Pterocryptis buccata, a new species of catfish from western Thailand (Teleostei: Siluridae) with epigean and hypogean populations

Pterocryptis buccata sp. nov. is described from the vicinity of Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. It can be distinguished from all other congeners by its prominent mandibular muscles causing the cheeks to appear inflated and the following unique combination of characters: 54–61 anal-fin rays, 7 pelvic-fin rays, 50–52 vertebrae, 4 mandibular barbels and vomerine teeth present in 2 separate patches. An achromatic population inhabits the Sai Yok Noi cave. This is the first report of a cavedwelling catfish from Southeast Asia.     

A review of the Ompok hypophthalmus group of silurid catfishes with the description of a new species from South-East Asia

The identities of the nominal species in the Ompok hypophthalmus group of silurid catfishes, namely Ompok hypophthalmus , O. macronema and O. urbaini are verified in this study. Ompok macronema is hypothesized to be a junior synonym of O. hypophthalmus , and O. urbaini (previously considered a junior synonym of O. hypophthalmus ) is hypothesized to be valid, distinct species. Ompok hypophthalmus is restricted to Java and the Barito River drainage in southern Borneo, and the material previously identified as O. hypophthalmus from Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo represents O. rhadinurus , a new species.     

Tsuga shimokawaensis,a new species of permineralized conifer leaves from the Middle Miocene Shimokawa Group,Hokkaido, Japan

Silicified pinaceous leaves from the late Middle Miocene bed of Shimokawa Town, central Hokkaido, Japan are described asTsuga shimokawaensis sp. nov. Comparisons with leaves of extant species ofTsuga show that the new species is assigned to sect.Tsuga, resembling the extant speciesT. heterophylla in having usually one-cell-layered hypodermis, andT. sieboldii in having mesophyll cells between the resin canal and the hypodermis. From cladistic analyses we infer thatTsuga shimokawaensis is positioned the basal in sect.Tsuga and that sect.Tsuga comprises four species groups.     

Fossil woods from Janggi Group (Early Miocene) in Pohang Basin,Korea

Sixty-four silicified fossil woods were collected from the Early Miocene Upper Coal-bearing Formation of Janggi Group in Pohang City, the Korean Peninsula. Out of them 23 specimens were identified as gymnosperms and 27 specimens as dicotyledons. The taxa identified include Picea palaeomaximowiczii Watari, Taxodioxylon cunninghamioides (Watari) Watari, T. sequoianum (Merckl.) Gothan, Fagus hondoensis (Watari) Watari, Cercidiphyllum sp., Camellia japonoxyla Suzuki et Terada, Distylium chiharu-hirayae Suzuki et Terada, Aesculus sp., Wataria miocenica (Watari) Terada et Suzuki and W. parvipora Terada et Suzuki. All of these species are reported for the first time from the Tertiary basins of Korea. Compared with those of the Miocene Formations in Japan, most taxa we found are common between the paleo-floras in Korea and Japan during the Early to Middle Miocene.     

Tropical freshwater teleosts from Miocene beds of eastern Patagonia, southern Argentina

Loricariid and pimelodid-like siluriforms—along with undetermined percomorph—are described for the first time from Patagonia. Vertebrate fossils, including fish, mammals and birds, were found in beds attributed to the top of the Puerto Madryn Formation. These levels supposedly corresponded to the “Rionegrense marino” of former authors. Mammals occurring in the site suggest a Huayquerian age for the fossiliferous beds. The base of the Huayquerian was dated at about 9 Ma and the top is younger than 6.5 Ma. Radioisotopic dating in the marine shell beds of the Puerto Madryn Formation ranges from 11 to 9 Ma. Consequently, the section described here appears to be younger than the typical Puerto Madryn Formation from which it is separated by an unconformity. The section is correlated with the type Río Negro Formation from northern Patagonia, which also includes Huayquerian fossils. Freshwater fishes were previously unknown in beds younger than the middle Miocene in southern South America. This is also the southernmost record of loricariid fishes. The association of aquatic continental and terrestrial vertebrates indicates for the first time in Península Valdés beds of freshwater origin. The evidence apported by fossils is also in agreement with global climate trends. The local extinction of loricariids in Patagonia possibly occurred much later than the time of deposition.     

