Paleontologist Tabata Klimek of Santa Federal University and his colleagues said, “The armadillo family is represented by modern armadillos and extinct armadillos.''
“This group is stratigraphically and geographically widespread, from southern Patagonia to southern North America.”
“The paleontological record of armadillos is represented primarily by osteoderms.”
“According to other interpretations, they are known from nearly all South American mammal faunas from the late Paleocene/early Eocene, or only from the early Eocene.”
“Euphractinae is the most diverse clade (subfamily) of Dasypodidae,” they noted.
“The earliest undisputed occurrences of euphractin date back to the mid-to-late Eocene of the Gran Barranca region of Argentine Patagonia and the mid-Eocene Upper Lumbrella Formation of northwestern Argentina.”
“Partetus “It is one of the earliest branching euphractins,” they added.
“The genus was described in 1902 and the type species is Partetus chicoensis I'm from Patagonia, Argentina. ”
8 bone embryo fossils Partetus Oliveirai It was discovered in the Guavirotuba Formation in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.
“The Guavilotuba Formation is the main lithostratigraphic unit of the Curitiba sedimentary basin,” the paleontologists said.
“It is represented by distributed fluvial system deposits consisting of immature subalcoholic sand and mud interspersed with limited gravel deposits at the edges of the basin.”
“Geological features indicate a semi-arid environment, with temporary rivers forming during the rainy season, transporting sediment and forming alluvial fans.”
This new species expands our knowledge of the diversity of armadillos, which lived in southeastern South America during the Paleogene period.
“Partetus OliveiraiThe osteoderm differs from other species of this genus in the following ways: (i) More surface glandular and ciliary pores. (ii) flat surface joint areas between osteoderms; There is no groove in the central part of the osteoderm. (iii) large size,” the researchers said.
“Combined, this set of traits does not exist in any other species. Partetus Genus. ”
“The increase in the number and size of surface glandular and ciliary pores may be related to the global cooling that occurred during the mid-to-late Eocene, which affected South American faunas. .”
“Finally, this new species expands our knowledge of the lesser-known diversity of mammals that lived in southeastern South America during the Eocene.”
of findings Published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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TDF Klimek others. 2024. Uncovering the diversity of Paleogene zonal fauna from Brazil: new species Partetus (Euphractinae) Guavilotuba Formation (Middle to Late Eocene). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 44 (1): e2403581;doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2403581
Paleoanthropologists have discovered 1.5 million-year-old footprints of two very different species of humans. homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei — at the same location near Lake Turkana in Kenya.
A 3D computerized model of the surface of an area near Lake Turkana in Kenya shows fossil footprints. Paranthropus boisei (vertical footprint) separate footprint homo erectus Form a vertical path. Image credit: Kevin Hatala / Chatham University.
Hominin is a term that describes a subdivision of the larger category known as Hominidae.
The hominid family includes all extinct and living organisms that are thought to belong to the human lineage that emerged after we separated from our great ape ancestors. This is thought to have happened about 6 to 7 million years ago.
Paleoanthropologists have long hypothesized that: homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei They coexisted.
According to the fossil record, homo erectus It lasted another million years.
Paranthropus boiseiHowever, they became extinct within a few hundred thousand years. Scientists don’t know why.
Both species had an upright posture and bipedal gait, and were very agile. We still know little about how these coexisting species interacted culturally and reproductively.
“Footprints are important because they fall into the category of trace fossils, which includes footprints, nests, and burrows,” said Craig Feibel, a professor at Rutgers University.
“Trace fossils are not parts of living things, but they provide evidence of behavior. Fossil body parts, such as bones and teeth, are evidence of past life, but they are easily displaced by water and predators. ”
This is a reconstruction by the artist homo erectus. Image credit: Yale University.
Professor Feibel and his colleagues discovered footprints from 1.5 million years ago. homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei Near Lake Turkana in Kenya.
“By being on the same surface and forming closely together over time, these two species are located at the edge of the lake and use the same habitat,” Professor Feibel said.
“Skeletal fossils have long provided the primary evidence for studying human evolution, but new data from fossil footprints reveals fascinating details about the evolution of human anatomy and locomotion. , giving further clues about ancient human behavior and the environment,” said Dr. Kevin Hatala. , a researcher at Chatham University.
“Fossil footprints are interesting because they provide a vivid snapshot of our fossil relatives coming to life.”
“These types of data can help us understand how living individuals millions of years ago moved through their environments, interacted with each other, and potentially interacted with other animals. Masu.”
“That's something you can never get from bones or stone tools.”
The authors used a new method they recently developed that allows them to perform 3D analysis to distinguish one footprint from another.
“Biological anthropology is always interested in finding new ways to extract behavior from the fossil record, and this is a great example,” said Dr. Rebecca Ferrell, program director at the National Science Foundation.
“The team used state-of-the-art 3D imaging technology to create a completely new way to observe footprints, which will help us understand human evolution and the role of cooperation and competition in shaping our evolutionary journey. It will help.”
Kevin G. Hatala others. 2024. Footprint evidence of locomotor diversity and common habitats in early Pleistocene hominids. science 386 (6725): 1004-1010;doi: 10.1126/science.ado5275
Ancient footprints discovered in Kenya belong to two different species of human relatives who walked on the same ground at the same time, a study has found.
This coat of arms is thought to belong to the species Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei.
This discovery raised questions about what kind of relationship and interaction the two species had.
A newly discovered set of footprints in Kenya provides the first evidence that two different species of ancient human relatives walked on the same ground at the same time 1.5 million years ago.
Researchers involved in the discovery say the footprints belong to the species Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, and were left within hours to days of each other, meaning that when the two crossed paths, reveals new mysteries about what happened.
According to research on this discovery, Published in Science on Thursdaythe footprints were buried in dry mud near a lake in northern Kenya, and were buried in deposits of prominent fossil sites. By analyzing the print shapes and strike patterns, the researchers found that the two sets were different. They concluded that the best explanation was that two different species left the footprints.
This research advances anthropologists and paleontologists’ understanding that ancient human relatives likely interacted and coexisted. This also raises the question of what kind of relationship these species had.
“We think these individuals, the two species that were there, were probably aware that there were members of another species nearby. They saw each other and thought each other was a member of another species. “This raises the question of what that interaction was,” said Kevin Hatala, an associate professor of biology at Chatham University and lead author of the study. “Were they competitors? Were they totally okay with each other there?”
Previously discovered fossil skeletons of Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei indicated that both species lived in the area at some point, but the new discovery provides evidence of a direct duplication.
Research team members excavate to reveal footprints. Neil T. Roach / Harvard University
It also shows that the two species walked on two legs in very different ways.
Although both Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei are related to humans, they have very different characteristics and their fates in the human evolutionary tree took very different paths.
Homo erectus had an anatomy similar to humans from the neck down. This species may have used stone tools and cooked over fire. Its members probably had a varied diet that included meat.
The species eventually spread to Asia, Indonesia, and other regions, and survived for more than a million years after the newly discovered footprints were made.It last appeared in the fossil record just over 100,000 years ago..
“Many have considered themselves to be as good candidates as our direct ancestors,” Hatala said. “They seem to be a very successful species.”
Paranthropus boisei, on the other hand, featured a smaller brain, huge masticatory muscles, and large molar teeth. William Harcourt Smith, an associate professor of anthropology at Lehman College who was not involved in the study, said the species eats difficult-to-eat foods like hard nuts or grinds hard, poor-quality foods like shrubs. It is highly likely that they evolved in this way.
This species did not persist on Earth as long as Homo erectus.
“They probably went extinct not very long after that, within the next few hundred thousand years,” Hatala said, referring to the time of the footprints. He added that no one knows exactly what happened, but it’s possible that environmental changes may have restricted the animal’s specialized diet.
The footprints were first discovered in 2021 at a site called Koobi Fora while researchers were excavating other fossils. This location has become a fossil hotspot. The uplifted rocks expose older sedimentary layers on the surface, giving researchers access to the bones of ancient humans and other animals.
The following year, researchers unearthed about a dozen footprints that appeared to be walking in a line, and later discovered other footprints running at right angles.
“We think these footprints were created in the mud of this lakeshore environment. Something happened that brought sediment on top of it. It could have been deposited by a small flood or by rising water levels. “It’s possible that something was brought in and the footprints were formed and quickly buried,” Hatala said.
The muddy footprints were not trampled by other animals and showed no signs of cracking before being buried in the sand. Researchers said that means they were separated from each other within hours or days.
“The sediment protected them, prevented them from cracking, and allowed them to remain in the geological record,” Hatala said.
He and his co-authors believe that the two species may have been able to coexist in this region because their diets were very different. It is possible that they competed for resources and were in a hostile relationship. This species appears to have lived in the same area for hundreds of thousands of years.
Harcourt Smith, a research paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History, said the researchers’ analysis was sound and the site was unique.
“I want to emphasize how unusual it is that a site like this exists, how special it is, and the great opportunity we have to find out more,” he said.
Broadly speaking, over the past seven million years of evolution, it has become increasingly clear that different ancient human species interacted in different habitats, Harcourt-Smith added. The evolutionary path to modern humans is full of side branches and species, such as Paranthropus boisei, which represent evolutionary dead ends.
“Human evolution is complex and messy, and there are many experiments being done. It’s not a straight line,” he said.
Over the past few decades, scientists have developed genetic and archaeological evidence showing that: Humans, Denisovans, and Neanderthals overlapped and sometimes interbred. Although the new study does not mention interbreeding, it does provide a clearer picture that even older species overlapped and had more interactions than previously understood.
The researchers completed their work at the Koobi Fora site, photographing and recording the footprints in a variety of ways before concealing them for future generations, said Craig, another author of the research paper.・Mr. Feibel said.
“The footprints need to be carefully refilled with non-damaging sediment to prevent erosion,” he says.
Footprints thought to have been left by an individual of Paranthropus boisei
Neil T. Roach
Preserved footprints in Kenya appear to record two different species of ancient humans walking along the same muddy lake shore, perhaps within days of each other. This is one of the most dramatic pieces of evidence ever discovered that multiple human species once coexisted in the world.
“It's really unusual to find evidence of two different species walking on that surface,” he says. Kevin Hatala at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
footprints Discovered in 2021 Kobi Fora, Kenya, near the eastern shore of Lake Turkana. They were first discovered by team member Richard Loki. Turkana Basin Research Institute“Originally, there was a team of Kenyans working there,” Hatala says.
The researchers discovered a track consisting of 12 footprints preserved in a layer of dry sand and silt (see image above). This was apparently left behind by one person walking in a straight line. Near the main group were also three isolated prints that appeared to have been made by three different individuals. The lack of mud cracks or signs of overprinting with other tracks indicates that these prints were all made at about the same time. “These sites are probably capturing times ranging from minutes to days,” Hatala says.
This deposit was determined to be approximately 1.52 million years old. Isolated footprints are similar to footprints left by modern humans. Your heel touches the ground first, then your foot rolls forward and you push off with the sole of your foot. Hatala and his colleagues suggest that these may have been fabricated. homo erectusis known to have lived in this area.
In contrast, continuous trajectories were created by flatter-footed hominins. Hatala and his colleagues suggest that this could be Paranthropus boiseianother type of hominin that lived in this area.
The footprint fossil on the left, with its deeper heel marks, is thought to have been made by Homo erectus, and the more flat-footed fossil on the right is thought to have been made by Paranthropus boisei.
Kevin Hatala/Chatham
“With footprints, you can never be 100% sure who made them,” he says. Ashley Wiseman from University College London was not involved in the study but, H. erectus and P.Boisei. They are the only humans whose remains have been found preserved in this area, “so we can make an informed guess that it is these two individuals.”
If the track was really made by humans, P.Boisei Wiseman said the specimen appears to have been walking on two legs. The bones of the skull, arms, and legs are paranthropus“We've never found a skull associated with the rest of the skeleton,” she says, meaning little is known about their bodies beyond their heads, and the way they walk remains a mystery. The trajectory will be changed, saying, “This is clear evidence that it was walking on two legs.''
These two species were very different. H. erectus It was one of the earliest members of our genus, homo. They had larger brains than early humans and were the first clade to travel outside of Africa. in contrast, P.Boisey They had large teeth and jaws, small brains, and were apparently adapted to eating chewy foods like grasses and sedges.
Hatala and his team then looked at other known footprints found in the same area and at the same time and found that they appeared to match either species. “Similar patterns have been seen at other sites, which may span more than 100,000 years,” he says. “These two species appear to have coexisted with each other in this same familiar landscape for a very long time.”
“If they were able to coexist for more than 100,000 years, we speculate that there was probably a low to neutral level of competition,” Hatala says. Previous research suggests that the two people were eating different foods. Unlike P.Boisei, H. erectus It is thought that they had a varied diet, including hunting large animals.
“Both could carve out their own existence within this shared landscape,” Hatala says. Subsequent changes in the environment may have had an effect. P.Boisei Potentially extinct, yet more adaptable H. erectus Survived.
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new species of Quetzalcotorin azhdarchopterosaur. Nippotherus mifunensis from the Late Cretaceous of Japan.
Restoration of life in the giant azhdarchid group, Quetzalcoatlus nothropi foraging in the Cretaceous fern steppe. Image credit: Mark Witton / Darren Naish.
Pterosaurs were highly successful flying reptiles (not dinosaurs, as is commonly misunderstood) that lived between 210 and 65 million years ago.
They were the first flying vertebrates on Earth, with birds and bats appearing much later.
Some pterosaurs, like the giant azhdarchids, were the largest flying animals in history, with wingspans exceeding 9 meters (30 feet) and a standing height comparable to modern giraffes.
“Pterosaurs, the earliest vertebrate group to achieve powered flight, exhibit remarkable morphological diversity, with a fossil record that spans from the Late Triassic to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. '' said Dr. Naoki Ikegami of the Mifune Dinosaur Museum and Dr. Naoki Ikegami of the University of São Paulo. Rodrigo Pegas and his friends.
