Preliminary palaeobotanical notes on the Early Cretaceous Cintura Formation (Sonora,Mexico)

The Cintura Formation of Albian–Cenomanian age in the Cabullona Basin yielded an important fossil flora, including palynomorphs, leaf impressions and fossil trunks. At the base of the Marquechi Member a poorly preserved palynomorph assemblage is recognised. The palynological assemblage is dominated by gymnosperms, mainly by cheirolepidiacean genus Classopollis. A noteworthy feature is the presence of angiosperm pollen grains of the genera Clavatipollenites, Retimonocolpites and Tucanopollis. A rich, diverse and well-preserved macroflora of leaf impressions has been observed in the uppermost part of this formation belonging to the San Juan Member. There are at least eight morphospecies of leaves including an abundance of taxa with possible botanical affinities to the family Sapindaceae. The angiosperm pollen grains together with the sapindalean leaves constitute the oldest record of such remains in Mexico.     

Theropod dinosaurs from the Albian–Cenomanian Wayan Formation of eastern Idaho

The record of terrestrial vertebrates in the upper Albian to Cenomanian Wayan Formation of Idaho is sparse, with most fossils recovered belonging to the small orodromine neornithischian Oryctodromeus cubicularis and the maniraptoran ootaxon Macroelongatoolithus carlylei. Here we report on a diversity of theropod forms now recognised from various isolated teeth, vertebrae, eggs and eggshell. Theropods recognised from isolated teeth include a large possible tyrannosauroid, a small tyrannosauroid, dromaeosaurids, and indeterminate theropods. A possible neovenatorid and indeterminate theropods are recognised from isolated vertebrae. A giant oviraptorosaur is indicated by the presence of rare eggs and common eggshell accumulations referred to Macroelongatoolithus. While these remains are admittedly meager, their presence indicates that a substantial diversity of theropods existed in the Albian to Cenomanian environments of southeastern Idaho. The Wayan theropod assemblage is among the most diverse reported for this time period in North America, and represents a transitional assemblage resembling that of the later Late Cretaceous.     

Paleobotanical remains from the Paleocene–lower Eocene Vagadkhol Formation, western India and their paleoclimatic and phytogeographic implications

A small assemblage of macro- and micro floral remains comprising fossil leaf impressions, silicified wood, spores, and pollen grains is reported from the Paleocene–lower Eocene Vagadkhol Formation (=Olpad Formation) exposed around Vagadkhol village in the Bharuch District of Gujarat, western India. The fossil leaves are represented by five genera and six species, namely, Polyalthia palaeosimiarum (Annonaceae), Acronychia siwalica (Rutaceae), Terminalia palaeocatapa and T. panandhroensis (Combretaceae), Lagerstroemia patelii (Lythraceae), and a new species, Gardenia vagadkholia (Rubiaceae). The lone fossil wood has been attributed to a new species, Schleicheroxylon bharuchense (Sapindaceae). The palynological assemblage, consisting of pollen grains and spores, comprises eleven taxa with more or less equal representation of pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and angiosperms. Angiospermous pollen grains include a new species Palmidites magnus. Spores are mostly pteridophytic but some fungal spores were also recovered. All the fossil species have been identified in the extant genera. The present day distribution of modern taxa comparable to the fossil assemblage recorded from the Vagadkhol area mostly indicate terrestrial lowland environment. Low frequency of pollen of two highland temperate taxa (Pinaceae) in the assemblage suggests that they may have been transported from a distant source. The wood and leaf taxa in the fossil assemblage are suggestive of tropical moist or wet forest with some deciduousness during the Paleocene–early Eocene. The presence of many fungal taxa further suggests the prevalence of enough humidity at the time of sedimentation.     

