scholarly journals Valanginian occurrence of Pelomedusoides turtles in northern South America: revision of this hypothesis based on a new fossil remain

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9810
Author(s):  
Edwin-Alberto Cadena
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Fossil Remains ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses

Pelomedusoides constitutes the most diverse group of Mesozoic and Cenozoic side-necked turtles. However, when it originated is still being poorly known and controversial. Fossil remains from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) Rosa Blanca Formation of Colombia were described almost a decade ago as potentially belonging to Podocnemidoidea (a large subclade inside Pelomedusoides) and representing one of the earliest records of this group of turtles. Here, I revise this hypothesis based on a new fragmentary specimen from the Rosa Blanca Formation, represented by a right portion of the shell bridge, including the mesoplastron and most of peripherals 5 to 7. The equidimensional shape of the mesoplatron allows me to support its attribution as belonging to Pelomedusoides, a group to which the previously podocnemidoid material is also attributed here. Although the Valanginian pelomesudoid material from Colombia is still too fragmentary as to be considered the earliest indisputable record of the Pelomedusoides clade, their occurrence is at least in agreement with current molecular phylogenetic hypotheses that suggest they split from Chelidae during the Jurassic and should occur in the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous fossil record.

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene echimyid rodents (Rodentia, Hystricognathi) from northern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 829-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
THAIS M.F. FERREIRA ◽  
ADRIANA ITATI OLIVARES ◽  
LEONARDO KERBER ◽  
RODRIGO P. DUTRA ◽  
LEONARDO S. AVILLA
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
South American ◽  
Squamate Reptiles ◽  
Northern Brazil ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACT Echimyidae (spiny rats, tree rats and the coypu) is the most diverse family of extant South American hystricognath rodents (caviomorphs). Today, they live in tropical forests (Amazonian, coastal and Andean forests), occasionally in more open xeric habitats in the Cerrado and Caatinga of northern South America, and open areas across the southern portion of the continent (Myocastor). The Quaternary fossil record of this family remains poorly studied. Here, we describe the fossil echimyids found in karst deposits from southern Tocantins, northern Brazil. The analyzed specimens are assigned to Thrichomys sp., Makalata cf. didelphoides and Proechimys sp. This is the first time that a fossil of Makalata is reported. The Pleistocene record of echimyids from this area is represented by fragmentary remains, which hinders their determination at specific levels. The data reported here contributes to the understanding of the ancient diversity of rodents of this region, evidenced until now in other groups, such as the artiodactyls, cingulates, carnivores, marsupials, and squamate reptiles.

Taxonomic review of two fossil crocodylians from the Cenozoic of South America and its implications for the crocodylian fauna of the continent

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4656 (3) ◽  
pp. 475-486
Author(s):  
GIOVANNE M. CIDADE ◽  
DANIEL FORTIER ◽  
ASCANIO DANIEL RINCÓN ◽  
ANNIE SCHMALTZ HSIOU
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Taxonomic Review ◽  
Nomen Dubium ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The World

The crocodylomorph fauna of the Cenozoic of South America is one of the richest and most diverse in the world. The most diverse group within that fauna is Alligatoroidea, with nearly all of its species belonging to the Caimaninae clade. Many of the fossil alligatoroid species from the Cenozoic of South America were proposed based on very incomplete remains, and as a result their validity requires revision. Two such species are Balanerodus logimus Langston, 1965, from the middle Miocene of Colombia and Peru, and Caiman venezuelensis Fortier & Rincón, 2012, from the Pliocene-Pleistocene of Venezuela. This study has performed a thorough review of the taxonomic status of these two alligatoroid species, concluding that B. logimus is a nomen dubium and that Ca. venezuelensis is a junior synonym of the extant species Ca. crocodilus. This review offers a significantly more accurate scenario for alligatoroid diversity in the Cenozoic of South America in different epochs such as the Miocene and Pleistocene. Additionally, the record of Ca. crocodilus from the Pleistocene of Venezuela is the first fossil record that can be assigned to this species. 

Sinaktassia tangi, a new Chinese Mesozoic genus and species of Aktassiidae (Odonata: Petaluroidea)

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2359 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
QI-BIN LIN ◽  
ANDRÉ NEL ◽  
DI-YING HUANG
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Jurassic

Although the Petalurida make up what is probably one of the most inclusive anisopteran clades (Bybee et al., 2008; Dumont et al., 2010), fossils of this group are rarer than other taxa of dragonflies. No Cenozoic and only eight Mesozoic Petalurida have been described from Europe, Central Asia, China, and South America (Nel & Paicheler, 1992; Nel et al., 1998, 2001; Petrulevičius & Nel, 2003; Huang et al., 2006). The Aktassiidae Pritykina, 1968 is a strictly Mesozoic family divided into the two subfamilies Aktassiinae Nel et al., 1998 (Middle-Late Jurassic), and Pseudocymatophlebiinae Nel et al., 1998 (Early Cretaceous).

scholarly journals <i>Praecypridea</i>: a new non-marine ostracod genus from the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Europe, North and South America, and Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Sames ◽  
Robin Whatley ◽  
Michael E. Schudack
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
South America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Extinct Genus ◽  
North And South America ◽  
North And South

Abstract. The genus Praecypridea gen. nov. (Cypridoidea, Family Cyprideidae Martin, 1940) is described and thus far comprises four species: the type species Praecypridea acuticyatha (Schudack, 1998) comb. nov., Praecypridea postelongata (Oertli, 1957) comb. nov., Praecypridea suprajurassica (Mojon, Haddoumi &amp; Charriére, 2009) comb. nov. and Praecypridea acuta (Moos, 1959 in Wicher, 1959) comb. nov. Representatives of the new genus have been described from the Middle to Late Jurassic of Europe, North America and Africa and the Early Cretaceous of South America, with other presumed representatives also occurring in the Early Cretaceous. Species of Praecypridea are considered to represent members of the ancestral lineage of the extinct genus Cypridea Bosquet, representatives of which flourished in non-marine habitats of latest Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age and account for the first period of abundance of the non-marine Cypridoidea.