“The pterosaur skeleton's fragile air bones make its fossil record particularly irregular and uneven.”
“Most well-preserved, relatively complete archaeological sites are confined to a few Lagerstätten around the world. In contrast, most other deposits that yield pterosaurs are typically fragments. generate a typical sample.
“For one thing, there are very few records of pterosaurs in Japan, so every artifact has special significance.”
“The first pterosaur specimen discovered in Japan came from the Ezo Group in Hokkaido, and is representative of an indeterminate pterosaur species consisting of a femur, metatarsals, foot phalanges, and part of the caudal vertebrae. It is.”
The newly identified species is Quetzalcoatrinae a subfamily of the pterosaur family Azhdarchidae.
“Azhdarchids represent a very special clade of pterosaurs, particularly notorious for containing some of the largest flying creatures in history, with wingspans of 10 to 11 meters (33 to 36 feet).” Quetzalcoatlus nothropi, aramburgiania philadelphia and Hatzegopteryx tanbema'' said the paleontologists.
“The azhdarchid clade, most prominently characterized by elongated cervical vertebrae with reduced neural spines, is widely distributed in Turonian to Maastrichtian pterosaur communities around the world.”
“They represent the most diverse and widespread group of pterosaurs during the Late Cretaceous.”
named Nippoterus mifunensis the new species lived in what is now Japan about 90 million years ago (late Cretaceous period).
“Nippoterus mifunensis “This is the first nominally Japanese pterosaur species,” the researchers said.
“This new species exhibits many Quetzalcoat line characteristics and bears a striking resemblance to the unnamed Burcant azhdarchid of Mongolia's Turonian-Coniacian.”
Part of the 6th cervical vertebra Nippotherus mifunensis It was produced from an outcrop of the Mifune Group near Amagi Dam in Mifune Town, Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu.
“The specimen was found in a 30-centimeter (12-inch) thick layer of coarse lenticular sandstone, nestled between two tuff layers, in the middle of the upper formation of the Mifune Group,” the scientists said. said.
their paper Published in this month's magazine Cretaceous research.
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Zhou Xuanyu others. Re-evaluation of azhdarchoid pterosaur specimens from the Mifune Group, Late Cretaceous of Japan. Cretaceous researchpublished online on November 16, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106046
For decades, paleontologists have hypothesized that a major group of animals called ecdysizoans must be older than the Cambrian, but until now their origins have remained a mystery. discovery of Unkus Zaugishi A research team led by Professor Mary Droser at the University of California, Riverside says that the large gap between predictions based on molecular data and the lack of description of ecdysizoans prior to the rich Cambrian fossil record has been reconciled and animal life This will deepen our understanding of the evolution of .
Digital photography and 3D laser scanning Unkus Zaugishi body fossils. Scale bar – 10 mm. Image credit: Hughes others., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.030.
Ecdysids are the largest and most species-rich group of animals on Earth, containing more than half of all animals.
Characterized by a cuticle (a tough external skeleton that is periodically shed), this group consists of three subgroups. Arthropods, including insects, spiders, and crustaceans. and Scaridophora, an eclectic group of small scaly marine creatures.
“Like many modern animal groups, ecdymozoans are prevalent in the Cambrian fossil record, and at the beginning of this era, about 540 million years ago, we see evidence of all three subgroups. We can,” said Ian Hughes, a graduate student in oceanography. Studied biology at Harvard University.
“We know that they didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere, so the ancestors of all ecdysizoans originated in the preceding Ediacaran period (635 to 539 million years ago). It must have existed.”
“DNA-based analyzes used to predict the age of fauna by comparing it to its closest living relatives supported this hypothesis.”
“However, ecdysozoan fossil animals remain hidden among the large number of animal remains that paleontologists have discovered during the Ediacaran period.”
Newly described Ediacaran ecdysizoan, Unkus Zaugishi was only a few centimeters long.
Gathering of 82 people Unkus Zaugishi The specimen was discovered in Nilpena-Ediakara National Park in South Australia.
Dr. Scott Evans of Florida State University said, “Nilpena is perhaps the best fossil site in the world for understanding the evolution of early animals, because fossils occur during periods of increased diversity, and these “This is because we can excavate extensive rock formations that preserve snapshots of the world.” .
“The layer we found was Unkus Zaugishi It's especially interesting because the grains in the sediment are so small that you can actually see every detail of the fossils preserved there. ”
“We were excited to find evidence for what scientists have long predicted: the presence of ecdymozoans during Ediacaran times,” Hughes said.
“It’s also very important for understanding what these early animal groups looked like and their lifestyles, especially since ecdysizoans really came to dominate the Cambrian marine ecosystem.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper in a diary current biology.
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Ian V. Hughes others. An Ediacaran bilaterian from South Australia with an affinity for molting animals. current biology published online on November 18, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.030
An international research team has described a new, smaller species of gecko. pseudogonad Originally from the Paria Peninsula in northeastern Venezuela.
The newly confirmed species belong to the following: pseudogonada small genus of geckos in the family Sphaerodactylidae, containing fewer than 10 scientifically recognized species.
named Pseudogonatodes fuscofortunatusthe new species is only 6.35 cm (2.5 inches) long and has a brown color, a conical head, a long snout, and a specialized skull structure.
“Pseudogonatodes fuscofortunatus This is unique in craniology, and we used the term “telescope” from the literature to explain the overlap of the nasal bones, especially the premaxilla, which completely separates the nasal bones and contacts the frontal bone. '', said lead author Professor Walter Schergel. The University of Texas at Arlington and colleagues.
“The new species is also the only known species. pseudogonad The parietal bones are fused. ”
Pseudogonatodes fuscofortunatus The Paria Peninsula is a region that juts out into the Caribbean Sea in northeastern Venezuela and is known for its high biodiversity, moderate temperatures, and lush vegetation.It was discovered during fieldwork in the evergreen forests of the mountains of the Paria Peninsula. .
Researchers collected specimens in 2002 and again in 2014, noting the gecko's unique cranial structure, which led to further investigation.
“The Paria Peninsula, part of Venezuela's Coastal Mountains, has been a hotspot for reptile and amphibian discoveries in recent decades,” Professor Shargel said.
“The region's complex geography and climate create a diverse range of habitats that can support a wide range of species.”
“The new gecko species joins the list of reptiles found only in this region, highlighting the need for continued exploration and conservation efforts in this region.”
“This discovery not only deepened our understanding of the biodiversity of this region of Venezuela, but also highlighted the importance of preserving these unique ecosystems,” he added.
“We hope this discovery will lead to stronger conservation measures to protect the habitat of this rare species and other native species in the region.”
of the team paper Published in Zoological journal of the Linnean Society.
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Walter E. Shargel others. 2024. Morphology and molecular phylogenetics support new species of organism. pseudogonad (Squamata: Sublunar: Sphaerodactylidae) from Venezuela, with a prominent telescopic skull. Zoological journal of the Linnean Society 202 (2): zlae120;doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae120
Paleontologists have described a new species of pachypleurosaur that lived during the mid-Triassic period in southwestern China.
holotype of Dianmeisaurus mutaensis From the Guanling Formation, China: (A) Skeleton seen from the back. (B) Equivalent to (A). Scale bar – 1 cm. Image credit: Hu others., doi: 10.1186/s13358-023-00292-4.
Dianmeisaurus mutaensis They lived in what is now China during the Anisian period of the mid-Triassic period, about 245 million years ago.
What is an ancient species? Pachyprourosaurus a group of primitive sauropterygian reptiles of the Triassic period.
These animals resembled aquatic lizards and had small heads, long necks, paddle-like limbs, and long, deep tails.
“Sauropterygia was the most flourishing clade of Mesozoic marine reptiles in terms of species diversity, with the iconic plesiosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous, and the stem-group placodonts and eophytes of the Triassic. sauropterygia,” said Dr. Jun Liu and colleagues at the institute. Hefei University of Technology.
“Eosauropteri were traditionally divided into three groups: pachyprourosaurids, nososaurids, and pistosaurids.”
“In this traditional view, the monophyletic Pachypleurosauria is thought to constitute a sister group to the clade Eusauropterygia, which consists of Nososaurinae and Pistosaurinae.”
complete and articulated skeleton of an immature animal Dianmeisaurus mutaensis It was discovered in an abandoned quarry about 1 km northwest of Muta Village, Luxi County, Yunnan Province, China.
The skeleton was divided into two parts during collection and prepared using pneumatic tools and needles in the paleontology laboratory.
“The skeleton is embedded in dark gray micritic limestone and consists of one segment and its counterpart,” the paleontologists said.
“The specimen is well preserved and has a total length of 99.2 mm (4 inches).”
“Adjacent to the specimen are scattered limb and rib bones from other individuals, but the limited information available makes further identification difficult.”
Artist's impression of Pachypleurosaurus Umengosaurus. Image credit: Nobu Tamura / CC BY-SA 4.0.
The research team's analysis identified this new species as a sister group. Dianmeisaurus gracilis a small pachypleurosaur from the Luoping biota of the Middle Triassic.
“Dianmeisaurus mutaensis Displays several eutoroid features, including a postfrontal region that extends posteriorly to the middle of the parietal table and is excluded from the upper temporal fenestra, a stout last dorsal rib that is shorter than the first sacral rib, and two sacral vertebrae. “There is,” the researchers said.
“Additionally, a new data matrix has been compiled to reassess the interrelationships of neosauropterygians.”
“Phylogenetic analysis indicates monophyletic collapse of Eusauropterygia,” they added.
“Pistosaurinae, Magiasinosaurus and Hanosaurus These constitute a continuous sister group to the monophyletic clade that includes Pachyprosaurinae and Nososaurinae.”
“Furthermore, the monophyly of Pachyprourosauria is supported by six synapomorphies.”
“Our phylogenetic results provide further evidence for the East Tethys origin of pachypleurosaurs,” the researchers said.
“However, to test the biogeographical hypothesis, we need early Anisian pachypleurosaurs from the eastern region of Tethys.”
of findings Published in Swiss Journal of Paleontology.
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YW Hu others. 2024. A new species of Pachypleurosaurid (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) that lived in the Middle Triassic of southwestern China and its phylogenetic and biogeographical significance. Switzerland J Palaeontre 143, 1; doi: 10.1186/s13358-023-00292-4
Marine biologists from Queensland Museum Kurilpa have described a new species of hermit crab. Strigopagurus fragachela (Common name is Strawberry Claw Hermit) Lives from the continental shelf off the southeast coast of Queensland, Australia.
“A genus of digeneans from central India to the western Pacific strigopagurus It currently includes five species: Strigopagulus strigimanus, Strigopagulus bilineatus, Strigopagulus boreonotus, Strigopagulus elongatusand Strigopagulus pupini'' said Queensland Museum Kurilpa researchers Peter Davey and Marissa McNamara.
“Two of them are Strigopagulus strigimanus and Strigopagulus elongatuswhich is endemic to temperate southern Australia. Strigopagulus bilineatus It is currently known only off the coast of tropical Queensland. ”
“The remaining two species have not been recorded in Australian waters.”
“The known distribution is Strigopagulus pupini Although limited to French Polynesia, it is more widespread. Strigopagulus boreonotus It has been recorded in southeastern Indonesia, the eastern Coral Sea, and waters around New Caledonia, so it may occur in tropical Australian waters. ”
“Recent trawls of continental shelf waters off south-east Queensland have revealed a large number of large and strikingly colored marine species. strigopagurus This specimen represents a newer species endemic to Australia. ”
The new species is Strigopagurus fragachelafound in relatively deep waters (120-260 meters) off the coast of south-east Queensland.
“The new species has some very distinctive features,” Dr. McNamara said.
“While their bright red claws are most striking, they have also evolved a unique way of producing sound (strumming) underwater, much like cicadas do in the air.”
“We quickly learned that this was a special hermit crab and quickly nicknamed it Strawberry Claw.”
Identification of Strigopagurus fragachela An exciting addition to this genus, of which Australia seems to be its home. ”
“There are currently four endemic species, two of which are found only in Queensland.”
“As the new species of hermit crab has only been collected by trawlers, little is known about its ecology, but there is no doubt that it is an important member of the rich biological community of the continental shelf off south-east Queensland. there is no.”
“The work of Queensland Museum scientists and researchers will help provide a record of our state's biodiversity for future generations,” said Queensland Museum CEO Dr Jim Thompson.
“Our natural history collections are more than just preserved specimens; they are important tools for scientific discovery, conservation, and public education.”
Regarding this discovery, paper in Queensland Museum Reminiscences – Nature.
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PJF Davie and MKA McNamara. 2024. New species of hermit crab genus strigopagurus Forest, 1995 (Crustacea: Anomura: Diogenidae) from the continental shelf off southeastern Queensland, Australia. Queensland Museum Reminiscences – Nature 65: 110-123;doi: 10.17082/j.2204-1478.65.2024.2024-04
A new genus and species of Ankylosaurus has been identified from an articulated partial skeleton discovered in southern China in 1986.
artistic reconstruction Huaxiazhou Longshouwen. Image credit: Ye Jianhao.
The newly discovered species was an early member of a family called armored dinosaurs. ankylosauridae.
dubbing Huaxiazhou Longshouwen the ancient animal was about 6 meters (20 feet) long.
In a paper, paleontologist Ziheng Zhu of Yunnan University and colleagues write, “Sclerosaurs were quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs characterized by sagittal osteodermal rows on the dorsolateral surface of their bodies and heavily armored skulls. It is a diverse clade of
“Ankylosaurs lived from the Middle Jurassic to the end of the Late Cretaceous.”