Fossil isopods associated with a fish skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous of Queensland,Australia – direct evidence of a scavenging lifestyle in Mesozoic Cymothoida

Abstract: A dense assemblage of fossil isopod crustaceans (Brunnaega tomhurleyi Wilson, sp. nov.) from the Lower Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation of Queensland, Australia, has been found within the carcass of a large actinopterygian fish, Pachyrhizodus marathonensis (Etheridge). Preservation of fine anatomical details supports referral to the genus Brunnaega Polz, which is herein reassigned to the family Cirolanidae. Furthermore, placement of this taxon within the cirolanid subfamily Conilerinae Kensley and Schotte is significant because the group includes modern species that are well known as voracious scavengers. This isopod–fish association represents the oldest unequivocal evidence of scavenging by Mesozoic cymothoidean isopods on a large vertebrate carcass.     

Découverte de charophytes de l’Albien dans la Formation Kebar (Tunisie centrale) : implications paléoécologiques et paléobiogéographiques

In Tunisia, in the platform domain, the Aptian-Albian transition is associated with a major stratigraphic gap not precisely dated, which is related to the subaerial exposure of the Aptian Orbata platform. Locally, in central Tunisia (Jebel Kebar), this gap is substituted by the sedimentary records of the Kebar Formation. This formation provided a rich association of fossil charophytes, formed by Atopochara trivolvis trivolvis, Clavator harrisii zavialensis and Sphaerochara verticillata which allows attributing it to the late Aptian–early Albian interval (most probably early Albian). In addition, a new variety, Sphaerochara verticillata var. kebariensis, is described. The charophyte assemblage shows significant biogeographic affinities with a coeval flora found in the Iberian Peninsula. The Kebar Formation was previously regarded as exclusively nonmarine, but the presence of the assemblage of charophytes and associated ostracods described rather indicates a fluctuation between margino-littoral (lagoonal) and continental environments.     

Upper Aptian–albian Rudist Bivalves from Northern Sinai, Egypt

Rudist bivalves are described from two Upper Aptian–Albian sections in northern Sinai, Egypt. Independent stratigraphical evidence is provided by orbitolinid foraminifera and sequence stratigraphic correlation with other, ammonite–bearing sections of the region. With the exception of Eoradiolites liratus (Conrad) and Sellaea, this is the first record of Lower Cretaceous rudists from Egypt. A rather continuous occurrence of rudists is recorded in the more open marine deposit at Rizan Aneiza, but they occur only in the Middle–Upper Albian at Gebel Raghawi to the south–west. In the uppermost Aptian to basal Middle Albian at Rizan Aneiza, the succession of Eoradiolites plicatus–E. murgensis–E. liratus is interpreted as a lineage of chronospecies. Of particular interest is the presence of canaliculate rudists in the Upper Albian of both sections, as there exists a large gap, spanning the Upper Aptian and most parts of the Albian, in the fossil record of the Caprininae d’Orbigny. Neocaprina raghawiensis sp. nov. and Neocaprina? sp. are recognized as ancestors of Cenomanian species of Neocaprina Pleni?ar and Caprinula d’Orbigny. The inclusion of these genera in the Caprininae d’Orbigny is questioned and the phylogenetic descent from an unidentified Albian taxon with well–developed myophoral cavities is suggested.     

Marsileaceaephyllum, a new genus for marsileaceous macrofossils: leaf remains from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) of southern Gondwana

Three new taxa from Albian, Early Cretaceous assemblages in Gondwana (Australia and Antarctica) and two previously described fossils from the Late Cretaceous and Eocene of North America are attributable to the heterosporous semi-aquatic fern family Marsileaceae. They are assigned to Marsileaceaephyllum, a morphotaxon erected here for sterile remains (whole plants, and isolated leaves and leaflets) of Marsileaceae. The Gondwanan taxa, Marsileaceaephyllum lobatum and Marsileaceaephyllum spp. B-C, have either a cruciform leaflet arrangement or dichotomous and anastomosing venation characteristic of modern Marsileaceae. Two previously established taxa, Marsilea johnhallii and Marsilea sp., which represent sterile Marsileaceae, are also transferred to the new genus (now Marsileaceaephyllum johnhallii and Marsileaceaephyllum sp. A, respectively). Examination of all fossil venation patterns reveals four new venation types not present in extant taxa, suggesting that most fossil Marsileaceae (leaves) are distinct from extant genera, and are likely members of extinct lineages. This is further supported by the absence of modern megaspore types in the Early Cretaceous.     

