scholarly journals A new goniopholidid from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, USA: novel insight into aquatic adaptation toward modern crocodylians

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junki Yoshida ◽  
Atsushi Hori ◽  
Yoshitsugu Kobayashi ◽  
Michael J. Ryan ◽  
Yuji Takakuwa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Respiratory System ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
Aquatic Adaptation ◽  
Secondary Palate ◽  
Posterior Extension ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Insight Into

Goniopholididae is a group of basal neosuchian crocodyliforms closely related to Paralligatoridae and Eusuchia that lived during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. Goniopholidids have the long, flat snout and secondary palate of modern crocodylians, the acquisition of which is regarded as a key feature in the early evolution of crocodylian body plan and their aquatic adaptation. Here, we report a new species, Amphicotylus milesi , with the description from the best-preserved specimen to date of Goniopholididae from Wyoming, USA. Its posterior extension of the nasopharyngeal passage (pterygoid secondary palate) and the shortening and dorsal deflection of the ceratobranchial suggest that basal neosuchians could raise their gular valve to separate oral and pharyngeal cavities as in modern crocodylians. The anatomy of Amphicotylus milesi sheds light on the acquisition of this new respiratory system in the crocodyliform evolution and their early aquatic adaptation, leading to modern crocodylians.

scholarly journals Cranial anatomy of Allosaurus jimmadseni, a new species from the lower part of the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic) of Western North America

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e7803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Chure ◽  
Mark A. Loewen
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
North America ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
Ventral Margin ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Theropod Dinosaur ◽  
Theropod Dinosaurs ◽  
A New Species

Allosaurus is one of the best known theropod dinosaurs from the Jurassic and a crucial taxon in phylogenetic analyses. On the basis of an in-depth, firsthand study of the bulk of Allosaurus specimens housed in North American institutions, we describe here a new theropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Western North America, Allosaurus jimmadseni sp. nov., based upon a remarkably complete articulated skeleton and skull and a second specimen with an articulated skull and associated skeleton. The present study also assigns several other specimens to this new species, Allosaurus jimmadseni, which is characterized by a number of autapomorphies present on the dermal skull roof and additional characters present in the postcrania. In particular, whereas the ventral margin of the jugal of Allosaurus fragilis has pronounced sigmoidal convexity, the ventral margin is virtually straight in Allosaurus jimmadseni. The paired nasals of Allosaurus jimmadseni possess bilateral, blade-like crests along the lateral margin, forming a pronounced nasolacrimal crest that is absent in Allosaurus fragilis.

First fossil orthoptera from the Jurassic of North America

2011 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena M. Smith ◽  
Mark A. Gorman ◽  
Jason D. Pardo ◽  
Bryan J. Small
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
North America ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
The Other ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
The Family ◽  
A New Species

A new species of Orthoptera,Parapleurites morrisonensis, is described from the upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Colorado, USA. This is the first insect described from the Morrison Formation and the first orthopteran described from the Jurassic of North America. No other members of the family Locustopsidae have been described in North America previously, and the other species ofParapleuritesare only known from Siberia. The lack of Jurassic Orthoptera in North America is likely due to a combination of taphonomic variables and collector bias. The discovery ofParapleurites morrisonensisand the potential for finding other Jurassic Orthoptera are important to understanding the evolution of this diverse and widely distributed group.

A New Species of Docodon (Mammaliaformes: Docodonta) from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation and a Reassessment of Selected Craniodental Characters in Basal Mammaliaforms

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo W. Rougier ◽  
Amir S. Sheth ◽  
Kenneth Carpenter ◽  
Lucas Appella-Guiscafre ◽  
Brian M. Davis
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
A New Species

scholarly journals A photo documentation of bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation, USA

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 167-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Carpenter ◽  
Peter Galton
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Morrison Formation ◽  
National Monument ◽  
Dinosaur National Monument ◽  
Photo Documentation ◽  
A New Species

Bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation are rare, forming only about 15% of the dinosaur specimens. Nevertheless, one of them was among the first dinosaurs named from what was then the ‘’Atlantosaurus Beds’’ of Colorado. Collecting and restudy for 140 years has in­creased the diversity from the initial 1877 discovery to the currently valid four genera and six species, viz., Fruitadens haagaroum, Nanosaurus agilis, Camptosaurus dispar, C. aphanoecetes, Dryosaurus altus, and D. elderae, which we briefly review. We demonstrate that the enigmatic Nanosaurus agilis is the senior name for Drinker nisti, Othnielosaurus consors, and Othnielia rex. In addition, a new species, Dryosaurus elderae is proposed for the Dryosaurus specimens from Dinosaur National Monument that are characterized by elongate cervical verebrae and a long, low ilium among other features.

