Dioscoreaceae fossils from the late Oligocene and early Miocene of Ethiopia

Dioscorea section Lasiophyton leaflets from the late Oligocene (27.23 Ma) and Tacca leaves from the early Miocene (21.73 Ma) of north‐western Ethiopia greatly expand the known fossil record of Dioscoreaceae and represent the earliest and only known records of the Afro‐Asian trifoliate, palmately veined yams (Dioscorea) and bat flowers (Tacca). Both fossils occur in volcaniclastic and clastic sediments associated with a high water table, and the palaeofloral assemblages are indicative of tropical moist forest formations. These fossils provide insight into the evolutionary history of the family in Africa during the mid‐Cenozoic and provide well‐dated taxa that can assist in phylogenetic analyses and evolutionary divergence studies for Dioscoreales and Dioscoreaceae. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 175 , 17–28.     

Warm and humid Trans-Himalaya during the late Miocene: plant fossil evidence

Neogene fossil records from the Indus Basin sedimentary rocks (IBSR), deposited in the Indus Tsangpo Suture Zone (ITSZ), are very rare, but are important to understand the history of plant diversity and paleoclimate in the Himalaya. We report fossil wood ascribed to Ebenoxylon siwalicus Prakash from late Miocene sediments of the Karit Formation belonging to ITSZ. The anatomical details of the fossil wood, such as small to medium-sized vessels occluded with tyloses, scanty paratracheal to diffuse-in-aggregate axial parenchyma, 1–3 seriate homo to heterocellular rays, bordered intervessel pits with lenticular apertures and simple perforations, suggest its close affinity with Diospyros Linnaeus of the family Ebenaceae. Further anatomical details suggest a close resemblance with extant D. ehretioides Don and D. macrophylla Blume. The present fossil, along with previously known fossil records of Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae) and palms, indicate that the Trans-Himalaya was warm and humid during the late Miocene, quite different from the modern cool and dry climate in the study area.     

First fossil horsefly (Diptera: Tabanidae) in Miocene Mexican amber

The fossil record of the Tabanidae is sparse when compared with other families of Diptera. Even in amber they are rare, probably because of their size and specific flight behavior. Horseflies from amber are only known from Cretaceous age New Jersey amber as well as from the Tertiary age Baltic and Dominican amber, but are herein described for the first time, with Stenotabanus oleariorum sp. n., from Mexican amber. The new species is compared to the fossil horseflies of the same genus S. brodzinskyi Lane, Poinar and Fairchild 1988 and S. woodruffi Lane and Fairchild 1989 from Dominican amber.     

Scolecophidia (Serpentes) of the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene,North America,and a fossil history overview

An abundant fossil record of the snake clade Scolecophidia exists in Europe; however, the minute snake is noticeably absent in reports about the North American Paleogene and Neogene. Presented here are four localities from Florida, USA, that contain scolecophidian remains older than the Pleistocene: Thomas Farm (late Early Miocene, Hemingfordian Land Mammal Age, LMA), Live Oak (Oligocene-Miocene transition, latest Arikareean LMA), White Springs 3B (late Arikareean LMA), and Brooksville 2 (Late Oligocene, middle Arikareean LMA). These remains extend their known existence by about 26 m.y. and are now the oldest reported scolecophidian remains in North America. Molecular evidence on extant scolecophidians concludes that these tiny snakes have a Gondwanan origin. Interestingly, the oldest record of a scolecophidian is from Europe (Belgium) and dates back to the middle Paleocene (MP 1–5). The earliest African record of the snake clade comes from the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in Morocco. The clade is apparently absent from Europe and Middle East deposits dating from the latest Eocene through to the latest Oligocene (MP 19–30) and to the Early Miocene (MN 4). A portion of this time is known as the booid ‘Dark Period’ which represents an apparent response to global aridization and cooling. Scolecophidians appear to re-emerge into the southern Eurasian record in the Early Miocene (MN 4) and become widely dispersed throughout Europe and Middle East. The fossil record of these minute snakes is largely absent in southern Asia and South America. It is possible that the current lack of a decent fossil scolecophidian record outside of Europe and Middle East is due mainly to a bias in the methodology to recover fossils; wet sieving sediments through < 1.0 mm mesh is needed to recover the minuscule vertebrae.     

First fossil evidence of Palaeocarya (Engelhardioideae: Juglandaceae) from India and its biogeographical implications

Even though presently indigenous to eastern Himalaya in India, no Engelhardioideae have been reported from the Cenozoic sediments of India till date. Here, we report the first Indian occurrence of a characteristic engelhardioid winged samaroid fruit having a tri-lobed wing (oblong-ovate median lobe and two lateral lobes) and a globose nut from the latest Neogene (Pliocene: Rajdanda Formation) sediments of Chotanagpur Plateau, eastern India. This is the first fossil evidence of relict family Juglandaceae from the Indian Cenozoic. We determine its taxonomic position on the basis of detailed macromorphological comparison with similar extant and fossil specimens and discuss its palaeoclimatic significance in terms of the present-day distribution of modern analogous species. We assign this Pliocene winged fruit specimen to the morphogenus Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta Manchester and describe it as a new species, namely Palaeocarya indica Hazra, Hazra M & Khan sp. nov. Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta has rich fossil records from the Cenozoic sediments of Europe, North America, and eastern Asia (China, Korea), but the modern analog, Engelhardia, is presently native only to India and neighboring Southeast Asia. We discuss the possible causes of disappearance of Engelhardia from the present-day vegetation of Chotanagpur Plateau. Its disappearance may be related to the gradual intensification of monsoonal rainfall seasonality since the Pliocene. Here, we also review in detail the biogeographic history of Palaeocarya sect. Monocosta and suggest its possible migration routes.     

