Australia discovers a new, complex Ediacaran animal species

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Questio Sympsonorum It is part of the Ediacaran biota and contains the oldest preserved evidence of complex macroscopic fauna.

close-up of Questio Sympsonorum Footprints. Image credit: Evans others., doi: 10.1111/ede.12491.

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

Source: www.sci.news

Colossal, the company blamed for endangering species, announces nearly complete possum genome

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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 edits It 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.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Marine scientists uncover unique new deep-sea skater species

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

Discovery of Seven New Star Trek Tree Frog Species in Madagascar

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

Seven frog species recently identified produce vocalizations that resemble the sound effects from Star Trek

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Colombian fossils reveal a new species of ichthyosaur

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

Confirmation of new Gondwanannotoscos species discovered in Brazil

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

A newly discovered species of hammerhead shark

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

Paleontologists discover three new species of ancient thylacine fossils

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

New discovery of a ceratopsian dinosaur species

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

New Species of Titanosaur Discovered in Spain by Paleontologists

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

Newly discovered abalone species found in the waters of New Zealand

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

The Kakapo Parrot: A Species with Ancient Origins in New Zealand, According to Paleontologist

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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.

Source: www.sci.news

A newly discovered herbivorous dinosaur species

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

France uncovers new species of abelisaurid dinosaur

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

A new carnivorous dinosaur species discovered in Kyrgyzstan

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

New Fish Species Found in Mauritanian Waters by Marine Biologists

Posted on August 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

New Extinct Walrus Species Uncovered by Paleontologists

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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.”

The results of this study are: journal Peer J.

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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

Source: www.sci.news

New Species of Petrel Discovered by Ornithologists

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

An international team of ornithologists has described a mysterious new species of bird genus. Marine Life From Chile.

Andean Storm Petrel (Oceanites BarocciImages/Photos Courtesy of: Norambuena others., doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5486.4.1.

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

Source: www.sci.news

Ancient Marine Crocodile Species Unearthed in Germany

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

A recently discovered troodontid dinosaur species found in Japan

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

One controversial proposal to save coral reefs: replace them with new species.

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Would drastic action help the reef recover?

Serge Melessane / Alamy

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.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ancient fossils reveal slower growth rates in mammals compared to modern species from Jurassic period

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers find previously unknown species of prehistoric crocodile

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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.

Team paper Published in Anatomy record.

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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

Source: www.sci.news

Miocene giraffe species possessed double sets of antlers

Posted on July 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

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

Source: www.sci.news

A new species of thescelosaur dinosaur found to have lived in underground burrows

Posted on July 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Thescelosaurinae A group of small to medium-sized herbivorous dinosaurs that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. The newly discovered Thescelosaurinae species Fona Herzogae It shows evidence that these dinosaurs spent at least some of their time in underground burrows.

Fona HerzogaeImage courtesy of Jorge Gonzalez.

Fona Herzogae It lived in what is now Utah about 99 million years ago (Cretaceous Period).

At the time, the region was a vast floodplain ecosystem between a huge inland sea to the east and active volcanoes and mountains to the west. It was a warm, wet, muddy environment with numerous rivers and streams.

Since 2013, paleontologists from North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have excavated this fossil, as well as other specimens of the same species, in the Mussenchutchit Formation of the Cedar Mountain Formation.

The state of preservation of these fossils and some of the features they have suggest that they may have been burrowing.

Fona Herzogae It was a small, herbivorous dinosaur about the size of a large dog and with a simple body shape.

Although they lack the flashy ornamentation of their more well-adorned relatives, such as horned, armored, or crowned dinosaurs, Fona Herzogae it was boring.

Fona Herzogae It shares several anatomical features with animals known for digging and burrowing, including large biceps, strong muscle attachments in the hips and legs, fused bones along the pelvis (probably helping with stability while digging), and hind limbs that are proportionally larger than the forelimbs, but that's not the only evidence that this animal spent time underground.

“The fossil record is biased towards large animals, mainly because in floodplain environments like Mussentucht, small bones at the surface are often scattered, rotted, or scavenged before being buried and fossilized,” says Habib Abrahami, a doctoral student at North Carolina State University and digital engineer for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' new “Dueling Dinosaurs” program.

“but Fona Herzogae In many cases, the bones are found in very good condition and complete, with many of them preserved in their original death position, with their chest down and their forelimbs spread.”

“If they had already been in an underground burrow before they died, it would have been more likely to have been preserved in this way.”

Dr. Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor at North Carolina State University, director of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and corresponding author of the study, agrees.

“Fona Herzogae “We've found a much larger number of skeletons of small animals with weak bones in this area than we would have expected,” Dr Zanno said.

“The most likely explanation for why so many specimens have been found and why they were recovered in small bundles is that they lived underground, at least part of the time.”

“Essentially, Fona Herzogae They have done a tremendous job for us by putting the whole area underground.”

Although researchers have yet to identify the underground burrow, Fona Herzogaethe tunnels and chambers of its closest relatives, OryctodromeusIt was discovered in Idaho and Montana. These discoveries Fona Herzogae They also used burrows.

Fona Herzogae It is also a distant relative of Willo, another famous North Carolina fossil. Thescelosaurus neglectus This specimen, now in a museum, is thought to have been adapted to a semi-cryptic lifestyle, that is, partially underground.

“Thescelosaurus neglectus At the end of this lineage was Fona Herzogae “It's an ancestor from about 35 million years ago,” Avrahami says.

The researchers Fona Herzogae It is key to improving our understanding of Cretaceous ecosystems.

“Fona Herzogae “It gives us insight into the three-dimensional space that animals can occupy by moving underground,” Avrahami said.

“This discovery adds to the richness of the fossil record and expands the known diversity of small herbivores, a vital yet poorly understood component of Cretaceous ecosystems.”

“People tend to have a myopic view of dinosaurs that hasn't kept pace with scientific advances,” Dr Zanno said.

“We now know that dinosaur diversity ranged from small arboreal gliding animals and nocturnal hunters to sloth-like herbivores and, of course, animals that hid underground.”

of work Appear Anatomy record.