New record for the fungus Mariusia andegavensis Pons and Boureau (1977) for the Albian of NE Iberian Peninsula: a possible related plant–arthropod interaction

We present the oldest report of Mariusia andegavensis Pons and Boureau that also constitutes the first evidence of this taxon from the Albian deposits of the Iberian Peninsula (Escucha locality, northeastern Spain). The examined fossil fungi consist of four in situ aligned stromata on the stem of a cheirolepidiacean Frenelopsis sp. cf. F. turolensis Gómez from the late-middle Albian Escucha Formation. Another occurrence of this taxon in this area consists of dispersed fungi from the latest Albian Transitional Marls Unit above the Utrillas Formation at Fuente del Vaso. This study documents the oldest known occurrence of these fungi, that in our case, is aligned on stems rather than a randomly distribution on leaves, as previously reported in Cenomanian deposits of France. This arrangement of fruiting bodies in the studied specimens is best explained by a plant–arthropod interaction involving subsequent invasion by a fungus.     

Echinoderm faunas from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of Alexander Island,Antarctica

Abstract: Strata assigned to the Fossil Bluff Group on Alexander Island, Antarctica, contain Aptian to Albian high‐latitude echinoderm faunas that lived at palaeolatitudes greater than 60 degrees south. The Pluto Glacier Formation, of essentially Aptian age, yields a deep‐water assemblage that includes two ophiuroids, an ophiacanthid and a representative of the ophiolepidid genus Mesophiomusium, both represented by partially articulated specimens. The echinoid fauna includes a new genus of diadematoid, Australidiadema, and a new genus of disasteroid, Notidisaster, which extend the record of both groups into the southern hemisphere. The overlying Neptune Glacier Formation, of late Albian age, yields only spatangoids which are common but rarely well enough preserved to be identified even to genus level, although at least some belong to the genus Hemiaster.     

Recognising angiosperm clades in the Early Cretaceous fossil record

Studies of the earliest Cretaceous angiosperms in the 1970s made only broad comparisons with living taxa, but discoveries of fossil flowers and increasingly robust molecular phylogenies of living angiosperms allow more secure recognition of extant clades. The middle to late Albian rise of tricolpate pollen and the first local dominance of angiosperm leaves mark the influx of near-basal lines of eudicots. Associated flowers indicate that palmately lobed ‘platanoids’ and Sapindopsis are both stem relatives of Platanus, while Nelumbites was related to Nelumbo (also Proteales) and Spanomera to Buxaceae. Monocots are attested by Aptian Liliacidites pollen and Acaciaephyllum leaves and Albian araceous inflorescences. Several Albian–Cenomanian fossils belong to Magnoliidae in the revised monophyletic sense, including Archaeanthus in Magnoliales and Virginianthus and Mauldinia in Laurales, while late Barremian pollen tetrads (Walkeripollis) are related to Winteraceae. In the basal ANITA grade, Nymphaeales are represented by Aptian and Albian flowers and whole plants (Monetianthus, Carpestella and Pluricarpellatia). Epidermal similarities of lower Potomac leaves to woody members of the ANITA grade are consistent with Albian flowers assignable to Austrobaileyales (Anacostia). Aptian to Cenomanian mesofossils represent both crown group Chloranthaceae (Asteropollis plant) and stem relatives of Chloranthaceae and/or Ceratophyllum (Canrightia, Zlatkocarpus, Pennipollis plant and possibly Appomattoxia).     

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.     