“As a subgroup of the scleractylids, scleractyl dinosaurs are currently found only in Asia and North America. In Asia, they were primarily found in Mongolia and northern China.”
fossilized remains of an adult Huaxiazhou Longshouwen It was discovered in a mineral deposit in 1986. Karabe formation In Longxi Village, Jiangxi Province, southern China.
“This deposit is a series of Late Cretaceous strata, represented by an extensive series of red mudstones, sandstones, and conglomerates,” the researchers wrote.
“This series of strata is locally classified as the Karabe Formation, which belongs to the Katsurabo Formation Group.''
“We got some pieces of dinosaurs and dinosaur eggs.”
This specimen dates from the Late Cretaceous Period, 84 to 72 million years ago.
It was excavated by paleontologists from the Guangchang County Museum and consists of a partial articulated skeleton without a skull and mandible.
“Huaxiazhou Longshouwen “This is the second ankylosaurid species discovered in China's Jiangxi province,” the scientists wrote in their paper.
“According to phylogenetic analysis, Huaxiazhou Longshouwen is a basal member of the ankylosaurid family. ”
“Next discovery Huaxiazhou Longshouwen It adds diversity to the Late Cretaceous of China and helps elucidate the evolution of ankylosaurid dinosaurs in East Asia. ”
of paper Published in this month's magazine historical biology.
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Zhu Zihyung others. A new species of ankylosaurid dinosaur discovered from the late Cretaceous period in Jiangxi Province, southern China. historical biologypublished online on November 8, 2024. doi: 10.1080/08912963.2024.2417208
Newly discovered tardigrade species using genome, transcriptome and proteome analysis Hypsibius henanensis scientists investigated the molecular basis that contributes to radioresistance in these small invertebrates.
Schematic diagram of the mechanism conferring radiation resistance Hypsibius henanensis. Image credit: Li others., doi: 10.1126/science.adl0799.
Tardigrades, also known as tardigrades or moss piglets, are a diverse group of microscopic invertebrates famous for their ability to withstand extreme conditions.
First discovered in 1773, these organisms can live for up to 60 years, grow up to 0.5 mm in size, and are best seen under a microscope.
They can survive in temperatures as low as -272 degrees Celsius (-457 degrees Fahrenheit) or as hot as 150 degrees Celsius (302 degrees Fahrenheit), and temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius for several minutes, and for up to 30 years without food or water. Masu. Minus 4 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) continues for decades.
It can withstand pressures from virtually 0 atmospheres in outer space to 1,200 atmospheres at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
They also exhibit excellent resistance to ionizing radiation, withstanding doses of gamma rays as high as 3,000 to 5,000 grays (Gy), approximately 1,000 times the lethal dose for humans.
The mechanism of radioresistance in tardigrades remains largely unknown.
Previous studies investigating how they do this have shown that tardigrades have powerful DNA repair abilities.
They also express tardigrade-specific proteins called damage suppressors (Dsup), when expressed in human cells, protects DNA from radiation damage.
In a new study, Lei Li and colleagues at Qingdao University describe a new species of tardigrade. Hypsibius henanensis.
Through detailed morphological and molecular analyses, they also investigated the basis of radioresistance in this species.
The researchers evaluated how exposure to heavy ion beams changes the molecular profiles of animals. They found that 285 stress-related genes were upregulated.
They further uncovered three molecular mechanisms that contribute to radioresistance in organisms.
First, the horizontally transferred bacterial gene DOPA dioxygenase 1 (Doda 1) enhanced radiation resistance by producing betalains (pigments with powerful free radical scavenging properties commonly found in plants, fungi, and bacteria).
Second, proteins unique to tardigrades, TDP1promotes DNA double-strand break repair.
Finally, mitochondrial chaperone genes BCS1Proliferated during the evolution of tardigrades, it is uniquely upregulated in response to radiation and protects cells from radiation-induced mitochondrial damage.
“The extreme environmental tolerance of extremophiles such as tardigrades provides a treasure trove of unexplored molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance,” the authors write.
“Functional studies of these radioresistance mechanisms may further expand our understanding of cell survival under extreme conditions and provide inspiration for promoting human health and fighting disease.”
of result Published in the Journal on October 25, 2024 science.
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Ray Lee others. 2024. The multi-omic landscape of tardigrades and the molecular basis of radioresistance. science 386 (6720);doi: 10.1126/science.adl0799
A new genus and species of early-diverging oviraptorosaurs have been identified from two specimens discovered in Inner Mongolia, China.
rebuilding the life of Yuanyang Long Bai Nian. Image credit: Sci.News / Ddinodan.
“Oviraptorosauridae Dr. Xin Shu, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Center for Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has discovered that Penaraptor is a special species known primarily from the rich Cretaceous fossil record of Asia and North America. Said to be a group of order theropods. Yunnan University and colleagues.
“In recent years, a series of new discoveries have deepened our knowledge of their diversity, behavior, ontogeny, and reproductive biology.”
“More than 40 genera have been named, and Oviraptorosaurus undoubtedly includes some of the earliest divergent species. Inchesibosaurus Caudipterygidae and highly specialized edentulous species from northeastern China; Abimimus Oviraptoridae are from East Asia, Caenagnathidae are from Asia and North America, and the best known species date from the Late Cretaceous. ”
The new oviraptorosaur lived in what is now China during the early Cretaceous period, about 110 million years ago.
named Yuanyang Long Bai Nianit exhibits a unique combination of morphological features that distinguishes it from all oviraptorosaurs known to date.
“Yuanyang Long Bai Nian Identified as an oviraptorosaurian based on a short, deep skull and several pelvic features (i.e., triangular obturator process located in the center of the ischium and a long pubic bone oriented approximately ventrally) “We can,” the paleontologists said.
“However, some oviraptorosaurs, Yuanyang Long Bai Nian exhibits a unique combination of features not found in any previously known clade, such as a hook-shaped posterior process of the pubic boot that is longer than a rounded anterior process. ”
two jointed skeleton Yuanyang Long Bai NianThese bones, including part of the skull and part of the posterior skull, were collected in the summer of 2021 from the Maortu area of the Miaogou Formation in Chilantai City, western Inner Mongolia, China.
This discovery provides the first record of an Early Cretaceous oviraptorosaur near the Gobi Desert and provides further insight into the biology and ecology of early-divergent oviraptorosaurs.
“This new species is intermediate in morphology between the earliest and later divergent oviraptorosaurids, and our phylogenetic analysis suggests that this new species was formed by the Abymimididae and Caenagasoididae. “This finding supports the fact that it is a sister taxon to the clade that has been studied,” the researchers said.
“Remarkably, this new early-diverging oviraptorosaur has an extremely short postacetabular ilium and a hindlimb with a proportionally long and fused lower limb. The combination is not known in other oviraptorosaurs, but is common in wading birds, suggesting a potential ecology with wading birds.
“Preserved bezoars are Codypteryx Our new species suggests that it has a gastric mill function, and our preliminary observations suggest that the digestive mode of early-divergent and late-divergent oviraptorosaurs is indicates a potential mismatch. ”
of the team findings Published in a magazine Cretaceous research.
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Mingze Hao others. A new species of oviraptorosaur discovered from the Lower Cretaceous Miaogou Formation in western Inner Mongolia, China. Cretaceous researchpublished online October 24, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106023
Marine biologists have used a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to discover six new species of carnivorous sponges in the cladulidae family on the western edge of the Australian continent.
Abisocladia janusi. Image credit: M. Ekins & NG Wilson, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72917-8.
Cladriidae It is a type of carnivorous sponge that is found on ocean ridges and seamount systems around the world.
usually considered Deep-sea sponges are known for capturing prey with specialized structures.
The latest discoveries bring the number of known species of cradlefish fauna in Australian waters to 41.
New species include: Abisocladia janusi, Abisocladia Johnhupeli, Abisocladia Aurora, axonidama challengeri, Cladriza Vanesakinsand Narrabora Ningaroa.
They were collected from two deep-sea regions in Western Australia almost a thousand kilometers apart.
Abisocladia janusi One was found in the Bremer Canyon system and the other five were found in the Cape Range Canyon.
Queensland Museum CEO Dr Jim Thompson said: “These science novice species deepen our knowledge of the cladulidae and highlight the importance of continued exploration and conservation of marine biodiversity. ” he said.
“The description and study of these new species of carnivorous sponges provides important insight into the complex marine ecosystems along Queensland's coastline and highlights the importance of biodiversity and conservation efforts across the region. I’ll highlight it.”
Traditionally, carnivorous sponges have been collected for scientific research by trawling the ocean floor, but recent advances in ROV technology have enabled researchers to study these fascinating creatures in their natural habitat. There has been a revolution in capabilities.
This latest discovery was made during a deep-sea expedition conducted by the Schmidt Oceanographic Institute using an ROV. Subastian Explore the rich biodiversity of Western Australia's underwater landscape.
“During the expedition, I was able to operate the ROV remotely from my desk at the museum,” said Dr Merrick Eakins, Queensland Museum's sessile marine invertebrate collection manager.
“Our research highlights the importance of deep-sea exploration and the role of technological advances in understanding marine biodiversity.”
“These sponges demonstrate the incredible adaptability of life in extreme environments and challenge our understanding of marine ecosystems.”
“The implications of these findings go beyond mere classification. They highlight the need to protect these fragile ecosystems, which are under threat from climate change and human activity.”
team's paper Published in a magazine scientific report.
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M. Ekins and NG. Wilson. 2024. A new carnivorous sponge from Western Australia (Porifera: Porifera: Cladorhididae) collected by remotely operated vehicle (ROV). science officer 14, 22173; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72917-8
These forest-dwelling birds live in pairs or small groups, feed on fruits and arthropods, and regularly feed on swarms of army ants.
These are common in the Atlantic Forest and are bold, conspicuous, and easy to observe. However, it is less conspicuous in the Andes Mountains, since its main habitat is drier forests than in the Atlantic region.
“Trichotraupis is a single-species genus found in two separate populations, one in the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil (from southern Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul), northeastern Argentina, and eastern Paraguay, at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level. In the range of up to meters. ” Dr. Wagner Cavalzel from Paulista University and its colleagues.
“It is usually associated with the Atlantic Forest, but some isolated populations also exist in the Gallery Forest of the southern Pantanal and eastern Chaco.”
“The second population is found on the eastern slopes of the Andes from northern Peru to extreme northwestern Argentina, primarily at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,700 meters.”
recent research proven The people of the Atlantic Ocean and the Andes Trichotraupis melanops Because they are genetically isolated, their current classification as monotypic species should be reconsidered.
In the new study, Cavalzere and his co-authors evaluated the morphology, plumage, and vocalizations of Atlantic and Andean populations.
The researchers examined a total of 581 skin specimens housed in museums around the world.
“Our feather studies revealed full diagnostic potential between the two populations. Trichotraupis” they said.
“Both populations are also differentiated by tarsal length, with the Atlantic population having longer tarsals on average.”
“Furthermore, the taxa live in different types of vegetation (Atlantic Forest and Tucumano-Boliviano Forest and Yungas Mountain Forest).”
named Trichotraupis griseonota (common name: Andean black swan), this new species is found on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru, Bolivia, and northwestern Argentina, at altitudes ranging from 400 meters to 1,700 meters.
“Trichotraupis griseonota “It is restricted to the eastern slopes of the Andes in south-central Peru, Bolivia and northwestern Argentina,” the scientists said.
“It inhabits the seasonally dry Tucumano-Boliviano forest, which is restricted to the Andean forests of northwestern Argentina and the foothills of north-central Bolivia.”
“This species also occurs in the narrow Yungas woodlands at the foothills of the Andes in northern Bolivia and Peru.”
“These montane forests exhibit higher moisture levels compared to the Tucumano-Boliviano forests.”
According to the research team, the fact that these different lineages were previously unrecognized is somewhat interesting, given that: Trichotraupis It is a common species and is abundant in collections.
“Given that museum specimens have played the most important role since their birth several centuries ago, in addition to being a very important and relatively new paradigm in describing new species discovered in museum cabinets. “We emphasize that it is particularly important in the era of genomes and supercomputers; it is fundamental to avian taxonomy,” the authors concluded.
“By documenting and organizing variations and enabling these insights, Trichotraupis griseonota This should serve as a reminder for ornithologists to never underestimate the potential for exciting new discoveries in a seemingly common set of bird skin specimens. ”
Wagner Cavalzere others. 2024. A new species of golden butterfly (species: Traupidae) that lives on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains. zoo animals 5468 (3): 541-556;doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5468.3.7
Paleontologists have identified a species of medium-sized iguanodont ornithopod dinosaur from two specimens found in northwestern Patagonia, Argentina.
Reconstruction of the life of early rhabdodontomorph dinosaurs Iani Smitty. Image credit: Jorge Gonzalez.
Emilia Saura Alessandri They lived in what is now Patagonia during the Valanginian period of the Early Cretaceous period, about 138 million years ago.
“Knowing early Cretaceous dinosaurs is crucial for gaining insight into the evolution of the clade characteristic of younger Cretaceous fauna,” said lead author Dr. Rodolfo Coria, Argentina, Canada , said a European colleague.
“Dinosaur diversity around the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary represents a unique chapter characterized by the establishment of several major lineages.”
“However, knowledge of the diversity of dinosaurs during the Early Cretaceous period is poor, especially in South America.”
Emilia Saura Alessandri belongs to rhabdodontomorphaa group of early Iguanodon dinosaurs within the clade ornithopoda.
This dinosaur group consists of small to large plant-eating animals that live in Europe and Gondwana.
“Emilia Saura Alessandri “This is the first South American record of the family Rhabdodontomorphinae, and is currently the oldest and more primitive member of this clade,” the paleontologists said.
“This new species formed part of a diverse Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) dinosaur assemblage that also included diplodocids, sauropods of the dicraeosauridae, and theropods of the carcharodontosauridae.”
Emilia Saura Alessandri It is represented by two fossil specimens collected from different locations and stratigraphic levels. Murichinko formation.
