DOCSLIB.ORG

On the Classification of the Early Tertiary Erinaceomorpha (Insectivora, Mammalia)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
On the Classification of the Early Tertiary Erinaceomorpha (Insectivora, Mammalia) University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USGS Staff -- Published Research US Geological Survey 1985 On the Classification of the Early erT tiary Erinaceomorpha (Insectivora, Mammalia) Michael J. Novacek American Museum of Natural History Thomas M. Bown U.S. Geological Survey David Schankler Princeton University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Novacek, Michael J.; Bown, Thomas M.; and Schankler, David, "On the Classification of the Early erT tiary Erinaceomorpha (Insectivora, Mammalia)" (1985). USGS Staff -- Published Research. 197. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub/197 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Staff -- Published Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. AMERICAN MUSEUM Novitates PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CENTRAL PARK WEST AT 79TH STREET, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10024 Number 2813, pp. 1-22, figs. 1-1 1, table 1 April 10, 1985 On the Classification of the Early Tertiary Erinaceomorpha (Insectivora, Mammalia) MICHAEL J. NOVACEK,I THOMAS M. BOWN,2 AND DAVID SCHANKLER3 ABSTRACT Definitions are provided for three Early Tertiary odont cheek teeth that superficially resemble pri- families of Erinaceomorpha. The family Dorma- mate dentitions. A third family, the Erinaceidae, aliidae includes Dormaalius, Macrocranion, Sce- includes the Early Tertiary genera Litolestes, Leip- nopagus, Ankylodon, Crypholestes, Sespedectes, sanolestes, Entomolestes, Neomatronella, Eolestes, and Proterixoides. Several ofthese genera are tra- Adapisorex, Cedrocherus, and living and fossil ditionally known collectively as "Adapisorici- members of the Galericinae, Brachyericinae, and dae," but Adapisorex is probably an erinaceid and Erinaceinae. Another member of the Erinaceidae the name Adapisorncidae is therefore unavailable is Dartonius, proposed here as a new designation for the above listed taxa. Dormaaliids are char- for "Leptacodon"jepseni. Several erinaceomorphs acterized by a reduction in size and complexity of are either too generalized in structure, too diver- the anterior premolars, a reduced, premolariform gent, or too poorly represented to allow assign- P4, and several other dental specializations. A sec- ment to any of the above families. These incertae ond family, the Amphilemuridae includes Am- sedis taxa are Diacodon, Adunator (including philemur, Gesneropithex, Alsaticopithecus, and Mckennatherium), Diacocherus, Litocherus, Tal- Pholidocercus. Amphilemurids have inflated, bun- pavus, and Talpavoides. INTRODUCTION The erinaceomorph insectivores are a crit- sification of Erinaceomorpha has, however, ical group for understanding eutherian phy- been subject to diverse interpretations. Greg- logeny. Erinaceomorphs have been variously ory (1910, p. 464) named the Section Eri- cited as ancestors or close relatives of tu- naceomorpha as a group including Erinacei- paiids, primates, bats, dermopterans, and dae, Leptictidae, and Dimylidae (table 1). several other major eutherian taxa. The clas- Simpson (1945) retained these families and I Chairman and Assistant Curator, Department ofVertebrate Paleontology, American Museum ofNatural History. 2 Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225. 