scholarly journals A new sphenodontian (Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia) from the Late Triassic of Argentina and the early origin of the herbivore opisthodontians

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1772) ◽  
pp. 20132057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo N. Martínez ◽  
Cecilia Apaldetti ◽  
Carina E. Colombi ◽  
Angel Praderio ◽  
Eliana Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
South America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
Upper Triassic ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Northwestern Argentina ◽  
Successful Group ◽  
Early Origin

Sphenodontians were a successful group of rhynchocephalian reptiles that dominated the fossil record of Lepidosauria during the Triassic and Jurassic. Although evidence of extinction is seen at the end of the Laurasian Early Cretaceous, they appeared to remain numerically abundant in South America until the end of the period. Most of the known Late Cretaceous record in South America is composed of opisthodontians, the herbivorous branch of Sphenodontia, whose oldest members were until recently reported to be from the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian (Late Jurassic). Here, we report a new sphenodontian, Sphenotitan leyesi gen. et sp. nov., collected from the Upper Triassic Quebrada del Barro Formation of northwestern Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis identifies Sphenotitan as a basal member of Opisthodontia, extending the known record of opisthodontians and the origin of herbivory in this group by 50 Myr.

scholarly journals Middle Miocene Uruguaytheriinae (Mammalia, Astrapotheria) from Peruvian Amazonia and a review of the astrapotheriid fossil record in northern South America

Geodiversitas ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyrielle Goillot ◽  
Pierre-Olivier Antoine ◽  
Julia Tejada ◽  
François Pujos ◽  
Rodolfo Salas Gismondi
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Peruvian Amazonia

scholarly journals The fossil record and macroevolutionary history of the beetles

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1805) ◽  
pp. 20150060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dena M. Smith ◽  
Jonathan D. Marcot
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Diversification Rate ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Taxonomic Richness ◽  
Lacustrine Deposits ◽  
Family Level ◽  
History Of

Coleoptera (beetles) is the most species-rich metazoan order, with approximately 380 000 species. To understand how they came to be such a diverse group, we compile a database of global fossil beetle occurrences to study their macroevolutionary history. Our database includes 5553 beetle occurrences from 221 fossil localities. Amber and lacustrine deposits preserve most of the beetle diversity and abundance. All four extant suborders are found in the fossil record, with 69% of all beetle families and 63% of extant beetle families preserved. Considerable focus has been placed on beetle diversification overall, however, for much of their evolutionary history it is the clade Polyphaga that is most responsible for their taxonomic richness. Polyphaga had an increase in diversification rate in the Early Cretaceous, but instead of being due to the radiation of the angiosperms, this was probably due to the first occurrences of beetle-bearing amber deposits in the record. Perhaps, most significant is that polyphagan beetles had a family-level extinction rate of zero for most of their evolutionary history, including across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. Therefore, focusing on the factors that have inhibited beetle extinction, as opposed to solely studying mechanisms that may promote speciation, should be examined as important determinants of their great diversity today.

scholarly journals A new genus and species of enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismar de Souza Carvalho ◽  
Fernando E. Novas ◽  
Federico L. Agnolín ◽  
Marcelo P. Isasi ◽  
Francisco I. Freitas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genus ◽  
The Body ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
First Time

<p>The fossil record of birds in Gondwana is almost restricted to the Late Cretaceous. Herein we describe a new fossil from the Araripe Basin, <italic>Cratoavis cearensis</italic> nov. gen et sp., composed of an articulated skeleton with feathers attached to the wings and surrounding the body. The present discovery considerably extends the temporal record of the Enantiornithes birds at South America to the Early Cretaceous. For the first time, an almost complete and articulated skeleton of an Early Cretaceous bird from South America is documented.</p>

scholarly journals Peculiar macrophagous adaptations in a new Cretaceous pliosaurid

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 150552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentin Fischer ◽  
Maxim S. Arkhangelsky ◽  
Ilya M. Stenshin ◽  
Gleb N. Uspensky ◽  
Nikolay G. Zverkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Late Jurassic ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Consensus Methods ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Ecological Diversity ◽  
Apex Predator ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Marine Reptile

During the Middle and Late Jurassic, pliosaurid plesiosaurs evolved gigantic body size and a series of craniodental adaptations that have been linked to the occupation of an apex predator niche. Cretaceous pliosaurids (i.e. Brachaucheninae) depart from this morphology, being slightly smaller and lacking the macrophagous adaptations seen in earlier forms. However, the fossil record of Early Cretaceous pliosaurids is poor, concealing the evolution and ecological diversity of the group. Here, we report a new pliosaurid from the Late Hauterivian (Early Cretaceous) of Russia. Phylogenetic analyses using reduced consensus methods recover it as the basalmost brachauchenine. This pliosaurid is smaller than other derived pliosaurids, has tooth alveoli clustered in pairs and possesses trihedral teeth with complex serrated carinae. Maximum-likelihood ancestral state reconstruction suggests early brachauchenines retained trihedral teeth from their ancestors, but modified this feature in a unique way, convergent with macrophagous archosaurs or sphenacodontoids. Our findings indicate that Early Cretaceous marine reptile teeth with serrated carinae cannot be unequivocally assigned to metriorhynchoid crocodylomorphs. Furthermore, they extend the known diversity of dental adaptations seen in Sauropterygia, the longest lived clade of marine tetrapods.

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