“The holotype specimen includes the coracoid, proximal scapula, humerus, and complete right hindlimb, whereas the paratype specimen preserves vertebral elements, haemarchus, incomplete pelvis, and nearly complete hindlimb. “, the researchers said.
“The new species has an anteroposteriorly elongated ilium with an S-shaped dorsal margin and a broad short shelf, a femoral shaft with a proximally located broad fourth trochanter, and a short, stout diaphysis similar to that of the new species. It has a second toe with a blunt claw phalanx.” tonic ataxia ornithopod”
of findings Published in this week's magazine Cretaceous research.
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RA Korea others. The first Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) ornithopods (order Dinosauria, order Ornithischian) from Patagonia. Cretaceous researchpublished online October 16, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.106027
Questio Sympsonorum is one of more than 100 multicellular organisms during the Ediacaran period (635 to 538 million years ago), when the first complex macroscopic animals appeared on Earth.
The creature was up to 8 centimeters (3.1 inches) wide and likely moved along what was once the ocean floor.
Animals that burrowed into the sediment had not yet evolved, so this ocean floor was covered with a layer of microorganisms that formed a slimy organic mat.
“Questio Sympsonorum “It had some interesting characteristics that set it apart from other Ediacaran species,” said Mary Droser, a professor at the University of California.
“What's really interesting about this fossil is that it's essentially symmetrical, meaning the right side mirrors the left side, but there's also an asymmetrical element that forms an inverted question mark shape.”
“This kind of symmetry indicates some level of genetic complexity.”
“Humans are bilaterally symmetrical, but they have many asymmetries, such as the position of the heart and appendix.”
“Many other asymmetries like this have been found throughout the animal kingdom, and this appears to be one of the first organisms to organize it this way.”
Reconstructed by artists Questio Sympsonorum. Image credit: Walker C. Weiland.
more than a dozen specimens Questio Sympsonorum It was discovered in the Nilpena-Ediacaran National Park in South Australia.
“The unique trace evidence our team has discovered suggests that: Questio Sympsonorum “They ate ancient organic mats while on the move,” said Scott Evans, a professor at Florida State University.
“That the fossils are preserved directly alongside evidence of their behavior really speaks to the unprecedented nature of the fossil record at Nilpena. We can see how these animals got their food.”
“Nilpena is a site of great international importance, and there is no other place in the world like it,” said Stuart Paul, regional operations director for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
“In addition to learning about these amazing fossils located within the park, tourists can also visit a former blacksmith shop, where they learn what these creatures look like and how they were formed. One of the fossil beds is brought to life by an impressive audio-visual recreation of the story.
of findings Published in a magazine evolution and development.
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Scott D. Evans others. A new motile animal that influenced the evolution of axial polarity lived during the Ediacaran period of South Australia. evolution and developmentpublished online on September 3, 2024. doi: 10.1111/ede.12491
The possum, or Tasmanian tiger, became extinct in 1936
huge life science
The genome of the extinct possum has been almost completely sequenced, the company that brought it back from extinction, Colossal, has announced. The group says the genome is more than 99.9 percent complete and that just 45 gaps will soon be filled, but it has not provided any evidence to support that claim.
“It's quite difficult to obtain the complete genome of almost any organism,” says Emilio Marmol Sánchez of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, whose team first extracted RNA from preserved quolls. For example, the last few holdouts of the human genome have only been fully sequenced in the past few years.
Quosos, also known as Tasmanian tigers, were once carnivorous marsupials found throughout Australia, but by the time European explorers arrived they were restricted to Tasmania. The last known possum died in a zoo in 1936.
The conserved quoll genome is First sequenced in 2017 The tissue used was from a 108-year-old bag of quolls that had been preserved in alcohol. However, this genome was far from complete and had many gaps. Colossal, which is also currently aiming to recreate the woolly mammoth, says it has nearly completed the genome with the help of additional DNA from a 120-year-old tooth.
“While our genome is not as complete as the most complete human genome, we were able to take advantage of some of the same technologies,” said Andrew of the University of Melbourne in Australia, a member of Colossal's scientific advisory board. Pask said.
Completely deciphering the genomes of plants and animals is difficult because they contain large sections of the same sequence that repeat over and over again. Standard techniques for sequencing small segments of DNA at a time do not work for these parts. This is like trying to reconstruct a book from a list of words in the book.
New, long-read techniques can sequence much larger segments of DNA, equivalent to entire pages of a book. However, these methods are not very useful because old DNA is usually split into many small pieces.
“Most ancient samples preserve DNA fragments that are a few dozen or, if we're lucky, a few hundred bases long,” Pask says. “The samples we had access to were so well preserved that we were able to recover DNA fragments several thousand bases long.”
There is no direct way to know how complete it is, given that there are no other possum genomes to compare it to. Instead, Pask says Colossal uses other closely related species in the same family to make this estimate.
But even if the genome were as complete as Colossal thinks and could indeed fill in the remaining gaps, there is currently no feasible way to generate living cells containing this genome. Instead, Colossal plans to genetically modify a living marsupial called a fat-tailed dunnart to resemble a possum.
“This is rather a reproduction of some characteristics,” says Marmol Sánchez. “It would not be an extinct animal, but a very strange and modified version of a modern animal, similar to our image of an extinct animal.”
Colossal announces record 300 gene editsIt affects the genome of Dunnart cells growing in culture. So far, the changes have been small, but Pask says the team plans to swap out tens of thousands of base pairs of thylacine DNA in the near future. He says it's not yet clear how much editing will be needed to achieve the company's goal of recreating the sugar glider.
When asked why Colossal did not provide any evidence to support its claims, the company's CEO, Ben Lamb, said that the company's sole focus was eradicating extinction and that the scientific literature He said it was not writing. “We are not an academic lab whose primary focus is papers,” Lamb said. “We will continue to make progress much faster than the process of writing a scientific paper.”
Marine biologists identify new species of skate Leucolaja It lurks in the deep waters of the southwestern Indian Ocean.
brown long nose skates (Leucolaya longirostris), holotype of an adult male viewed from the dorsal side. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image credit: Weigman others., doi: 10.3390/biology13060405.
members of the genus Leucolaja A small to medium sized skate, usually with a short, obtuse snout.
To date, 14 valid species of this genus have been identified, primarily in the Atlantic Ocean, but also in the Indian Ocean.
“The 14 species currently described are Leucolaja It reaches a maximum size of 30-120 cm and is found in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. ” Dr Simon Weigman by the Leibniz Institute for Biodiversity Change Analysis and colleagues.
“Of these 12 species, Leucolaja Compagnoi and Leucolaja wallasei They also live outside the Atlantic Ocean, in continental waters in the southwestern Indian Ocean. ”
The newly discovered Leucolaja This species is the fourth known species of this genus from the western Indian Ocean.
named Leucolaya longirostris (common name is Brown Longnose Skate), apparently endemic to the Madagascar Ridge in Walters Shoals.
“In the 1970s and 1980s, researchers working on the Madagascar Ridge, a raised area of the ocean floor in the southwestern Indian Ocean, collected a total of eight rare skate specimens at depths of 750 to 1,050 meters.” biologists said.
“Despite the long snout, this specimen could definitely be assigned to the genus. Leucolaja This is due to the typical characteristics of claspers. ”
“It can be easily distinguished from all 14 congeners by its long, sharply pointed snout,” the researchers said.
“Furthermore, it appears to occur only on the Madagascar Ridge, away from the known distribution areas of all congeners, and its clasper morphology exhibits several unique aspects.”
brown long nose skates (Leucolaya longirostris), holotype of an adult male viewed from the ventral side. Scale bar – 5 cm. Image credit: Weigman others., doi: 10.3390/biology13060405.
Leucolaya longirostris These are medium-sized skates with a total length of 71.1 cm or more.
Males mature at about 60 cm. The largest known female is 70cm long. The smallest known specimen is a young female with a total length of 27.6 cm.
recognition of Leucolaya longirostris Provide new insights into morphological variation within the genus Leucolaja “This constitutes a very unusual and noteworthy addition to this genus Sketchi,” the researchers said.
“Nevertheless, the very limited distribution of this new species raises concerns about its ability to sustain fisheries, and it may be susceptible to capture in longline fisheries, particularly deep-sea trawl fisheries.”
“Although little information is available about fisheries operating in the region of the Madagascar Ridge, this deep-sea skate tolerates intensive fishing pressure, potentially due to its slow-life history characteristics and low productivity. You may not be able to.”
“Walter's Shoal has had good catches in the past and this pressure may return in the future,” they added.
“As a fishery targeting orange roughy (Hoplostessus atlanticus) and Kinmedai (Belix Decactylus) have typically used mesophoric trawls on the ocean floor, but new species may have benthic refugia. ”
“However, further research is needed to investigate its distribution, life history, population size and trends, and threats.”
“This is essential to improving data collection and research and making more effective conservation and management policy decisions.”
a paper Report findings published in journals biology.
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Simon Weigman others. 2024. Description of a noteworthy new type of skate shoe Leucolaja Malm of the southwestern Indian Ocean, 1877 (Radidae, Radidae): Introducing 3D modeling as an innovative tool for visualization of clasper characters. biology 13 (6): 405;doi: 10.3390/Biology 13060405
Named after the otherworldly sounds these tree frogs make, Boufis The rainforests of Madagascar are expanses, some of which remind us of the sounds of technological equipment from fictional works. Star Trek Scientists have named seven new species in honor of the fictional captain of a spaceship. Bufis Khaki, bofis picardi, Bofis Siskoi, Boufis Janeyae, bofis archery, bofis pickay and bofis barnamae.
bofis picardi a male paratype from Anara, Madagascar. Image credit: Vences others., doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110.
There are currently 80 described species. Boufis It is the most unique genus of the Malagasy Comoran endemic family. Mantelidae.
Members of this genus are tree frogs with relatively generalized reproductive behavior, usually laying eggs in stream or pond water where tadpoles develop.
Many Boufis species are very vocal, with males emitting loud and clear advertising calls.
“Seven newly discovered species of Hyla genus” Boufis “Frogs, which are found throughout the rainforests of Madagascar, use a special bird-like whistle to communicate with other frogs,” said Professor Miguel Wences of the Technical University of Braunschweig and colleagues.
“The sound of these whistles reminded our team: Star Trek similar whistle-like sound effects are frequently used. ”
“That’s why we named our frogs after Kirk, Picard, Cisco, Janeway, Archer, Burnham and Pike – seven of the most iconic captains of science fiction.”
“These frog calls don’t just sound like movie sound effects. Star Trek But finding them often requires quite a trek,” said Dr. Mark Schaerts, a researcher at the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen.
“While some species are found in areas accessible to tourists, finding some of these species requires extensive expeditions to remote forest fragments and mountain peaks. It was.”
“We believe that here lies the true meaning of scientific discovery and exploration, and that it is based in the spirit of: Star Trek”
For fans of Star Trek, Boufis The call may remind you of the so-called “Boardsman’s Whistle” or the sound from a device called a “tricorder.” To others, it may sound like a bird or an insect.
Dr. Jörn Köhler, senior curator of vertebrate zoology at the Hesse State Museum in Darmstadt, said: “If the frog is just croaking like the European frogs we’re familiar with, it’s likely that it’s coming from a nearby river. “It might not have been audible over the sound of the rushing water.”
“Their high-pitched trills and whistles stand out above all the noise.”
“Due to their appearance, these frogs have traditionally been confused with similar species, but each species produces a distinctive high-pitched whistle, which helps distinguish them from each other and from other frogs. I did.”
This finding is reported in the following article: paper in diary vertebrate zoology.
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M. Vances others. 2024. The Communicator’s Whistle: A Journey Through Taxonomy Bufis mallogesensis This complex reveals seven new morphologically enigmatic tree frogs (Amphibians: Anura: Mantelidae) from Madagascar. vertebrate zoology 74: 643-681;doi: 10.3897/vz.74.e121110
Boophis pikei, a new species of frog from Madagascar
Miguel Vances (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
Deep in the forests of Madagascar, researchers have discovered seven new species of frogs and named them after characters. star trek.
“The frog sounds are very reminiscent of the series' iconic futuristic sound effects,” he says. Mark D. Schertz At the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
Bufis mallogesensis A small brownish frog found in the damp forests of Madagascar. The animal was first described in 1994, but over time, researchers began to wonder if this puppy-eyed amphibian was actually more than one species. I did.
To find out, Schatz and his colleagues collected as much data as possible from a variety of individuals. B. mallogesensis Collected over 30 years. They recorded and analyzed the frogs' calls, compared their physical characteristics, and sequenced their DNA.
Their results showed that what was previously thought to be one species of frog is actually eight different species. Physically, they look almost identical, Schertz says. “The main difference is in the sounds they make. Their piercing, high-pitched whistle calls differ in pitch and timing of the whistle.” DNA sequencing also shows genetic differences, making them different It was confirmed that it is a species.
Male frogs attract females with bird-like calls, but because these newly named species live near rivers, they have evolved high-pitched whistles to make their calls stand out from the noise of flowing water. Mr. Schertz thinks so. However, much about the lives of these frogs remains a mystery.
one of the species is named Boufis Khaki, In honor of James T. Kirk. Other members are named after Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisco, Kathryn Janeway, Jonathan Archer, Michael Burnham, and Christopher Pike.
“We wanted to honor captains who lead teams on missions of exploration and discovery,” says Schatz. “This may also serve as a reminder of how much discovery still remains on Earth before we set our sights on the stars.”
Paleontologists say they have identified a new species of marine reptile in the ophthalmosaurid family Platypterygius. It lived about 125 million years ago.
a pair of Platypterygius sp. Image credit: Dmitry Bogdanov / CC BY 3.0.