3Research Assistant, Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544. Copyright X American Museum of Natural History 1985 ISSN 0003-0082 / Price $2.90 2 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 2813 TABLE 1 Classifications of Erinaceomorph Insectivorans Gregory, 1910 Subfamily Creotarsinae (incl. Litolestes, Order Insectivora Xenacodon, Talpavus, Creotarsus, Dor- Suborder Lipotyphla maalius, Entomolestes, Scenopagus, Section Zalambdodonta (incl. Families Centeti- Macrocranion, Amphilemur, Sespe- dae, Potamogalidae, Solenodontidae, dectes, Proterixoides, Amphidozotheri- Necrolestidae, Chrysochloridae) um, Ictopidium, Tupaiodon) Section unnamed (incl. Family Pantolestidae) Subfamily Nyctitheriinae Section Erinaceomorpha (incl. Families Lepticti- Family Erinaceidae dae, Erinaceidae, Dimylidae) Subfamily Galericinae Section Soricomorpha (incl. Families Soricidae, Subfamily Erinaceinae Talpidae) Family Talpidae Suborder Unnamed (incl. Family Hyopsodontidae) Superfamily Soricoidea Simpson, 1945 Russell, Louis, and Savage, 1975 Order Insectivora Suborder Erinaceomorpha Superfamily Deltatheridioidea Family Adapisoricidae Superfamily Tenrecoidea Subfamily Adapisoricinae (incl. Adapisorex) Superfamily Chrysochloroidea Subfamily Dormaaliinae (incl. Litolestes, Superfamily Macroscelidoidea Leipsanolestes, Dormaalius, Entomo- Superfamily Soricoidea lestes, Neomatronella, "Leptacodon" Superfamily Pantolestoidea jepseni, Macrocranion, Scenopagus, Superfamily Mixodectoidea ?Proterixoides, ?Sespedectes, Talpavus, Superfamily Erinaceoidea Ankylodon) Family Zalambdalestidae Krishtalka, 1976a Family Dimylidae Family Adapisoricidae (incl. Mckennatheri- Family Leptictidae (incl. Gypsonictops, Pro- um, Scenopagus, Ankylodon, Macro- diacodon, Acmeodon, Emperodon, Myr- cranion, Talpavus) mecoboides, Adapisorex, Diacodon, Family Erinaceidae (incl. Litolestes, Leipsano- Parictops, Protictops, Ictops, Leptictis, lestes, ?Entomolestes [grangeri], and the ?Xenacodon, ?Sespedectes) subfamilies Galericinae and Erinacei- Family Erinaceidae nae) Subfamily Echinosoricinae (incl. Entomo- THIS PAPER: lestes, Proterioxoides, Metacodon, An- Suborder Erinaceomorpha kylodon, Proterix, Brachyerix, Mete- Family Dormaaliidae (incl. Dormaalius, Mac- chinus, Meterix, Neurogymnurus, rocranion, Scenopagus, Ankylodon, Lantanotherium, Galerix, Pseudogale- Crypholestes, Sespedectes, Proterix- rix, Echinosorex, Hyolomys, Podogym- oides) nura, Neotetracus) Family Amphilemuridae (incl. Amphilemur, Subfamily Erinaceinae (incl. Tetracus, Pa- Gesneropithex, Alsaticopithecus, Pholi- laeoerinaceus, Tupaiodon, Palaeoscap- docercus) tor, Parvericius, Aethechinus, Erinaceus, Atelerix, Family Erinaceidae (incl. Litolestes, Leipsano- Hemiechinus, Paraechinus) lestes, Adapisorex, Entomolestes, Neo- Van Valen, 1967 matronella, Eolestes, Cedrocherus, Dar- Suborder Erinaceota tonius, Proterix, and subfamilies Superfamily Erinaceoidea Galericinae, Erinaceinae, and Brachyer- Family Adapisoricidae icinae) Subfamily Geolabidinae Erinaceomorpha, incertae sedis (incl. Diaco- Subfamily Adapisoricinae (incl. Mcken- don, Adunator [incl. Mckennatherium], natherium, Leptacodon, Adunator, Diacocherus, Litocherus, Talpavus, Tal- Adapisorex, Paschatherium, Messelina) pavoides) added Zalambdalestidae in his Superfamily lambdalestids, and macroscelidids, in addi- Erinaceoidea. Saban (1954), frequently and tion to the families recognized by Gregory. incorrectly cited as the author of the Erina- Several authors in more recent years (Butler, ceomorpha, expanded this