First record of an upper triassic Ceratodontid (Dipnoi,Ceratodontiformes) in Thailand and its paleogeographical significance

The first discovered Norian continental vertebratelocality of Thailand has yielded one minute toothplate of a ceratodontid. This remain belongs probably to Ceratodus cf. szechuanensis. C. szechuanensisYoung was previously recorded from the Upper Triassic of China, which would provide evidence for a land connection between Thailand and China as early as the late Triassic.     

Cyclotosaurus cf. PosthumusFraas (Capitosauridae,Stereospondyli) from the Huai Hin Lat Formation (Upper Triassic), Northeastern Thailand: With a note on capitosaurid biogeography

Part of a large capitosaurid skull, similar to that of Cyclotosaurus posthumus from the Upper Triassic of Germany, has been discovered in the upper part of the Huai Hin Lat Formation near Chulabhorn (Nam Phrom) Dam. This discovery is consistent with the presumed Norian age of this formation. Although the phylogeny of the Capitosauridae is still unclear, the group of Upper Triassic Cyclotosaurus species to which C. posthumus belongs is monophyletic and seems to be known only from Laurasia or Northwestern Gondwana (Morocco). The occurrence of C. cf. posthumus in Thailand is consistent with the hypothesis previously put forward, that this part of Southeast Asia was bound to Laurasia in Mesozoic times.     

Redescription of the phytosaurs Paleorhinus (‘Francosuchus’) angustifrons and Ebrachosuchus neukami from Germany,with implications for Late Triassic biochronology

Phytosaurs are a diverse and morphologically distinctive clade of superficially crocodile‐like archosauriforms that had a near global distribution during the Late Triassic. Because their remains are among the most abundant vertebrate remains recovered in many Upper Triassic terrestrial formations, phytosaurs are used extensively in long‐range biochronological and biostratigraphic correlations. The biochronologically oldest and earliest branching known phytosaurs include an array of nominal species from the early Late Triassic of the United States, Germany, Poland, Morocco, and India that have been synonymized within the genus Paleorhinus, and subsequently used to define a global ‘Paleorhinus biochron’. However, recent phylogenetic work suggested that the North American species previously referred to Paleorhinus are paraphyletic. Here, we reassess the systematics and anatomy of putative specimens of Paleorhinus from southern Germany. Two well‐preserved basal phytosaur skulls from the Blasensandstein (Carnian) of Bavaria form the holotypes of Francosuchus angustifrons and Ebrachosuchus neukami, both of which were synonymized with Paleorhinus by previous workers. We demonstrate that Francosuchus angustifrons shares unique synapomorphies with specimens referred to Paleorhinus bransoni from the Late Triassic of Texas, and thus refer the species to Paleorhinus. By contrast, the longirostrine Ebrachosuchus is highly distinctive in morphology, and our new cladistic analysis of Phytosauria demonstrates that it represents a valid taxon that is more closely related to Phytosauridae than to Paleorhinus. We provide the first autapomorphy‐based support for a monophyletic but restricted Paleorhinus (supported by a nodal row on the jugal, and low paired ridges on the squamosal) and confirm that previous broader conceptions of Paleorhinus are likely to be paraphyletic. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London     

Late Triassic dinosaur teeth from southern Belgium

Isolated Dinosaur teeth have been discovered in the Upper Triassic locality of Habay-la-Vieille, in southern Belgium. Ornithischia are represented by three dental morphotypes; two of them closely resemble isolated teeth from the Middle or Upper Jurassic of Portugal and England. The presence of sauropods in the Upper Triassic of Europe is confirmed. Sauropods already had a wide geographical distribution during the Latest Triassic, as fossils have been discovered in South Africa, Thailand and western Europe. At Habay-la-Vieille, sauropods and prosauropods co-existed at the end of the Triassic. Two dental morphotypes may tentatively be referred to as theropod dinosaurs. The study of isolated teeth indicates that dinosaurs were already well diversified in the Latest Triassic of western Europe. To cite this article: P. Godefroit, F. Knoll, C. R. Palevol 2 (2003) 3–11.     