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Habib M. Avrahami othersA new, semi-excavated thescelosaurine dinosaur from the Cenomanian Mussenchutit Formation of the Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah. Anatomy recordPublished online July 9, 2024; doi: 10.1002/ar.25505

This article is a version of a press release provided by North Carolina State University.

Source: www.sci.news

Stegosaurus: Uncovering a new species

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Chinese paleontologists have discovered fossil fragments of a new genus and species of stegosaur dinosaur. Bayinosaurus baojiensis.

Reconstructing your life Gigantespinosaurus (Lower foreground), a newly discovered sister species of Stegosaurus Bayinosaurus baojiensisand other dinosaurs discovered in the ShaxiMiao Formation. Image by A. Belov / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Bayinosaurus baojiensis It roamed the Earth during the Middle Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago.

This dinosaur species is StegosaursA group of herbivorous armoured dinosaurs that lived in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

Stegosaurus reached a maximum length of about 9 metres (30 feet). It had a small head with peg-like teeth, vertical bone plates and spines on its back and tail, and hoof-like toes on all four limbs.

“Stegosaurus is a minor but iconic lineage of ornithischian dinosaurs, but its early evolution remains poorly understood due to a poor fossil record,” said Dr Li Ning from China University of Geosciences and his colleagues.

“These dinosaurs are characterized by having two parasagittal rows of enlarged dermal armor plates and/or spines that extend from the neck to the tip of the tail, and have been found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.”

“The earliest stegosaurs date to the Middle Jurassic and were distributed worldwide by the Late Jurassic, after which diversity declined during the Early Cretaceous.”

“Middle Jurassic stegosaurs are rarely recorded, with only five species. Loricatosaurus From the UK, Isabelisaura From Argentina, Adorati Krit From Morocco and Huayangosaurus and Bashanosaurus From China.”

Partial skeleton of Bayinosaurus baojiensis The fossil, consisting of a partial skull, one cervical vertebra, seven dorsal vertebrae, and one caudal vertebra, Wangjiashan Formation.

“The study area is located in the northwestern part of the Baojishan Basin, Pingchuan District, Baiyin City, Gansu Province, China,” the paleontologists said.

“The Baojishan Basin is located at the eastern end of the Qilian Mountains.”

According to the team's systematic analysis, Bayinosaurus baojiensis is an early diverging stegosaur, Isabelisaura, Alcovasaurus, Junjunosaurus and Gigantespinosaurus.

“Bayinosaurus baojiensis “This dinosaur possesses several protoplasmic features and represents a morphological transition between early ostracods and the early-diverging stegosaurs,” the researchers say.

“The increased diversity of Middle Jurassic stegosaurs and their early divergence position suggest that stegosaurs likely diverged from their sister taxon, the ankylosaurs, in the early Middle Jurassic (or possibly much earlier).”

of study Published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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L. Nin others2024. A new species of stegosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) discovered from the Middle Jurassic of Gansu Province, China. Scientific Reports 14, 15241; doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66280-x

Source: www.sci.news

Over 100 Shark Species at Risk of Drastic Population Declines by 2100

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Ocean warming threatens to reduce golden tiger shark populations

Shutterstock/Podlonaya Elena

The world's egg-laying shark populations could be hit hard by the end of the century as increasing ocean warming and acidification destroys embryos, potentially affecting more than 100 shark species.

This discovery was made possible by the discovery of the giant sandbar shark (Termitesis found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. About 40 percent of sharks reproduce by laying tough, skinned egg capsules that contain the embryos. These shark embryos are highly sensitive to changes in ocean conditions, such as temperature and pH levels. The ocean absorbs excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, causing it to warm up and become more acidic.

Noémie Coulon Researchers at the French National Museum of Natural History exposed catshark eggs to a variety of ocean conditions, including monthly temperature changes, in a lab tank. Coulomb and his colleagues chose the catshark because it is one of the most abundant shark species in Europe.

In the first test, A “middle-of-the-road” climate scenario A 2.7°C increase in temperature above pre-industrial levels by 2100, with a corresponding decrease in pH of 0.2, is projected. A second scenario (in which the world continues to rely heavily on fossil fuels) projects a 4.4°C increase in temperature and a 0.4 decrease in pH by the end of the century. The third is a historical baseline, which recreates water temperature and pH in shark habitats from 1995 to 2014.

A tiny spotted catshark embryo inside an egg

Noémie Coulon

The researchers then simulated conditions as the embryos developed over the next four months, and found dramatic differences in the embryos' hatching success rates depending on the experimental conditions: In the baseline and moderate scenarios, about 82% of the eggs hatched. But in the warmest scenario, only five of the 45 embryos survived, a loss of almost 90%.

“We were really shocked by the death rate,” Coulon said. “It will probably cause a population collapse.”

“Even a relatively short period of warmth, such as a particularly warm August, was enough to cause the hatching to fail. Based on these results, Coulon predicts other egg-laying sharks, including endangered or vulnerable species like the nurse hound, will be similarly devastated.”

But their extinction is not doomed, says Coulon: “If we make an effort to limit global warming to around 2°C, this species may be able to survive.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

A recently identified bird species found in the Lesser Sunda Islands

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A team of scientists from the Swedish Museum of Natural History has described a new species of nightjar that lives in the tropical forests of Timor Island and Wetar in the Lesser Sunda Archipelago.

Male Caprimargus ritae in Wetar, October 13, 2014. Image courtesy of James Eaton.

Nightjar It is a medium-sized, nocturnal, enterophagous bird belonging to the family. Caprimulgidae And the order Black-tailed Gulls.

These birds are found all over the world, except Antarctica and certain island groups such as the Seychelles.

Nightjars have long wings, short legs and a very short beak and usually catch flying insects at night. During the day they sleep on the ground or usually perched upright on a branch.

“Nightjars are one of the most difficult birds to study because of their discreet nocturnal behaviour and inconspicuous plumage,” said lead author Dr George Sangster and his colleagues.

In their study, the authors: Caprimargus maculus Complex.

This species complex is found from Pakistan to Australia and consists of six morphologically similar species with distinct calls.

