Taxonomy'and Biostratigraphy of the Early Tertiary Taeniodonta

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Taxonomy'and Biostratigraphy of the Early Tertiary Taeniodonta Taxonomy'and biostratigraphy of the early I Tertiary Taeniodonta (Mammalia: Eutheria) R. M. SCHOCH Department of Geology and Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University. New Haven, Connecticut 0651 I The Geological Society of America Bulletin, Pirt 11, v. 92, 1982-2267, 17 figs., 12 tables, 61 plates, December, 1981, Doc. no. M11205 Thus, the San Juan basin mammalian INTRODUCTION I faunas provide 'a sequence of faunas The Taeniodonta is an order of archaic which can provide the basis for inter- mammals known exclusively from the lower basinal correlation. The Taeniodonta Tertiary of western North America are animportant element of these' (Schoch and Lucas, 1981a). Their re- faunas; many o# the type spccimeyts and mains are found in Puercan (lowCr Paleo- important referred specimens of these cene) to Uintan (upper Eocene) strata animals come from the San Juan basin. of the Rocky Mountain intermontane However, except for Pa?terson's (1949b) sedimentary basins (Figs. 13, 14; brief review, a comprehensive study of Table 12). In the San Juan basin of this order has not been published for Hpw Mexico and Colorado, the Puercan to more than 80 years (Wortman, 1897b). Wasacchian (lower EL-cene) sedimentary Before a group of animals can be used, sequence includes the type localities bibstratigraphic correlation, its for the Puercan,.. Torrejonian (middle species- and genus-level taxonomy, and Paleoc'ene), and Tiffanian (late Paleo- its known stratigraphic occurrences cene) land mammal - "ages" (Wood and must be well established. .In this paper, others, 1941) as well as a classic I revise the species'level taxonomy of Wasatchian fauna (Lucas and others, 1981). the Taeniodonta and document their 1982 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/92/12_Part_II/1982/3418970/i0016-7606-92-12-1982.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 1983 geographic and temporal (stratigraphic) specifically or generically indetermi- distribution and I discuss their use- nate. In the figures and tables, I fulness and implications for biostrati- illustrate and present dental measure- graphic correlation in western North ments for each t-axon, both for use America. as a practical guide to ideutifying other taeniodont specimens and as a SCOPE AND METHODS source of data to serve as the basis In this paper, I undertake a complete for further research. In the bibliog- taxonomic revision at the genus- and raphy, I present references not only to species-level of the Taeniodonta based works.mentioned in the present paper on the majority of the known specimens. but also to other works? which discuss The suprageneric classification and taeniodonts. phylogeny of the taeniodonts is not ABBREVIATIONS USED considered here. Taxonomic judgments are made solely on the basis of morphology; AC Amherst College, Amherst ,,Massa- edtrinsic stratigraphic and geographic chuse t t s data, although recorded and considered AMNH American Museum of Natural History, important, are not uskd to define taxa. New York Referred specimens listed for each BAWSM ,Bayerischen Akademie der Wis- taxon indicate the distribution (strati- senschaften Sammlung Mhchen, graphic/geographic) of the taxon. How- Mun-ich ever, these lists are not meant to be BNM Basel Naturhistorischen Museum, comprehensive,.> only representative. Basel Several other taeniodont specimens exist CM Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh 4 which are not specifically mentioned or DNHM Dinosaur Natural History Museum, illustrated in this work; however, many Vernal, Utah of these remaining specimens are FMNH Field Museum of Natural History, Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/92/12_Part_II/1982/3418970/i0016-7606-92-12-1982.