category with his 1956a, 1972; McDowell, 1958; McKenna, inclusion ofthe pantolestids, apheliscids, za- 1960, 1975; Russell, 1964; Van Valen, 1967; 1985 NOVACEK, BOWN, SCHANKLER: ERINACEOMORPHA 3 Novacek, 1973, 1976, 1977; Russell, Louis, UCMP, University of California Museum of Pa- and Savage, 1975; Krishtalka, 1976) have ar- leontology, Berkeley gued that Erinaceomorpha seems realistically USGS, United States Geological Survey limited to the Erinaceidae and other early YPM, Yale Peabody Museum taxa generally recognized as "adapisoricids." Several matters remain unresolved. Sige (1977) regards nyctitheriids as members of SYSTEMATICS the Erinaceomorpha contra opinions of McKenna (1975), Krishtalka (1976a, 1976b), CLASS MAMMALIA LINNAEUS, 1758 Novacek (1976), Bown and Schankler (1982), ORDER INSECTIVORA CUVIER, 1817 and others. There is also argument as to whether dimylids (see Schmidt-Kittler, 1973) SUBORDER ERINACEOMORPHA GREGORY, 1910 belong to the Erinaceomorpha (following Van DIAGNOSIS: Insectivorans with the follow- Valen, 1967; Butler, 1972; Novacek, 1976) ing combination of dental features that dis- or the Soricomorpha (following Schmidt- tinguish them from other early eutherian Kittler, 1973; McKenna, 1975). "Amphile- clades. P1 small, single-rooted and P2-3 dom- murids" (Heller, 1935) were transferred from inated by a single cusp. P4 with a short, ba- Erinaceomorpha to Primates by Russell, sined or unbasined talonid; P4 talonid cusps Louis, and Savage (1975) but were returned absent, or, if present, diminutive. M1 3 para- to Erinaceomorpha by Koenigswald and conids compressed, lophid-like, or cresti- Storch (1983). Gingerich (1983) has united form. Molar trigonid cusps lower, less sec- several problematic "adapisoricids" as mem- torial, and more anteriorly canted than in bers ofthe new subfamily Litocherinae. Here Kennalestes, Cimolestes, Procerberus, Asior- we address problems of relationships among yctes, palaeoryctids (sensu stricto), primitive the selected members of the Erinaceomor- leptictids (e.g., Prodiacodon), geolabidids, pha; namely, the Early Tertiary taxa com- early miacids, and creodonts. Talonids on monly recognized as erinaceids, adapisori- MK2 nearly as wide or wider than trigonids. cids, and amphilemurids. Our purpose is to M1 3 with high entoconids and low hypocon- provide a consensus statement on the higher ids often flattened in early stages of wear. P3 level taxonomy of the Erinaceomorpha that small, triangular in occlusal outline (second- reflects,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dating Placentalia: Morphological Clocks Fail to Close the Molecular-Fossil Gap
    Puttick, M. N., Thomas, G. H., & Benton, M. J. (2016). Dating placentalia: Morphological clocks fail to close the molecular-fossil gap. Evolution, 70(4), 873-886. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12907 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.1111/evo.12907 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1111/evo.12907 Dating placentalia: Morphological clocks fail to close the molecular fossil gap Mark N. Puttick,1,2 Gavin H. Thomas,3 and Michael J. Benton1 1School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom 2E-mail: [email protected] 3Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, Alfred Denny Building, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, United Kingdom Received January 31, 2015 Accepted March 7, 2016 Dating the origin of Placentalia has been a contentious issue for biologists and paleontologists.