“Field surveys on Timor Island and on Wetar Island in the Lesser Sunda Archipelago have revealed a seventh species in the complex, which we call a new species,” the researchers said.

“This species has Caprimargus maculus, Caprimargus selebensis and Caprimargus manilensis However, this species differs from these and all other species in this complex in at least 13 vocal traits.”

Named Caprimargus ritae Like the Timor nightjar or the Timor nightjar, this new species is not found in any other part of its range. Caprimargus maculus Complex.

This bird is a forest specialist and has been recorded in a wide range of tropical forests, from tall evergreen forests to dry deciduous forests, mainly at altitudes below 1,000 metres, with one record from 1,500 metres above sea level.

“Caprimargus ritae “This is the fourth bird species known to be endemic to both Timor and Wetar islands,” the scientists said.

“Other species include the Timorese giant pigeon (Ducula cineracea), Wetal ground pigeon (Pumps Sana Gallicorumba Howety) and Rainbow lorikeet (Saudareos Iris)

“Six species found on Timor and Wetar are only found on Atauro, Roti and Semau islands. Caprimargus ritae This is also true for several other bird species.”

“Wetar is closer to Timor (51km) than Alor (76km). The exclave of Atauro island is just 23km from Timor and 21km from Wetar.”

” Cyt b The Timor and Wetar sequence shows the colonization of Timor to Wetar, or vice versa probably quite recently.”

of study Published in the journal Ibis.

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Ben F. King others A new species of nightjar (Capri Margos) from Timor and Wetar, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Wallacea. Ibis Published online June 24, 2024, doi: 10.1111/ibi.13340

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists discover unknown species of armadillo

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

of Cricket Armadillo (Dasypus novemucinctus) There are actually four different species, including a previously undescribed endemic species. Guiana ShieldAccording to a new study.

Guiana Navajo Armadillo (Dasypus guianensisImage courtesy of Quentin Martinez, https://quentinmartinez.fr.

Armadillos are New World placental mammals. CingulataAlong with anteaters and sloths, they form part of a superclade that dates back 100 million years ago. Xenomorphs.

The cricket armadillo The most widely distributed xenarthropod species Across the Americas.

Recent studies suggest that it consists of four distinct lineages whose taxonomic status is unclear.

“It has been widely believed that the cricket armadillo ranges from northern Argentina to southern Illinois, but in recent years some scientists have presented evidence that it is in fact a complex of several different species,” said Dr. Frédéric Delschuk, research director at the CNRS.

“By studying the DNA of armadillos across their range, we were able to perform a very detailed genomic analysis and become convinced that there are in fact four different species of armadillos.”

“Under the new classification, armadillos found in the United States should be called Mexican long-legged armadillos,” added Dr Anderson Feijo, a researcher at the Field Museum.

“In addition, a new species of Guiana Navajo armadillo (Dasypus guianensis) is the first armadillo described in the past 30 years.

In this study, the researchers analyzed the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Dasypus Armadillos were sampled throughout their range.

A combination of genetic data and physical characteristics led them to conclude that cricket armadillos are actually four genetically distinct species.

Thus, some subspecies within this species have come to be recognized as species in their own right.

The armadillo found in Mexico and the United States was formerly a subspecies of Mexican wolfnow just Mexican wolf: Mexican long-legged armadillo.

Subspecies Window StratusThe species that inhabits the central part of its range is now a distinct species, and its original name was Novemucinctas Currently limited to South America.

Meanwhile, the data showed that another branch of the armadillo phylogenetic tree did not belong to any of these three existing groups.

The area of northeastern South America known as the Guiana Shield is home to the newest armadillo species. Dasypus guianensis.

The new armadillo is slightly larger than the other three species, has a hairless shell, a robust domed skull and additional bones in its spine.

Overall, however, to the untrained eye, these four species appear very similar.

“It's nearly impossible to tell in the field,” Dr Delsac said.

a paper The findings were published in the journal. Systematic biology.

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Mathilde Barthes othersExon capture museomics deciphers a cricket armadillo species complex and identifies a new species endemic to the Guiana Shield. Systematic biologyPublished online June 22, 2024, doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syae027

Source: www.sci.news

A recently found bird species in Brazil

Posted on June 25, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

According to a multi-trait systematic study led by the Federal University of Pará, ornithologists Silver-cheeked anteater (Sacesphoroides cristatus) It actually represents not one but two species.

An illustration Sacesphoroides niedegidonaeImage courtesy of Eduardo Brettas.

A newly discovered species, the northern stingray (Sacesphoroides niedegidonae)teeth, CaatingaA natural area located in the interior of northeastern Brazil.

“Caatinga is the largest seasonally dry tropical forest in the Neotropics, located in northeastern Brazil, and is characterized by a predominantly deciduous forest and extreme seasonality of rainfall,” Dr. Pablo Cerqueira Emilio Goeldi from the Paraense Museum of the Federal University of Pará and his colleagues.

“Historically, this area has been treated as a biologically impoverished region, but recent studies have uncovered new diversification patterns and several new species of frogs, mammals, insects and fish.”

“The region's topography has played an important role in its biogeographical history, with altitudes ranging from sea level in the north to an average of 400-700 metres in the central states of Bahia and Minas Gerais, to over 1,000 metres on the slopes of the Sierra de Espinhaço mountain range.”

Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is the second known species in the genus. SacesphoroidesThis also includes Sacesphoroides cristatus.

“Until recently, Sacesphoroides cristatus Classified into the genus SacesphorusHowever, new genetic and morphological data have revealed that the genus is non-monophyletic, prompting its transfer to a separate genus. Sacesphoroides” the researchers said.

In this study, a total of 1,079 Sacesphoroides cristatus Sample size (818 males, 261 females).

To investigate song variation, the researchers analyzed a total of 115 different audio recordings.

They also sequenced 58 tissue samples from across the country. Sacesphoroides cristatus The range is wide, with 39 of them belonging to the left bank of the San Francisco River and 19 on the right bank.

Of the 1,079 individuals analysed (skins and photographs), no diagnostic plumage differences could be identified among males, but two main plumage patterns were diagnosed in females, mainly across the river.

