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Late Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblages in the Mediterranean area have sparked the interest of the scientific community in the last two decades mainly thanks to the discovery of fossils and/or stone tools testifying to the presence of early Homo. However, our knowledge of most of these assemblages is biased by the lack of well-constrained chronological data, especially for those close to or related to the Jaramillo magnetostratigraphic subchron (ca. 1.0 Ma). As a matter of fact, the available European palaeontological assemblages chronologically close to the Jaramillo interval are overall scarce, especially for the period prior to the so-called '0.9 Ma event'. This long and cold glacial period was characterised by profound changes in ecosystems and important faunal turnover in Europe, including the replacement of most Villafranchian species by typical Galerian ones. Here, we report on the carnivoran remains from Collecurti (central Italy), that is, one of the few available Jaramillo-dated assemblages in Europe. The Collecurti sample includes the species Canis (Xenocyon) lycaonoides, Canis mosbachensis, and Ursus deningeri and is here described in detail for the first time and compared with those from similar-aged European sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant adaptations to environmental and climatic changes in Pangaean intramontane basins are poorly understood. Here, we document a previously unknown primitive gymnosperm species, Lesleya ceriacoi sp. nov., from the Douro Carboniferous Basin (DCB; lower Gzhelian, Upper Pennsylvanian; NW Portugal) of the Variscan Iberian Massif (Iberia). This new species is described from a 303 million-years-old fossil rediscovered at the U.Porto's Herbarium PO, stored at the Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto (MHNC-UP; Portugal). L. ceriacoi sp. nov. displays an exquisite leaf shape with morphological traits adapted to specific ecological conditions of the DCB. These leaf morphological traits comprise toothed and dissected margins, which represent specialised adaptations to drier (xerophytic) conditions of the DCB during the Gzhelian (ca. 304–299 Ma), at the end of the Late Pennsylvanian. The xeromorphic traits of the new species represent an evolutionary novelty for the Pennsylvanian Euramerican dry-climate adapted floras, and are evidence of evolutionary adaptation to environmental and climatic change in intramontane basins like DCB within central tropical Pangaea. Such an adaptation occurred during an interval of wet to dry climate transition after the end of one late Palaeozoic Gondwana Ice Age (glaciation) in Gzhelian time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Pleistocene and Holocene, large-scale climatic changes occurred, resulting in severe environmental changes. Such changes in the Carpathian Basin were examined using dental elements of cervids from localities of Slovakia and Hungary. Their dental wear and the stable carbon and oxygen isotope values of structural carbonate and phosphate in bio-apatite of enamel were measured. Dental wear reflects the long and short-term changes of past vegetation, and stable isotope analyses can be used to uncover palaeotemperature and photosynthetic pathways of the consumed plants, thus indirectly providing information on the vegetation. The changes of mesowear scores, from the early Pleistocene onwards, indicate a gradual transition from a more or less closed to an open environment, as climate got cooler. The results of microwear analysis suggest that even though the environment became more open, some tree cover remained in the Carpathian Basin, even in the glacial periods. Based on the measured δ18O values for glacial periods, estimated temperatures were approximately 5–6°C cooler, whereas for interglacials, temperatures were similar to the recent climate of Hungary. The δ13C values of the examined cervids suggest predominantly C3 plant consumption, which agrees with the fact that C4 plants are scarcer in colder environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seabirds are higher-order predators in the marine ecosystem and hence good indicators of the marine environment. Although the North Pacific has been the focal area for investigations of seabird faunal dynamics, the Pleistocene seabird fossil record has been scarce in the western North Pacific. Here, remains of 32 species of seabirds and related taxa (Anatidae, Podicipedidae, Gaviidae, Diomedeidae, Hydrobatidae, Procellariidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Scolopacidae, Laridae, and Alcidae) are reported from the middle–late Pleistocene Shiriya local fauna, northeastern Japan (Marine Isotope Stages 9 and 5e, ~ 320 and ~ 120 ka). This is the first substantial Pleistocene seabird fauna reported from the region so far, and includes globally first fossil records for Cepphus carbo and extant species of Aethia. The fauna also includes three extinct species, Shiriyanetta hasegawai, Mancalla? sp., and Uria onoi, the former two of which were flightless. The occurrence of immature individuals indicates that at least two species had nearby breeding sites. The seabird populations had probably been sustained by enhanced oceanic productivity in this area during their age, but oceanographic fluctuations in the subsequent glacial period, including the probable disappearance of a nearby oceanic front, would have seriously affected their subsistence, likely causing local extinctions of some species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Radochowska Cave is known primarily from the find of a cave bear skull, intended to be placed intentionally by Palaeolithic hunters in a 'stone cage'. This find was supposed to be proof of the existence of the cult of bear hunters at this site. Critical analysis did not give a clear answer to its occurrence or a clear negation of this phenomenon. Research is not facilitated by the fact that a large part of the collection was lost after World War II. The found part, especially numerously represented by predatory mammals, made it possible to verify the old lists of fauna and extend them with a number of new species, often unknown from the Polish Sudetes, such as Cuon alpinus europaeus or Panthera pardus. The analysis showed the presence of two main faunistic associations. The older one, dated to MIS 3, is represented by a number of cold-loving forms. Remains of Holocene species and those from the very end of the last glaciation represent the second faunal assemblage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene-Oligocene climate transition (EOT) is the last major greenhouse-icehouse climate state shift in Earth history, ending the warm, ice-free early Palaeogene world and ushering in the Antarctic glaciation. This study is focused on the Hungarian Palaeogene Basin within the Central Paratethys, aiming to characterise the effect of the global cooling event in the calcareous nannoplankton assemblages and to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the region. Calcareous nannoplankton biostratigraphy is focused on documenting the NP21 Zone. Hierarchical cluster analysis allowed us to distinguish five successive assemblages. Thereby defined phases are compared with recently published trends in δ18O values and foraminiferal changes. Taxa with a preference for oligotrophic and warm surface waters dominate the lowest assemblage. The next assemblage contains taxa that indicate oligotrophic conditions but temperate surface water at the onset of the EOT. Nannoplankton abundance drops to a minimum in the third phase, when taxa adapted to cool surface waters gradually became dominant. A gradual rebound of nannoplankton abundance is observed in the fourth phase, possibly reflecting regional climate change related to the uplifting Alpine chain. After the end of the EOT, the youngest assemblage includes mostly eurytopic taxa which could tolerate an increased rate of freshwater and terrestrial influx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information