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 1984 Chicago L Length IVPP Institute of Vertebrate Paleon- W Width tology and Paleoanthropology, Tr Trigohid Beij ing Td Talonid MCZ Museum of Comparative Zoology, * Asterisks indicate approximate Harvard University , Cambridge, measurements of damaged 0-rworn Massachusetts teeth or measurements or alveoli. MPM Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee All dental measqements are given in mm. RU Princ; ton University , Princeton Tooth nomenclaturq fol'lows Szalay (1969, Texas Memorial Museum, Austin p. 198Y03, Table 1, Fig. 1). UALP University of Arizona Laboratory SYSTEWTIC PALEONTOLOGY of Paleontology, Tucson UCMP University of California Museum Order Taeniodonta Cope, 1876a of Paleontology, Berkeley EquaZs or incZudes: UK University of Kansas, Lawrence Stylinodontidae ,Marsh, 1875b, p. 221. UM University of Minnesota Taeniodonta Cope, 187Ga, p. 39. Minneapolis Ectoganidae Cope, 1876a, p. 39. UNM University of New Mexico Calamondonfidae Cope, 1876, p. 39. Albuquerque Hemiganidae Cope, 1888d, p. 310. USGS U.S. Geological Survey, Paleon- Ganodonta Wortman, 1896a, p. 259. tology and Stratigraphy Branch, Conoryctidae Wortman, 1896a, p. 260. Denver Stylinodontia Marsh, 1897, p. 137. USNM National Museum of Natural Conoryctinae Schlossei, 1911, p. 414. History, Washington, D.C. Stylinodontinae Schlosser, 1911, p. 414. uw University of Wyoming, Laramie Onychodectini Winge, 191.7, 'p. 105. YPM Peabody Museum of Natural History, Conoryctini Winge, 1917, p.. 105. Yale University, New Haven Stylinodontini Winge, 1917, p. 106. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/92/12_Part_II/1982/3418970/i0016-7606-92-12-1982.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 1985 Psittacotherinae Matthew, 1937, p. 237. trigonids and talorids of all molars Taeniodontidae Szalay, 1977, p. 368. subequal in size (length and width); Inc Zuded genera: Onychodectes Cope, trigonids bear subequal protoconids 1888d; ConorycteZZa Gazin, 1939; Conorycte and metaconids; molars decrease in size Cope, 1881a (= llexoion Cope, 1884a); posteriorly, hypoconulid/talonid not Huerfanodon Schoch and Lucas, 1981b; expanded on Mg. Taeniodonts can also Vortmania Hay, 1899; Psittacotheriwn Cope, be distinguished by a tendency toward 1882b (= Hemiganus Cope, 1882~); Ectoganus hypsodbnt cheek teeth. In relatively Cope, 1874 (= CaZamodon Cope, 1874 = "primitive" ffxms (Onychodectes, Dryp,todon Marsh, l876b = Coiiicodon Cope, Conoryctella, Conoryctes, Huerfanodon 1894 = Lampaddphoms Patterson, 1949a) ; and Nortmania) this take.s the form of and StgZinodoh Marsh, 1874. "tooth-base" or crown" huposodonty Distribution: Pucrcan (early Paleo- (White, 1959), characterized by the cene) to Uintan (late Eocenej of western labial extension of the enamel on. North America. the lower cheek teeth and the lingual Discussion. I recognize \$theorder extension of the enamel on the upper Taeniodonta as a monophyletic taxon whose cheek teeth. In more "advanced" members share the following derived taeniodonts (Psittacotheriwn, Ectoganus, characters: relatively narrow upper and SqjIZnodon) , this forh of hypsodonty molars, with protocones, protoconules, and is combined with "root" hypsodonty metaconules small and placed far lingually, (White, 1959), in which the roots of paracones and metacones moderate-sized, the cheek teeth fuse and become ever- punctate and placed far labiafly with re-. growing. Taeniodonts are also charac- duced stylar shelves; pre- and postcingula terized by the possession of a lacking on upper molars; hypocone absent leptictimorph astragalocalcaneal or developed by a splitting off from the morphology (Szalay, 1977). protocone; lower molars lack cingulids; Jacob Wortman (1896a, 1897b) first Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/92/12_Part_II/1982/3418970/i0016-7606-92-12-1982.pdf by guest on 01 October 2021 I986 recgonized-theTaeniodonta in its modem Insectivora) composed of three tribes: sense. Up until the work of Wortman, Onychodectini (Onychodectes), different workers included varipus genera Conoryctini (Conoryctes), and' in. the Taeniodonta. Several genera now Stylinodonitni ("Hemiganus" [= considered taeniodonts, such as Onyclzo-' Nortmania] , Psittc zotherim, "Ca Zamodon" gectes , Conoryc5es, Wortmania, and = Ectoganrisl , and Sty Zinodon) . Matthew 8 Psit$acotheriwn, often were placed in (1937) recognized the family Stylino- the Tillodontia, Creodonta, or Insecti- dontinae (sole family of the order vora (for example, Cope, 1882b, 1888d). Taeniodonta) composed of the Onychodec- Wortman placed 'the taeniodonts in their tinae (dnychodectes)2 tonoryctinac own suborder, Ganodonta, within the orpcr (Conoqctes), Psittacotherinae Edentata, and included two families iA-the (Nortrnanic., Psittacotheriwn, and "ganodonts": the Conoryctidae, composed "Ca lamodon" [= Ectogams 1 , and.-,S tyfino- of Onychodectes and Conoryctek-, and the dontinae (StgZinodoiz). Simpson (1945) Stylinodontidae, composed of "llemiganzis" : adopted Matthew s (1937) classj fication (= Najotmaxia) , Fsitt-acJtheriwn "Ca Zamodon" of the Taeniodonta in its broad out- (= k$oganiis), and StgZinodon. Wortman lines, but reduced the number of sub- .c. viewed the conoryctids and stylinodontids families to two. Thus, Simpson (1945) as two evolving phyla forming a graded recognized one family of the order ancestor-descendant series from one genus Taeniodonta, Stylinodontidac, composed to the next., of the subfamilies Conoryctinae Schlosser (1911) recognized the (Ongchodectes, ConocicteZ Za, and Ganodonta.[sic] as a family of the Conomjctes) and Stylinodontin,ae (Nor&-, Edentata and reduced Wortman's maina, Psittacotheriwn Ectoganus arid Conoryctidae and Stylinodontidae to StyZinodon). The most recent student subfamilies. Winge (1917, 1923) recog-
Recommended publications
  • (Mammalia) in the Early Eocene Ofeurope
    The presence of Taeniodonta (Mammalia) in the Early Eocene ofEurope Carmen ESTRAVIS* Donald E. RUSSELL** * Centro de Estratigrafia e Palcobiologia da UNL, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Quinta da Torre, P-2825 Monte de Caparica, Portugal. ** Institut de Paleontologic (URA 12, CNRS), 8 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France. pp.191-201 Ciencias da Terra (UNL) Lisboa NQ 11 1992 1 pI. RESUMO Palavras-chave: Eurodon- Taeniodonta- Eocenico-:-­ Silveirinha - Portugal. Eurodon silveirinhensis nov. gen., nov. sp., do Eocenico inferior de Silveirinha (portugal) econsiderado o primeiro representante, na Europa, da extinta ordem de mamiferosTaeniodonta.0 enigrnaticogeneroLessnessina Hooker, 1979, de Abbey Wood(lnglaterra), sensive1mente contcrnporaneo de Eurodon, e tambern atribufdo aos teniodontes. RESUME Mots-dis: Eurodon - Taeniodonta - Eocene­ Silveirinha - Portugal. Eurodon silveirinhensis nov. gen., nov. sp., de I'Eocene infericur de Silveirinha (portugal) est interpretee commeIapremiererepresentanteen Europedes Taeniodonta (ordre eteint de mammiferes). L'enigmatique genre Lessnessina Hooker, 1979, de Abbey Wood (Angleterre), apeu pres contemporainde Eurodon,estrapporteegalement aux Taeniodonta. ABSTRACT Key-words: Eurodon - Taeniodonta - Eocene ­ Silveirinha - Portugal. The first representative of the extinct mammalian order Taeniodonta in Europe is described, Eurodon silveirinhensis n. gen., n. sp., from the early Eocene local­ ity of Silveirinha, Portugal. A formerly enigmatic form, Lessnessina Hooker, 1979, from Abbey Wood, England, and approximately contemporary, is also referred to the Taeniodonta. 193 INTRODUCTION Type species - Eurodon silveirinhensis, new species. Study of the early Eocene mammalian fauna Diagnosis - Small mammal, smaller than any from Silveirinha, Portugal (ANTUNES, 1981; described taeniodont. M3 with large hypoconulid, ANTUNES & RUSSELL, 1981), is the subject of a apparently subequal hypoconid and slightly smaller, doctoral dissertation for one ofus (c.