“Men Sacesphoroides niedegidonae The feathers are similar Sacesphoroides cristatus“The males are males, but the females have different colouring on the top of their heads, backs and tails than the males,” the scientists said.

“Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is generally lighter in color (amber) rather than chestnut brown. Sacesphoroides cristatus. “

The back is olive brown Sacesphoroides niedegidonae,on the other hand, Sacesphoroides cristatus It's cinnamon brown.”

“The overall color of the tail is Sacesphoroides niedegidonae Darker than Sacesphoroides cristatusThe most noticeable difference is the black and white stripes. Sacesphoroides cristatus It has a modest dull brown and reddish stripes, and no white stripes at all.”

“Sing out loud Sacesphoroides niedegidonae The general pattern is: Sacesphoroides cristatus“However, the shape of the first note is noticeably different,” they added.

“The new species is almost exclusively restricted to the left/north bank of the São Francisco River, with one population occurring on the right bank in the “Raço da Catarina” region of Bahia.”

“This population, discovered on the right/south bank of the San Francisco River, may have 'migrated' across the river due to changes in paleotopography, as detailed in the Discussion section below.”

Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It is a common species throughout most of its range and occurs in a variety of habitats in the Caatinga, including secondary growth vegetation.

“The range of the outbreak is estimated to be 630,000 km.²not approaching the threshold Vulnerable Status according to IUCN range criteria (<20,000 km2)²),” the authors state.

“Although population data is not available, the mature population is estimated at more than 10,000 individuals, and the species Least Concern. “

“But a new approach using niche modelling for future climate scenarios shows Sacesphoroides cristatus (include Sacesphoroides niedegidonae(same as treated prior to this study).

“When we apply the IUCN criteria to these estimated future range sizes, the threatened category is Near Threatened And more Vulnerable It depends on future global change scenarios.”

Discovery Sacesphoroides niedegidonae It has been reported paper In the journal Zoological scriptor.

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Pablo Cerqueira othersA new ant shrike (Aves: Shrikeidae) endemic to Caatinga and the role of climate variability and drainage change in shaping the potential diversity of a Neotropical seasonally dry forest. Zoological scriptorpublished online June 17, 2024. Source: 10.1111/zsc.12672

Source: www.sci.news

The newly discovered ceratopsian species had unique curved, blade-like horns on the underside of its frill.

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have identified a new genus and species of centrosaurine dinosaur from fossils discovered in the Judith River Formation in the Kennedy Coulee region of Montana, USA. Lociceratops rangiformisThe new species emerged at least 12 million years earlier than its better-known relatives. Triceratops It was the largest ceratopsid of its time.

Reconstruction Lociceratops rangiformis Be amazed by a crocodile in the 78-million-year-old swamps of northern Montana. Image by Andrej Achutin/Museum of Evolution, Maribo, Denmark.

Lociceratops rangiformis It lived in what is now Montana during the Cretaceous period, about 78 million years ago.

This species was about 6.7 metres (22 feet) long and weighed five tons, making it the largest dinosaur in the group called ceratopsians. Centrosaurinae It has never been found in North America before.

“In the dinosaur ecosystem of the ancient island continent Laramidia, ceratopsians were geographically widespread, morphologically diverse and possessed a great deal of variation in cranial ornamentation, including horns and a morphologically diverse parietal scaly frill,” said Professor Mark Loewen of the University of Utah and his colleagues.

“Two distinct lineages within the Ceratopsidae family diverged by at least 83 million years ago.”

“These are the chasmosaurinae, which have long snouts and long frills, and the centrosaurines, which have rounded snouts and relatively short frills.”

“Centrosaurinae represent an ecologically important and diverse lineage of ceratopsians that reached a peak in diversity during the Campanian, 83 to 70 million years ago.”

“Historically known from abundant fossil finds in Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA, discoveries over the past two decades have rapidly expanded our understanding of this group, particularly its geographic and morphological range, and have also provided new insights into the ontogeny of centrosaurines.”

“Centrosaurinae were locally abundant in some areas of southern Alberta and northern Montana, but were previously rare or poorly known in other parts of Laramidia.”

Fossil skull Lociceratops rangiformisImage courtesy of the Evolution Museum, Maribo, Denmark.

Paleontologists have discovered the skeleton of a mature individual. Lociceratops rangiformis Quarrying at Loki Quarry in 2019 Judith River Formation.

“The Loki quarry, which yielded the new specimen, is located on private land in the Kennedy Coulee Badlands, north of the town of Rudyard in Hill County, northern Montana, USA,” the researchers said.

Lociceratops rangiformis It has the largest frill horns of any ceratopsid ever, and lacks the nasal horns characteristic of its genus.

“This new dinosaur pushes the boundaries of outlandishness in ceratopsian head ornaments, boasting the largest frill horns ever seen on a ceratopsian,” said paleontologist Joseph Sertich of Colorado State University.

“These skull ornaments provide another window into the diversity of horned dinosaurs and demonstrate that evolutionary selection for flashy displays contributed to the dazzling richness of Cretaceous ecosystems.”

“We think dinosaur horns were similar to the displays performed by birds, who used them for mate selection and species recognition.”

Lociceratops rangiformis It coexisted with three other centrosaurine dinosaurs (Wendiceratops pinhornensis, Albertaceratops nesmoiand Medusaceratops Loki) and Chasmosaurinae (Judiceratops tigris).

“The combination of five species is an unprecedented diversity and resembles the range of horned ungulates found on the plains of East Africa today,” Dr Sertich said.

“Unlike the wide-ranging large wild mammals, such as elk, that currently roam the American West, these ancient animals were geographically restricted.”

“discovery Lociceratops rangiformis “It provides evidence that these species evolved rapidly within a small area, a process sometimes seen in birds.”

“at that time Triceratops By the time ceratopsians emerged 12 million years later, regional differences had homogenized to just two species found across Canada and Mexico, probably as a response to a more homogenous climate.”

“This study shows that dinosaur diversity has been underestimated and presents the most complete ceratopsid family tree to date.”

“Lociceratops rangiformis “This study helps us understand that we're only just scratching the surface when it comes to the diversity and relationships of the ceratopsian family tree,” Prof Loewen said.

of study Published online in the journal Peer J.