    [Show full text]
  • JVP 26(3) September 2006—ABSTRACTS
    Neoceti Symposium, Saturday 8:45 acid-prepared osteolepiforms Medoevia and Gogonasus has offered strong support for BODY SIZE AND CRYPTIC TROPHIC SEPARATION OF GENERALIZED Jarvik’s interpretation, but Eusthenopteron itself has not been reexamined in detail. PIERCE-FEEDING CETACEANS: THE ROLE OF FEEDING DIVERSITY DUR- Uncertainty has persisted about the relationship between the large endoskeletal “fenestra ING THE RISE OF THE NEOCETI endochoanalis” and the apparently much smaller choana, and about the occlusion of upper ADAM, Peter, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA; JETT, Kristin, Univ. of and lower jaw fangs relative to the choana. California, Davis, Davis, CA; OLSON, Joshua, Univ. of California, Los Angeles, Los A CT scan investigation of a large skull of Eusthenopteron, carried out in collaboration Angeles, CA with University of Texas and Parc de Miguasha, offers an opportunity to image and digital- Marine mammals with homodont dentition and relatively little specialization of the feeding ly “dissect” a complete three-dimensional snout region. We find that a choana is indeed apparatus are often categorized as generalist eaters of squid and fish. However, analyses of present, somewhat narrower but otherwise similar to that described by Jarvik. It does not many modern ecosystems reveal the importance of body size in determining trophic parti- receive the anterior coronoid fang, which bites mesial to the edge of the dermopalatine and tioning and diversity among predators. We established relationships between body sizes of is received by a pit in that bone. The fenestra endochoanalis is partly floored by the vomer extant cetaceans and their prey in order to infer prey size and potential trophic separation of and the dermopalatine, restricting the choana to the lateral part of the fenestra.
    [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 Species 117
    MAMMALIANSPECIES No. 117, pp. 14, 5 figs. Rhynchocyon chrysopygus. BY Galen B. Rathbun Published 8 June 1979 by the American Society of Mammalogists Rhynchocyon Peters, 1847 cyon chrysopygus apparently does not occur in the gallery forests of the Tana River, in the ground-water forest at Witu, or in the Rhynchocyon Peters, 1W7:36, type species Rhynchocyon cirnei dry bushlands between the Galana and Tana rivers. This ele- Peters by monotypy. phant-shrew's habitat is being cleared for exotic forest plantations Rhir~onaxThomas, 1918:370, type species Rh~nchoc~onchr~so- and agriculture all along the coast, resulting in a discontinuous pygus Gunther. and reduced distribution. It will re-occupy fallow agricultural land that is allowed to become overgrown with dense bush (Rathbun, CONTEXT AND CONTENT. Order Macroscelidea, Fam- ily Macroscelididae, Subfamily Rhynch~c~oninae.Corbet and unpublished data)' Hanks (1968) recognized three allopatric species of Rhynchocyon FOSSIL RECORD. As far as is known, the Macrosceli- (figure 1) for which they wrote the following key: didae have always been endemic to Africa (Patterson, 1%5). But- ler and Hopwood (1957) described Rhynchocyon clarki from the 1 Rump straw-colored, contrasting sharply with surround- early Miocene beds of Songhor, Kenya (near Lake Victoria). Ad- ing rufous pelage ----------.-------.-------R. chrysopygus ditional Miocene material from Rusinga Island, Kenya, has been Rump not straw-colored ---------.------.-------------------2 referred to this extinct form (Patterson, 1%5), which was smaller 2(1) Rump and posterior half of back with a pattern of dark than the extant species of Rhynchocyon. R. clarki contributes lines or spots on a yellowish-brown or rufous ground; significantly to the forest related fossil mammal fauna from Ru- top of head without a rufous tinge ._._._....._._R.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammals of Jordan
    © Biologiezentrum Linz/Austria; download unter www.biologiezentrum.at Mammals of Jordan Z. AMR, M. ABU BAKER & L. RIFAI Abstract: A total of 78 species of mammals belonging to seven orders (Insectivora, Chiroptera, Carni- vora, Hyracoidea, Artiodactyla, Lagomorpha and Rodentia) have been recorded from Jordan. Bats and rodents represent the highest diversity of recorded species. Notes on systematics and ecology for the re- corded species were given. Key words: Mammals, Jordan, ecology, systematics, zoogeography, arid environment. Introduction In this account we list the surviving mammals of Jordan, including some reintro- The mammalian diversity of Jordan is duced species. remarkable considering its location at the meeting point of three different faunal ele- Table 1: Summary to the mammalian taxa occurring ments; the African, Oriental and Palaearc- in Jordan tic. This diversity is a combination of these Order No. of Families No. of Species elements in addition to the occurrence of Insectivora 2 5 few endemic forms. Jordan's location result- Chiroptera 8 24 ed in a huge faunal diversity compared to Carnivora 5 16 the surrounding countries. It shelters a huge Hyracoidea >1 1 assembly of mammals of different zoogeo- Artiodactyla 2 5 graphical affinities. Most remarkably, Jordan Lagomorpha 1 1 represents biogeographic boundaries for the Rodentia 7 26 extreme distribution limit of several African Total 26 78 (e.g. Procavia capensis and Rousettus aegypti- acus) and Palaearctic mammals (e. g. Eri- Order Insectivora naceus concolor, Sciurus anomalus, Apodemus Order Insectivora contains the most mystacinus, Lutra lutra and Meles meles). primitive placental mammals. A pointed snout and a small brain case characterises Our knowledge on the diversity and members of this order.
