Cretaceous Nonmarine Trace Fossils from the Hasandong and Jinju Formations of the Namhae Area,Kyongsangnamdo, Southeast Korea

Nonmarine strata of the Cretaceous Hasandong and Jinju formations of the Sindong Group of the Namhae area, Kyongsangnamdo, southeast Korea, contain relatively diverse and abundant ichnofaunas including domichnia, fodinichnia, pascichnia, and repichnia. These ichnofaunas are systematically described herein and three ichnocoenoses, namely the Skolithos, Palaeophycus, and Chondrites ichnocoenoses, are defined based on their paleoenvironmental occurrence. The Skolithos ichnocoenose characterizes tabular laminated sandstone facies deposited on fluvial channel levées. It is dominated by infaunally produced ichnotaxa, particularly Skolithos magnus Howell, Planolites montanus Richter and Chondrites isp. type A, with reduced numbers of Skolithos verticalis (Hall) Taenidium barretti (Bradshaw) and rare examples of Circulichnus montanus (Vyalov), Cochlichnus anguineus Hitchcock, Helminthopsis abeli Ksi??kiewicz, Helimthopsis hieroglyphica Wetzel and Bromley, Laevicyclus isp., Planolites beverleyensis (Billings), Skolithos isp., Spirodesmos isp., Thalassinoides suevicus (Rieth), and rhizoliths. The Palaeophycus ichnocoenose characterizes floodplain environments and occurs in purple mudstones and associated massive sandstone facies of crevasse-splay deposits and dark gray to green shale facies of abandoned channels. Palaeophycus tubularis Hall and Planolites montanus Richter are the most characteristic ichnotaxa, while Beaconites coronus (Frey, Pemberton and Fagerstrom), Planolites annularius Walcott, Skolithos magnus Howell, Thalassinoides paradoxicus (Woodward), and sauropod and ornithopod tracks also occur but in reduced numbers. The Chondrites ichnocoenose occurs in dark gray to black mudstones deposited in marginal lacustrine environments. It is dominated by Chondrites isp. type B. with associated Beaconites antarcticus Vyalov, Helminthopsis hieroglyphica, Palaeophycus tubularis, Skolithos magnus, Taenidium barretti, and Torrowangea rosei Webby. The three ichnocoenoses recognized herein cannot be satisfactorily assigned to currently defined nonmarine ichnofacies, suggesting that existing models of such ichnofacies are in need of additional refinement.     

Bored and Burrowed: An Unusual Echinoid Steinkern from the Type Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous,Belgium)

A test of the irregular echinoid Hemipneustes striatoradiatus (Leske) was dissolved in dilute hydrochloric acid to expose the flint steinkern. This revealed slender, string-like borings that were mainly limited to ambulacra (Talpina isp. cf. T. canna (Price)); less common pouch-like borings limited to part of one ambulacrum only (Rogerella isp. cf. R. pattei (Saint Seine)); and slender, sinuous to contorted burrows, Planolites montanus Richter. Ingress to the test (borers) and sediment infill (burrowers) was presumably through the ambulacral pore pairs of the dead test. Borings and burrows were probably not coeval. Such infestations of fossil echinoids may be locally common, but their identification is controlled by the difficulty of seeing features of both the test and the infill.     

LATE PRECAMBRIAN TRACE FOSSILS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES

Seven trace-fossil species are described from the upper part of the Torrowangee Group (Upper Proterozoic) of western New South Wales, and a variety of other traces are illustrated. A few forms occur in the Fowlers Gap Beds, and a more diverse and abundant fauna is recorded from the stratigraphically higher Lintiss Vale Beds. Virtually all the traces are preserved in the plane of bedding, as semi-reliefs. The named trace fossils all come from the Lintiss Vale Beds, and are as follows: Planolites ballandus sp. nov., Planolites? sp., Cochlichnus serpens sp. nov., Gordia? sp., Torrowangea rosei gen. et sp. nov., Phycodes? antecedent sp. nov., and Curvolithus? davidis sp. nov. Three of these species are regarded as feeding burrows (endogene), and are thought to represent the activity of infaunal, worm-like deposit feeders. Others may be either feeding burrows or crawling trails. There are also a few impressions which seem to be rest marks. A discussion of the significance of the trace-fossil occurrences is presented.     