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M.A. Rowen others. 2024. Lociceratops rangiformis A new genus and species (Ceratopsia: Centrosaurinae) from the Campanian Judith River Formation of Montana reveals the rapid regional dispersal and extreme endemism of centrosaurinae dinosaurs. Peer J 12: e17224; doi: 10.7717/peerj.17224

Source: www.sci.news

Newly Identified Species: Fossil of Small Ape Discovered in Europe

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Two teeth from the newly identified ancient ape Buronius manfredschmidi, viewed from multiple angles

Böhme et al., 2024, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0

A small, herbivorous ape may have lived in Western Europe 11.6 million years ago. Smaller and lighter than any great ape known to date, the newly discovered 10-kilogram (22-pound) primate was probably a skilled climber that ate leaves, researchers say. Madeline Boehme At the University of Tübingen, Germany.

“This is a fairly small primate,” she says, “but it's different from all the known fossils and certainly different from all the modern great apes we've known so far.”

About 15 million years ago, during the Miocene, hominoids (great apes) became rare in Africa and more abundant in Europe. Hominoids sometimes shared habitats with other primates, including apes and pliopithecoids, extinct relatives of Old World monkeys, but hominoids do not appear to have coexisted with each other in Europe.

In 2019, Boehme and his colleagues reported the discovery of 37 bones at the Hammerschmiede site in Bavaria that appear to belong to an early, bipedal ape dating back 11.6 million years ago, which they named “hominoid.” Danubius Guggenmosi.

During the excavation, Boehme was surprised to find two small ape-like teeth and a kneecap in the same sedimentary layer. Danubius fossil.

“We kept saying, 'What is this?'” she says of these tiny fossils, “and we concluded that this is clearly something new.”

The fossils are too old for DNA analysis, Boehme said, so the researchers took detailed measurements of the juvenile's 7-millimeter-long molar and 16-millimeter-wide kneecap, as well as a fragment of a premolar that they believe to belong to a young adult. They also calculated the thickness of the enamel and took microscopic CT scans of the teeth.

The gorilla-like thin enamel suggests they probably ate soft foods like leaves, Boehme said, and the shape, thickness and ligament attachment sites of the kneecap are similar to those of arboreal primates, suggesting the apes were good climbers.

Researchers look at new ape Bronius ManfredschmidyThe fossil, named after the medieval name of the nearby Hammerschmiede site, was discovered by dentist Manfred Schmidt, who has been collecting fossils at the site since the 1970s.

Lack of competition for resources Bronius and Danubius Apes can coexist, says Boehme – Danubius They are thought to have eaten tough foods such as nuts and meat, and the team can't rule out the possibility that great apes, which could have been up to three times as heavy, may have preyed on smaller species, she added.

But these three fossils alone may not be enough to reach such a “big” conclusion, the researchers say. Sergio Almesia It is on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. “Small fossil elements may date to infancy. Danubius “The teeth definitely look like baby teeth. [baby teeth]. “

He also thinks the kneecap may represent the same species as the tooth: “It has been suggested that it belongs to a juvenile individual, but its size overlaps with the lower range of adult orangutans.” [which are much larger apes]” says Almesija.

Clement Zanolly A researcher from the University of Bordeaux in France also has doubts: “I'm not sure whether the teeth, especially the molars, belong to a hominoid or to another primate superfamily, a pliopithecoid.”

Boehme and his colleagues say their comparison rules out the possibility that the tooth is a milk tooth or a pliopithecoid tooth.

In any case, the fact that the two primate species shared the same habitat and possibly even interacted with each other is a “fantastic discovery,” Zanolli said, “and it reinforces the idea that Europe at that time was a luxurious and comfortable place for primates to evolve.”

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

New metallic blue ant species found in India by entomologists

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The entomologist described a new species of ant. Parapara Tretina He is from Inguk village in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.

Paraparatretina NeelaHolotype worker: (A) Head viewed from the front, (B) Body viewed from the back, (C) Body viewed from the side. Images courtesy of Sahanashree other., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168.

Parapara Tretina A genus of small ants, generally 1-2 mm in length, belonging to the subfamily. Formicidae.

They are typically found in the Afrotropical, Australasia, Indomalaya, Oceania and Palaearctic biogeographical regions.

They live in a variety of tropical environments, from rainforests to forest clearings, and can be found in a wide range of habitats, from leaf litter on the ground to high up in the tree canopy.

Currently, the genus contains 38 valid species and four valid subspecies.

Fourteen species are known from the Indomalaya biogeographic region. Parapara Tretina Acetate It was previously the only species known from the Indian subcontinent.

Specimen of a new worker ant species Parapara Tretina The specimens were collected from a secondary forest at an altitude of 803 metres (2,635 feet) in Ing village, East Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India.

“One evening, while I was exploring a tree hole about three metres high on a steep cattle track in the remote village of Inku, I saw something glow in the twilight,” he said. Dr. Dharma Rajan Priyadarsanan Ashoka Foundation for Ecological and Environmental Research and colleagues.

“In the dim light, two insects were sucked into the aspirator, which, to my surprise, I later discovered were ants.”

“Arunachal Pradesh, located in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, Cyan Valley “There is a world of unparalleled diversity, much of which remains to be explored,” they said.

“But this richness, both culturally and ecologically, faces unprecedented threats.”

“Large infrastructure projects such as dams, highways and military installations, along with climate change, are rapidly transforming the valley.”

“The impacts extend beyond the valley itself, as these mountains not only sustain their own diverse ecosystems but also play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of millions of people living downstream.”

Named Paraparatretina NeelaThe newly discovered species is a tiny ant measuring less than 2mm in length.

The body is primarily metallic blue, except for the antennae, mandibles, and legs.

The head is subtriangular, with large eyes and triangular mouthparts (mandible) bearing five teeth.

This species has a distinctive metallic blue colour that distinguishes it from other species in the genus.

“With the exception of marine sponges, blue colouration in animals is a relatively rare phenomenon,” the researchers said.

“But there are also some blue species among vertebrates, such as fish, frogs and birds, and invertebrates, such as spiders.”