Ophthalmosauridae is a family of ichthyosaurs that lived during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
These ichthyosaurs appeared around the world during the early Bajosian period, about 170 million years ago, after which most other ichthyosaur lineages disappeared during the late Toarthian period, 174 million years ago.
Two lineages of Ophthalmosauridae are known. One contains two genera, Agilosaurus and Ophthalmosaurus, and the other contains three genera: Brachypterygius, Caprisaurus, and Platypterygius.
The newly identified species is Platypterygius elsuntuoso, belonging to the latter genus.
This marine reptile swam in the early Barremian seas, about 125 million years ago.
“The morphology of the new specimen is consistent with diagnostic features of Platypterygius, supporting its inclusion in this genus,” said lead author Dr. María Paramo Fonseca and colleagues from the National University of Colombia and the National Geological Museum José Royo y Gómez.
“The difference between this specimen and all others in the Platypterygius genus supports the establishment of the new species, Platypterygius elsuntuoso.”
Platypterygius elsuntuoso holotype. Scale bar – 10 cm. Image credit: Paramo Fonseca others, doi: 10.15446/esrj.v28n2.112332.
Fossilized remains of a juvenile or subadult Platypterygius elsuntuoso were collected in 1999 by researchers at the Columbia Geobiological Foundation.
The specimen consists of a nearly complete skull, several axial elements including the atlantoaxial and several cervical vertebrae, the left coracoid, and several phalanges.
“This specimen was discovered in a concretion in the La Cabrera hill northwest of Villa de Leyva (Boyaca, Colombia), where the Arcilolitas Abigaladas Formation of the Paja Formation is exposed,” the paleontologists said.
“Because its exact geographic origin is unknown, its exact stratigraphic position could not be determined.”
“However, numerous ammonoid specimens have been extracted from the same stone, some of which have been preliminarily identified as ammonoid specimens of Acanthopticoceras.”
The researchers made morphological comparisons of Platypterygius elsuntuoso with ophthalmosaur ichthyosaurs of the Cretaceous and Late Jurassic periods.
They also revised the genus Platypterygius based on published descriptions and first-hand observations of Colombian materials.
“We have come to the conclusion that Platypterygius is a genus distinguished by a distinctive forelimb structure and a specific combination of cranial features,” they said.
“We revised that diagnosis to accept that Barremian to lower Cenomanian species are valid: Platypterygius platydactylus, Platypterygius americanus, Platypterygius australis, Platypterygius hercinus, Platypterygius sachicarum, Platypterygius virjucobi, and the new species Platypterygius elsuntuoso.”
“Therefore, Platypterygius was a cosmopolitan genus that diversified as it conquered oceans from the Early Cretaceous to the Early Late Cretaceous.”
The discovery of Platypterygius elsuntuoso is reported in a paper in Earth Science Research Journal.
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Maria E. Paramo-Fonseca others. 2024. new species Platypterygius Evaluation of the species composition of (Ophthalmosauridae) and their genera from the Lower Barremian of Columbia. Earth Science Resolution J 28 (2): 103-126;doi: 10.15446/esrj.v28n2.112332
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of long-nosed notothids from fragmentary remains found in Brazil's Adamantina Formation.
Epoidesuccus tavaresae is a new species of pyrosauridae from the Cretaceous Adamantina Formation of Brazil. Image credit: Lewis others., doi: 10.1002/ar.25559.
Epoidesuccus tavaresae They lived on the ancient supercontinent Gondwana during the late Cretaceous period, about 72 million years ago.
This ancient reptile was about 4 meters (13 feet) long, had a long, almost tubular snout, and probably lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
belongs to pyrosauridaeGondwanidae, a group of crocodilians belonging to the suborder Gondwanana. Notostia.
“Notoschia are an extremely diverse group of extinct crocodylidae found especially in the Cretaceous deposits of Gondwana, with more than 80 species described to date,” said lead author Juan of FEIS-UNESP. Dr. Lewis and colleagues said.
“Such taxonomic richness is also reflected in unexpected ecological diversity, including fully terrestrial and semi-aquatic morphologies, different feeding strategies, and perhaps occupation of many different ecological niches. It has been.”
“The Notothian fossil record is mostly confined to the Cretaceous Gondwana landmass, which included North Africa, Central Africa, Madagascar, and the Indian subcontinent, but the group reached its peak of diversity in South America. It was the late Cretaceous period.
Paleontologists say the pyrosauridae was first described in 1982.
“Despite the description of several species of pyrosauridae over the past 25 years and advances in our knowledge of the group's morphological and unique features, pyrosaurids have largely been excluded from broader phylogenetic studies.” said the researchers.
In the study, the researchers examined a fragment of the skull and one of the elements at the back of the skull. Epoidesuccus tavaresae.
This fossil was discovered in 2011 in an outcrop of the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Group) in the city of Catanduba in northwestern São Paulo state, Brazil.
“Our results provide further evidence for the existence of a two-lineage pyrosaurinae, the oleinilostrinae Peirosaurinae and the longilostrinae Pepestinae,” the scientists said. Ta.
“Furthermore, the results of our morphospatial analysis indicate that pyrosaurids are ecomorphologically diverse, with species exhibiting more putative terrestrial ecosystems or a more semi-aquatic habit, compared to other notothids and neoscidians. This indicates that the morphospace had a wide range of morphospace occupancy, including unexplored spaces.”
“Pepeschinae was widespread in Africa and South America during the Cretaceous period,” the researchers noted.
“This lineage is notable among the notothids in that it has a longer rostra, similar to common extant crocodilians. crocodile There's also a caiman. ”
“Pepeshushiinae have been recorded from strata where semi-aquatic Neosushiinae are absent or rare.”
“In Africa, Strochrosuchus occurred simultaneously with SarcosuchusOn the other hand, in the Bauru group of Brazil, which represents the greatest extreme of pepestinid diversity, only one putative neostinid has been described so far, a large predatory quadruped with a semi-aquatic habit. There are no other records. ”
“In this scenario, pepestinids would have occupied vacant freshwater systems in western Gondwana during the Late Cretaceous.”
team's paper Published on August 29th anatomical record.
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Juan V. Ruiz others. A new pyrosauridae (Crocodiformes, Notostia) from the Adamantina Formation (Late Cretaceous, Bauru Group). The phylogenetic analysis of Sevesia has been revised. anatomical recordspublished online on August 29, 2024. doi: 10.1002/ar.25559
A team of marine biologists led by researchers at Florida International University has described a new species of shark. Sphyrna Native to the Caribbean and Southwest Atlantic.
Svirna Arenia male collected in Riversdale, Belize. Image credit: Cindy Gonzalez.
It got its name from the unusual and unique shape of its head. hammerhead shark Belongs to the family Sphinidae.
They live all over the world and prefer to live in warm waters along coastlines and continental shelves.
“The hammerhead shark is a monophyletic lineage of hammerhead sharks that first appeared in the Miocene,” said Florida International University researchers. Cindy Gonzalez her colleagues from the United States and Canada;
“They are characterized by a laterally expanded and dorsoventrally compressed head or 'cephalic lobe' and currently include nine named species. ”
“Hammerhead sharks are one of the most endangered shark families, with all but one species present, primarily due to overfishing.Svirna Gilberti) listed worldwide as vulnerable, endangered speciesor endangered species by IUCN,” they added.
“There are four species of small hammerhead sharks (less than 1.5 meters in length at first maturity) that are endemic to the Americas. Sphyrna Tiblo, Sphyrnatitude, Sphyrna Coronaand Sphyrnamedia”
“Sphyrna Corona Occurs only in the eastern Pacific, Sphyrnatitude It occurs only in the western Atlantic Ocean and is associated with the bull shark (Sphyrnamedia) and bonito shark (Sphyrna Tiblo). ”
The newly described Sphyrna This is a small hammerhead shark, less than 1.5 meters long.
with scientific name Svirna Areni (common name is shovel shark), has a flat, shovel-shaped head with no indentation at the front end.
“Svirna Areni different from Sphyrna Tiblo “This is because in this species the leading edge of the head is more rounded and the trailing lobule is absent,” the researchers said.
“The importance of the precaudal vertebrae is as follows.” Svirna Areni Between 80 and 83 – about 10 more vertebrae than others Sphyrna Tiblo”
“Given that there is some similarity in the shape of cephalofoils, Svirna Areni and Sphyrna Vespertina They may be sister lineages; Sphyrna Tiblo It diverged from and later separated from them as it expanded into the subtropics and temperate Atlantic Ocean. Sphyrna Vespertina and early Svirna Areni By isthmus closure. ”
Svirna Areni It is found in coastal waters, estuaries, coral reefs, seaweed beds, and sandy bottoms from Belize to Brazil.
The presence of this species has been confirmed in the Caribbean in Belize, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean of Brazil.
“Bonnet Head is currently rated as globally endangered However, the IUCN rates it as an amphibious American species,” the scientists said.
“This assessment highlights that while this species is well managed in high latitudes of the northern hemisphere Atlantic range (USA, Bahamas), it is heavily fished and poorly managed elsewhere. There is evidence of population decline in Brazil and much of the tropical eastern Pacific.
“We will re-evaluate this assessment taking into account geographic distribution.” Sphyrna Tiblo and Svirna Areni Now that is guaranteed,” they said.
“Given how fisheries and management are distributed, the IUCN status is probably Sphyrna Tiblo it will be improved, Svirna Areni Of course, it would be a very dangerous situation. ”
“Additional attention from management is needed to rebuild the population.” Svirna AreniThis could take the form of restrictions on gillnet and trawl fishing, as these types of gear account for most of the catch of this coastal species. ”
discovery of Svirna Areni is reported in paper in a diary zoo animals.
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Cindy Gonzalez others. 2024. Svirna Areni sp. In November, new hammerhead sharks (Hammellidae, Hammerheadidae) from the Caribbean Sea and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. zoo animals 5512 (4): 491-511;doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5512.4.2
Palaeontologists from the University of New South Wales have unearthed the fossils of three new species belonging to the thylacine genus. Basitinus, Nimbakinusand Ngamalasinas It inhabits upper Oligocene sediments in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwest Queensland, Australia. Bassinus timforkneri, Nimbasinus peterbridgeand Ngamalasinas NigermalbeniThese new species are among the oldest known thylacines and indicate an earlier diversification of the family Thylacidae. Thylacine More than previously understood.
Bassinus timforkneri Eating a corpse Silvavestius Michaelvirti.Image credit: Peter Schouten.
The three new species of Pectiniidae lived during the Late Oligocene epoch, between 25 and 23 million years ago.
The largest of these is Bassinus timforkneriThey weigh between 7 and 11 kg, roughly the same size as a large Tasmanian devil.
“Like the Tasmanian devil, Basisinas timforkneri “They could easily crush the bones and teeth of their prey,” said lead author Tim Churchill, a doctoral student at the University of New South Wales.
“But up until now, we've only seen much smaller Bassinus TurnbulliiWeighing in at around 2.7 kg, this dinosaur is the only thylacine relative found in the Late Oligocene.
“The lower jaw and teeth, including an isolated first molar, were found at the Hiatus site at Riversleigh, which is even older than the White Hunter site where B. turnbrii was previously found.”
“This will Basisinas timforkneri It is undoubtedly the oldest thylacine ever discovered.”
The second species is Nimbasinus peterbridgeIt was slightly larger than a long-eared quoll and weighed about 3.7kg.
The species was described from a nearly complete jawbone from the White Hunter site at Riversleigh.
“Nimbasinus peterbridge “It was probably a more generalist predator, targeting small mammals and other prey in the ancient woodland of Riversleigh,” Professor Mike Archer, from the University of New South Wales, said.
“We think it may have been directly related to only one other species. Nimbakinus,big Nimbasinus dicksoni (5-7kg) was discovered in 15 million year old deposits at Riversleigh.”
“This group of thylacines, Thylacine.”
“The other two new species described here appear to represent distinctive side branches on the increasingly complex thylacine phylogenetic tree.”
“This means Nimbasinus peterbridge It is probably the oldest known direct ancestor of the Tasmanian tiger.”
The third new species, Ngamalasinas NigermalbeniIt weighed about 5.1kg and was about the size of a red fox. This one was also unearthed at the White Hunter site in Riversleigh.
“This was a highly carnivorous thylacine,” said Dr Sue Hand, from the University of New South Wales.
“We know this because the cutting edges of the lower molars are elongated and have deep, V-shaped meat-cutting notches.”
“Ngamalasinas Nigermalbeni These notches were more developed than in any other thylacine species of similar size.”
The existence of three distinct lineages of specialized thylacines in the Late Oligocene highlights how rapidly this group of marsupials has diversified since they first appeared in the fossil record, the researchers say.
“These new species have very different dental adaptations, suggesting that several unique carnivore forest niches existed during this time,” Churchill said.
“All of these lineages became extinct by 8 million years ago, except for the lineage that gave rise to modern thylacines.”
“The previous idea that Australia was dominated by reptilian carnivores for the last 25 million years is steadily being disproved as each new discovery adds to the fossil record of these new thylacine-like marsupial carnivores,” Prof Archer said.
“The diversity of mammalian carnivores in Rivers Leaf during this period rivals any other ecosystem, including the large dispersal of mammalian carnivores that developed in South America,” Churchill added.
of study this month, Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Timothy J. Churchill othersThree new opossum species (Marsupialia, Opossumidae) discovered from Late Oligocene deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, north-west Queensland. Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyPublished online September 6, 2024; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2384595
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of fossilized bones of a new species of early-branching ceratopsian dinosaur in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Reconstructing your life Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai Image courtesy of Tanaka Kanon.
The newly discovered dinosaur lived on Earth during the Albian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, between 113 million and 100 million years ago.
dubbing Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai,animal Measured It is about 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) long and weighs about 10 kilograms.
“This new dinosaur has unique characteristics that make it different from any other dinosaur known to date. CeratopsiansPaleontologist, Hyogo University Tomonori Tanaka and colleagues said In a statement.