Leaf fossils of Sabalites (Arecaceae) from the Oligocene of northern Vietnam and their paleoclimatic implications

Recent paleobotanical investigations in Vietnam provide a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the biodiversity and paleoclimatic conditions in the geological past of Southeast Asia. Palms (Arecaceae) are a diverse family of typical thermophilous plants with a relatively low tolerance for freezing. In this study, we describe well-preserved fossil palm leaves from the Oligocene Dong Ho Formation of Hoanh Bo Basin, northern Vietnam. Characters of the fossil leaves, such as a fan-shaped costapalmate lamina, an unarmed petiole, a costa slightly enlarged at the base that then tapers distally into the blade, and well-preserved amphistomatic leaves with cuticles, suggest that they represent a new fossil species, which we herein designate Sabalites colaniae A. Song, T. Su, T. V. Do et Z.K. Zhou sp. nov. Together with other paleontological and palaeoclimatic evidence, we conclude that a warm climate prevailed in northern Vietnam and nearby areas during the Oligocene.     

广西南宁盆地发现渐新世早—中期鳅科眼下刺化石（英文）

根据产自广西南宁盆地渐新世早-中期的鳅科鱼类眼下刺化石建立了鳅属新种:南宁鳅+Cobitis nanningensis sp.nov.。眼下刺长1.8~3.0 mm,粗细适中,刺二分叉,侧后突较中后突短而细,长度约为中后突长的1/3,侧突发育。这些眼下刺与德国晚渐新世的+Cobitis primigenus最为相似,但又以侧突更为发育而与之区别。这是迄今最早的鳅科化石记录,为了解早期鳅科鱼类的分布和眼下刺的形态特征提供了有益证据。南宁鳅及德国晚渐新世的+C.primigenus揭示,渐新世时期鳅科鱼类已广布于欧亚大陆。     

First macrofossil record of Icacinaceae in East Asia (early Oligocene,Wenshan Basin) and its ecological implications

Icacinaceae are well represented in the modern tropical flora of East Asia, but this family has no confirmed macrofossils from this region. Most of the unambiguous fossils (e.g., endocarps) are from the Paleogene of North America and Europe, where the family is no longer present. Here we report a fossil endocarp of the liana genus Iodes from the Oligocene Wenshan flora, southwestern China. The fossil is relatively large (ca. 20 mm length, 11 mm width) and documents a vascular bundle inside the endocarp wall, a pattern of ridges enclosing few areoles, and an asymmetrical apex and rounded base. On the basis of these characteristics, we described a new species, Iodes elliptica, which represents the first Icacinaceae fruit fossil record from Asia. This fossil, consistent with recent reports of Iodes pollen from the Eocene of Hainan, indicates a long-standing presence of the genus in SE Asia, dating back to the Paleogene. Based on the climatic data of modern Iodes, and other fossil occurrences from Wenshan, we hypothesize that the climate in the region was subtropical during the Oligocene, supporting a rainforest, with an overall mixed regional flora of subtropical and tropical elements.     

The oldest Gondwanan fossil of Leiinae (Diptera,Mycetophilidae): Phylogenetic and evolutionary implications

A fossil Mycetophilidae from the Aptian Crato Formation—Cretomanota gondwanica gen. nov., sp. nov.—is described, which is the first mycetophilid from the Crato Formation and corresponds to the oldest known fossil leiine and only the second Gondwanan fossil mycetophilid described so far. Cretomanota gondwanica and both species of Alavamanota Blagoderov and Arillo were added as terminals to the data matrix of a general phylogenetic analysis of the Mycetophilidae, and both fit into the Leiinae. Alavamanota is monophyletic, sister to the clade composed by Cretomanota and the extant genus Manota Williston. The biology of the extant members of this fungivorous family corroborates the reconstruction of the Crato palaeoenvironment as including woodlands with humid habitats and microhabitats. The presence of a Cretaceous member of the tribe Manotini at low latitudes in South America reinforces the hypothesis that the clade with all manotines except Leiella Edwards corresponds to a Lower Cretaceous offshoot from a group in southern Gondwana expanding its distribution to more northern areas into the Gondwana and into Laurasia.     