The Late Pleistocene Orangutan from Tham Prakai Phet: New discoveries

This paper describes the collection of isolated orangutan fossil teeth identified in the newly excavated material from Tham Prakai Phet, a site located in the Chaiyaphum Province in northeast Thailand. The collection is composed of 18 isolated teeth belonging to Pongo. The morphology of the upper and lower teeth is similar to that of fossil and extant orangutans from mainland Indochina and Indonesia. Only the wrinkles on the occlusal surface are less pronounced and sometimes simpler than extant orangutans. The dimensions of the teeth fall in the range of variation of fossil and extant specimens, but the distribution of the crown areas of the Tham Prakai Phet specimens fall above the mean value observed for extant orangutans. This new collection of continental orangutans confirms the persistence of this taxa in this part of Thailand up to the late Pleistocene, and provides new data useful for understanding the evolution of this hominoid and advance in the reconstitution of the evolutionary lineage of Pongo. The size of the sample from Tham Prakai Phet is not sufficient to determine an accurate taxonomic attribution; pending the increase of the current sample, we attribute the material to Pongo sp. (Pongo aff. weidenreichi).     

A new crocodilianfrom the Jurassic of Thailand, Sunosuchus thailandicus n. sp. (Mesosuchia,Goniopholididae)), and the palaeogeographical history of South-East Asia in the Mesozoic

A crocodilian jaw fragment from the Jurassicof Thailand is referred to a new species of the genus SunosuchusYoung,, 1948, S. thailandicus.. The genus Sunosuchus,, which is interpreted here as belonging to the family Goniopholididae (Mesosuchia),, was previously known only from the continental Jurassic of north-central China. The occurrence of this freshwater crocodilian in the Khorat Group of Thailand provides evidence that, whatever its previous palaeogeographical history may have been, by Jurassic times South-East Asia was part of Laurasia.     

A New Species of Garjainia Ochev, 1958 (Diapsida: Archosauriformes: Erythrosuchidae) from the Early Triassic of South Africa

A new species of the erythrosuchid archosauriform reptile Garjainia Ochev, 1958 is described on the basis of disarticulated but abundant and well-preserved cranial and postcranial material from the late Early Triassic (late Olenekian) Subzone A of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone of the Burgersdorp Formation (Beaufort Group) of the Karoo Basin of South Africa. The new species, G. madiba, differs from its unique congener, G. prima from the late Olenekian of European Russia, most notably in having large bony bosses on the lateral surfaces of the jugals and postorbitals. The new species also has more teeth and a proportionately longer postacetabular process of the ilium than G. prima. Analysis of G. madiba bone histology reveals thick compact cortices comprised of highly vascularized, rapidly forming fibro-lamellar bone tissue, similar to Erythrosuchus africanus from Subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone. The most notable differences between the two taxa are the predominance of a radiating vascular network and presence of annuli in the limb bones of G. madiba. These features indicate rapid growth rates, consistent with data for many other Triassic archosauriforms, but also a high degree of developmental plasticity as growth remained flexible. The diagnoses of Garjainia and of Erythrosuchidae are addressed and revised. Garjainia madiba is the geologically oldest erythrosuchid known from the Southern Hemisphere, and demonstrates that erythrosuchids achieved a cosmopolitan biogeographical distribution by the end of the Early Triassic, within five million years of the end-Permian mass extinction event. It provides new insights into the diversity of the Subzone A vertebrate assemblage, which partially fills a major gap between classic ‘faunal’ assemblages from the older Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone (earliest Triassic) and the younger Subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (early Middle Triassic).     

Middle Permian ostracod fauna from the Khao Khad Formation (Indochina Terrane), Central Thailand

Permian ostracods are reported for the first time from the Wordian (Middle Permian) Khao Khad Formation of Saraburi Group (Lopburi Province, Central Thailand). The ostracod fauna consists of 18 species belonging to 11 genera including Bairdia, Bohlenatia, Liuzhinia, Silenites, Acratia, Bairdiacypris, Basslerella, Aurigerites, Microcheilinella, Paraparchites and Shemonaella. The studied Khao Khad Limestone, which are rich in fusulinids, gastropods, ostracods, bivalves and brachiopods, was deposited in a shallow carbonate platform on the western margin of the Indochina Terrane. The ostracod assemblage is typically Palaeo-Tethyan and similar to faunas from the other Lower to Middle Permian limestones in central Thailand.     