presented here is based on 174 sites; it is a result of a detailed historical collection revision of materials from Silesia and also the first comprehensive paper after the early German and Polish compilations. Though our work includes both quantitative and qualitative updates, it is neither exhaustive nor complete. It is very likely that many finds have not yet been reported to scientific institutions or museums, or else remain in private collections. The localities concerned are dominated by remains found under or within alluvial deposits of the last glaciation or in the context of loess sediments. Most of the documented remains are from the Late Pleistocene. Cold-adapted members of steppe-tundra faunal assemblages, such as Mammuthus primigenius, Equus ferus, Coelodonta antiquitatis, Rangifer tarandus, Ovibos moschatus, and Bison priscus dominate. Most artiodactyls were found in alluvial sediments, in bogs or swamps, while carnivores are represented only by isolated remains. The location of faunal assemblages and isolated finds shows the importance of river valleys as migrations routes. Silesia stretches along the Odra River, which runs in a roughly south-north direction, and connects the Sudety Mts and the Głubczyce Plateau with the wide, open lowlands of Eastern Germany and Western Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pan-Testudinidae is the total clade of extant terrestrial tortoises, which includes extinct fossil members of their stem lineage. Members of this clade have a rather scarce fossil record in Mexico, and the few specimens known in scientific collections are poorly studied. Here, we described a new species of basal testudinid turtle, based on a single specimen from the early Oligocene deposits exposed in the marginal facies of the Chilapa Formation in Oaxaca, southern Mexico. The new taxon exhibits osteological characteristics that support its insertion as a basal Testudinidae. The phylogenetic relationships of the new turtle were assessed using a total evidence approach (morphological + molecular) in a global Pan-Testudinidae context using Implied Weighted Maximum Parsimony (IWMP), Standard Maximum Parsimony (SMP) and Bayesian Inference (BI). Although the BI consensus tree is not well resolved, the results obtained by IWMP and SMP retrieved its branching close to the root of Testudinidae. The differences between the topologies of the three phylogenetic analyses show that the position of several taxa within Testudinidae is affected by the phylogenetic analyses performed. The new taxon from Oaxaca, here reported, represents the first Palaeogene and the southernmost tortoise described from Mexico and the oldest Testudinidae known in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Carboniferous strata are widely distributed in the Hexi Corridor, Northwest China, with a complete stratigraphic sequence and abundant fossils. Four stratigraphic sections of the Carboniferous in the Hexi Corridor were selected for this study, which mainly examined foraminiferal assemblages. Based on the distribution of the foraminifera throughout these sections, four foraminiferal assemblages were established. In the ascending order, these assemblages are the Eostaffella proikensis–Koskinobigenerina (Aleksian, Late Visean), Climacammina simplex–Biseriella parva (Venevsky, Late Visean), Ozawainella guizhouensis (Middle to Late Bashkirian), and Nodosinelloides spp. (Kasimovian–Early Gzhelian). Foraminifer data indicate the direction of regression in the late Visean in the studied area was from east to west. During the Late Visean–Early Gzhelian, a comparison of recovered fauna with the paleobiogeographical affinities shows that the Hexi Corridor foraminiferal fauna maintains strong North Paleotethyan affinities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mean values of the grade of enclosure of the protoconch by the deuteroconch (Ai), the number of adauxiliary chamberlets (C), the number of annuli within 0.5 mm from the embryonic apparatus (N05) and the degree of stolonic distalization (FD5) were evaluated for several Nephrolepidina populations from the western Mediterranean. Data from two new populations were added to the various populations biometrically investigated in the last decades. The routinely employed Ai and C indexes alone seem to be not sufficient to provide biostratigraphic constraints for each Nephrolepidina chronospecies, whereas N05 appears to be dependent to the embryonic size. By including the index FD5, and thus the concept of neanic acceleration, it becomes possible to clearly separate the different chronosubspecies of Nephrolepidina from the Mediterranean bioprovince. Nephrolepidina praemarginata praemarginata is restricted to the late Rupelian SBZ22A. N. pramarginata elenamoroi n. ssp. is erected for those early Chattian (SBZ22B) populations with 32%mean<42%. N. morgani, characterised by 42%mean<50%, stands as a long-ranged species, spanning from the whole Chattian to the lowermost Aquitanian. N. tournoueri antonioi n. ssp. marks the Aquitanian (SBZ24) and is characterised by Aimean >45% and 50%mean<55%. N. tournoueri tournoueri characterises the Burdigalian (SBZ25), with Aimean>45% and FD5mean>55%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study integrates ichnological and sedimentological data to interpret depositional environments in the carbonate sediments of the Mobarak Fm. (Lower Carboniferous) in the Alborz Mountains of northern Iran. Seven ichnofabrics including Thalassinoides (Th), Zoophycos‒Phycosiphon (Zo-Ph), Skolithos‒Thalassinoides (Sk-Th), Zoophycos‒Diplocraterion (Zo-Di), Thalassinoides‒Rhizocorallium (Th-Rh), Zoophycos‒Arenicolites (Zo-Ar) and Chondrites‒Phycosiphon (Ch-Ph) have been identified in the studied succession. Th ichnofabric is characterised by the dominance of the deposit-feeding trace fossils, revealing low sedimentation rate and activity of the organisms in a loose substrate. Vertical succession of the Zo-Ph, Sk-Th and Zo-Di ichnofabrics indicates change in the firmness of the substrate. Th-Rh and Zo-Ar ichnofabrics reveal two different energy phases including a lower energy condition with the activity of deposit-feeders and a higher energy phase identified by the activity of suspension-feeders. Ch-Ph ichnofabric is characterised by low diversity and low abundance of trace fossils that were identified in black, limy shale, displaying a long lasting outer ramp setting with low energy, low sedimentation rate, and dysoxic-anoxic conditions of the substrate. Ichnological features of the Mobarak Fm. are controlled by subsidence-inducing changes in the accommodation space of the depositional system dictating variations in paleoenvironmental conditions such as oxygen levels and hydrodynamic energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Rhinocerotidae, also referred to as 'true rhinoceroses', is one of the multiple perissodactyl lineages that have independently evolved large body sizes, lophodonty (fully developed crests between dental cusps), a simplified anterior dentition, and the molarization of the premolars. During the last decades, descriptions of novel fossil collections, the update of previously published ones, and taxonomic reviews through cladistic analyses have brought to bear a new, comprehensive perspective on the group, significantly increasing its recorded deep-time diversity. This paper reviews the historical development of the study of Rhinocerotidae in the Iberian Peninsula, provides an up-to-date compendium of the regional rhinoceros fossil record by gathering the available references, and presents an updated taxonomic framework. As a result, 27 out of the more than 200 rhinoceros species described in the literature worldwide inhabited the Iberian Peninsula, regionally ranging from the Oligocene to the Late Pleistocene. Their systematics, stratigraphic, and geographical ranges are detailed in the present article and the occurrences and geographical ranges illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the diseases yaws and bejel