Anatomical and developmental study of petrified Quercus (Fagaceae) fruits from the Middle Miocene, Yakima Canyon, Washington, USA

The first reported petrified acorns to show internal anatomical structure are here described from Middle Miocene (～15.6 million years old) chert of the Columbia River Basalt Group in Yakima Canyon, Washington. Quercus hiholensis Borgardt et Pigg sp. nov. is described from anatomical and morphological fruit features, as well as a little recognized anatomical feature, the umbilical complex. Acorns, each comprising a nut and its cupule, are up to 15.3 mm long and 18.8 mm wide with helically arranged, imbricate, tuberculate cupule scales. They show basal aborted ovules, short styles, broad stigmas, and lack grooves in their cotyledons. These characters and the developmental pattern seen in these fossil acorns demonstrate that Q. hiholensis conforms to genus Quercus (Fagaceae), subgenus Quercus, section Quercus (the white oaks). The correspondence of Q. hiholensis to the modern section Quercus reveals that the derived floral and fruit characters that distinguish section Quercus within the genus had evolved by the Middle Miocene.     

云南中新世杉科化石木研究

利用光学显微镜和扫描电镜首次对云南省楚雄州晚中新世石灰坝组石鼓村层的钙化木材进行了解决学研究。鉴定出两种类型的木材。柳杉型落羽杉型木（Taxodioxylon cryptomeripsoides Schonfeld)和杉木型落羽杉型木（Taxo-dioxylon cunninghamioides Watari)。二者分别与现代柳杉属和杉木属具有最接近的亲缘关系。根据这两种杉科化石木现存最近亲缘种的生态环境,并综合其他资料,推测该地区在晚中新世为温暖湿润的亚热带气候环境。     

Nacholapithecus skeleton from the Middle Miocene of Kenya

An almost entire skeleton of a male individual of Nacholapithecus kerioi (KNM-BG 35250) was discovered from Middle Miocene (approximately 15 Ma) sediments at Nachola, northern Kenya. N. kerioi exhibits a shared derived subnasal morphology with living apes. In many postcranial features, such as articular shape, as well as the number of the lumbar vertebrae, N. kerioi resembles Proconsul heseloni and/or P. nyanzae, and lacks suspensory specializations characteristic of living apes. Similarly, N. kerioi shares some postcranial characters with Kenyapithecus spp. However, despite the resemblance, N. kerioi and Proconsul spp. are quite different in their body proportions and some joint morphologies. N. kerioi has proportionally large forelimb bones and long pedal digits compared to its hindlimb bones and lumbar vertebrae. Its distinctive body proportions suggest that N. kerioi was more derived for forelimb dominated arboreal activities than P. nyanzae and P. heseloni. On the other hand, it exhibits a mixture of derived and primitive cranio-dental and postcranial features relative to the contemporaneous Kenyapithecus and Early MioceneMorotopithecus. While the phylogenetic position of N. kerioi is unsettled, it seems necessary to posit parallel evolution of cranio-dental and/or postcranial features in fossil and living apes.     

Fossil representatives of the family Greenideidae (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea) from the Miocene of Europe

Four new aphid species (Hemiptera, Aphidoidea, Greenideidae) are described on the basis of imprints in oil-shales from the Miocene of Europe (Rubielos de Mora, Spain; Vishnevaya Balka ?Stavropol?, Russia): Eutrichosiphum europaeum nov. sp., Greenidea hispanica nov. sp., Greenideoida (Pentatrichosiphum) turolensis nov. sp. and Mollitrichosiphum rubusensis nov. sp. All the taxa are placed within recent genera of the subfamily Greenideinae. Miocene representatives of this subfamily have been found in the south of Europe. Later changes of climatic conditions limited its geographic range to south-eastern Asia, where it is now represented by over 130 species of seven genera.     

The first record of a biparental mouthbrooding catfish

In Lake Tanganyika the bagrid catfish Phyllonemus typus is a biparental mouthbrooder, the first such record among catfishes. Eggs and yolk-sac larvae are mouthbrooded by either or both parents, and following yolk-sac absorption, young are released temporarily from the mouth to feed beneath rocks which being guarded by both parents.     