Notes on the Melanorosauridae,a family of large Prosauropod Dinosaurs (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha)

The femur of the anchisaurid (= plateosaurid) prosauropoddinosaur Euskelosaurus browniiHuxley, 1866 from the lower Elliot Formation (Upper Triassic) of South Africa is sigmoidal in posterior view with the fourth trochanter well removed from the medial edge. The sympatric Melanorosaurus readiHaughton, 1924 is not a junior synonym of Euskelosaurus brownii because the femur is straight in posterior view with the fourth trochanter close to the medial edge. In addition to Melanorosaurus, the Melanorosauridae Huene, 1929 includes Camelotia borealis nov. gen. and nov. sp. from the Upper Triassic of England, Riojasaurus incertusBonaparte, 1969 from the Upper Triassic of Argentina, and possibly some of the posteranial material referred to the? rauisuchian the codontian Sinosaurus triassicusYoung, 1948 from the Lower Jurassic of China.     

The oldest nautiloid recorded from the Triassic Germanic Basin and the first ammonoid from the Aegean (Middle Triassic) of Poland

During the Triassic in Europe, the Germanic Basin extended from England in the west to the eastern border of Poland in the east. Although cephalopods are common in some Middle Triassic (Muschelkalk) horizons, there still persists a gap in the palaeontological record of the eastern part of the Germanic Basin, notably in the lowermost parts of the Lower Muschelkalk, spanning the latest Olenekian-Aegean interval. The present contribution attempts to fill this gap by presenting the first ammonoid (ceratitid Beneckeia sp.) and nautiloids (Germanonautilus cf. dolomiticus and G. cf. salinarius) from the Lower Gogolin Beds (Upper Silesia, Poland). These Germanonautilus are the oldest nautiloids found in the entire Germanic Basin.     

The status and phylogenetic relationships of “Zanclodon”arenaceus: the earliest known phytosaur?

“Zanclodon”arenaceus has been suggested to represent the oldest reliably dated phytosaur. The type and only specimen, a mandibular fragment of an archosaur from the Schilfsandstein (Carnian; Late Triassic) of Southwest Germany, is described in detail for the first time. “Z.”arenaceus is characterized by a great elongation of the mandible and symphysis, and labiolingually flattened, serrated teeth, a combination that is so far unique among Triassic archosaurs. The previous assignment to the enigmatic reptilian genusZanclodon is unsubstantiated. “Z.”arenaceus shares with Phytosauria both these mandibular characters, but differs in numerous other characters, including most of the autapomorphic mandibular and dental features of Phytosauria. Thus, “Z.”arenaceus is not a phytosaur as currently defined. A cladistic analysis identified “Z.”arenaceus as the sister-taxon of Phytosauria, but because of the limited data available and numerous homoplasies that occur among mandibular characters of archosaurs a closer relationship with other archosaur taxa is a reasonable alternative. It seems unjustified to redefine Phytosauria, or to propose a more inclusive taxon to include “Z.”arenaceus, and therefore the species is assessed as Archosauriaincertae sedis.     

First record of Entelodontidae (Mammalia,Artiodactyla) from the late Eocene of Southeast Asia

We describe two entelodontid upper premolars that were recovered from the late Eocene of the Krabi coal mine in southern Thailand. The size and morphology of the material suggest that it can be referred to Entelodon aff. E. gobiensis, a species known from the late Eocene to the early Oligocene of northern Asia and southern China. The Thai material documents for the first time the southernmost occurrence of entelodontids in Asia during the Paleogene and also suggests that Eocene Southeast Asian mammal localities might potentially yield further entelodontid remains mostly associated with selenodont ungulates.     