“Blue is a common color in many insects, especially hymenoptera. Apidae, Chrysanthemum family and Ichneumonidaeit is very rare Formicidae. “

“Blue colors in insects are typically produced by the arrangement of biological photonic nanostructures rather than pigments, and have evolved independently in different groups.”

“This vibrant feature raises an intriguing question: Could it serve a purpose in communication, camouflage, or other ecological interactions? A closer look at the evolution of this conspicuous color and its relationship to elevation and biology could provide clues.” Paraparatretina Neela It points to exciting avenues for research.”

Discovery Paraparatretina Neela It has been reported paper In the journal Zookie.

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R. Sahanashree other2024. Amazing new species Parapara Tretina Donisthorpe (1947) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Formicinae), from the Eastern Himalayas of India. Zookie 1203: 159-172; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1203.114168

Source: www.sci.news

The genome of a new fern species from New Caledonia is the largest among all organisms

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tumecipteris oblancorata is a rare fern species known as the wolf lark, found in New Caledonia, a French overseas territory in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It has recently broken the world record with its genome size of 160.45 billion base pairs (Gbp), challenging current understanding and paving the way for further exploration of genome gigantism.

Tumecipteris oblancorata. Image courtesy of Pol Fernández.

Tomesypteris is a small and relatively understudied genus consisting of 15 species, mostly found in Oceania and some Pacific islands.

Scientists have previously estimated the genome sizes of two Tomesypteris species – Tumecipteris tannensis and Tomesypteris obliqua – with large genomes of 73.19 Gbp and 147.29 Gbp, respectively.

In 2023, Dr. Jaume Pellicer and his colleagues from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, traveled to New Caledonia to analyze the genome size of Tumecipteris oblancorata.

The analysis revealed a record-breaking genome size of 160.45 Gbp for Tumecipteris oblancorata, also known as Tumecipteris truncata, surpassing the genome size of the Japanese flower plant species Paris Japonica (148.89 Gbp). For comparison, the human genome contains approximately 3.1 Gbp across 23 chromosomes.

Tomesypteris is a unique fern genus whose ancestors date back around 350 million years, characterized by primarily being epiphytes with a distribution limited to Oceania and a few Pacific islands.

Dr. Ilia Reich of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, expressed surprise at the world record held by the inconspicuous Tumecipteris oblancorata, highlighting the diversity of plants at the DNA level and their importance in Earth’s biodiversity.

The team’s findings were published in the journal iScience.

Genome size diversity in eukaryotes: (A) Current distribution of genome sizes in the major lineages of plants, animals, and fungi. (B) Top 10 largest genome sizes recorded in eukaryotes. Image courtesy of Pol Fernández et al., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109889.

This remarkable discovery raises questions about the biological limits and complexities of plant genomes, inspiring further exploration into the mysteries of genome gigantism.

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Pol Fernandez othersThe 160 Gbp fork fern genome breaks eukaryotic size record. iSciencePublished online May 31, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109889

Source: www.sci.news

New species of Ceratosaurus unearthed by paleontologists

Posted on May 27, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Cinderella Longipes It is the first ceratopsian species known from the Early Cretaceous of Asia, extending the geological range of the dinosaur group Ceratopsia on the continent by 40 million years.

Cinderella Longipesreference specimen (b) and holotype (cj). Image courtesy of Averyanov. others., doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0537.

The newly discovered dinosaur species lived in what is now Siberia between 121 and 113 million years ago (the Early Cretaceous period).

Named Cinderella LongipesThe ancient creature is estimated to have been 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) long.

it is Noasauridaean extinct family and group of small carnivorous dinosaurs. Ceratopsians.

“Ceratopsians were the first major lineage of theropod dinosaurs to achieve taxonomic diversity and a wide geographic distribution,” said Dr. Alexander Averyanov from the Institute of Zoology and his colleagues.

“They were probably distributed worldwide during the Late Jurassic, but were pushed out of the northern continents by other theropod groups and underwent a secondary radiation in the Cretaceous on Gondwana, where they became the dominant predators and survived until the end of the Cretaceous.”

“AbelisauroideaThe most diverse ceratosaurid clade, the Acanthosaurus genus, is known from the Cretaceous of Europe, where it is probably represented by secondary dispersals, but in Asia no ceratosaurids are known from the Late Jurassic onwards.

Fragmentary skeleton Cinderella Longipes Fossils including cervical vertebrae, pectoral girdle, humerus, and hind limbs were excavated at the Shestakovo 1 locality in the Ilek Formation of Western Siberia.

“Cinderella Longipes Share unique hind leg proportions Elaphrosaurus and Limusaurus“This suggests improved running ability,” the paleontologists said.

“These species show ostrich-like foot specializations, with a large third metatarsal and a greatly reduced second metatarsal.”

“In contrast, all other fast-running non-avian theropod dinosaurs have arc metatarsals, with the third metatarsal being greatly reduced proximally.”

According to the authors: Cinderella Longipes This is about 40 million years younger than the youngest recorded Asian ceratosaur to date.

“Cinderella Longipes It was part of a rare vertebrate group dominated by advanced ceratopsian dinosaurs. Psittacosaurus sibiricus“However, it also includes groups of tetrapods long extinct elsewhere, such as stem salamanders, protosuchian and chartegosuchian crocodylomorphs, tritylodontian synapsids, and docodontian mammalomorphs,” the researchers said.

Team work Published in a journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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Alexander O. Averyanov others2024. Asia's last ceratopsid: a new noasaurid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Siberian Great Refuge. Proc. R. Soc. B 291 (2023): 20240537; doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0537

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists discover a previously unknown species of fake scorpion trapped in 50-million-year-old amber

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have reported fossils of a new genus and species of pseudoscorpion from the Eocene Cambay amber of western India.

Geogaranya variensis. Image credit: Agnihotri other, doi: 10.26879/1276.

pseudo scorpion It is the earliest order of arthropods to colonize Earth’s land during the early Devonian period.

This diverse order accounts for more than 3% of all known arachnid species.