are indicated by periosteal reaction patterns. The distributions of these two diseases in ancient North American human populations show evidence of climatic influence. Those ancient populations lacking either yaws or bejel (the null periosteal reaction pattern) can be found in the coldest parts of the Cold Winter Regions. Those populations with yaws (the poly-ostotic periosteal reaction) can be found in the milder portions of the Cold Winter Regions. The populations with bejel (the pauci-ostotic periosteal reaction) are found either outside of or marginal to Cold Winter Regions. The Bering Strait area is considered to be the gateway to the ancient New World. The cold climates present in this area should have influenced the routes available for the diseases to spread from population to population or by migration of infected populations into the Western Hemisphere. It is suggested that the coastal route with its milder maritime climate was the route taken by yaws when it entered the New World. The presence of bejel in ancient North America presents a conundrum. The climate would have blocked the spread of the disease from Siberia to Alaska in either Late Glacial or Holocene times. This suggests that our present view of migration routes is incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Signatures for evolutionary trends have been observed in various glossopterid elements ora recovered from a single stratigraphic succession of Barakar Formation (Artinskian-Kungurian) of Lajkura Colliery, Ib River Coalfield. Significant variations in morphographic characters pertaining mainly to the non-existence/existence of midrib and venation pattern occurring in various species from older to younger horizons reveal two distinct assemblage zones. Assemblage zone–I (oldest, Ist horizon) consists of leaf genera- Noeggerathiopsis, Cordaites, Euryphyllum, Kawizophyllum, Buriadia, Gangamopteris, and Glossopteris whereas Assemblage zone-II (2nd, 3rd and 4th horizons) consists of leaf genera Palaeovittaria, Raniganjia, Bengalia, Ginkgoites and Glossopteris. Barring few overlapping Glossopteris species all four horizons have their distinct sets of Glossopteris species. A gradual shift of Glossopteris species with narrow-mesh forms having evanescent and thin midribs in the Ist horizon to broad and middle-mesh forms with thick midribs in the youngest 4th horizon, through middle-mesh forms with moderately thick midribs in 2nd and 3rd horizons has been noticed. The occurrence of distinct sets of taxa in successive coal seams demonstrates a characteristic pattern of floral distribution suggesting evolution in glossopterids, and prevalence of some specific climatic conditions during the deposition of these coal seams influencing origin and development of such distinct set of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A megafossil flora (i.e., Shuicheng flora) has been collected from the Upper Permian Longtan Formation coal-bearing rock series in the Wangjiazhai coal district, Shuicheng county, western Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Shuicheng flora, as an important part of the late Permian Cathaysian flora in South China, thrived in warm and humid conditions after the eruption of the Emeishan basalt but disappeared during the end-Permian mass extinction event. Here the fossil plants including 13 species in 9 genera were systematically described and compared. Results of systematic taxonomic studies demonstrate that these fossil plants are dominated by ferns and pteridosperms, followed by some sphenopsids, ginkgophytes and lycopsids. Taphonomic analysis shows that these fossil plants are mainly dominated by parautochthonous burial and accompanied by a small number of heterochthonous burial. Meanwhile, the palaeoecological reconstruction of Shuicheng flora suggests that these plants including lepidodendrids presented tall trees, calamites presented trees, ferns and pteridosperms presented trees, small trees, shrub, microphanerophytes and herbaceous plants, and ginkgopsida presented trees grown on detrital substrates under warm and humid climatic conditions and constituted a portion of the terrestrial landscape in western Guizhou Province during the Wuchiapingian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camptotheca Decaisne, an endemic genus with three species confined in central and southern China, is medically important for its anticancer effects. Fossil records indicate extinct genera Amersinia Manchester, Crane & Golovneva and Browniea Manchester et Hickey represented Palaeogene members of the Nyssaceae family resembling extant Camptotheca Decaisne. However, no fossil record of Camptotheca is reported until now. Here we present the first fossil of Camptotheca based on infructescences and fruits from the late Miocene of southwestern China, which is within its modern indigenous region. The fossils represented by drupaceous fruits with distinctive characters conform to Camptotheca and are distinguishable from the previous extinct genera Amersinia and Browniea, and extant genera Davidia and Nyssa of the family Nyssaceae s.s. This finding represents the first occurrence of the extant genus Camptotheca and deepens the fossil history of 'happy trees' back to late Miocene. It demonstrates by late Miocene, Camptotheca had inhabited in the current endemic region where it has survived to the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devonian fishes from South America tend to be fragmentary and sparse, catching little attention for palaeontological sampling. However, some of these remains demonstrate a wide variety of fishes which help understanding environmental and palaeogeographic patterns across the Devonian. In the Parnaíba Basin, the occurrence of Devonian fishes was thought to be restricted to the Pimenteira Formation (Middle Devonian; Eifelian-Givetian). It is described here for the first time fish remains from the Upper Devonian (Famennian) Longá Formation. These fossils represent at least two chondrichthyan (including acanthodians) taxa based on fin spines and a jaw fragment, and osteichthyan taxa based on dermal plates. Although fragmentary, these represent the first Devonian osteichthyan occurrence for the Parnaíba Basin and add to the scares Late Devonian fish record from Brazil. Recent studies have questioned the previous interpretations regarding the relationship between Gondwana and Euramerica, instead supporting more endemic vertebrate communities. Our results reinforce the palaeontological potential of the Palaeozoic strata of the Parnaíba Basin and call for additional work on the region, which may shed light on the diversification of vertebrates across Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The available fossil record of Bombina suggests that the genus appeared at the beginning of the Miocene. An isolated occurrence of early Miocene Bombina in Siberia, together with the relatively common occurrence of Bombina in the Miocene of Europe, suggest a possible continuous distribution to East Asia, as is the case with some other Miocene amphibian taxa. The determinable fossil record of B. bombina from the Pliocene precedes that of B. variegata from the Early Pleistocene by about 1 Mya. This also implies that B. variegata differentiated from B. bombina before the Middle Pleistocene continental glaciations. The younger geochronological age of B. variegata compared with that of B. bombina, is reflected in the development of its skeleton. Although both pass through morphologically the same stages of skeletal development, B. variegata is slightly retarded. The developmental retardation of the skeleton of B. variegata culminates in the adult stage, which may last several years after reaching sexual maturity. During this period, the different rates of ossification and growth in both species result in hypo-ossification and underdevelopment and thus in the emergence of differential characteristics. These are less distinguishable in juveniles, but more pronounced in fully grown adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrasperman pteridosperms (seed ferns) were widespread and diverse in Carboniferous equatorial wetlands of Euramerica, and although present in Permian equatorial wetlands in Cathaysia, little is known about their ovules (unfertilised seeds) from this phytogeographical realm. Hydrasperman ovules are recognisable from their distinctive pollen chamber organisation, but those previously noted from the Permian floras of Cathaysia are imperfectly characterised and require further study to confirm their affinity and identity. Here we document the hydrasperman ovule Conostoma cf. kestospermum from coal-balls in the early Permian aged Taiyuan Formation of North China for which preliminary findings were previously published in a Chinese language book on the coal-ball floras of China. We provide additional information on the organisation and structure of the ovules and for the first time consider their palaeoecological and palaeogeographical significance. We conclude that significant taxonomic filtering occurred in the migration of wetland plant species between Euramerica and Cathaysia in the late Pennsylvanian, with the majority of hydrasperman pteridosperms going extinct in Euramerica at the end of the Carboniferous as a result of habitat loss and climate change. The few hydrasperman genera and species that persisted into the Cathaysian flora were relicts and a minor component of Permian equatorial wetland floras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a revision is carried out on the dental evolution of the endemic dormouse Hypnomys Bate, 1918 in the late Neogene-Quaternary of the Balearic Islands. In Mallorca, we have reviewed material (upper and lower first and second molars) coming from the localities of Cap Ferrutx, Pedrera de s'Ònix, Cova de Canet, Cova de Llenaire, Cova de son Bauçà, Cova de son Maiol and Cova de sa Bassa Blanca, ranging from the Pliocene to the Holocene. In Menorca, a revision is done of the species H. mahonensis and H. eliomyoides. It is concluded that, while H. eliomyoides corresponds to an endemic lineage from Menorca, H. mahonensis should be considered as a descendant of H. morpheus from Mallorca which probably entered Menorca during the late Pleistocene. Finally, the presence of Hypnomys in Eivissa is not confirmed, since a large lower first molar previously assigned to this genus in the locality of Cova de ca na Reia could belong to a new endemic form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Early and Middle Pleistocene were characterised by two major climatic events: the onset of the Quaternary glaciations and the Early-Middle Pleistocene Transition (EMPT) with glacial cycles changing their periodicity. The present study reviews recent research on the palaeoecological adaptations of Pleistocene ungulates from Mediterranean Europe following these global climatic changes, through an examination of dental wear patterns and hypsodonty indices of 27 fossil taxa from 4 key localities. Ungulates from Coste San Giacomo (2.1 Ma) adopted a wide range of feeding behaviours suggesting the presence of heterogeneous environments in the region. Following the gradual deterioration of climatic conditions and drier habitats ungulates display narrower diet ranges with no incidence of obligated browsers as attested at Olivola (~1.8 Ma). The diffusion of open habitats from the Early Pleistocene onwards is also reflected by the reduction of brachydont taxa. Discrepancy between dental mesowear and microwear patterns of Vallparadís Estació (~1.0–0.6 Ma) and Fontana Ranuccio (0.4 Ma) ungulates points to an increase in seasonality during the EMPT and after its consolidation. All examined taxa display dietary plasticity through the Early and Middle Pleistocene with even specialised groups, such as equids, showing a certain flexibility in their diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of the study of vertebrate fossil assemblages recovered from the Grot Skeliastyi rock shelter in south-western Crimea (Ukraine). The deposition of its fossil-bearing layers covers the time span from the Late Glacial to the early Holocene. The studied sample consists of 2,736 bones belonging to 52 species of vertebrates (including 3 fishes, 1 amphibian, 12 reptiles, 10 birds, 26 small and large mammals). Among them, the past presence of the Aesculapian snake, four-lined ratsnake, squacco heron, tree pipit, and water pipit in the region is here documented for the first time. Extinct taxa in the faunal assemblage of Grot Skeliastyi were represented by wild horse, European ass, steppe bison, and woolly mammoth. Remains of small animals were accumulated due to the feeding activity of the eagle owl, while bones of large mammals could have been a part of the prey of carnivores but mostly are associated with the hunting activity of ancient people who inhabited the rock shelter. Most of the species persisted from the Pleistocene to the Holocene without losses. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in Crimea was not characterised by drastic faunal changes unlike those in other parts of Eastern Europe.Not StartedCompletedRejected [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Parnaíba Basin, Devonian marine invertebrate macrofossils occur mainly in the Pimenteira Formation (Picos and Passagem Members), and are scarcer in the Longá Formation, which has poor preservation of the samples and a limited amount of material available to be analysed. There has been, to date, no description or proper taxonomic classification of its body fossils, despite the limited diversity. Brachiopod taxonomy is reviewed and analysed herein for the first time. It was possible to describe a new species from the order Orthotetida, belonging to the genus Schellwienella, named Schellwienella justinianoi n. sp. We also confirmed the presence of the inarticulate brachiopods 'Lingula'? and Orbiculoidea?, which have been tentatively identified by some authors. We emphasise the importance of the conservation of this Brazilian Geoheritage both in situ and ex situ. Future field studies are needed to document the entire biota of the Longá Formation, to elucidate the palaeobiogeographic affinities of Devonian invertebrate fossils of Brazil, and related faunas in South America, and to test ideas of marine connections between these areas. These studies provide insights regarding the impacts caused by late Devonian (Kellwasser and Hangenberg) biocrisis on the Brazilian fauna, and its palaeoecological aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silurian trilobites of the Niur Formation in the Robat-e-Gharebil area are described and illustrated. Three genera and five species are identified, including: Calymene dastanpouri sp. nov. Calymene sp., Flexicalymene meeki, Gravicalymene hagani and Dalmanites ypacarayensis. The palaeogeographic relationships of the Eastern Alborz Range with the Northern Gondwana supercontinent during the Late Palaeozoic are also considered. The Early Silurian trilobites of lower part of the Niur Formation were comparable with those of other parts of Iran, Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Middle East and South of China. This similarity suggests that the Robat-e-Gharebil area (Kopeh Dagh region) was part of the peri- Gondwana supercontinent during the Early Silurian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hondeklip Bay is a Zanclean, early Pliocene, locality in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Cetacean fauna from Hondeklip Bay includes the mysticetes: Balaenopteridae indet. (sp. 1), cf. Eschrichtius sp., Balaenopteridae indet., cf. Plesiobalaenoptera, Balaenidae indet., and the odontocetes: Physeteroidea indet, cf. Livyatan, and an unidentified neonate delphinid. Hondeklip shares a seal and cetacean taxon with Langebaanweg, which is 430 km to the south. Cf. Eschrichtius sp. from Hondeklip Bay is the first description of the taxon from South Africa and it also has the first balaenid described from South Africa. Its cetacean fauna also strengthens the links of South Africa's west coast with the Atlantic of