Fossil coniferous wood from the Middle Jurassic of Liaoning Province, China

Silicified coniferous wood was collected from the Lanqi Formation (late Middle Jurassic in age) at Shebudaigou Village, Liaoning Province, China. Three taxa are identified, namely Pinoxylon dacotense Knowlton, Xenoxylon phyllocladoides Gothan, and Araucariopitys sp. Based on these new data, and those of other fossil plants reported previously from the same formation, we consider the climate during the deposition of the Lanqi Formation was subtropical, humid and seasonal. In this respect the Lanqi flora differs from the coeval Shimengou and Longmen floras from North China. The Longmen flora was deposited during more humid, subtropical conditions, while the Shimengou Formation indicates that the climate was warm temperate and dry. Our data would suggest that the Late Jurassic climatic pattern was initiated as early as the late Middle Jurassic.     

Fossil bagrid catfishes from Japan and their zoogeography, with description of a new species,Pseudobagrus ikiensis

Morphological characteristics of fossil bagrid catfishes from six Miocene to Pleistocene localities in Japan are described. A new species of the Middle Miocene bagrid,Pseudobagrus ikiensis, is described, based on five nearly complete specimens (ca. 19 cm SL) and one half-body specimen from the Chojabaru Formation (15 Ma) of the Iki Group in Nagasaki Prefecture. The species is diagnosed by a unique combination of characters: 14–16 anal fin rays, 44–47 vertebrae, deeply forked caudal fin, pectoral spines with serrations on the anterior edge and supraoccipital process extending to the first pterygiophore of the dorsal fin.Pseudobagrus ikiensis is morphologically close to the extantP. fulvidraco, which is widely distributed in China, Siberia and the Korean Peninsula, suggesting that both lineages had appeared by the Middle Miocene. All other fossil specimens are from the Pliocene (3–4 Ma) Ueno Formation (lowest Kobiwako Group, Ohyamada, Mie Pref.) and Tokai Group (Tsu, Mie Pref.), and Pleistocene cave deposits (Inasa, Shizuoka Pref., Mine, Yamaguchi Pref. and Kanogawa, Ehime Pref.). These are incomplete, comprising mainly dorsal and pectoral spines. Being indistinguishable from the extantP. nudiceps, they are thus considered to be included in that lineage. Although the geological distribution of these Plio-Pleistocene fossils nearly overlaps that of the extantP. nudiceps (west of the Suzuka Mountains), fossil specimens have also been found in the Ise Bay area (Tsu), whereP. ichikawai is the only extant bagrid, and further east (Inasa). Based on evidence that the latter is not a sister species ofP. nudiceps, the distribution of the fossils indicates that the range ofP. nudiceps was restricted to west of the Suzuka Mts. during the Pleistocene or Holocene.     

Orbital signatures in a late Miocene dinoflagellate record from Crete (Greece)

A high-resolution palynological study of the cyclically bedded Faneromeni section (upper Tortonian-lower Messinian) on Crete (Greece) is presented. This study aims to recognize orbitally-driven variations in the palynological record and to validate the age model based on the astronomical calibration of the sedimentary cycles. Four palynology-based environmental proxies were utilised using interpretations of fossil dinoflagellate associations based on modern ecological characteristics. Cross-spectral analysis between the proxy records and astronomical target curve, the 65°N summer insolation, yielded in most cases significant spectral power and coherence in the precession and/or obliquity frequency bands. Precession-controlled variations in the proxy records are related to lithology and indicate that maxima in continental input and minima in sea surface salinity coincide with sapropel formation. The influence of obliquity is most clearly reflected in the index of continental versus marine palynomorphs (S-D). The absence of a distinct time lag relative to obliquity indicates that the 41-kyr component in continental input is controlled by oscillations in regional Mediterranean climate rather than by glacial cyclicity. Phase relations in the different astronomical frequency bands of the spectrum, as compared with the Mediterranean Pliocene, essentially confirm the validity of the Miocene astronomical time scale. Finally, a major non-cyclic change in the palynological assemblage at 6.68 Ma indicates enhanced salinity and decreased river discharge. This shift coincides with a significant drop in sedimentation rate informally termed the “Early Messinian Sediment starvation Event”.     