“Pseudoscorpions are an ancient lineage of terrestrial arachnids that are morphologically similar to real scorpions, but lack the tail and stinger,” said Dr. Priya Agnihotri of DST’s Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleosciences and colleagues.

“Certain families have unique venom devices in the serrated digits of their palps, which evolved independently of the venom devices of scorpions and spiders.”

“Recent research also supports the inclusion of pseudoscorpions as a sister group to scorpions.”

“Due to their delicate bodies and small size, these fossils are mainly found in amber deposits around the world rather than in sediments,” they added.

“Forty-nine pseudoscorpion species have been recorded from Eocene Baltic amber and Rovno amber.”

Newly discovered pseudoscorpion species belongs to the small scorpion family Goridae.

named Geogaranya variensis showing strong similarities with extant genera. Geogalypus From Sri Lanka, India, and New Guinea.

“The Geogarypidae family is one of a group of bark-dwelling and leaf litter-dwelling species similar to the Geogarypidae family. Gallipidae It has a distinctive subtriangular carapace and eyes located near the leading edge,” the paleontologist said.

“This family includes more than 70 species with habitats suitable for tropical and subtropical regions, some of which have been reported from temperate biomes.”

“Geogarypidae are more common in Baltic and Rovno amber, and there are some records from Cretaceous Burmese amber.”

“Unlike the sparse record of fossils, their modern-day counterparts have been recorded in all major biogeographic regions, including Europe, Central Asia, North America, and North Africa.”

Amber from Cambay from 50 million years ago. Geogaranya variensis It was discovered in the open-pit Valia lignite mine, part of the Cambay Shale Formation, in the Cambay Basin of Gujarat, India.

“The Cambay Shale Formation overlies the Deccan Trap, and below it is the Paleocene to lower Eocene Vagadkol Formation,” the researchers said.

According to the team: Geogaranya variensis It is one of the smallest known adult pseudoscorpion fossils in amber from the Cambay Basin.

This discovery further strengthens the biodiversity of bark-dwelling arthropods identified in Eocene amber from western India.

“The discovery of the smallest known adult pseudoscorpion in Cambay Basin amber aligns it with fossil taxa recorded in Baltic Sea amber and Bitterfeld amber that survived the early Eocene. “This provides insight into similar bark-dwelling arthropod taxa,” the scientists concluded.

“Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed diagnostic features in the fossils, such as abnormally enlarged palps. This strengthened Foresy’s idea that species from non-arboreal habitats could be mistakenly This suggests that it may have been carried in amber and had a connection to a flying host.”

discovery of Geogaranya variensis is reported in paper in diary Old Trogia Electronica.

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priya agnihotri other. 2024. A new genus and species of fossil pseudoscorpion (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) discovered in Eocene amber from western India. Old Trogia Electronica 27 (2):a26; doi: 10.26879/1276

Source: www.sci.news

Two new species of pachycephalosaurids discovered by paleontologists

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of two new small pachycephalosaurs. Formation of dinosaur park Alberta and another province Hell Creek Formation of Montana.

Sphaerotorus Buchholzee A small species that fights beneath large pachycephalosaurs in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, USA. Image credit: ABelov2014 / CC BY-SA 3.0 Certificate.

One of the new species of dinosaur named. Sphaerotorus rionsii lived in what is now Canada 75 million years ago.

the other one is, Sphaerotorus triregnum lived in the United States about 67 million years ago.

Both species belong to Sphaerosolos a genus of small dinosaurs of the subfamily Pachycephalosauridae within the family Pachycephalosauridae.

“Despite being poorly represented in the fossil record, including a thickened frontoparietal dome and hypothetical head-butting behavior, pachycephalosaurids are some of the most iconic dinosaurs,” lead authors Philip and Patricia・Dr. Carrie Woodruff, a paleontologist at the Frost Museum, said: Science and the Museum of the Rockies and its friends.

“While the true function of their unusual cranial domes remains debated, considerable research has focused on their ontogeny and diversity.”

“This study is complicated by the unusual fossil record, which consists mostly of unsegmented skull remains, and associated skeletons are extremely rare.”

“This pattern may be the result of small body size and taphonomic bias against delicate skeletal preservation and recovery, as well as the robust and diagnostic nature of the bones that make up the cranial dome.”

Holotype of left flat bone Sphaerotorus triregnum. Scale bar represents 1 cm. Image credit: Woodruff other., doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535.

Sphaerotorus rionsii and Sphaerotorus triregnum Each is represented by an isolated squamous epithelium the skull found in most reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

The holotype of Sphaerotorus rionsii “It was collected north of the Red Deer River in the northeastern part of Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada,” the researchers said.

The holotype of Sphaerotorus triregnum It was collected from the lower half of the Hell Creek Formation, approximately 45 km southwest of the town of Jordan, Garfield County, Montana, USA. ”

“The specimens were collected from the same channel complex and within 500 meters of the location of the dromaeosaur holotype.” Acheloraptor temeltyorum”

“These two new specimens are about the same size as the squamosal. Sphaerotorus Buchholzee and has several overlapping forms. Sphaerosolos Genus. ”

These new species fill a morphological gap in the pachycephalosaur fossil record and show that multisegment forms were more diverse than previously realized.

“Description of two new species of small pachycephalosaurs of the same genus Sphaerosolos “This provides further insight into the evolution of North American pachycephalosaurs,” the scientists said.

“Aspects of the phylogeny of pachycephalosaurs remain unresolved and disputed, in part due to the incomplete nature of their remains, and this analysis focuses on two small North American pachycephalosaur phylogenies. This is the first time we have identified evolutionary potential in different lineages.”

Holotype of right flat bone Sphaerotorus rionsii. Scale bar represents 1 cm. Image credit: Woodruff other., doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535.

“Sphaerotorus rionsii and Sphaerotorus triregnum Please provide the following evidence:

(i) Small-bodied dinosaur species have not yet been discovered in well-sampled geological formations.

(ii) pachycephalosaur diversity in the Dinosaur Park and Hell Creek formations is richer than previously thought, and pachycephalosaur diversity in North America is likely to continue to increase;

(iii) Species with ornaments consisting of multisegment rows are indeed more numerous and diverse throughout the Pachycephalosauridae than previously known.