Observations on the Turin specimen ofMesopithecus pentelici (Wagner, 1839)

A fossil specimen ofMesopithecus pentelici Wagner, 1839, from the Pikermi paleontological assemblage and currently housed at the Geological Museum of the Earth Sciences Department of the University of Turin, is described herein. The left mandibular ramus displays dental features which permit us to assign it to a young female individual. Anatomical patterns are discussed and are compared with other similar remains of more recent discovery.     

Mammalian predator–prey relationships and reoccupation of burrows in the Pliocene of the Pampean Region (Argentina): new ichnological and taphonomic evidence

Here we describe an unusual fossil assemblage found inside a crotovine from the late Pliocene Chapadmalal ‘Formation’ (Buenos Aires Province). This assemblage contains the greatest vertebrate diversity recovered inside an ichnofossil of this type, including skeletal remains of dasypodids, didelphids, procyonids, anurans and caviomorph rodents within coprolites and disaggregated scatological waste. We describe four general size types for crotovines and palaeoburrows found in the Pliocene to Holocene of Argentina and Brazil, of which the structure found corresponds to the ‘mid-large’ size type and is linked to the activity of the large dasypodid Ringueletia simpsoni. The scatological remains are assigned to a small-sized carnivorous mammal with a body mass of between 1 and 6 kg. Within the guild of Chapadmalalan omnivorous–carnivorous mammals, this inferred mass range is restricted to large didelphids and mid-sized procyonids (represented in the assemblage by Thylophorops chapadmalensis and Cyonasua lutaria, respectively). The data gathered here confirms that the reoccupation of burrows is a common behaviour in small-sized carnivorous mammals at least since the early Pliocene. In addition, we suggest a predator–prey relationship between the studied carnivores and the most abundant small fossorial mammals of the Pampean Pliocene.     

A coleoid gladius (Mollusca,Cephalopoda) from the Albian of Normandy (France): A new squid genus and species

A coleoid gladius (Mollusca, Cephalopoda), well preserved in a phosphate nodule, is described from the lower Albian of Normandy (France). The lateral parts of the gladius are considered as the remains of a primary conus. This fossil is part of a gladius of modern type. It is thought to be included in an evolutionary trend leading to the Recent genera, of narrowing of the gladius associated with greater streamlining of the body. The coleoid gladii are almost unknown from the Cretaceous. This coleoid gladius from the Albian of Normandy differs from any known Mesozoic gladius, and thus is named Normanoteuthis inopinata, new genus, new species, within the family Plesioteuthidae.     

A new genus of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous: the first fossil rove beetles from the Southern Hemisphere

The fossil genus of rove beetles Apticax gen.n . with two new species, A. volans sp.n . and A. solidus sp.n., is described from the Nova Olinda Member of the Crato Formation in north‐eastern Brazil (Aptian–Albian, dated as 125–99.6 Ma old). Both species belong to the clade Staphylininae + Paederinae in the staphylinine group of subfamilies and are the first fossil true Staphylinidae to be described from the entire Southern Hemisphere. Although they resemble Paederinae, the low number of satisfactorily preserved characters do not allow definite placement of either A. volans or A. solidus in any of the subfamilies of Staphylinidae.     

Ichnology of Lower Jurassic beach deposits in the Shemshak Formation at Shahmirzad,southeastern Alborz Mountains,Iran

A 19 m thick package of well-sorted lowermost Jurassic (Hettangian-Lower Sinemurian?) sandstones within the Shemshak Formation of the southeastern Alborz Mountains displays features characteristic of foreshore to upper shoreface environments such as tabular bedding, low-angle lamination, trough cross-stratification, parting lineation, and oscillation ripples. In contrast to most other beach successions recorded in the literature the sandstones contain a trace fossil assemblage characterised by low abundance but comparatively high diversity. The assemblage, comprising 14 ichnotaxa, is dominated by Palaeophycus heberti, Rhizocorallium irregulare, Gyrochorte comosa, and Parahaentzschelinia surlyki. Contrary to predictions, which assume a dominance of suspension-feeders in such high-energy environments, the trace fossil assemblage represents a variety of ethological groups ranging from suspension-feeders to deposit-feeders, detritus-feeders, scavengers, and a possible trap constructor (Ctenopholeus), whereby deposit-feeders predominate. This anomaly is explained by a high amount of organic detritus in the sediment, indicated by abundant plant material, and a position of the beach in the vicinity of a river mouth.     