Europe and North America, and eastern North and South Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many fossil brachiopod genera are used to comprehend previous geological settings. Such fossils often provide trustworthy information about ancient earth configurations, such as the supercontinent Gondwana. This study presents a new occurrence of a discinoid brachiopod, from the Iapó and Vila Maria Formations of the Paraná Basin. Fossiliferous strata overlie deposits of glacial and post-glacial times, here interpreted as Hirnantian in age. This is the first occurrence of Kosoidea for Paleozoic strata of Brazilian Sedimentary Basins. A new discinoid species Kosoidea australis sp. nov. is erected. Disarticulated valves are extremely abundant as juveniles in transgressive marine mudrocks. The new species is characterised by a convexo-plane shell and a marked posterior triangular pedicle opening. The microornamentation consists of pits arranged in radial rays, mostly visible on the dorsal valve surface. Adults are rare, and a size-sorting process probably sieved and fragmented the valves during transportation and fossilisation. Medium to large discinoids – such as the one here described – are commonly associated with chilly waters. The presence of this genus both in Soom Shale (Cape Basin, South Africa) and in Paraná Basin, associated to sedimentological data points to a possible connection between the two in marginal basins of Gondwana, during the Early Paleozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The atrypid fauna immediately following the end-Ordovician extinction event is poorly known. Siliciclastic strata of the Solvik Formation in the central Oslo region was deposited during the latest Hirnantian into the Aeronian and contains an uncommonly rich atrypid fauna. The brachiopod subfamily Atrypinae includes three new genera; Askerina, Nottina and Sifella, and six new species; Askerina cymbula, Dihelictera askeriensis, Joviatrypa nakremi, Nottina phalerata, Sifella patera and Zygospiraella nupera. Schachriomonia spiraensis sp. nov. (subfamily Spirigerininae) shows transitional traits to the subfamily Atrypinae. Free-lying, relatively large-shelled genera with many-whorled spiralia and frills like Atrypa developed earlier than previously known with the new genus Askerina occurring in the Ordovician/Silurian boundary layers. A possible gradual evolutionary lineage from Zygospiraella duboisi to Z. nupera sp. nov. is explored. Well-developed fossil assemblages are present from the base of the Solvik Formation. The Formation was deposited at varying depths with deeper shale facies inhabited by Atrypinae like Askerina, Schachriomonia and Protatrypa, shallower calcareous facies showcase Nottina and Dihelictera, whereas the storm-dominated, Aeronian parts of the formation include species of Joviatrypa, Sifella, Zygospiraella and Gotatrypa? Baltica situated in southern tropical to subtropical latitudes had migration of taxa from east to west following the tropical storm track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several hundred fragments of limestone and cherts with debris of various macrofauna have been found in the glacial sediments among crystalline Precambrian erratics along the left bank of the Kremenchuk reservoir. The collection includes a variety of corals, chaetetids, brachiopods, orthoceratids, crinoids and other forms. In many cases, it was possible to identify species of the corals, chaetetids and brachiopods. The identified species showed its Carboniferous age. The stratigraphic distribution is limited to a rather narrow range spanning the time interval from the Upper Viséan to Serpukhovian. An overview of the outcrops where these rocks are now exposed indicates that the most likely source of the Carboniferous erratic pebbles and boulders is in the southern and western flanks of the Moscow Syneclise where fossil-rich Carboniferous rocks are exposed at the upper reaches of the Volga and Oka rivers. The configuration of the southern boundary of the Dnipro glacier indicates changes in its path from S to SW. This could have happened due to impingement of the glacier against the Central Russian Upland. The finding of a significant amount of Carboniferous erratics in glacial sediments of the southeastern part of the Dnipro lobe near the town of Hradyzk supports this conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large rivers can act as important ecological barriers for small mammals, but their exact role is debated. Here we examine the effect of the river Danube on populations of the European ground squirrel, an important representative of steppe communities, by studying the Quaternary history both of ground squirrels and of the Danube in the Pannonian Basin, in Hungary. The Danube experienced considerable channel changes during the Quaternary, with >100 km westward shift of its middle reach, interrupted by temporary eastward movements. Besides autogenic river processes, tectonically induced avulsions have played a role in re-routing channels. Three of the four Spermophilus species certainly extended their ranges on both sides of the Danube, referring to repeated river crossings during the Quaternary. Hydrological events, most importantly rapid river course changes (avulsions) but also meander cut-offs are viable mechanisms to enable ground squirrel populations to cross large rivers. On longer timescales, oscillating river course changes can maintain gene exchange across the river. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this publication, we consider the impact of the Pleistocene environmental changes (with a focus on soil formation and other factors) on the abundance and distribution of burrowing small mammals in the Ukrainian area. The general patterns of changes in nature and climate, such as direction, rhythm, zonality, regionality, and individuality of development, play a significant role in analysing the trends in the small mammal fauna change over time and laterally throughout the Pleistocene. These patterns became decisive in the formation and distribution of the small-mammal fauna in Ukraine, when the climatic conditions, accessibility to colonisation, determined by obstacles and distance from the centres of formation of previously existing species, served as restriction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muskox Ovibos moschatus is a Pleistocene relic, which has survived only in North America and Greenland. During the Pleistocene, it was widely distributed in Eurasia and North America. To evaluate its morphological variability through time and space, we conducted an extensive morphometric study of 217 Praeovibos and Ovibos skull remains. The analyses showed that the skulls grew progressively wider from Praeovibos sp. to the Pleistocene O. moschatus, while from the Pleistocene to the recent O. moschatus, the facial regions of the skull turned narrower and shorter. We also noticed significant geographic differences between the various Pleistocene Ovibos crania. Siberian skulls were usually larger than those from Western and Central Europe. Eastern European muskoxen also exceeded in size those from the other regions of Europe. The large size of Late Pleistocene muskoxen from regions located in more continental climatic regimes was probably associated with the presence of more suitable food resources in steppe-tundra settings. Consistently, radiocarbon-dated records of this species are more numerous in colder periods, when the steppe-tundra was widely spread, and less abundant in warmer periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies methods and approaches to the reconstruction of geomorphogenesis and tectonegenesis of Kaniv dislocations (Ukrainian Crystalline Massif) during the Neogene-Quaternary period. The main patterns of relief formation and evolution of tectonic movements were established, and the nature of the influence of glacial processes on relief and structure formation was determined. On the basis of structural and morphometric analysis, the tectonic evolution of Kaniv