LEPIDODENDRON ACULEATUM WITH ATTACHED FOLIAGE: EVIDENCE OF STEM MORPHOLOGY AND FOSSILIZATION PROCESSES

A 6 m long specimen of Lepidodendron aculeatum Sternberg with attached leaves is described. The preserved portion of this axis gradually tapers from 38 cm wide at the lower end to 33.5 cm at the top. Ligule pit casts are present immediately above the leaf scars; they are similar to those of Lower Carboniferous lycophytes Angarodendron, Eskdalia, Tomiodendron, Ursodendron, and Meyenodendron and the Upper Carboniferous Bothrodendron. No such casts have beeen reported previously from Lepidodendron, although ligule pit cuticles have been prepared from Ulodendron, Lepidodendron, and Lepidophloios. This specimen is also unusual in that leaves are attached to the large stem. The specimen consists of external and internal molds, details of which show that the stem increased in width during burial and compression and prior to fossilization. The width of the specimen does not equal the original diameter of the stem but more closely corresponds to one half the circumference of the axis. This flattened log provides further details of overall Lepidodendron morphology and an insight into fossilization processes.     

A Nereites ichnofacies from the Ordovician‐Silurian Welsh Basin

The sediments of the Ordovician‐Silurian succession of west Wales are interpreted as turbiditic sands with associated pelagic and hemi‐pelagic mudstones. The strata contain a trace fossil assemblage consisting of fifteen ichnogenera, namely: Chondrites, Circulichnis, Cochlichnus, Cosmorhaphe, Desmograpton, Gordia, Helminthoida, Helminthopsis, Neonereites, Nereites, Paleodictyon, Palaeophycus, Planolites, Protopaleodictyon and Spirophycus. The ichnofaunal assemblage is typical of the Nereites ichnofacies. Twenty three ichno‐species are described, two of which (Helminthoida granulata, Palaeophycus serratus) are new. Turbiditic sands contain the most abundant and diverse ichnoassemblages, a reflection of favorable environmental conditions for habitation by benthic organisms. Both the turbiditic mudstones and anoxic hemipelagites contain just two ichno‐species, namely Chondrites ichnosp. and Planolites montanus both of which are common, albeit less so in the latter facies. The effects of preservation potential, medium and preservation mechanisms are also important controls on distribution.     

A Late Triassic Invertebrate Ichnofauna from Ghost Ranch,New Mexico

Invertebrate trace fossils are reported from the Late Triassic Chinle Formation at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, for the first time. They occur in beds higher in the section than the Coelophysis Quarry. Six ichnotaxa are recognized: Steinichnus milfordensis, Planolites montanus, Palaeophycus tubularis, Taenidium serpentium, ?Arenicolites sp. and Skolithos sp. This ichnofauna is consistent with the Scoyenia ichnofacies, considered typical of lake margins in semiarid to arid regions.     

Trace fossils from arenig flysch sediments of eire and their bearing on the early colonisation of the deep seas

A sequence of Lower Ordovician (Arenig) turbidites in Co. Wexford, Eire, has yielded one of the earliest diverse ichnofaunas yet recorded from deep water sediments comprising: Chondrites, Glockerichnus, Gordia, Helminthopsis, Lorenzinia, Neonereites, Palaeophycus, Paleodictyon, Planolites, Sublorenzinia, Taenidium, Taphrhelminthopsis, Teichichnus and Tomaculum. This ichnofauna is critical in any analysis of the colonisation of the deep seas by trace fossil‐producing animals.

A world‐wide review shows that the earliest trace fossils are mainly from Late Precambrian shelf sea environments, but many more evolved during very rapid diversification in the pre‐trilobite Lower Cambrian.

There was little increase in diversity in shallow water after the Lower Cambrian but a progressive colonisation of the deep ocean took place and this accelerated during the Ordovician, when the main lineages of deep sea trace fossils were established there. Rosetted, patterned, meandering and simple spiral forms evolved in shallow water in the Upper Precambrian and pre‐trilobite Lower Cambrian and only later migrated into the deep sea, whereas complex, closely programmed, spiral traces may have evolved there.     