“Ceratopsians are a group of herbivorous dinosaurs known for having large horns and frills on their heads, most famously Triceratops.”
“Being a primitive ceratopsian, it lacked the large horns and frills seen in later species. Triceratops.”
Bone fragments Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai They were discovered in the Daisen Shita Formation in southwestern Japan by amateur geologist Adachi Kiyoshi.
“The fossil contains 17 bones, most of which belong to the same individual,” the researchers said.
“Examination of a thin section of the tibia revealed that this was likely a juvenile individual rather than a fully mature one.”
According to the research team's analysis, this new species Aquilops americanusone of the oldest neoceratopsian dinosaurs discovered in North America, followed by its sister species. Auroraceratops rugosus From China.
“Sasayama Magnomus Saegusai “This fossil is closely related to proto-North American ceratopsians and suggests that native Asian ceratopsians may have migrated to North America during the mid-Cretaceous, approximately 110 million years ago,” the authors say.
“At this time, eastern Eurasia and North America were connected by the Bering land bridge, allowing animals to move between the two.”
“Furthermore, extreme global warming has led to the creation of vast forests in the Arctic.”
“The convergence of these two events likely facilitated the spread of ceratopsians from Asia into North America.”
Discovery Sasayamagnome teeth, paper Published in this week's journal Paleontological Papers.
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Tomonori Tanaka others2024. A new species of neoceratopsian (Ornithischia, Ceratopsia) from the Lower Cretaceous Oyamashita Formation (Albian) of southwestern Japan. Paleontological Papers 10(5):e1587;doi:10.1002/spp2.1587
Paleontologists have unearthed the skeletal remains of a previously unknown species of rock-backed dinosaur at the Lo Hueco fossil site in Cuenca, Spain.
Artist’s Reproduction Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra. Image credit: José Antonio Peñas Artero.
Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra It lived in Europe during the Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago.
This ancient creature SaltasauridaeA superfamily that belongs to the titanosaur dinosaur clade. Lithotropia.
“Titanosaurs were a successful group of sauropod dinosaurs that underwent an important diversification event during the Early Cretaceous, establishing several different lineages, including the lithosaurs,” said Dr Pedro Mocho from the University of Lisbon and his colleagues.
“The Lithostrotians dominated the Late Cretaceous sauropod fauna and were represented by two major groups, Saltasauroidea and Colossals, which included the smallest to the largest terrestrial animals.”
“They survived until the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, after which they became extinct, like all other non-avian dinosaurs.”
Paleontologists found a jointed, partially articulated skeleton. Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra At the Lo Hueco ruins Villalba de la Sierra Formation In Cuenca, Spain.
“Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra “This fossil stands out as one of the most complete sauropod skeletons ever found in Europe, including cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, parts of the pelvic girdle and limb elements,” the researchers said.
“The unique morphology of the caudal vertebrae in particular provides new insights into a historically poorly understood group of non-avian dinosaurs from the Iberian Peninsula.”
This discovery reveals for the first time the existence of at least two distinct saltasauroid lineages in the Iberian region.
“One of these groups is Relaisaurinae“They are relatively well known from the Iberian Peninsula and are characterised by small to medium-sized species that have evolved in island ecosystems,” Dr Mocho said.
“In other words, Late Cretaceous Europe was a huge archipelago made up of several islands.”
“but, Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra It is a medium to large-sized species that belongs to a separate group of sauropods and lived on the Iberian Peninsula about 73 million years ago.”
“This suggests that this lineage arrived on the Iberian Peninsula much later than other dinosaur groups.”
“we Cuncasaura Pintikiniestra “As a representative of the opisthocoelicaudine family Saltasauridae inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere (Laurasia),” the researchers said.
“On the other hand, most of the Late Cretaceous sauropods of southwestern Europe Roecotitan Panda FilandiPreviously discovered at Lo Hueco, the dinosaur belongs to the Relaisaurinae, a group of sauropods thought to have lived only in continental Europe.”
“Our study suggests that Roeco is the only place where both groups are known to coexist, and we propose a new group of titanosaurs, called Roecosauridae, that contains representatives of both lineages.”
“Roeucosaurus may have originated on the southern continent (Gondwana) before spreading around the world.”
of Survey results Published in a journal Communication Biology.
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P. Mocho others2024. Spanish saltasauroid titanosaur reveals Late Cretaceous Europe as a melting pot of endemic and introduced sauropods. Communication Violet 7, 1016; doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06653-0
Named Haliotis pilimoana, the newly identified gastropod species is found only on the Manawatawi Three Kings Islands, off the coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Shell Haliotis pilimoana Manawatawhi Three Kings Islands (AD) and Haliotis virginia (EG). Scale bars – 5 mm in. (AC) and 0.5 mm in. (DG). Image courtesy of Jean-Claude Stahl.
Abalone Family Haliotidae) are herbivorous marine gastropods that inhabit hard substrates in shallow, non-polar regions worldwide.
Several haliotiids are the basis of wild capture and/or aquaculture fisheries.
Additionally, the shells are often used in art, cultural practices, jewelry, and are prized among shell collectors.
Currently, there are approximately 70 species recognized by science, with many subspecies and forms, all belonging to this genus. Haliotis.
Haliotis pilimoana It lives under rocks and in crevices in the Manawatawhi Three Kings Islands at depths of 5-47 metres.
The new species differs subtly but consistently from New Zealand’s native abalone in that its spiral threads are thinner and more numerous. Haliotis virginia are at the same stage of development.
“Haliotis pilimoana Superficially it resembles specimens from the North Island (except near Wellington) population. Haliotis virginia “The shell morphology is similar but differs significantly in that at comparable stages of development, the dorsal surface has consistently thinner spiral threads that are more evenly spaced and closely spaced, and the stigma is more tightly coiled,” said Dr Kelly Walton, a researcher at the University of Otago and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and colleagues.
“These differences are between shells from the northernmost part of the North Island, closest to the Three Kings Islands, and Haliotis pilimoana“The former is obviously a cruder carving.”
“Haliotis pilimoana The mainland population is even more different. Haliotis virginia Average shell shape: Generally, the carapace has a lower profile, more angular carapace margin, and a flatter, wider, and more clearly delimited umbilical edge, especially in the carapace.
According to the study authors: Haliotis pilimoana Has a remnant distribution in or diverged from the Three Kings Islands Haliotis virginia It is unclear what his status will be after the quarantine period.
“The shallow coastal fauna of the Three Kings Islands is highly endemic,” the researchers said.
“The cause of the increase in local endemism in the Three Kings Islands is unknown, but the phenomenon is certainly influenced by successive periods of connectivity and isolation during glacial periods since the Miocene.”
“Strong upwelling can make water quality more stable during glacial cycles.”
“Given the Three Kings region’s small size, easy access from mainland New Zealand, proximity to major shipping lanes and high abundance of endemic species, the area has the potential to benefit from enhanced marine protection.”
Discovery Haliotis pilimoana It has been reported paper In the journal Mollusc Research.
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Kelly Walton others. Haliotis virginia Gmelin, 1791 and a new species of abalone (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Abaloneidae) from New Zealand. Mollusc ResearchPublished online August 30, 2024; doi: 10.1080/13235818.2024.2390476
Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is a species of flightless parrot endemic to New Zealand.
Kakapo (Strigops habroptilusImage courtesy of Jake Osborne.
“Our research has prompted us to rethink our native fauna,” said Dr Paul Schofield, from Canterbury Museum.
“Many species that were thought to be iconic natives of New Zealand – the classic example being the takahe – are now known to be relatively recent species that arrived from Australia only a few million years ago.”
In their study, Dr Schofield and his colleagues focused on the so-called St Bathans Fauna, a collection of more than 9,000 specimens from 33 palaeontological sites and individual deposits near the village of St Bathans in Central Otago, New Zealand’s South Island.
These sites, once the bed of a large prehistoric lake, provide the only significant insight into non-marine life in New Zealand from 20 million years ago (the Early Miocene).
Rare creatures in the St Bathans fauna include: Hercules’ Unexpected a giant parrot that scientists have named Squawkzilla, two mysterious mammals, flamingos, a three-metre crocodile, a giant horned turtle, and a giant bat.
“Twenty-three years of excavations at St Bathans have changed our ideas about the age of New Zealand’s fauna and the importance of some animals over others,” Dr Schofield said.
“For example, we previously thought that birds like kiwis and moas were the oldest representatives of New Zealand’s fauna.”
“We are now beginning to realise that the kakapo, New Zealand’s little wrens and bats, and even the odd freshwater limpet are the true ancient inhabitants of New Zealand.”
The authors conclude that this rare group of animals became extinct as a result of a dramatic drop in temperature over the past five million years or so.
“The work at St Bathans has transformed our understanding of the non-marine vertebrate fauna of New Zealand during the Early Miocene, around 20 million years ago,” Dr Trevor Worthy, from Flinders University, said.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be part of a project that continues to discover brand new things about what animals lived in New Zealand’s lakes, rivers, and surrounding forests at such a pivotal time in history.”
“Every year we find new specimens – amazing discoveries of new species that we never could have imagined when we first started working there.”
“The animals that lived in New Zealand 20 million years ago were very different to those found today,” said Dr Vanessa De Pietri, from the University of Canterbury.
“For example, there was another giant eagle that was not related to Haast’s eagle (Hieraethus Moulay)”
“We had a lot of pretty unusual songbirds, we had alligators and maybe even some small mammals that we call waddling mice.”
“Research is still ongoing to understand what it was exactly.”
This study paper Published in the journal Geobios.
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Trevor H. Worthy othersSummary of the Early Miocene St Bathans fauna of New Zealand. GeobiosPublished online August 6, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2024.03.002
This article has been adapted from an original release by Canterbury Museum.
A new genus and species of non-hadrosaur hadrosauroid dinosaur, Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi was identified from a specimen discovered in southwestern China in 2022.
Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi Image credit: Hai Xing/Sci.News.
Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi lived in China during the Late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago.
The 8-metre (26-foot) long herbivore Hadrosauroidea is a superfamily of ornithischian dinosaurs that includes the so-called duck-billed dinosaurs and their relatives.
“Hadrosauroids are a diverse and highly specialized clade of ornithischian dinosaurs whose fossils have been found in Early to Late Cretaceous deposits in Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Antarctica,” said paleontologist Dr. Hai Xin from the National Museum of Natural History of China, the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, and his colleagues.
“Phylogenically, it is defined as the most inclusive taxon, Parasaurolophus but, Iguanodon It is noted for its duck-billed snout and complex skull dentition.”
“Since the early 20th century, hadrosauroids have been considered an important component of the terrestrial vertebrate fauna of the entire Cretaceous.”
“The fossil record of this group contains a large amount of loose elements, dozens of heavily articulated skeletons, egg and fetal material, and bone bed assemblages that produce soft-tissue impressions and footprints.”
“Within the hadrosauroidea, non-hadrosaur species form a paraphyletic group that reveals a transitional morphology from early-diverging iguanodonts to hadrosaurids.”
“Most non-hadrosaur hadrosaurids are found in Cretaceous Asia, especially in northern and central China, and in the Early Cretaceous Exhibits, Xu Wulong and Probactrosaurus and the Late Cretaceous Tanius, Gilmoreosaurus and Zhang Henglong has been recovered.”
“However, comparable material from the Cretaceous of southwestern China is extremely scarce and fragmentary.”
Incomplete, partially articulated skeleton Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi Collected in 2022 Positive Yang Layer Chongqing, southwest China.
“Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi is the second officially named hadrosauroid dinosaur discovered in South China. Nanningosaurus dassiensis” the paleontologist said.
This specimen represents a transitional morphology between hadrosauroid and non-hadrosauroid dinosaurs and enhances our understanding of the diversity and evolution of non-hadrosauroid dinosaurs.
“The age distribution of eight hadrosaurids is Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi. Phylogenetically, it corresponds to the apex of the Zhengyang Formation during the Santonian to early Maastrichtian period. Chienjiangsaurus chanshengi “Fossils found are probably limited to the late Late Cretaceous,” the authors say.
“Hierarchical clustering of 12 hadrosauroid dinosaur assemblages from Late Cretaceous deposits in Asia revealed strong correlations between the Zhongyang Formation and the Djadokhta and Barungoyot Formations in Mongolia, supporting contemporaneous exchange of dinosaur faunas across East Asia.”
Team paper Published in the journal on August 27, 2024 Cretaceous Research.
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Huy Dai others A new late-divergent non-hadrosaur hadrosauroid species (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from southwestern China: supports Late Cretaceous dinosaur fauna exchange across East Asia. Cretaceous Research Published online August 27, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105995
Paleontologists have added a new species to Europe's Cretaceous dinosaur fauna, discovered in Normandy, France.
Abelisaurid teeth are associated with the holotype specimen. Caletodraco CottardiImages/Photos Courtesy of Buffetaut others., doi: 10.3390/fossils2030009.
Caletodraco Cottardi It lived in what is now France during the Cenomanian period of the Early Cretaceous period, about 100 million years ago.
The ancient species Fuuriusauriais a derived subgroup of abelisaurid dinosaurs (medium-to-large bipedal predators that dominated the Late Cretaceous carnivore fauna of the ancient southern supercontinent Gondwana) previously known only from South America.
“My family Abelisauridae Built in 1985, the museum features Abelisaurus komafuensis“It was a large carnivorous dinosaur that lived in the Campanian formation of Patagonia,” said Dr Eric Baffeteau from PSL Research University and his colleagues.
“It has since become clear that Abelisauridae actually constitute a major lineage of neoceratopsid theropods, and played an important role in the Cretaceous continental ecosystems of South America, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Madagascar.”
“The Abelisauridae are mainly distributed in Gondwana, but in 1988 abelisaurids were reported from the Late Cretaceous of southern France, and are now known from Cretaceous localities in several European countries, including France, Spain, Hungary and the Netherlands.”