dislocations was reconstructed at the latest and modern stages. A number of structural and morphometric models with the use of spatial GIS analysis were created. Maps of palaeo- and modern relief, reflecting the morphological features and evolution of this region, were constructed. On the basis of morphometric data, the main factors and stage of morphogenesis, direct and indirect connections between old and newest geological structures and forms of modern relief were established, and a number of local structures of diapiric origin were identified. Peculiarities of the geologo-geomorphological structure of Kaniv dislocations at each stage of their formation were determined. The proposed method can be used for reconstruction of tectogenesis and palaeogeographical events of other regions studied for the purpose of examining the influence of physical and geographical conditions and geological-geomorphological processes for biota development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation of eastern Utah represents the best source of data on Cenomanian vertebrate assemblages from North America. However, increasing data has recently been forthcoming from the late Albian to Cenomanian Wayan Formation of Idaho and Vaughn Member of the Blackleaf Formation of Montana, which are both at least partially coeval with the Mussentuchit Member. While the paleontological assemblages of the Wayan Formation and Vaughn Member are fragmentary, numerous vertebrate forms are represented, with the small burrowing neornithischian Oryctodromeus cubicularis dominating these assemblages. The differences between the Wayan Formation and Vaughn Member assemblages, the Mussentuchit and few other mid-Cretaceous assemblages are likely a result of some combination of preservational biases, paleogeography, and paleoenvironmental differences. The chronostratigraphy, fossil content, bracketing facies, and ages of the Wayan Formation and Vaughn Member suggest these sediments represent the same depositional system prior to disruption by subsequent tectonic and volcanic events. This assemblage from the Wayan Formation and Vaughn Member is here termed the Wayan-Vaughn Assemblage (WVA). Continued work in the WVA, particularly with microvertebrate materials, may reveal additional shared taxa between the WVA and other coeval units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shell beds are sedimentary features that can potentially provide important palaeoenvironmental information. Stratigraphic, taphonomic, and paleontologic features frequency along with their occurrence in the shell beds in carbonate rocks of Khan Formation in Central Iran vary across lithofacies. In Khan Formation, four taphonomic and sedimentologic types of shell beds have been distinguished, which are fair weather wave concentrations (bryozoan dominated shells), storm wave concentrations (articulated brachiopod dominated shells), primary biogenic concentrations (fusulinid dominated shells), and proximal temoestite (including echinoderm dominated, gastropod dominated, bivalve dominated and disarticulated brachiopod dominated shells). Bryozoan shells were formed under strong hydrodynamic energy above fair weather base. The large articulated brachiopod shells are developed below the fair-weather wave-base ; Fusulinid shells formed in lagoon environment of homoclinal carbonate ramp which approve in situ concentration with no transportation. In echinoderm, gastropod and disarticulated bivalve and brachiopod shell beds, the occurrence of disarticulated and convex-up shells in packstone, sharp and erosional base, normal grading, parallel and hummocky lamination in the uppermost part, all indicate proximal tempestites in medium hydrodynamic force between the storm wave-base and fair-weather wave-base. These four types of shell concentrations are found in distinct positions within the depositional sequence of Khan Formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eocene-Oligocene boundary (EOB) marks a period of remodeling in the metatherian faunas of South America. Paucituberculata was one of the groups that successfully diversified as the climate and environment conditions changed, and they became, during the first part of the Neogene, an important component of micromammal assemblages. Among paucituberculatans, the non-pichipilid palaeothentoids (NPP) has been recognized as the clade that diversified most widely in post-EOB times. Here we explore the evolutionary response of the NPP to the climatic-environmental changes around the EOB, by analysing the temporal patterns of disparity, taxonomic diversity and body mass in a phylogenetic context. To asses the magnitude of the NPP radiation comparisons based on these macroevolutionary parameters were done with its sister-group Pichipilidae, and its next closest relative, the Caenolestidae. In all considered parameters, NPP reached values significantly higher than the remaining paucituberculatans clades. From its initial diversification in the middle Eocene, taxonomic diversity increased through time, but it was decoupled from disparity across the EOB, and from the late Oligocene to early Miocene. The Oligocene emerges as the key period in NPP evolution, which is evidenced by a significant and concordant expansion of disparity and taxonomic diversity, suggesting evolution into empty ecospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large nearly complete specimen of a Crested Tinamou (Eudromia, Tinamidae, Aves) is described. It was collected at 'Nicolás Vignogna III' Quarry in Marcos Paz County (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina), coming from near the top of a succession assigned to the Lujanian Stage. Radiocarbon dates constrain the age of the fossil bearing lithosome to the late Pleistocene – early Holocene, including the complete geochronological interval assigned to MIS 2. The new fossil specimen of Eudromia from Marcos Paz exceeds the size range of living species of the genus; but it is osteologically almost indistinguishable from them. Based on the lack of conclusive morphological and metrical differences with modern Eudromia spp., its specific status is not definitely ascertained in this contribution, being considered as a probable large morph of E. elegans. Crested tinamous are inhabitants of open and xeric environments with warm temperate to cold temperate climatic conditions. The fossil location is more than 250 km east of the eastern distributional limit of the nearest extant species. This geographical outlier could be tentatively associated with the expansion of arid or semiarid paleoenvironments typical of the Central or Patagonian domains over the temperate Pampean grasslands during the MIS 2 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is a contribution to the knowledge of ancient avifauna in the Iberian Peninsula. 1,786 bird bones have been recovered from Artazu VII (Arrasate, northern Iberian Peninsula), with 239 remains identified to Order/Family and 519 to Genus/Species level, belonging to, at least, 12 taxa: Buteo lagopus, Aquila chrysaetos, Perdix perdix, Coturnix coturnix, Alectoris sp., Lyrurus tetrix, Crex crex, Bubo cf. bubo, Corvus monedula, Pica pica, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax and Pyrrhocorax graculus. The best represented taxa are corvids, followed by L. tetrix. The most significant finding is the presence of B. lagopus, which represents the second fossil record in the Iberian Peninsula. The morphometric analyses performed for C. coturnix and L. tetrix contribute to the knowledge of those taxa measurements, due to the Artazu VII assemblage being one of the best samples of these taxa in the Iberian Peninsula for the late Pleistocene. All the measurements of B. lagopus and C. coturnix have been analysed statistically. A brief taphonomic study has been carried out to identify the bird accumulation agent. Finally, a palaeoenvironmental analysis is based on the bird assemblage and ecology, and this new information is compared to palaeoenvironmental data inferred from vertebrates at