Observations on torquaratorid acorn worms (Hemichordata,Enteropneusta) from the North Atlantic with descriptions of a new genus and three new species

Enteropneusts in the family Torquaratoridae were imaged using still and video cameras in the deep North Atlantic and then collected by remotely operated vehicles. From this material, we describe Yoda purpurata n. gen, n. sp., Tergivelum cinnabarinum n. sp., and Allapasus isidis n. sp. Individuals of the first two species were browsing completely exposed on the sea floor, whereas the specimen of the last species was encountered floating ~1 m above the sea floor. Living specimens of Y. purpurata were 12–19 cm long and had a dark reddish‐purple proboscis, collar, and genital wings (folded dorsally over the anterior region of the trunk). Members of this species were hermaphrodites (the first ever discovered in the phylum Hemichordata), with numerous separate testes and ovaries in the genital wings. Living specimens of T. cinnabarinum were 12–26 cm long and had a cinnabar‐colored proboscis, collar, and back veils (arising from the anterior region of the trunk); sexes were separate, and body shape and internal morphology closely resemble those of its brown congener, T. baldwinae, from the eastern Pacific. The only specimen of A. isidis collected was a male 13 cm long and pale yellow when alive. Its body shape was proportionally shorter and broader than that of its orange congener, A. aurantiacus, from the eastern Pacific, but the internal anatomy of the two species is virtually identical. [Correction made after online publication August 21, 2012 to correct species name in preceding sentence.]     

New species of Praeichneumonidae (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia

Three new species of the fossil Lower Cretaceous family Praeichneumonidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia (Russia, Buryatia, Khasurty locality): Praeichneumon dzhidensis sp. nov., P. khamardabanicus sp. nov., and P. zakhaaminicus sp. nov. One poorly preserved specimen, Praeichneumon sp., is described. Rudiments of the second anal vein A2 and internal vein a₁–a₂ and bullae in crossveins of the fore- and hindwing are described in Praeichneumonidae for the first time.     

The caecilian amphibian Scolecomorphus kirkii Boulenger as prey of the burrowing asp Atractaspis aterrima Günther: trophic relationships of fossorial vertebrates

A report is given of an adult caecilian, Scolecomorphus kirkii, found in the gut of a specimen of the snake Atractaspis aterrima from the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania. Both predator and prey are largely fossorial in soil, and their ecology is poorly known, such that this is the first reported predator of any scolecomorphid caecilian. The caecilian was ingested head first and much of the flesh from the anterior of the specimen had been digested. The prey/predator mass ratio is 0.48. This value is substantially higher than reported for A. aterrima from West Africa, and refutes the notion that this species feeds only on small prey. Most reported predators of caecilians are snakes, and a brief review is presented.     

Monster or multiplacophoran: A teratological specimen of the chiton Acanthopleura granulata (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) with a valve split into independent and symmetrical halves

Teratological specimens deviate from the conserved form of their species. In doing so, they serve as natural experiments that refine our knowledge of developmental mechanisms and the natural limits of phenotypes. Here, we describe a specimen of the West Indian Fuzzy Chiton Acanthopleura granulata (Gmelin, 1791) with a fifth valve split into two halves. Using micro-CT to non-invasively visualize the external and internal morphology of this specimen, we find that the half valves are symmetrical and independent from each other and from any of the other valves. The presence of girdle-like tissue between the split valves suggests that this shell abnormality arose in early development and was not the product of damage to the adult animal. While the present specimen of A. granulata is clearly abnormal for its species, its split valve may provide some insights into the developmental pathways that would underlie macroevolutionary transitions to multi-plated chiton forms known from the fossil record.     

Oligocene Shorebird Footprints,Kandi, Ombilin Basin,Sumatra

Recent fieldwork in the Ombilin Basin of west-central Sumatra resulted in the discovery of two distinct types of avian footprints, both referable to the ichnogenus Aquatilavipes. The footprints were discovered in the Oligocene Sawahlunto Formation in a creek side outcrop near the Kandi Ombilin Mine. Aquatilavipes wallacei is a small species of Aquatilavipes (～ 19 mm wide; 27 mm long) with elongate third digits, wide total divarication angles (120–150°) and inwardly curved peripheral digits. Aquatilavipes ichnospecies A are also small traces (average 21 mm wide; 31 mm long) with elongate third digits and straight to slightly outwardly curved peripheral digits. These traces are similar in morphology to those of small modern shorebirds such as rails (Rallidae), sandpipers (Scolapacidae) or plovers (Charadriinae).