Two macaque fossil teeth from the Japanese Pleistocene

Two fossil teeth of the Pleistocene macaque of Japan are stated to be those ofMacaca cf.fuscata. One of them is a lower canine tooth found in the Shiriya mine in northern Japan. It has been thought that the fossil assemblage of the Shiriya mine is of the late Pleistocene. The canine concerned is not distinguishable from the lower right one of the living female Japanese monkey. The other is a lower molar taken from the Ando quarry in western Japan. The fossil assemblage from the Ando quarry or from sites neighbouring the quarry indicates that the age of the molar can be traced back to the middle Pleistocene. The molar concerned has a somewhat buccolingually depressed crown as compared with that of the living Japanese monkey (Macaca fuscata).     

Floral data from the mid-Cenozoic of central Pakistan

Floral remains are generally rare in the fossil record of Pakistan. We present here new discoveries of mid-Cenozoic wood and pollen of Oligocene deposits from central Pakistan. The palynological sample derives from claystone stratigraphically positioned above the wood fossils, but pollen and spores as well as the wood are all of Oligocene age. The three fossil wood samples derive from the top of the lower unit of the Chitarwata Formation, and the palynological sample comes from claystone situated in the middle unit of the formation. The wood samples are described and found to represent two species of the morphotaxon Terminalioxylon (Combretaceae): T. burmense Mädel-Angeliewa and Müller-Stoll [Madel-Angeliewa, E., Müller-Stoll, W.R., 1973. Kritische Studien über fossile Combretaceen-Hölzer: über Hölzer von Typus Terminalioxylon G. Schönfeld mit einer Revision der bisher zu Evodioxylon Chiarugi gestellten Arten. Palaeontographica 142B, 117–136.] and T. sulaimanense sp. nov. These fossils are close to modern species of Terminalia, which occur in moist deciduous or semi-evergreen tropical forests. The palynological assemblage is composed of a mixture of pollen and spore types from different origins. There is a dominance of hygrophilous ferns, pines, Amaranthaceae–Chenopodiaceae–Caryophylaceae, but also the occurrence of Palmae, which are typical of tropical rainforests. This assemblage suggests that the depositional system is set in a context of nearby mountains with a minimum altitude of 2000 to 2500 m and characterized by differentiated forest belts above the tropical lowland vegetation of lower elevations. Wood, pollen and spores support the view of a fluvial environment surrounded by a tropical forested habitat. The separate stratigraphic position of the pollen assemblage above the fossil wood could explain its slightly different, more varied, palaeoenvironmental signal.     

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of an Albian plant community from the Ariño bonebed layer (Iberian Chain,NE Spain)

The AR-1 layer, corresponding to the Escucha Formation (Lower Cretaceous) in the Santa Maria Mine of Ariño, has supplied rich and well-preserved macrofloral and palynological assemblages showing interesting data about both taphonomic and environmental conditions. This single layer is located in the Oliete Sub-Basin from the Maestrazgo Basin in northeastern Spain, and it represents one of the most outstanding single layer fossil sites in the world. This site shows abundant and diverse fauna containing exquisitely preserved vertebrate and invertebrate fossils (dinosaur bones, turtles, crocodiles, fishes, molluscs and ostracods) and also plant remains of Albian age. The assemblage is especially significant for dinosaur phylogenetic analysis. The sedimentary environment corresponds to a freshwater swamp plain with sporadic marine inputs within a deltaic–estuarine system under subtropical–tropical climate.