Two blocks containing fossilized bones and teeth Caletodraco Cottardi The fossils were excavated by paleontologist Nicolas Cotard at the foot of the sea cliffs of Saint-Jouin-Bruneval, on the coast of the Caux department in the Seine-Maritime department in Normandy, northwest France.
“The glauconitic chalk layers of the Pays de Caux are marine deposits, as suggested in this case by the presence of a shark's tooth in the matrix close to one of the bones of the anterior block,” the paleontologists said.
“The nearest land mass where the dinosaur described below could have lived must have been the Armorica Massif, about 100 km to the southwest.”
“The dinosaur specimens must have somehow been transported to the ocean, possibly by a river, and then drifted quite a long distance before sinking to the ocean floor.”
“Dinosaur fossils are fairly common in marine deposits, but this appears to be the first record from the Late Cretaceous of the Pays de Caux. The only relatively common vertebrate fossils in the region are fish teeth.”
Presence of the furiosaur Abelisaurus Caletodraco Cottardi This dinosaur, discovered in the Cenomanian of Normandy, suggests that the history of abelisaurids in Europe may have been more complex than previously thought.
“discovery Caletodraco Cottardi “This study shows that dinosaur fossils, although extremely rare, are present in the chalk layers of the Anglo-Paris Basin and that a careful search for vertebrate fossils in these marine layers may yield surprising and important results,” the researchers said.
“This new species has led to a re-evaluation of the European abelisaurid fossil record and shows that, contrary to what was previously assumed, majungasaurus was not the only abelisaurid subspecies present in that geographic region. Caletodraco Cottardi It clearly belongs to the Furileusauridae, a highly derived clade of the Abelisauridae.”
“Caletodraco Cottardi It is one of the oldest known furyleusaurids and its discovery in Europe leads us to reconsider the biogeographic history of this theropod group, previously known from South America.”
a paper The findings were published in an online journal. Fossil Research.
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Eric Buffett others2024. Caletodraco Cottardi: A new abelisaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Cenomanian Chalk of Normandy (northwestern France). Phos. Stud 2 (3): 177-195; doi: 10.3390/fossils2030009
New genus and species of large theropod dinosaur named Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics. It was discovered in the Middle Jurassic Barabansai Formation in the northern Fergana Basin of Kyrgyzstan.
Reconstructing your life Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics.Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.
Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics roamed the Earth during the Callovian Period of the Jurassic Period, between 165 and 161 million years ago.
This ancient predator was 7 to 8 metres (23 to 26 feet) long and had highly prominent “eyebrows” on a part of the skull behind the eye sockets, called the postorbital bone, which indicates the presence of horns in this area.
Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics belongs to Metriacanthosauridae, a group of medium- to large-sized allosauroid theropod dinosaurs characterized by high, arched skulls, elongated, dish-like neural spines, and slender hind limbs.
“Theropod dinosaurs are well-known predators, similar to modern birds,” said Professor Oliver Rauhut from the SNSB – Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geology and his colleagues.
“A wide variety of theropods are known from the Mesozoic Era, the age of dinosaurs.”
“Just as lions today live mainly in Africa and tigers only in Asia, for example, Allosaurus was widespread throughout North America and southwestern Europe during the Jurassic, but a similarly sized Allosaurus lived in China.”
However, the region between Central Europe and East Asia was previously unknown, and no large carnivorous dinosaurs from the Jurassic period were previously known to have been found in this vast area.”
Two specimens of Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics were recovered from the top Barabansai Formation in Kyrgyzstan, Jalal-Abad, near the city of Tashkumil.
“While the type specimen represents a subadult individual, the smaller specimen is a juvenile, indicating that it probably lived in groups,” the paleontologists said.
Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics is the first diagnosable theropod species from the Jurassic of Central Asia in western China.
We suggest that metriocanthosaurid dinosaurs originated in Southeast Asia during the Late Early or Early Middle Jurassic and rapidly became the dominant group of apex theropod predators in many ecosystems on the continent during the Jurassic.
Alpkaraqsh Kyrgyzics “The discovery of a metriacanthosaurid dinosaur fossil isn’t necessarily a surprise, but it fills a major gap in our knowledge of Jurassic theropods,” Prof Rauhut said.
“This discovery provides important new insights into the evolution and biogeography of these animals.
This discovery paper issued this month in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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Oliver W. M. Rauhut others A new theropod dinosaur from the Callovian-Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201(4):zlae090;doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae090
A new species of three-bearded rockfish has been described from a specimen taken from a depth of 595 metres in the Tanoudre Valley, off the coast of Mauritania.
Guidelopsarus mauritanicus Hiding under a branching whitish bryozoan Serena reference. Lucida Image courtesy of Tomas Lundelf, University of Gothenburg.
order Cod These include some of the most important species for commercial fisheries today.
There are also small species in this genus, such as the Three-bearded Bulbul. Guide Lopezal Although it has little commercial value, its range is surprisingly wide.
“More than a quarter of all commercially caught marine fish in the world belong to the cod family. Cod family” These include fish species such as Atlantic cod, Alaskan pollock and haddock, which are particularly economically important,” said Dr. Alexander Norn, researcher at Senckenberg am Meer and the University of Bremen.
“However, the Gadidae family also includes much smaller, little known and less studied fish families, such as the Sardinae (Guidelopsalidae), of little commercial value but astonishingly wide in scope.”
The newly described species lives in deep-sea coral reefs off the coast of Mauritania.
“This is the site of the world's largest deep-sea coral reef system, the Mauritanian Wall. The reef stretches for at least 580 kilometres and is 80-100 metres high,” the biologists said.
Scientific Name Guidelopsarus mauritanicus The new species is just 7.3 centimetres long.
this is, Guide Lopezal The species was collected from Tasmania, the most remote geographic location of the samples the team studied.
“Guidelopsarus mauritanicus “It can be distinguished from other fish of the same species based on a combination of different characteristics, including large eyes, a head that takes up a quarter of its body length, long, slender pelvic fins and pink body colour,” Dr Norn said.
“Genetic analysis confirmed that this is a previously undescribed species.”
“Guidelopsarus mauritanicus They were caught with the help of grubs, along with a variety of live deep-sea animals, including framework-forming stony corals and other corals. Desmophyllum pertussum or red deep sea gorgonian Swiftia PhaetonIt also contains colonies of large sponges, bryozoans, starfish, annelids, decapod crustaceans, snails and bivalve mollusks.”
“Also, in the video footage, Guidelopsarus mauritanicus They live exclusively in deep sea coral ecosystems. One of the specimens we saw had whitish spots on its skin. This was the only fish we could see hiding under a branching, whitish bryozoan. Serena reference. Lucida.”
a paper The article describing this discovery Journal of Fish Biology.
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Alexander H. Norn others. Guidelopsarus mauritanicus (Gadiformes, Gaidropsaridae) A new species of three-baleen redfish from a deep-sea coral ecosystem. The biogeographical distribution of the genus is genetically verified, and notes on its ecology and behavior are provided. Journal of Fish Biology Published online August 16, 2024; doi: 10.1111/jfb.15859
Palaeontologists from Japan, Belgium, and the United States have identified a new species of the extinct genus. Ontocetus Nearly complete fossil jaws from the Early Pleistocene in Britain and the Netherlands, and a fragmentary jaw from the Late Pliocene in Belgium, have been found. Ontocetus posti The new species shows striking similarities in its adaptations to modern diets. Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) It highlights an intriguing case of convergent evolution.
Ontocetus posti Image courtesy of Jaime Bran.
“Walruses are one of the most iconic mammals of the Arctic, distinguished from all other seals (pinnipeds) by their large bodies and conspicuous tusks,” said paleontologist Matthieu Boisville of the University of Tsukuba and his colleagues.
“Walruses are one of the largest carnivorous animals, with males of this species weighing up to 2.5 tonnes and reaching an average length of 3 meters.”
“They live in the shallow, cold Arctic waters, where males form small harems during the breeding season.”
“Their primary diet is bivalve mollusks such as clams, which they capture using a unique ‘suction feeding’ technique, sucking out the shellfish flesh using their lips, tongue and arched palate as pistons.”
“Extant walruses live mainly in the Arctic, but their extinct relatives once lived in temperate and subtropical latitudes, mainly in the eastern North Pacific Ocean during the Miocene. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from small, sea-lion-like ‘adults’ to the bizarre and unique two-tusked walrus.”
Ontocetus posti It lived in what is now Europe between 3.7 and 1.7 million years ago (Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene).
The remains of this marine animal were initially thought to belong to a different species, Ontocetus emmonsi.
However, detailed analysis of the specimen revealed a unique combination of characteristics that distinguished the creature as a new species.
These features include four posterior canine teeth, large mandibular canines, and a fused and short mandibular symphysis.
These anatomical features are Ontocetus posti They are highly adapted to feeding by sucking cups, somewhat similar to their modern relatives, the walruses.
“Ontocetus and Odobenus They did not coexist in the North Atlantic. Odobenus Appeared almost a million years after extinction Ontocetus” the paleontologist said.
“Described as a temperate to high temperature resistant tusked walrus, Ontocetus They colonized the western North Atlantic during the Early Pliocene and migrated to the North Sea during the Late Pliocene warm period.
“Its prevalence in warm waters is Odobenus.”
“The global climatic cooling during the Early Pleistocene inevitably affected the North Sea’s molluscan fauna and contributed to its isolation from the North Atlantic,” the researchers said.
“External factors related to the specialization of sucker feeding are Ontocetus posti This probably contributed to their extinction about 1.7 million years ago.”
“We hope that more detailed investigations will shed light on past diversity. Ontocetus and Odobenus This revealed the superiority of cold-tolerant plants on a global scale. Odobenus rosmarus As the sole survivor.”
M. Boisville others2024. A new species Ontocetus The pinniped family Odobenidae, which lived in the Lower Pleistocene of the North Atlantic, is a similar group to modern walruses (Odobenus rosmarus). Peer J 12
Marine Life a small genus of seabird OceanidaeThis includes all of the small petrels in the Southern Hemisphere.
“The family Oceanidae consists of petrels with a phylogeographic origin in the Southern Hemisphere, and the genus contains 10 species. Marine Life, Garodia, Pelagodroma, Freguettaand Nesofregetta,” paleontologist Gerardo Norambuena of the University of Santo Tomas and his colleagues said.
“The marine distribution of this family includes tropical, temperate, sub-Antarctic and Antarctic oceans of the Southern Hemisphere, as well as temperate waters of the North Atlantic.”
“The family was once considered a subfamily of the Hydrobatidae, although scientists had long ago suggested, based on osteological and myological analyses, that Oceanidae species should not be grouped with other petrels.”
“Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have confirmed that the family Oceanitiidae is not the sister lineage of the family Hydrobatidae. However, the systematics of Oceanitiidae, especially within the genus, remain unclear. Marine Life.”
“Currently, this genus Marine Life It consists of three species: Oceanitas oceanica, Oceanitis gracilisand Oceanites pinkoyaeHowever, the taxonomic status of subspecies (and some species) remains under debate.”
In a new study, the researchers Oceanitas oceanica The species complex is formed under the hypothesis that it corresponds to multiple species.
They analyzed new mitochondrial sequence data and morphological measurements of all species and subspecies. Marine LifeThis includes a mysterious new species discovered in the Chilean Andes.
“When I think about that Oceanites “Because birds have such conservative plumage variation and cryptic colours, breeding distributions may be the best way to understand the distribution of each taxon,” the researchers said.
“The new species, Oceanites BarocciIn central Chile, Oceanitis gracilis To the North Oceanites pinkoyae To the south, far from its known breeding range, Oceanitis chilensis.”
“Oceanitis gracilis They breed mainly in the Atacama Desert, Oceanites Barocci Based on multiple lines of evidence, it apparently breeds in the Andes in central Chile.”
The team's analysis also Marine Life Occurred from the Antarctic Ocean to the southeastern Pacific Ocean Oceanitis gracilis, Oceanites pinkoyaeand Oceanites Barocci Approximately 15 to 18 million years ago.
“The colonization of Antarctica occurred about 17 million years ago. Oceanites exasperatus on that continent,” the authors state.
“Colonization of the Atlantic (Oceanitas oceanica) is thought to have originated in the southeast Pacific Ocean 15 million years ago.
“However, these patterns can be better understood through genomic or multilocus approaches, which should allow for more precise assessment of divergence times between groups.”
of Survey results Published in the journal on July 29, 2024 Animal taxa.
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Gerardo V. Norambuena others2024. Resolving conflicting lineages Marine Life (Oceanitisidae: Pelecaniformes) and description of a new species. Animal taxa 5486(4):451-475;doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1
Paleontologists have described a new genus and species of metriorhynchid crocodyloform from the Stadthagen Formation in northwestern Germany.
Artist image Enarioetes schroederi. Image credit: Joschua Knüppe.
The newly discovered crocodyloforme lived in shallow seas off Germany during the Early Cretaceous period, between 140 and 132 million years ago.
dubbing Enarioetes schroederi Ancient reptiles belonged to the family Metriorhynchidae.
“Metriorhynchid fishes had smooth skin without scales, fins and a tail,” explained Dr Sven Sachs from the Natural Sciences Museum in Bielefeld and his colleagues.
“They Feeding Metriorhynchid reptiles fed on a variety of prey, including fast-moving animals such as squid and fish, although some metriorhynchid species have large serrated teeth, suggesting that they may have eaten other marine reptiles.”
“The Jurassic period is the best known, and fossils become rarer as we move into the Cretaceous period.”
Perfectly preserved skull Enarioetes schroederi. It was discovered over 100 years ago in a quarry in Sachsenhagen near Hanover by the German architect D. Hapke.
This specimen is the best-preserved metriorhynchid crocodyloform known from the Cretaceous.