Reinvestigation of conchostracans (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from the Permian–Triassic transition in Southwest China

Sedimentary deposits of the Permian–Triassic transition are well-exposed in numerous outcrops of South China. Depending on the palaeogeographic positions of the sections, their lithofacies vary from fully marine, shallow marine, lagoonal, lacustrine, and fluvial to alluvial. In the present study, conchostracans (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) were newly collected from the continental deposits of the Kayitou and Jialingjiang formations around the Kangdian Highland elevated by the Emeishan Basalt in the southern Sichuan, western Guizhou, and northeastern Yunnan provinces. The conchostracan fauna of the Kayitou Formation is composed of Pseudestheria chatangensis, Euestheria fuyuanensis, and Euestheria sp. aff. E. gutta. These species occur in varying lithofacies types of different sections. In particular, the late Permian Pseudestheria chatangensis occurs in grey siltstones interbedded with pebbly sandstones, which are interpreted as lacustrine deposits. Euestheria fuyuanensis and Euestheria sp. aff. E. gutta were obtained from yellowish to greenish–grey clay- and siltstones, interpreted as coastal plain deposits. In comparison to other regions, occurrences of Euestheria gutta are indicative of an early Induan to Olenekian (Early Triassic) age. The fossil record of Euestheria fuyuanensis is so far restricted to a few occurrences in the Kayitou Formation of Southwest China and, therefore, using this species for long-distance biostratigraphic correlation requires further investigation. The distribution of late Permian pseudestheriid and Early Triassic euestheriid species in the respective sections possibly depends on the local lithofacies and, therefore, a diachronous age of the Kayitou Formation within the study area can be assumed. Additionally, Magniestheria sp. aff. M. mangaliensis and Magniestheria sp. aff. M. subcircularis were recorded in the Jialingjiang Formation, which represents a lithostratigraphic unit considered as late Early Triassic (Olenekian). Further investigations of both taxonomy and the real stratigraphic ranges of the conchostracan species as well as cross-correlations with other age data are recommended, in order to better constrain the position of the Permian–Triassic boundary and the specific timing of the terrestrial end-Permian mass extinction in continental deposits of Southwest China.     

Proteromorphosis of Neospathodus (Conodonta) during the Permian–Triassic crisis and recovery

The Permian–Triassic evolution of platform conodonts (Gondolellidae) consists mainly of the development of the carina and the platform. During the sublethal environmental stress conditions subsequent to the Permian–Triassic extinction, the Wuchiapingian–Griesbachian Clarkina lineage is replaced by the primitive looking platform-lacking Dienerian–Aegean Neospathodus kummeli–Kashmirella timorensis lineage. It is assumed that, above Jinogondolella denticulata, end of the Capitanian Jinogondolella lineage, “Neospathodus” arcucristatus, an atavistic blade-like homeomorph that lacks a platform, underlies Protoclarkina crofti, of the base of the anagenetic Clarkina lineage. These primitive-looking forms are derived from their immediate ancestors by retrograde evolution, a phenomenon that has been described as proteromorphosis. Such events suggest that proteromorphosis occurs during periods of crisis, with the sudden reappearance of homeomorphic forms that are atavistic representatives of the clade. The phenomenon is further substantiated by several additional retrogradations that pace the Triassic, a period prone to such events.     

The early Triassic rhynchosaur Mesosuchus browni and the interrelationships of basal archosauromorph reptiles

Restudy of the unique diapsid reptile Mesosuchus browni Watson, from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (late Early Triassic to early Middle Triassic) of the Burgersdorp Formation (Tarkastad Subgroup; Beaufort Group) of South Africa, confirms that it is the most plesiomorphic known member of the Rhynchosauria. A new phylogenetic analysis of basal taxa of Archosauromorpha indicates that Choristodera falls outside of the Sauria, Prolacertiformes is a paraphyletic taxon with Prolacerta sharing a more recent common ancestor with Archosauriformes than with any other clade, Megalancosaurus and Drepanosaurus are sister taxa in the clade Drepanosauridae within Archosauromorpha, and are the sister group to the clade Tanystropheidae composed of Tanystropheus, Macrocnemus, and Langobardisaurus. Combination of the phylogenetic relationships of basal archosauromorphs and their known stratigraphic ranges reveals significant gaps in the fossil records of Late Permian and Triassic diapsids. Extensions of the temporal ranges of several lineages of diapsids into the Late Permian suggests that more groups of terrestrial reptiles survived the end-Permian mass extinction than thought previously.     