    [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]
  • Richard Dawkins, Bracketted V2.Wps
    For all the many years that have passed away Matthew Lee Knowles 2010/11 (all the bracketed text extracted from ‘The Ancestor’s Tale’ by Richard Dawkins ) (and that is a myth too) (and in this context it always is man rather than woman) (although it baffles me why anybody regards this as an explanation for anything, given that the problem so swiftly regresses to the larger one of explaining the existence of the equally fine-tuned and improbable premeditator) (last long enough to make black holes, for instance) (though it often is) (the number of surviving species at the time of observation) (in the main a good book, so I shall not name and shame it) (a human species, probably ancestral to us) (boreal means northern) (and no less) (it is a intriguingly unfamiliar thought that there is always one such species) (including humans) (exactly in most cases, almost exactly in the rest) (it didn’t fossilise) (all but one of the other lineages went extinct) (quite a lot deeper into the past, and probably no longer in Africa) (most of) (or women) (or more) (petrified gum from trees) (as they tediously do) (or sixteen) (or hexadecimal) (see the Elephant Bird’s Tale) (especially microfossils) (see plate one) (tree rings) (carbon fourteen) (uranium-thorium-lead) (potassium-argon) (which I can sing) (or blossom, depending upon your taste) (unless, as has been recently suggested, their knotted strings were used for language as well as for counting) (the next copying ‘generation’) (it is the French hard c in comme) (American children call it ‘telephone’)
    [Show full text]
  • Proceedings of the United States National Museum
    PALEOCENE PRIMATES OF THE FORT UNION, WITH DIS- CUSSION OF RELATIONSHIPS OF EOCENE PRIMATES. By James Williams Gidley, Assistant Curator, United States National Museum. INTRODUCTION. The first important contribution to the knowledge of Fort Union mammalian life was furnished by Dr. Earl Douglass and was based on a small lot of fragmentary material collected by him in the au- tumn of 1901 from a locality in Sweet Grass County, Montana, about 25 miles northeast of Bigtimber.* The fauna described by Douglass indicated a horizon about equivalent in age to the Torrejon of New Mexico, but the presence of unfamilar forms, suggesting a different faunal phase, was recognized. A few years later (1908 to 1911) this region was much more fully explored for fossil remains by parties of the United States Geological Survey and the United States National Museum. Working under the direction of Dr. T. W. Stanton, Mr. Albert C. Silberling, an ener- getic and successful collector, procured the first specimens in the winter and spring of 1908, continuing operations intermittently through the following years until the early spring of 1911. The present writer visited the field in 1908 and again in 1909, securing a considerable amount of good material. The net result of this com- bined field work is the splendid collection now in the National Museum, consisting of about 1,000 specimens, for the most part upper and lower jaw portions carrying teeth in varying numbers, but including also several characteristic foot and limb bones. Although nearly 10 years have passed since the last of this collec- tion was received, it was not until late in the summer of 1920 that the preparation of the material for study was completed.
    [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]