The Sawahlunto traces occur in very fine-grained to fine-grained sandstone characterized by low-relief current ripples, many of which exhibit mud-draping. A low diversity invertebrate trace fossil assemblage consisting of Arenicolites, Diplocraterion, Planolites, Monocraterion, Skolithos and Coenobichnus co-occurs with the bird footprints. This succession is interpreted as intertidal sand flats. Probe and peck marks preserved on the same bedding planes as the bird footprints support the interpretation that these birds occupied the Kandi intertidal flats for foraging purposes.     

Ichnology of an ephemeral lacustrine/alluvial plain system: Jurassic East Berlin Formation,Hartford Basin,USA

A trace fossil assemblage from the Lower Jurassic East Berlin Formation of the Newark Supergroup, Hartford Basin, New England, USA, includes: Scoyenia gracilis, Skolithos ichnosp., Palaeophycus striatus, Planolites montanus, Fuersichnus ichnosp., fusiform burrows, pelleted material, an escape structure, and large burrows.

This assemblage is assigned to the Scoyenia ichnofacies. Specific lebensspuren are not limited to specific lithofacies; instead, their initial distribution seems to have been influenced principally by water availability within an ephemeral lacustrine/alluvial plain system. Other factors in distribution may have included amounts of organic matter, patterns of sedimentation, sediment grain size, biotic factors (settling from invertebrate drift, competition), and additional abiotic factors (wind deflation, waves, currents, desiccation, soft‐sediment deformation, evaporite formation, pedoturbation).

Extreme environmental conditions within the original depositional setting strongly influenced the availability of water which, in turn, strongly influenced the paleoecology of burrowing invertebrates in this nonmarine system.     

New birkeniid anaspid from the Lower Devonian of Scotland and its phylogenetic implications

Abstract: A new possible stem gnathostome, Kerreralepis carinata gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of a single specimen from the Lower Devonian of the island of Kerrera in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It is recognized as an anaspid by the chevron‐like arranged rod‐shaped scales on the trunk, gill openings extending behind the orbits in a slanting row and a series of median dorsal ridge scales. This specimen also has a series of median ventral plates, indicating the presence of a preanal fin‐fold, which in turn has consequences for interpretations of other problematic stem gnathostomes and their phylogenetic context. A cladistic analysis supports a monophyletic Anaspida including the scale‐covered birkeniids but excluding Lasanius as well as anaspid‐like forms such as Euphanerops and Jamoytius. The establishment of a new genus and species increases the diversity of anaspids and allows for a more detailed study of anaspid interrelationships. An ingroup analysis using Lasanius as an outgroup resolves Birkenia as a rather basal anaspid, sister to all other anaspids, alternatively sister to a clade represented by the taxa from Ringerike, Norway, and the closely associated taxon from Saaremaa Island, Estonia. These topologies agree rather well with the present fossil record of anaspids.     

Trace fossils in fluvial deposits of the uppermost Stockton Formation (Late Triassic), Newark Basin,New Jersey

Abstract

Fluvial deposits of the uppermost Stockton Formation (Late Triassic), Newark Basin, west-central New Jersey have yielded an assemblage of trace fossils. Dominated by burrows, specimens include Cochlichnus anguineus, Helminthoidichnites tenuis, Planolites beverleyensis, Scoyenia gracilis, Spongeliomorpha carlsbergi, Treptichnus bifurcus, Treptichnus pollardi, plant remains, and an undetermined vertebrate trace fossil. The assemblage belongs to the Scoyenia ichnofacies. On the basis of stratification and primary sedimentary structures, the beds are interpreted as deposits in a meandering stream environment. Larval insects, wormlike forms, and arthropods are probably responsible for most of the animal traces in wet or moist channel, floodplain, and point bar sediments subject to subaerial exposure.     

Northernmost record of the little gulper shark Centrophorus uyato in the north‐eastern Atlantic Ocean,with taxonomical notes on Centrophorus zeehaani

A specimen of the little gulper shark Centrophorus uyato was collected in the Norwegian Sea off the coast of northern Norway, marking the northernmost record of the species in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Morphological characteristics collected from the specimen indicate a close relationship to the Australian species Centrophorus zeehaani. DNA barcoding analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (coI) gene for species of Centrophorus suggests conspecificity of C. uyato and C. zeehaani.     