Phu Din Daeng,a new Early Cretaceous vertebrate locality on the Khorat Plateau,NE Thailand

In this paper, we report on a new Early Cretaceous vertebrate locality, Phu Din Daeng, in Nakhon Phanom Province, NE Thailand. The Phu Din Daeng site has yielded a diverse vertebrate assemblage, including sharks (Heteroptychodus steinmanni), bony fishes (Pycnodontiformes; Sinamiidae cf. Siamamia and ?Vidalamiinae, and Ginglymodi), adocid turtles, indeterminate neosuchian crocodiles, pterosaurs and dinosaurs (spinosaurids and indeterminate theropods). A new adocid turtle, Protoshachemys rubra n. g. n. sp. is described on the basis of shell material. Field investigations on the geology and comparisons with other vertebrate faunas place Phu Din Daeng in the Sao Khua Formation (Barremian) of the Khorat Group.     

Tragoportax cf. rugosifrons (Schlosser, 1904) from the late Miocene of Cessaniti (Southern Italy)

This paper describes remains attributable to Tragoportax cf. rugosifrons (Schlosser, 1904) found in the late Miocene site of Cessaniti (Vibo Valentia, Calabria) and the surrounding area. The studied specimens come from the Clypeaster sandstones, included in a marine/fluvial succession dated between 8 and 7.2 Ma. At Cessaniti, Tragoportax is associated with Stegotetrabelodon syrticus Petrocchi, 1941; Samotherium cf. boissieri Forsyth-Major, 1888; Bohlinia cf. attica Matthew, 1929; and an undetermined Rhinocerotid still under study. The genus Tragoportax was common in Eurasia and Africa during the late Miocene. The occurrence of Tragoportax cf. rugosifrons at Cessaniti confirms the peculiarity of the assemblage, with its association of species of North African and Pikermian (Greco-Iranian bioprovince) affinities.     

The first giant dinosaurs: a large sauropod from the Late Triassic of Thailand

Newly discovered sauropod material from the Upper Triassic of northeastern Thailand reveals that some of the earliest sauropods had already reached a very large size. A 1 m long humerus is within the size range of large Jurassic sauropods such as Camarasaurus and suggests an animal reaching a length of 12 to 15 m. It took sauropodomorph dinosaurs some 20 million years to produce giant forms, a rapid size increase when compared with that observed in the evolution of other dinosaurs, such as ornithischians. To cite this article: E. Buffetaut et al., C. R. Palevol 1 (2002) 103–109.     

An Eocene tomistomine from peninsular Thailand

Skull and mandibular elements of a tomistomine crocodilian are described from the late Eocene to early Oligocene lignite seams of Krabi, peninsular Thailand. The Thai tomistomine is a longirostrine form characterized by a rostrum/skull ratio of about 0.6; a mandibular symphysis reaching the level of the eleventh alveolus; a deep participation of the splenial in the symphysis to the level of the ninth alveolus; an enlarged fifth maxillary alveolus; long nasals reaching the premaxillae at the level of the fifth maxillary alveolus but not contributing to the external nares; undivided posterior processes of premaxillae; a short prefrontal, excluded by a longer lacrimal from the posteromedial margin of maxillae; vomers visible on the palate. A phylogenetic analysis recovers the Thai specimen among derived tomistomines, on the stem lineage of the extant Tomistoma schlegelii, as a close ally of Maomingosuchus petrolica, a late Eocene tomistomine from southern China. The present recognition of Maomingosuchus sp. in late Eocene Thai deposits expands the distribution of Eocene tomistomines from southern China to the tropics. The origin of Tomistominae in Asia is briefly discussed.