    [Show full text]
  • Attachment J Assessment of Existing Paleontologic Data Along with Field Survey Results for the Jonah Field
    Attachment J Assessment of Existing Paleontologic Data Along with Field Survey Results for the Jonah Field June 12, 2007 ABSTRACT This is compilation of a technical analysis of existing paleontological data and a limited, selective paleontological field survey of the geologic bedrock formations that will be impacted on Federal lands by construction associated with energy development in the Jonah Field, Sublette County, Wyoming. The field survey was done on approximately 20% of the field, primarily where good bedrock was exposed or where there were existing, debris piles from recent construction. Some potentially rich areas were inaccessible due to biological restrictions. Heavily vegetated areas were not examined. All locality data are compiled in the separate confidential appendix D. Uinta Paleontological Associates Inc. was contracted to do this work through EnCana Oil & Gas Inc. In addition BP and Ultra Resources are partners in this project as they also have holdings in the Jonah Field. For this project, we reviewed a variety of geologic maps for the area (approximately 47 sections); none of maps have a scale better than 1:100,000. The Wyoming 1:500,000 geology map (Love and Christiansen, 1985) reveals two Eocene geologic formations with four members mapped within or near the Jonah Field (Wasatch – Alkali Creek and Main Body; Green River – Laney and Wilkins Peak members). In addition, Winterfeld’s 1997 paleontology report for the proposed Jonah Field II Project was reviewed carefully. After considerable review of the literature and museum data, it became obvious that the portion of the mapped Alkali Creek Member in the Jonah Field is probably misinterpreted.
    [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]
  • SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tables, Figures and References
    Samuels et al. Evolution of the patellar sesamoid bone in mammals SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tables, Figures and References Supplementary Table S1: Mammals$ Higher taxa Genus sp. Estimated. age of Patellar Comments# (partial) specimen, location state 0/1/2 (absent/ ‘patelloid’/ present) Sinoconodonta Sinoconodon Jurassic 0 Patellar groove absent, suggests no rigneyi (Kielan- patella Jaworowska, Cifelli & Luo, Sinoconodon is included on our 2004) phylogeny within tritylodontids. Morganucodonta Megazostrodon Late Triassic, southern 0 rudnerae (Jenkins Africa & Parrington, 1976) Morganucodonta Eozostrodon sp. Late Triassic, Wales 0 Asymmetric patellar groove, (Jenkins et al., specimens disarticulated so it is hard 1976) to assess the patella but appears absent Docodonta Castorocauda 164 Mya, mid-Jurassic, 0 Semi-aquatic adaptations lutrasimilis (Ji, China Luo, Yuan et al., 2006) Docodonta Agilodocodon 164 Mya, mid-Jurassic, 0 scansorius China (Meng, Ji, Zhang et al., 2015) Docodonta Docofossor 160 Mya 0 brachydactylus (Luo, Meng, Ji et al., 2015) Docodonta Haldanodon 150-155 Mya, Late 0 Shallow patellar groove exspectatus Jurassic, Portugal (Martin, 2005b) Australosphenida Asfaltomylos Mid-Jurassic, South ? Postcranial material absent patagonicus America (Martin, 2005a) Australosphenida Ornithorhynchus Extant 2 Platypus, genome sequenced Monotremata anatinus (Warren, Hillier, Marshall Graves et (Herzmark, 1938; al., 2008) Rowe, 1988) Samuels et al. Australosphenida Tachyglossus + Extant 2 Echidnas Monotremata Zaglossus spp. (Herzmark, 1938; Rowe, 1988) Mammaliaformes Fruitafossor 150 Mya, Late Jurassic, 0 Phylogenetic status uncertain indet. windscheffeli (Luo Colorado & Wible, 2005) Mammaliaformes Volaticotherium Late Jurassic/Early ? Hindlimb material incomplete indet. antiquus (Meng, Cretaceous Hu, Wang et al., 2006) Eutriconodonta Jeholodens 120-125 Mya, Early 0 Poorly developed patellar groove jenkinsi (Ji, Luo Cretaceous, China & Ji, 1999) Eutriconodonta Gobiconodon spp.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomy and Biostratigraphy of the Early Tertiary Taeniodonta (Mammalia: Eutheria): Summary