“This specimen is remarkable as it is one of the very few metriorhynchids known to have a three-dimensionally preserved skull,” Dr Sacks said.
“This allowed us to perform CT scans of the specimens, which allowed us to learn a lot about the internal structure of these marine crocodiles.”
“The incredible state of preservation has even allowed us to reconstruct the animal’s internal cavity and inner ear.”
Enarioetes schroederi gives paleontologists new insight into how metriorhynchidae evolved during the Cretaceous period.
“During the Jurassic period, metriorhynchids evolved a body plan that was radically different to other crocodiles, with fins, tails, loss of bony armour and smooth skin without scales,” said Dr Mark Young, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh.
“These changes were increasingly adapted to a marine life.”
“Enarioetes schroederi This trend continues into the Cretaceous. Enarioetes schroederi It has larger eyes than other metriorhynchids (which are already large by crocodile standards) and its bony inner ear is more compact than other metriorhynchids. Enarioetes schroederi I probably could have swum faster.”
Discovery Enarioetes schroederi has been reported paper of Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.
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Sven Sachs others 2024. A new genus of metriorhynchid crocodile from the Lower Cretaceous of Germany. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 22 (1): 2359946; doi: 10.1080/14772019.2024.2359946
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a new genus and species of troodontid theropod dinosaur based on fossils discovered in Japan.
Reconstructing your life Hypnovenator Pinus variegatusImage provided by: Masato Hattori.
Hypnovenator Pinus variegatus They roamed the Earth during the Early Cretaceous Period, between 112 million and 106 million years ago.
The new dinosaur TroodontidaeA group of bird-like theropods including species ranging in size from kiwi to rhea.
“The Troodontidae are a family of small, slender theropod dinosaurs,” Dr. Katsuhiro KubotaPaleontologists and colleagues from the University of Hyogo, the Museum of Nature and Human Sciences, and the Hokkaido University Museum.
“The phylogenetic position of Troodontidae has traditionally been considered to be a clade together with Dromaeosauridae that forms the Deinonychosauridae, but Troodontidae has also been considered as a sister clade to Avialidae.”
“Anchiornis from the Late Jurassic of China has questionable phylogeny and is classified as either a troodontid or aves.”
“These lively discussions will greatly improve our understanding of the phylogeny and osteology of non-avian theropods, with major implications for our understanding of early bird evolution.”
“Since the discovery of the first troodontids Troodon Troodontid fossils have been found in the Late Cretaceous of Canada, and in the Middle Jurassic and Late Cretaceous of Asia, Europe, and North America.
“However, articulated troodontid specimens are extremely rare.”
Articulated skull Hypnovenator Pinus variegatus It was discovered in deposits in the lower Mt. Oyama layer in Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture.
“In September 2010, during construction work on a park in Nishikosa, Tanba Sasayama City, rocks in the Lower Oyama Formation were crushed and a partial theropod skeleton, including forelimbs and knees, was discovered,” the paleontologists explained.
“The discovery was made by Kaoru Matsubara and Ryuji Oe of the amateur group 'Sasayama Group Research Association.'”
“In July 2011, an articulated theropod heel was discovered at the same site during an excavation carried out by the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Nature and Human Sciences.”
These specimens are the only troodontid dinosaurs identified in Japan.
“Our position on phylogenetic analysis is Hypnovenator Pinus variegatus It is one of the oldest and most basal troodontids. Gobivenator mongoliensis” the researchers said.
“This discovery suggests that small maniraptorid dinosaurs in sleeping positions were common in fluvial systems as well as volcanic, aeolian and alluvial environments.”
“The geometric morphometric analysis of the claw phalanges shows that claw phalanges I and III are Hypnovenator Pinus variegatus They show considerable morphological variation but are functionally similar, reflecting a shift in manual action within troodontids that differs from that seen in non-troodontid troodontids.”
“Hypnovenator Pinus variegatus “The foot also displays a mosaic of running-related features,” the researchers added.
“This study reveals that asymmetric arc metatarsals appeared by the Albian, and morphological changes such as a shorter digit IV than digit III, a non-clawed phalange of digit III with a roller joint, and a weak gingival joint of digit IV occurred in the Early Late Cretaceous.”
This discovery paper In the journal Scientific Reports.
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Kenichi Kubota others2024. An Early Cretaceous troodontid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Oyamashita Formation in Japan sheds light on the early evolution of Troodontidae. Scientific Reports 14, 16392; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66815-2
Corals are being hit hard by global warming, and the only way to save coral reef ecosystems may be to replace native species with more heat-tolerant species from other parts of the world. This is the view of two coral researchers, who call for a thorough evaluation of the benefits and risks of deliberately introducing non-native corals, rather than a quick dismissal.
Living coral is essential to the health of coral reefs and the people who depend on them. Michael Webster Professor at New York University: “Corals are not only beautiful to look at on reefs, they provide habitat for many different organisms, they protect against waves from shorelines, and they make up the sand on tropical beaches.”
But corals cannot tolerate temperatures outside the normal range of their habitat: Global warming has caused ocean temperatures to rise sharply, leading to widespread bleaching, in which corals expel the algal symbionts that provide them with much of their nutrients, and can ultimately lead to their death.
“Coral reefs are being lost at a rapid rate in many places around the world, and attempts to restore them through traditional means have had mixed results,” Webster says.
Webster calls for change in an opinion piece he co-authored with Daniel Schindler of Seattle University in Washington. “You might be able to find corals in a totally different place that are already adapted to the environment that's coming into one place, or that may come into that place in the future — you're trying to find pre-adapted corals,” he says. Many who want to save the reefs are horrified by the idea, but Webster says things are getting worse and it needs to be seriously considered.
For example, two species of branching corals native to the Caribbean are in very poor condition, Webster says. But there are more than 100 species of branching corals around the world, and some of them, if introduced to the Caribbean, could potentially recreate the habitat that the branching corals provided. “They won't necessarily be the same color,” Webster says, “but they're ecologically similar.”
Webster and Schindler acknowledge that there are risks: A worst-case scenario is that devastating diseases or predators are accidentally introduced along with the invasive corals, which could outcompete or hybridize with native species.
But there are also risks in waiting too long to act, Webster says. He thinks that replacing lost species with species that perform a similar role — so-called ecological replacement — is much more realistic than other options currently being considered, such as genetically engineering corals to survive higher temperatures. “The best thing for coral reefs is to maintain the diversity that's there,” he says.
Terry Hughes of James Cook University in Queensland, Australia, disagrees. “The innocuous term 'ecological replacement' is naive, dangerous and stunningly arrogant,” Hughes says. “The authors fail to acknowledge that the accidental or deliberate introduction of invasive species has already caused enormous ecological damage to coral reefs around the world.”
For example, in the 1980s, a previously unknown Pacific disease spread through the entrance to the Panama Canal, wiping out algae-eating sea urchins in the Caribbean and causing an algae bloom that killed millions of corals, Hughes says. “Invasive species are a problem for coral reefs, not a healthy solution.”
Cruxatodon kiltlingtonensisA small mammal from the Jurassic period
Maiya Carrara
During the Middle Jurassic, small mammals lived much longer than modern ones and received parental care for years rather than weeks, suggesting that at some point there was a major change in the growth rates of small mammals, although the exact cause is unknown.
The discovery is based on two fossil skeletons of extinct mouse-sized creatures. Cruxatodon kiltlingtonensis, It lived on the Isle of Skye in Scotland about 166 million years ago, and its fossils were unearthed decades apart, the first in the 1970s and the second in 2016.
The unusual discovery of two fossils of the same species, one adult and one juvenile, allowed the team to compare the specimens to study how the animals grew and developed. “That meant we could ask questions we never dreamed of with just one specimen,” he says. Elsa Panciroli At the National Museum of Scotland.
First, the scientists used X-ray images to count the growth rings on the specimens' teeth, which are similar to growth rings on tree trunks and can be used to estimate age. They found that the adult specimens were about 7 years old, and the juvenile specimens were between 7 months and 2 years old.
Panciroli said he expected the fossil to be much younger, since the pup still had its baby teeth. “This was quite surprising, as this animal is about the size of a squirrel or a shrew,” Panciroli said. “We would have expected its teeth to grow back within a few weeks or months, so we could see straight away that it must have been developing quite differently. [than modern species].”
This discovery K. Quiltrington Mice took up to two years to wean from their mothers, a big jump from the few weeks most small mammals require today. Analysis of the length and size of the fossil bones reveals that the animals “grew throughout their lives,” Panchiroli says. Today, small mammals like mice grow rapidly when they're young but then stop growing as adults.
It's unclear exactly when and why small mammals evolved this way, but Panchiroli said it could be linked to environmental changes or it could be the result of mammals having warmer blood and a faster metabolism.
Panciroli and her team return to Skye every year, and are optimistic that they will be able to better understand these changes: “Hopefully in the coming years we'll find more fossils and new ways to ask these questions,” she says.
New species of early crocodile named Asiatosuchus oenotoriensis was discovered by a team of paleontologists from Spain’s National University of Distance Learning and the University of Salamanca.
Skull Asiatosuchus oenotoriensis Type specimen from the Middle Eocene site of Casaseca de Campean, Spain. Image credit: Narváez others., doi: 10.1002/ar.25422.
The newly identified crocodile lived on Earth during the Middle Eocene Epoch, between 48 and 41 million years ago.
Prehistoric animals Asiatosuchus An extinct genus of crocodilian crocodiles that lived in Europe and Asia during the Paleogene (66 to 23 million years ago).
“During the Palaeogene, a variety of crocodilians with common snouts (i.e. non-elongated snouts) inhabited Europe. The Middle Eocene is particularly notable for its relative abundance and diversity, but also includes fossils from the Late Paleocene and possibly the Early Oligocene and Late Neogene,” said lead author Dr Ivan Narváez and his colleagues.
“Many of the Eocene crocodile fossils are from the Asiatosuchus-like complex.”
“Genus Asiatosuchus was Established The species was defined in 1940 by paleontologist Charles Mook. Asiatosuchus grangeli It is based on an incomplete lower jaw and several skull fragments from the Middle Eocene of the Irdin Mankha Formation in Mongolia.”
“After the definition Asiatosuchus grangeli Several other eupteran forms, generally represented as isolated or rare fossils, have been described from the Paleocene to Oligocene of Europe, Asia and North America and have recently been Asiatosuchus It’s a complex like that.”
Two fossils Asiatosuchus oenotoriensis A similarly sized specimen was discovered at the La Laguna archaeological site in Spain in the 1980s.
The specimen includes a nearly complete skull and a nearly complete left lower jaw.
“The La Laguna fossil site is located in the Tierra del Vino region of the province of Zamora, Spain, approximately 20 kilometres south of the city of Zamora and approximately one kilometre north of the village of Casaseca de Campean,” the paleontologists said.
“The area forms part of the western part of the Duero Basin (Ciudad Rodrigo Basin).”
“The Duero Basin is the largest continental Cenozoic basin on the Iberian Peninsula.”
According to the authors: Asiatosuchus oenotoriensis Increase knowledge of diversity and distribution of Asiatosuchus Crocodile-like complex.
“Asiatosuchus oenotoriensis “This adds valuable information to our knowledge of the systematics of the relatively diverse crocodile fauna of the Duero Basin in Spain,” the researchers said.
Ivan Narvaez others A new crocodilian superfamily from the Middle Eocene of Zamora (Duero Basin, Spain). Anatomy record Published online March 5, 2024; doi: 10.1002/ar.25422
Pakistani paleontologists have uncovered a new genus and species of a prehistoric relative of the giraffe from the Miocene period.
Reconstruction of an ancient giraffe. Image by Apokryltaros / CC BY 3.0.
Blamiscus Micro It lived in what is now northern Pakistan about 9 million years ago (Miocene epoch).
This prehistoric species Giraffeare a large family of ruminant, artiodactyla mammals that share a common ancestor with deer and bovids and that include modern-day giraffes and okapis.
Blamiscus Micro Probably two pairs Bone horn (horn-like protrusions) on its head.
“Blamiscus Micro “This giraffe probably possessed two pairs of antlers that differed in size, orientation and ornamentation from those of other early and middle Miocene giraffids and giraffiniformes,” Dr Maria Rios from the New University of Lisbon and her colleagues wrote in the paper.
Skull, teeth, and remains after the skull Blamiscus Micro The fossils were discovered at the Dok bun Amir Khatun (Chinji Formation) fossil site in Chakwal district, Punjab province, Pakistan. Additional fossils were identified from the Hasvard Siwaliks collection.
“Early Miocene giraffids are less diverse and abundant than their Late Miocene counterparts, with most of the evidence coming from the Chinji Formation of Pakistan,” the paleontologists write.
“Giraffidae remains have also been found in the Kalodir, Ropelot and Mol Olot Hills of the Losidok Formation of West Turkana, Kenya, on Rusinga Island in the Hiwegi Formation of Kenya, and at Gebel Zelten in Libya.”
“The genera known from the Early Miocene are Progirafa and Canthomerix” they added.
“By the Middle Miocene, several more species (e.g. Ginger-leaf lily, giraffe) Adaptive radiation then occurred, with several more giraffidae species occurring in the Chinji Formation of Pakistan, Fort Ternan in Kenya, and on the island of Chios in Greece, with many more species found in Africa and the Middle East.
Blamiscus Micro It coexisted simultaneously with other giraffes. Progirafa exigua, Ginger-leaf lily, giraffe, giraffeand other species yet to be named.
“Our specimen is the oldest record of a giraffe with true bony horns in the Indian subcontinent,” the researchers concluded.
their paper Published online in the journal Paleoniologia Electronica.
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Maria Rios others2024. New Kirin Blamiscus Micro A new genus and species (Ruminant, Giraffidae) discovered from the Miocene of northern Pakistan. Paleoniologia Electronica 27(2):a29; Source: 10.26879/1243
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