(iv) North American pachycephalosaurs appear to have remained relatively diverse throughout the Maastrichtian period, which is consistent with dinosaurs throughout the latest Cretaceous period of North America up to the end-Cretaceous extinction event. Implications for understanding the dynamics of evolution and diversity. ”

of findings appear in the diary paleontology papers.

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D. Cary Woodruff other. 2023. His two new species of small pachycephalosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of North America (Dinosauria, Aminocephala) suggest hidden diversity in well-sampled strata. Masu. Paleontology Papers 9 (6): e1535; doi: 10.1002/spp2.1535

Source: www.sci.news

A newly discovered Stegosaurus species had distinctive skin armor

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A new genus and species of stegosaur from the Middle Jurassic period has been identified from fossilized posterior skulls discovered in the Middle Atlas Mountains, south of Fez, Morocco.

Artist’s impression Tireosaurus atlasix. Image credit: Sci.News.

Tireosaurus atlasix lived in North Africa during the middle Jurassic period, about 165 million years ago.

This species is closely related to Dakentrulus members of the clade Dacenturinae within the Tyreophoran dinosaur family Stegosauridae.

Dr. Mostafa Oukas of Casablanca’s Universidad Hassan II and his colleagues said, “Thireophora is a diverse clade of herbivorous ornithischians consisting of stegosaurs, sclerosaurs, and basal types.”

“Thyleophorans have an extensive fossil record spanning from the Early Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous and are best known from well-preserved specimens from Laurasia.”

“In contrast, fossil remains are poorly known in Gondwana, and most of them are partial,” the researchers added.

“In Africa, thyreophorans may have been present since the Early Middle Jurassic.”

“Stegosaur body fossils have been recorded from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, the Late Jurassic of Tanzania, and the Early Cretaceous of South Africa.”

“African ankylosaurs are represented by Spicomerus afar from Morocco during the Middle Jurassic period.”

divided partial skeleton Tireosaurus atlasix found in gray marl. El Mars III formation is located in the northern part of the Bourafa region near Bourmane, in the Atlas region of central Morocco.

“In 2021, during a geological mapping mission south of Bourmane, we discovered a new site rich in dinosaur remains in the El Mars III Formation,” the paleontologists said.

“This site, named Bourafa North, is located north of the Bourafa quarry.”

“This material was collected during several consecutive field trips and consists of the posterior skull of a stegosaur, including dorsal vertebrae and ribs, limb bones, and skin armor.”

According to the team: Tireosaurus atlasix had a strange asymmetrical skin armor, unique among stegosaurs.

“Dermal armor is Tireosaurus atlasix “It is composed of up to 4 cm (1.6 in) thick bone oval to subrectangular shaped osteoderms,” the researchers said.

“The asymmetrical texture of the sides, with one side roughly decorated with small holes and strands of fibers and the other with a distinct cross-hatch pattern, is unlike anything previously observed in other stegosaurs and sclerosaurs. It’s clearly different.”

“The bone histology of these osteoderms is reminiscent of the histology of stegosaur tail spines.”

“These osteoderms are interpreted to have been placed in a lying position on the animal’s body, rather than in an upright position.”

Tireosaurus atlasix was estimated to be over 6 meters (19.7 feet) long.

“The axial features indicate that this specimen belongs to a medium- to large-sized stegosaur,” the scientists said.

“The holotype corresponds to an adult individual that has not yet reached its maximum body size.”

discovery of Tireosaurus atlasix is important in understanding the evolutionary history of stegosaurs and other thyreophora dinosaurs.

“Recent discoveries are adraticrit and Tireosaurus atlasix “We provide insight into the early evolution of stegosaurs during the Middle Jurassic of Africa,” the authors concluded.

of findings appear in the diary Gondwana research.

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Omar Zafati other. 2024. A new stegosaur dinosaur (Ornithischian: Thyreophora) with prominent cutaneous armor that lived during the Middle Jurassic period of North Africa. Gondwana research 131: 344-362; doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.03.009

Source: www.sci.news

Study finds that competition between species was a significant factor in the growth and fall of human populations

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Traditionally, climate has been thought to be the cause of the emergence and extinction of human species. However, interspecific competition is known to play an important role in most vertebrates. A new study shows for the first time that competition has been the basis of speciation (the rate at which new species emerge) over five million years of human evolution.It also means that our speciation patterns homo The pedigree was different from most others.

a homo heidelbergensis, Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons. Image credit: SINC / Jose Antonio Peñas.

“We have ignored how competition between species has shaped our own evolutionary tree,” says Dr Laura van Holstein, an anthropologist at the University of Cambridge.

“The effects of climate on the human species are only part of the story.”

“In other vertebrates, species form to fill ecological niches. Darwin's finches, for example, have evolved large beaks for cracking nuts, while others have evolved large beaks for eating certain insects. Some have evolved small beaks to accommodate them. Once their respective resource niches are filled, competition ensues, no new finches emerge, and extinction takes over.”

Dr Van Holstein and Professor Robert Foley from the University of Cambridge used Bayesian modeling and phylogenetic analysis to show that, like other vertebrates, most species of humans formed when competition for resources and space was low. It was shown that

“The pattern seen in many early humans is similar to all other mammals,” van Holstein says.

“The speciation rate increases, then levels off, at which point the extinction rate begins to increase. This suggests that competition between species was a major evolutionary factor.”

However, when the authors analyzed our group, homothe findings were “bizarre.”

for homo The pattern of evolution of the lineage leading to modern humans suggests that interspecific competition actually led to the emergence of even newer species, a complete departure from trends seen in almost all other vertebrates. It's a reversal.

“The more types there are, the more homo The more there are, the higher the rate of speciation,” Dr. van Holstein said.

“So once those niches were filled, something caused more species to emerge. This is almost unprecedented in evolutionary science.”

The closest comparison she found was a species of beetle that lives on the island. On islands, confined ecosystems can produce unusual evolutionary trends.

“The evolutionary patterns we see across species are homo “The direct link to modern humans is more closely related to island beetles than to other primates or other mammals,” Dr van Holstein said.

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