    Taxonomy and biostratigraphy of the early Tertiary Taeniodonta (Mammalia: Eutheria): Summary ROBERT M. SCHOCH Department of Geology and Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511 INTRODUCTION (northeastern Utah), Huerfano basin (south-central Colorado), San Juan basin (northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colo- The Taeniodonta is an order of archaic mammals known rado), and Tornillo Flat area (western Texas). Here, I place special exclusively from the early Tertiary of western North America emphasis on the San Juan basin (Fig. 3), from which the early (Schoch and Lucas, 1981a). Their remains are found in Puercan Puercan to Wasatchian taeniodonts are best known. The history of (lower Paleocene) to Uintan (upper Eocene) strata of the Rocky study and nomenclature of the Tertiary strata of the San Juan basin Mountain intermontane sedimentary basins (Figs. 1, 2; Table 1). In (Fig. 4) has been discussed and reviewed in numerous papers, the San Juan basin of New Mexico and Colorado, the Puercan to Wasatchian (lower Eocene) sedimentary sequence includes the type localities for the Puercan, Torrejonian (middle Paleocene), and Tif- Figure 1. Localities at fanian (late Paleocene) land mammal "ages" (Wood and others, which taeniodonts have been 1941), as well as a classic Wasatchian fauna (Lucas and others, found. Numbers correspond 1981). Thus, the San Juan basin mammalian faunas provide a to localities listed in Table sequence of faunas which can provide the basis for interbasinal 1. For localities'in the San correlation. The Taeniodonta are an important element of these Juan basin (SJB), see Fig- faunas; many of the type specimens and important referred speci- ure 3.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PUERCO and TORREJON FORMATIONS of the NACIMIENTO GROUP' Introduction History of the Puerco History of the Torrejon Naming Of
    THE PUERCO AND TORREJON FORMATIONS OF THE NACIMIENTO GROUP' JAMES H. GARDNER CONTENTS Introduction Historyof the Puerco Historyof the Torrejon Namingof the Nacimiento Geology of the type-locality Fossils Correlations Summary Bibliography INTRODUCTION The formations of the Nacimiento group are subjects of much interest to science because of the character of their vertebrate faunas and the positions they occupy in the time-scale of geologic history. The fossil mammals of the two formations have been carefully dis- cussed by eminent paleontologists and yet but little is known of their areal distribution or stratigraphic occurrence. This paper is accom- panied by the first contribution of detailed geologic mapping in the area of their type-localities, and is the result of research which has brought forward some important facts and thrown considerable light on the problem of their faunal and stratigraphic relationships. The Nacimiento group was deposited during that long period of fresh-water conditions which prevailed over the greater part of western North America at the ending of the Cretaceous and the beginning of the Tertiary periods. In recent years paleontologists have considered the group as being earliest Tertiary in age, and thus marking the beginning of the Eocene series. It is intended in the following pages to review the formations of this group, their correlations, etc., from the first discoveries to the present time and to set forth clearly the facts of their stratigraphic ' Published by permission of the Director of the United
    [Show full text]
  • (Mammalia: Eutheria) from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Comments on the Phylogeny and Functional Morphology of 'Archaic' Mammals
    Edinburgh Research Explorer New Specimens of the Rare Taeniodont Wortmania (Mammalia: Eutheria) from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Comments on the Phylogeny and Functional Morphology of 'Archaic' Mammals Citation for published version: Williamson, TE, Brusatte, SL & Viriot, L (ed.) 2013, 'New Specimens of the Rare Taeniodont Wortmania (Mammalia: Eutheria) from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico and Comments on the Phylogeny and Functional Morphology of 'Archaic' Mammals', PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 9, E75886. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0075886 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1371/journal.pone.0075886 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: PLoS ONE Publisher Rights Statement: This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly cited. General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 09.