Fossil record and dynamics of Late Miocene small mammal faunas of the Vienna Basin and adjacent basins,Austria

The Late Miocene small mammal assemblages of the hinterland of Lake Pannon in Austrian Basins are represented by 99 species-level taxa and 30,400 specimens. The fossil-bearing localities can be grouped into eight intervals spanning about three million years from the Early Vallesian to the Middle Turolian. Each time slice is characterised by the occurrence and/or dominance of certain species. The retreat of Lake Pannon is reflected by a distinct diversification. This pattern may be a regional signal due to increasing habitat availability but may also be taphonomically biased due to a rather poor Earliest Vallesian record. Nevertheless, the overall community structure is quite stable throughout the Vallesian and no indication of a Vallesian Crisis can be detected. Instead, a moderate turnover occurs with the onset of the Turolian, reflected by the increasing abundance of xerophilic taxa.     

Quantitative reconstruction of palaeoclimate from the Middle Miocene Shanwang flora, eastern China

The fossil leaf flora from the Shanwang Formation, Linqu County, Shandong Province, eastern China, is diverse, abundant, well preserved and discretely spaced, all of which make it suitable for the recognition and application of leaf physiognomic characters. This article is the first study of Chinese Tertiary floras using the CLAMP (Climate Leaf Analysis Multivariate Program) approach. Numerous bedding planes yield leaf assemblages through over 20 m thickness of diatomaceous shales within the Middle Miocene Shanwang Formation. The diatomaceous shales, containing abundant fossils, have been divided into 19 units. A working platform (3×3 m) in the Diatomite Quarry of Shanwang was studied for about 3 months in 1998 and as many fossils as possible were recorded layer by layer. This collecting method, used for the first time in the history of Shanwang research, enabled us to record the presence or absence of megafossils in distinct units so that we could investigate leaf physiognomic characteristics and palaeoclimate for each time interval. Leaf fossils from six units (5, 6, 7, 13, 15 and 16) have been used to estimate palaeoclimate parameters of the Shanwang area using the CLAMP 3B dataset. The predicted climate is that of a lakeside setting, at over 1000 m above sea level and within the 17–15-Ma time interval. Meteorological factors have been estimated using the CLAMP approach, including mean annual temperature (MAT; 9.5–11.2°C), warmest month mean temperature (20.2–22.5°C), growing season length (5.9–6.8 months), mean growing season precipitation (83–165 cm) and relative humidity (73–79%). MAT estimates from leaf margin analysis (LMA) range from 12.5 to 15.2°C, which are a maximum of 4° higher than those from our CLAMP analyses and from previous results of LMA studies of the Shanwang flora (10–13°C). Nearest living relatives (NLR) of other biota (pollen, fish, insects, diatoms, microthyriaceous fungi, etc.) indicate warm and moist temperate to subtropical conditions in the Shanwang area during the Miocene. CLAMP predictions are similar to the climate predicted from NLRs although the MAT prediction is a few degrees cooler. The fact that the Shanwang leaf flora is from a lacustrine sequence may have biased the CLAMP analysis towards cooler (and possibly wetter) climates. The modern Yangtze River valley is a reasonable environmental analogue for the Shanwang Middle Miocene, though Shanwang may have had cooler summers, cooler MAT and less seasonality in rainfall. The climate was essentially constant during deposition of the sequence studied, with possible minor variations in precipitation.     

A fossil Vallisneria plant (Hydrocharitaceae) from the Early Miocene freshwater deposits of the Most Basin (North Bohemia)

A new fossil species of Vallisneria (V. janecekii Bogner & Kva?ek, sp. n., Hydrocharitaceae) is reported from Early Miocene freshwater lake deposits of the North Bohemian brown coal basin (Czech Republic). It is based on a single fragmentary sterile plant bearing two clusters of ribbon-shaped widely serrulate leaves on a short rhizome. It is a potential producer of seeds described from equivalent and slightly older deposits in Saxony (Germany) as Vallisneria ovalis Mai.