from near Grande Prairie in Alberta, Canada (ca. 86.6–79.6 Ma). Recovered from about 62°N paleolatitude, this material (TMP 2014.011.0001) is assignable to the subfamily Tylosaurinae by exhibiting a cylindrical rostrum, broadly parallel-sided premaxillo-maxillary sutures, and overall homodonty.