    [Show full text]
  • Mitteilungen Der Bayerischen Staatssammlung Für Paläontologie
    © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Mitt. Bayer. Staatsslg. Paläont. hist, Geol. 21 89-95 t München, 31. 12. 1981 Basalina, a Tillodont from the Eocene of Pakistan By Spencer G. L ucas & R obert M. Schocep') With Plate 15 Abstract Basalina basalensis D ehm and O ettingen-Spielberg, 1958 from the middle Eocene of Ganda Kas, Pakistan originally was assigned to the Taeniodonta but here is reassigned to the Tillodontia. Basalina is a distinct genus of tillodonts diagnosable by its small size, rooted I2, loss of I3, relatively large C j, rudimentary P,, single-rooted P2, molariform P4 and mandibular symphysis extending beneath P4. The reassignment of Basalina extends the geographic range of the tillodonts into the subcontinent and supports previous suggestions of Asian affinities of the Eocene land mammals of India and Pakistan. Kurzfassung Basalina basalensis D ehm & O fttingen-Spielberg, 1958 aus dem Mitteleozän des Ganda Kas, Pakistan, war zuerst zu den Taeniodonta gestellt, wird jedoch hier zu den Tillodontia gerechnet. Basalina ist eine Gattung, die durch kleines Format, bewurzelten I2, fehlenden I3, relativ großen C j, rudimentären P l5 einwurzeligen P2, molariformen P4 und dadurch gekennzeichnet ist, daß die Symphyse unter den P4 sich erstreckt. Die neue Zuweisung der Gattung Basalina dehnt die geografische Verbreitung der Tillodontia auf den Subkontinent aus, und bekräftigt die früher vertretene Ansicht über eine Verwandt­ schaft zwischen den eozänen Landtieren Asiens und Indien-Pakistans. Introduction Basalina basalensis was one of the most enigmatic forms described by D ehm and O fttingfn-Spielberg (1958) in their classic monograph on the Eocene mammals from the Ganda Kas region, Pakistan.
    [Show full text]
  • Evolution and Paleoenvironment of Early Modern Vertebrates During the Paleogene Program and Abstracts
    September 10‐13, 2019 Royal Belgian Institute of natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium International symposium Evolution and Paleoenvironment of Early Modern Vertebrates during the Paleogene Program and abstracts PalEurAfrica Meeting 2019 In the framework of the PalEurAfrica research project (see http://www.paleurafrica.be), we are happy to invite you to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) for an international symposium related to the evolution and paleoenvironment of early modern vertebrates during the Paleogene. This allows us to gather specialists who work on macro‐ and micropaleontology, bio‐ and isotope stratigraphy, paleoenvironment, paleogeography, and geology of Paleogene vertebrate bearing sites. This international meeting also celebrates the memory of one of our PalEurAfrica partners, Gregg Gunnell (1954‐2017), who tragically died unexpectedly in the middle of his career, having made significant contributions to our understanding of research on Paleogene vertebrate evolutionary history. Host committee Thierry Smith (Chair) – Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium Thierry De Putter – Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium Stephen Louwye – Universiteit Gent, Gent, Belgium Johan Yans – Université de Namur, Namur, Belgium Matthew Borths – Duke University Lemur center, Durham, NC, USA Nancy Stevens – Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA Scientific committee Massimo Delfino – Università di Torino, Torino, Italy Gilles Escarguel – Université de Lyon, Lyon, France Annelise Folie – Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium Emmanuel Gheerbrant – Museum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France Jason Head – University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Gerald Mayr – Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Frankfurt, Germany Florias Mees – Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium Ellen R. Miller – Wake Forest University, Winston‐Salem, NC, USA Adán Pérez‐García – Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain Rajendra Singh Rana – H.N.B.