Artazu VII in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work documents for the first time a palynological assemblage in the Rajmahal Basin, tentatively considered probable youngest Late Pennsylvanian assemblage, which was hitherto considered early Permian. The palynocomposition consists of 39 species (5 spores, 25 monosaccate, 5 bisaccate- 3 non striate and 2 striate grains, scarce Navifusa sp., scolecodont, algae and fungal hyphae). Two assemblages are described based on the first appearance of taxa, Assemblage I (608.90–599.00 m) dominated by monosaccates and absence of bisaccates and spores. Assemblage II (592.0–590.80 m) also dominated by monosaccates but with the inception of spores, bisaccates and marine palynomorphs. The Assemblage I is correlated to the oldest Potonieisporites neglectus Assemblage Zone of Tiwari and Tripathi based on their similarities and the absence of species recorded in the Assemblage II which is correlated to their overlying Plicatipollenites gondwanensis Assemblage Zone. Palynoassemblages similar to the Assemblage I, radiometrically constrained to the Late Pennsylvanian across Gondwana, along with the lack of diagnostic Permian pollen grains as well as marine Eurydesma fauna and terrestrial glossopterids, tentatively support an older age at least for the lower interval of the Talchir Formation. The latter fossils associated to Assemblage II confirm an early Permian age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sessile barnacle Hexaminius venerai sp. nov. (Tetraclitoidea: Austrobalanidae) is described from the middle Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Hexaminius venerai sp. nov. is the earliest known record of the genus in the Antarctic, the first occurrence of Hexaminius from outside Australian waters and the first record of a fossil cirripede attached to the substrate from the Antarctic. Exceptional preservation of more than 200 specimens, some of which retain opercula within the shell, is discussed. In life, the cirripedes were attached to a tree trunk tentatively identified as Podocarpoxylon, a South Hemisphere conifer. Hexaminius venerai sp. nov. is a survivor of an early phase in balanid radiation, prior to the development of strong radially-interlocked parietes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kopet-Dagh Basin is a large sedimentary basin in northeastern Iran that host the giant Khangiran and Gonbadli gas fields. The Mozduran Formation with its various sedimentary facies is an important reservoir widely distributed in the basin. A sedimentological analysis of Upper Jurassic Mozduran Formation resulted in an accurate reconstruction of the sedimentary environments and the sequence stratigraphic framework south of Aghdarband. The strata consist of six different facies associations including 12 carbonate, one evaporate and two siliciclastic subfacies. On the basis of their various components, structural and textural characteristics, these facies were deposited on a homoclinal ramp in tidal flat to open marine environments ranging from supratidal to subtidal settings. Facies A1 and A2 represent open marine, B1-B4 Shoal, C1-C4 lagoonal and D1, D2, E, T1 and T2 tidal flat and Salina environments. In addition, based on detailed field and laboratory studies on the facies architecture, several large-scale (long-term) depositional sequences could be distinguished in the stratigraphic sections of the study area. These sequences are composed of LST, TST and HST that are separated by a SB1 and SB2 sequence boundaries. The paleogeography of the study area during the Late Jurassic time is reconstructed in five block diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European brown bear (Ursus arctos) shows a particular phylogeography that has been used to illustrate the model for contraction-expansion dynamics related to glacial refugia in Southern European peninsulas. Recent studies, however, have nuanced the once generally accepted paradigm, indicating the existence of cryptic refugia for some species further north. In this paper we collected available data on chronology and mitochondrial haplotypes from Western European brown bears, adding new sequences from present day individuals from the Cantabrian (North Iberia) area, in order to reconstruct the dynamics of the species in the region. Both genetics and chronology show that the Iberian Pleistocene lineages were not the direct ancestors of the Holocene ones, the latter entering the Peninsula belatedly (around 10,000 years BP) with respect to other areas such as the British Isles. We therefore propose the existence of a cryptic refugium in continental Atlantic Europe, from where the bears would expand as the ice receded. The delay in the recolonization of the Iberian Peninsula could be due to the orographic characteristics of the Pyrenean-Cantabrian region and to the abundant presence of humans in the natural entrance to the Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifteen paired fossil populations of Microtus arvalis and Microtus agrestis from southwestern Europe have been analysed from a morphological and morphometric point of view. The sites under consideration are located in the northern Iberian Peninsula and southern France, from the Middle Pleistocene to the end of the Late Pleistocene. The aim of this study is to stress once again the importance of keeping these two species separated in the fossil record in order to recognize specific trends of evolution and divergence and to obtain more precise information on palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions. It was possible to observe remarkable intraspecific differences between Middle and Late Pleistocene populations of both species. Furthermore, in synchronic co-specific populations from the Late Pleistocene, climatic and geographic conditions seem to exert a major influence in shaping intraspecific changes in dental pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deninger's bears (Ursus deningeri) have been studied less frequently than Ursus spelaeus s.l. Our objective is to present, for the first time, an analysis of the skull shape of U. deningeri. Bear crania and mandibles were digitised with a Microscribe or CT-scanned and the surface models subsequently landmarked. The landmarks were chosen based on a compromise between functional morphology and sample size. Results show that U. deningeri and U. spelaeus mandibles display very similar morphologies and allometric trajectories, both to each other and to Ailuropoda melanoleuca. It is inferred that masticatory adaptations to a herbivorous diet were already present in the Middle Pleistocene. U. deningeri displays a cranial morphology that is similar to that of U. spelaeus when comparing all species, but U. deningeri has a relatively narrower and dorsoventrally lower zygomatic arch than U. spelaeus, although the masticatory signal is less strong in the skull. We observe intraspecific differences between different populations of U. deningeri, which could parallel the genetic diversity found in U. spelaeus. The intraspecific differences found within U. deningeri may be temporal and/or geographical in nature and could be related to the evolution of the Late Pleistocene cave bear, but this hypothesis remains to be tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cave Bear, Ursus spelaeus (sensu lato), was one of many megafaunal species that became extinct during the Late Pleistocene in Europe. With new data we revisit the debate about the extinction and paleoecology of this species by presenting new chronometric, isotopic and taphonomic evidence from two Palaeolithic cave bear sites in northeastern Italy: Paina Cave and Trene Cave. Two direct radiocarbon dates on well-preserved collagen have yielded ages around 24,200-23,500 cal yr BP, which make them the latest known representatives of the species in Europe. The carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic values of bone collagen exhibit values similar to those of older cave bears from Swabian Jura and France, suggesting that the