A new species of Sclerocephalus with a fully ossified endocranium gives insight into braincase evolution in temnospondyls

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Rainer R. Schoch ◽  
Gabriela Sobral
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Character Evolution ◽  
Late Paleozoic ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Early Permian ◽  
Top Predator ◽  
Central European ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The late Paleozoic temnospondyl Sclerocephalus formed an aquatic top predator in various central European lakes of the late Carboniferous and early Permian. Despite hundreds of specimens spanning a wide range of sizes, knowledge of the endocranium (braincase and palatoquadrate) remained very insufficient in Sclerocephalus and other stereospondylomorphs because even large skulls had unossified endocrania. A new specimen from a stratigraphically ancient deposit at St. Wendel in southwestern Germany is recognized as representing a new taxon, S. concordiae new species, and reveals a completely ossified endocranium. The sphenethmoid was completely ossified from the basisphenoid to the anterior ethmoid region, co-ossified with the parasphenoid, and the basipterygoid joint was fully established. The pterygoid bears a slender, S-shaped epipterygoid, which formed a robust pillar lateral to the braincase. The massive stapes was firmly sutured to the parasphenoid. In the temnospondyl endocranium, character evolution involved various changes in the epipterygoid region, which evolved distinct morphologies in each of the major clades. UUID: http://zoobank.org/5e6d2078-eacf-4467-84cf-a12efcae7c0b

A revision of the rare genusCyclolampas(Echinoidea) using morphometrics with description of a new species from the upper Callovian of Burgundy (France)

2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Saucede ◽  
Alain Bonnot ◽  
Didier Marchand ◽  
Philippe Courville
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
Linear Measurements ◽  
Systematic Revision ◽  
Fourier Shape Analysis ◽  
And Migration ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Upper Callovian ◽  
Test Shape

The discovery of a new species,Cyclolampas altusnew species in the upper Callovian of Burgundy (France) leads to the systematic revision of the rare echinoid genusCyclolampasPomel, 1883. Two morphometric approaches are used jointly to describe and quantify variations in test shape: the analysis of linear measurements and the Elliptic Fourier shape analysis. Both analyses yield congruent results that highlight the amplitude of within-species variations and quantify the part due to allometry. Along with the description ofC. altus, the systematic position of species formerly assigned to the generaPygorhytisPomel, 1883 andCyclolampasis amended. Previously attributed to the genusPygorhytis,Cyclolampas castanea(Desor, 1858) is reassigned to the genusCyclolampason the base of new observations. Conversely, the examination of the Bajocian speciesPygorhytis kiliani(Lambert, 1909) andPygorhytis gillieroniDesor in Desor and de Loriol, 1872, which were previously assigned toCyclolampasnow supports their taxonomic reassignment to the genusPygorhytis. Finally, the two speciesCyclolampas verneuili(Cotteau, 1870) andCyclolampas cotteauiMintz, 1966 (nomen nudum) are considered junior synonyms of the genus type speciesCyclolampas voltzii(Agassiz, 1839). The questioned origin date of the genus, estimated either to the Bajocian or to the Oxfordian, is now clearly established to be upper Callovian. These new results fit well with the overall scheme of atelostomate echinoid evolution and migration to deep-sea environments during the Middle and Upper Jurassic.

scholarly journals Venom Function of a New Species of Megalomyrmex Forel, 1885 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 679
Author(s):  
Kyle Sozanski ◽  
Lívia Pires do Prado ◽  
Andrew J. Mularo ◽  
Victoria A. Sadowski ◽  
Tappey H. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Solenopsis Invicta ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Ecological Functions ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Great Insight ◽  
Ant Venom ◽  
And Function ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Insight Into

Alkaloids are important metabolites found across a variety of organisms with diverse ecological functions. Of particular interest are alkaloids found in ants, organisms well known for dominating the ecosystems they dwell in. Within ants, alkaloids are found in venom and function as potent weapons against heterospecific species. However, research is often limited to pest species or species with parasitic lifestyles and thus fails to address the broader ecological function of ant venom alkaloids. Here we describe a new species of free-living Megalomyrmex ant: Megalomyrmex peetersi sp. n. In addition, we identify its singular venom alkaloid (trans-2-butyl-5-heptylpyrrolidine) and elucidate the antibiotic and insecticidal functions of its venom. Our results show that Megalomyrmex peetersi sp. n. venom is an effective antibiotic and insecticide. These results are comparable to venom alkaloids found in other ant species, such as Solenopsis invicta. This research provides great insight into venom alkaloid function, and it is the first study to explore these ideas in the Megalomyrmex system.

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