    [Show full text]
  • Download/4084574/Burrow Young1999.Pdf 1262 Burrow, C
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.19.882829; this version posted December 27, 2019. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under 1aCC-BY-ND 4.0 International license. Recalibrating the transcriptomic timetree of jawed vertebrates 1 David Marjanović 2 Department of Evolutionary Morphology, Science Programme “Evolution and Geoprocesses”, 3 Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolutionary and Biodiversity Research, Berlin, 4 Germany 5 Correspondence: 6 David Marjanović 7 [email protected] 8 Keywords: timetree, calibration, divergence date, Gnathostomata, Vertebrata 9 Abstract 10 Molecular divergence dating has the potential to overcome the incompleteness of the fossil record in 11 inferring when cladogenetic events (splits, divergences) happened, but needs to be calibrated by the 12 fossil record. Ideally but unrealistically, this would require practitioners to be specialists in molecular 13 evolution, in the phylogeny and the fossil record of all sampled taxa, and in the chronostratigraphy of 14 the sites the fossils were found in. Paleontologists have therefore tried to help by publishing 15 compendia of recommended calibrations, and molecular biologists unfamiliar with the fossil record 16 have made heavy use of such works. Using a recent example of a large timetree inferred from 17 molecular data, I demonstrate that calibration dates cannot be taken from published compendia 18 without risking strong distortions to the results, because compendia become outdated faster than they 19 are published. The present work cannot serve as such a compendium either; in the slightly longer 20 term, it can only highlight known and overlooked problems.
    [Show full text]
  • The Postcranial Morphology and Phylogeny of Taeniodonts (Mammalia: Taeniodonta); Determining Locomotor Adaptations in Paleogene
    THE POSTCRANIAL MORPHOLOGY AND PHYLOGENY OF TAENIODONTS (MAMMALIA: TAENIODONTA); DETERMINING LOCOMOTOR ADAPTATIONS IN PALEOGENE MAMMALS KYNIGOPOULOU, Zoi, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; SHELLEY, Sarah L., Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America; WILLIAMSON, Thomas E., New Mexico Museum of Natural History, Albuquerque, NM, United States of America; BRUSATTE, Stephen L., University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom After the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction mammals, which originated during the Mesozoic, managed to survive and thrive. However, the tempo and mode of evolution for eutherians (placentals and close relatives) after the extinction are still unclear. An ideal group to investigate the post KPg evolution of mammals is the taeniodonts, as they are among the few taxa to purportedly cross the boundary. They then underwent a radiation in the early Paleogene and are defined primarily by their unusual dentition which is suited to chew an abrasive and tough diet. Ten genera of taeniodonts are currently recognized and are commonly arranged into two families. The Conoryctidae is usually considered to have a more generalized body plan while Stylinodontidae possess relatively extreme digging adaptations and more highly derived dentitions with enlarged canines. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis by applying parsimony and Bayesian techniques to a dataset of characters gathered from extensive observation of new specimens. We found limited support for the conoryctid-stylinodontid division and the genera Conoryctes and Onychodectes are placed as key basal taxa outside the clade of the more robust derived taxa (Wortmania, Ectoganus, Psittacotherium, Stylinodon). We then assessed postcranial bones to determine functional modes for taeniodonts and to test changes across phylogeny.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure-Aided Detection of Functional Innovation in Protein Phylogenies
    Structure-Aided Detection of Functional Innovation in Protein Phylogenies by Jeremy Bruce Adams A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Biology Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2015 © Jeremy Bruce Adams 2015 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Detection of positive selection in proteins is both a common and powerful approach for investigating the molecular basis of adaptation. In this thesis, I explore the use of protein three- dimensional (3D) structure to assist in prediction of historical adaptations in proteins. Building on a method first introduced by Wagner (Genetics, 2007, 176: 2451–2463), I present a novel framework called Adaptation3D for detecting positive selection by integrating sequence, structural, and phylogenetic information for protein families. Adaptation3D identifies possible instances of positive selection by reconstructing historical substitutions along a phylogenetic tree and detecting branch-specific cases of spatially clustered substitution. The Adaptation3D method was capable of identifying previously characterized cases of positive selection in proteins, as demonstrated through an analysis of the pathogenesis-related protein 5 (PR-5) phylogeny. It was then applied on a phylogenomic scale in an analysis of thousands of vertebrate protein phylogenetic trees from the Selectome database. Adaptation3D’s reconstruction of historical mutations in vertebrate protein families revealed several evolutionary phenomena. First, clustered mutation is widespread and occurs significantly more often than that expected by chance.
    [Show full text]