feedings preferences of cave bears remained unchanged until the disappearance of this species in Europe. Several bear remains preserved traces of human modification such as cut marks, which enables a reconstruction of the main steps of fur recovery and the butchering process. The broad range of plant types available and the favorable location of Berici Hills may have played an important role in the range expansion of cave bears and their interaction with the Paleolithic hunters settled the same area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record of the Charadriiformes in South America is scarce and limited to the Neogene of Argentina and Peru. In the present contribution, we present and describe a nearly complete tarsometatarsus of Thinocorus rumicivorus (Least Seedsnipe) from the Ensenadan Age/Stage (early-middle Pleistocene) of Punta Hermengo, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, which constitutes the youngest record for the species to date. We also compare the material with extant and fossil Thinocoridae. The stratigraphic range of the fossil predates the Matuyama/Brunhes boundary and is coincident with the biozone of Mesotherium cristatum, which indicates a more humid and warmer climate than the present for the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone refits can be a useful tool to understand the archaeological assemblages. From a taphonomic point of view, they have been used to reinforce some aspects related to the formation processes of the sites. However, they can be used to check some palaeoeconomic and social interpretations of the assemblages as well, providing accurate temporal relationships between the objects. For all these reasons, bone refits are relevant to study the settlement dynamics and the intra-site behaviour of past human groups. The main aim of this work is to present the faunal refits data obtained from two different archaeological assemblages (M and O) of the Abric Romaní site (Capellades, Spain), dated around 55 ka. The study also includes taxonomic, anatomical, taphonomic and spatial analyses. The spatio-temporal proxy allows us to interpret the activities carried out by the Neanderthal groups in different areas during different moments. From here, it is possible to interpret site structure, using ethnoarchaeological data as a referent. The comparison between these two archaeological layers, and between them and other assemblages, both from Abric Romaní and from other sites, can contribute significantly to the knowledge of the intra-site behaviour and settlement patterns at the end of the Middle Palaeolithic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Schöningen 13II-4 ‘Spear Horizon’ site is famous for the excellent preservation of 300,000-year-old Palaeolithic hunting weapons, including nine wooden spears and a lance, deposited on the shores of a former interglacial lake in association with a large assemblage of well-preserved and butchered animal bones, mainly from horse. Some bones show distinct areas of dark staining, thought to be derived from contact with decaying plant remains along the shores of the lake. It was decided to test this theory and try to determine experimentally where bone staining was most likely to occur on the littoral zone. Modern horse and cow bones were fastened along parallel transects at two locations and the installations were left for several months. Black stains appeared on some bones in the shallows, but not on bones deposited on permanently dry land or in deeper water. Within the 10 m wide band of bones in the main concentration at the Schöningen site, there is a high incidence of bone staining, indicating accumulation of finds along a shallow lake margin. By using GIS, additional clusters of stained bones in the eastern part of the site were revealed and may indicate shorelines when water levels in the lake were lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nyctithere genera Saturninia, Cryptotopos and members of the subfamily Amphidozotheriinae are well-represented by dental remains in the European later Eocene. Their molar occlusal relations are described in detail, demonstrating a diversity of adaptations to insectivory, including dilambdodonty, minor trends in zalambdodonty, development of a large talon shelf in upper first and second molars and a step in the trigon-trigonid shearing surface that provides an extra facet in buccal phase. Minor lingual phase wear is recognized for the first time in the family, but only in relatively worn teeth. Nyctithere molars differ from those of most insectivorous mammals today in having well-developed paraconules and metaconules on upper molars, which in most cases lack a marked bucco-lingual tilt, associated with a more transverse jaw action. Amphidozotherium, however, shows tilting and a basally shifted M1 hypocone associated with M1 talonid exodaenodonty and a minor trend in zalambdodonty. Nyctitheres primitively have three deeply notched lobate lower incisors and a large but procumbent premolariform lower canine. Amphidozotheriines have modified their I3 into a premolariform tooth, by shifting the premolarization field mesially. Amphidozotherium has also shifted this field distally, reducing P2–3 in size and their roots from two to one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immediate ancestors of modern domestic dogs emerged from wild wolves in latest Pleistocene times. In taking up life with people, they represent a lineage of wolves that escaped the extinction that struck a variety of animals at that time. Unlike wild wolves, animals that became well known apex predators of recent times, wolves that became dogs initially joined hunting-gathering people, many of whom functioned as apex predators. As such, those original dogs were equipped with meaningful behavioral compatibility with people, and some of them surely assisted hunting-gathering peoples with important hunting activities. Initial social compatibility between people and dogs was further refined as the Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene and the new dog population grew and expanded. Where people later developed agricultural economies, however, dogs transitioned with them as apex consumers, a fundamental change in trophic strategy. But in embarking on that new strategy dogs tended to become a less conspicuous part of people’s lives. Noteworthy exceptions to that generalization underscore the diversity of roles that dogs have played, and continue to play, in the human psyche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly fossiliferous Eocene deposits of the Antarctic Peninsula are among the most productive sites for fossil remains in the Southern Hemisphere and offer rare insights into high-latitude faunas during the Palaeogene. Chondrichthyans, which are represented by abundant isolated remains, seemingly dominate the marine assemblages. Eocene Antarctic sawsharks have only been known from few isolated rostral spines up to now, that were assigned toPristiophorus lanceolatus. Here, we present the first oral teeth of a sawshark from the Eocene of Seymour Island and a re-evaluation of previously describedPristiophorusremains from Gondwana consisting exclusively of rostral spines. The holotype ofPristiophorus lanceolatusrepresents a single, abraded and insufficiently illustrated spine from the Oligocene of New Zealand. All other Cenozoic rostral spines assigned to this species are morphologically very indistinct and closely resemble those of living taxa. Consequently, we regard this species as dubious and introduce a new species,Pristiophorus laevis, based on oral teeth. The combination of dental characteristics of the new species makes it unique compared to all other described species based on oral teeth. Rostral spines from the Eocene of Seymour Island are assigned to this new species whereas those from other Cenozoic Gondwana localities remain ambiguous. LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7177A373-527B-4315-85F6-25180DB5E087 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]