On the first record of the genus Octopoteuthis (Cephalopoda: Octopoteuthidae) in the Sardinian Channel (central western Mediterranean Sea)

A specimen of the rare squid genus Octopoteuthis (Cephalopoda: Octopoteuthidae) from 1600 m in the Sardinian Channel (central western Mediterranean) is described. Meristic and morphological data are provided. The specimen was a spent female and details of the reproductive system and implanted spermatangia are reported. Genetic analysis of this specimen and comparison with those available for species in this genus were carried out. Due to issues associated with the taxonomy of the genus Octopoteuthis, it was not possible to identify the specimen to the species level. The taxonomy of the genus is discussed.     

Determination of acrolein in human urine by headspace gas chromatography and mass spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive headspace gas chromatographic and mass spectrometric (GC–MS) method was developed for the determination of acrolein in human urine. A 0.5-ml urine sample in a glass vial containing propionaldehyde as an internal standard was heated at 80°C for 5 min. A 0.1-ml volume of headspace vapor was injected into a GC–MS instrument. Acrolein and propionaldehyde were coeluted at 3.1 min using a DB-1 capillary column, and well separated by selective ion monitoring (SIM) mode using ions m/z 56.05 and m/z 58.05. The interassay and intraassay coefficient of variation were 0.99% and 3.3%. The calibration curve demonstrated a good linearity throughout concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 nM. However, due to a wide variation of acrolein evaporation rates from human urine, a calibration curve must be established for each urine specimen using a standard addition method and detection limit varied from 1 to 5 nM. The total analysis time for two samples from one urine specimen required about 15 min. Therefore, this method is convenient for the urgent monitoring of urinary acrolein in patients to whom alkylating agents are administered.     

New information on a juvenile sauropod specimen from the Morrison Formation and the reassessment of its systematic position

Abstract: Morphological changes in the ontogeny of sauropods are poorly known, making difficult to establish the systematic affinities of very young individuals. New information on an almost complete juvenile sauropod (SMA 0009) with an estimated total length of about 2 m is here presented. The specimen was described as a diplodocid owing to the presence of some putative synapomorphies of this group. However, recent further preparation revealed the absence of diplodocid characters and the presence of macronarian derived characters. To test the affinities of this specimen, a phylogenetic analysis was conducted. The strict consensus tree recovers the specimen as a basal titanosauriform, in an unresolved relation with Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan. Nevertheless, a brachiosaurid assignment is here suggested in base of the widely accepted monophyly of this group (only recovered when SMA 0009 is placed within this group). Although the existence of a new taxon cannot be completely ruled out, the combination of derived and plesiomorphic characters in the specimen suggests its assignment to Brachiosaurus. Sixteen extra steps are needed to place this specimen within Diplodocidae. The high cost to place this specimen within this group is owing to the fact that several diplodocid characters are absent in SMA 0009, such as the absence of divided centroprezygapophyseal lamina in cervical vertebrae, procoelous anterior caudal centra, composed lateral lamina in anterior caudal vertebrae, elongated middle caudal vertebrae, short cervical ribs and caudolateral projection of distal condyle of metatarsal I. Finally, the systematic position reveals few major ontogenetic transformations. These affect the pneumatic structures (e.g. change from simple pleurocoels in the cervical vertebrae to complex pleurocoels and the development of lateral excavations in the dorsal vertebrae) but also include unrecorded transformations of the neural spine (e.g. the development of the spinodiapophyseal lamina, the widening of the neural spines in the dorsal vertebrae) and allometric growth in some limb bones.     

A new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triodontus</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Scarabaeidae, Orphninae) from Southern Madagascar

A new scarab beetle species of the endemic Madagascan genus Triodontus Westwood, T. hanskii sp. n., is described from a specimen collected in Southern Madagascar. The new species differs from similar Triodontus species with two medial pronotal tubercles and simple last abdominal sternite in a distinctive shape of the parameres. The type specimen of the new species originates from the southernmost remnant of indigenous rain forest of the island.