First fossil evidence of samaras of Ventilago Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) from India and its implications

The Ventilago Gaertn. (Rhamnaceae) is widely distributed in pantropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia. However, fossil records of this taxon are sparse, which limits understanding of the evolution and biogeographic history of the genus. In the present study, we report and describe two new fossil species of Ventilago, V. siwalika sp. nov. from the Miocene sediments of Himachal Pradesh, western Himalaya, and V. pliocenica sp. nov. from the Pliocene sediments of Jharkhand, eastern India based on single-winged samaras. Ventilago pliocenica is characterized by a prominent midvein, obtuse to sub-round apex with mucronate tip, longitudinal secondary veins extending the full length of the fruit, and reticulate nature of higher-order veins, the presence of equatorial rim, the hypanthium, and short pedicel. On the other hand, V. siwalika is characterized by a prominent midvein, obtuse to sub-round apex with mucronate tip, longitudinal secondary veins extending the full length of the fruit, and reticulate nature of higher-order veins. Our discovery represents the first unambiguous fossil record of single-winged samara of Ventilago from India and provides valuable insights into the evolution of this genus. In this paper, we also review its biogeographic history and add new information to understand its hypothetical migration route. Present and earlier records of Ventilago also suggest that this genus was a common forest element during Neogene (Miocene time) in Asia.     

Systematic revision and palaeobiogeography of Perisphinctes Waagen (Ammonoidea) from the Oxfordian of Kutch,India: Stratigraphic and evolutionary implications

Perisphinctes Waagen, 1869 is an important genus of the Oxfordian. In many areas the taxon has been excessively and subjectively split. Based on the material collected in Kutch (India), including the type specimens, we have grouped eight species previously described as distinct into one biological species, Perisphinctes indogermanus Waagen, 1875. It is characterized by strong sexual dimorphism. Macroconch shows high intraspecific variability. Microconch is previously described from Kutch in different generic names. Thirteen species of Dichotomosphinctes Buckman, 1926, Perisphinctes Waagen, 1869 and Lithacoceras Hyatt, 1900 are considered here as microconch which is lappeted. The precise age of P. indogermanus is disputed. A detailed stratigraphic analysis of several sections in this study suggests that the species ranges from early to middle Oxfordian. Perisphinctes indogermanus is distinct from other contemporary species of the world and abundant in the Indo-Madagascan Province. Kutch population of P. indogermanus has developed virgatotome style of ribbing in juvenile stage. During the middle Oxfordian marine transgression, the species along with many other ammonites of deeper habitat of the mainland basin reached the shallow shelf of eastern fringe of the Kutch Sea. Being peripherally isolated, it soon underwent an adaptive radiation that resulted in the origination of a new family Ataxioceratidae Buckman, 1921 whose members have neotenously retained the virgatotome ribbing in adult stage. The ataxioceratids later migrated to Europe and flourished during the Kimmeridgian.     

The early evolution of feathers: fossil evidence from Cretaceous amber of France

The developmental stages of feathers are of major importance in the evolution of body covering and the origin of avian flight. Until now, there were significant gaps in knowledge of early morphologies in theoretical stages of feathers as well as in palaeontological material. Here we report fossil evidence of an intermediate and critical stage in the incremental evolution of feathers which has been predicted by developmental theories but hitherto undocumented by evidence from both the recent and the fossil records. Seven feathers have been found in an Early Cretaceous (Late Albian, ca 100 Myr) amber of western France, which display a flattened shaft composed by the still distinct and incompletely fused bases of the barbs forming two irregular vanes. Considering their remarkably primitive features, and since recent discoveries have yielded feathers of modern type in some derived theropod dinosaurs, the Albian feathers from France might have been derived either from an early bird or from a non-avian dinosaur.     

New data on the Cainotheriidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) from the early Oligocene of south-western France

The Cainotheriidae are small artiodactyls that suddenly appeared in the late Eocene of western Europe. A revision of early Oligocene cainotheriid lineages is proposed on the basis of newly dated material from the Quercy Phosphorites (south-western France). A significant diversification of the group occurred at the end of the Eocene. Few species seem to have persisted through the Eocene/Oligocene boundary, but the Cainotheriidae subsequently diversified rapidly during the early Oligocene.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 144 , 145−166.     

First macroflora data from La Val (Late Oligocene/Early Miocene), Estadilla (Huesca,Spain)

This paper reports a previously unknown leaf-flora from the Upper Oligocene/Lower Miocene of the Ebro Basin, NE Spain, a period with a relatively poor vascular-plant fossil record in Southern Europe. The presence of Acrostichum sp. is also important. This fern is extremely significant from the point of view of palaeoecology and the depositional environment. The macroflora appears to yield sufficient morphological characteristics to be identified at genus level, and sometimes at species level, although cuticles are not preserved. This article presents the first data obtained from the new outcrop at La Val; the following families have been identified: Pteridaceae, Dennstaedtiaceae, Equisetaceae, Pinaceae, Lauraceae, Hamamelidaceae, Betulaceae, Myricaceae and Salicaceae. The fossil plant assemblage is correlated with the Cadibona floristic complex (Mai, Tertiäre Vegetationsgeschichte Europas. Methoden und Ergebnisse, Gustav Fischer, Jena, 691 pp., 1995) and suggests a subtropical-to-warm temperate climate, rainy and wet, with a short dry season. The age of the assemblage is Late Oligocene/Early Miocene.     

Systematics,palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography of the Neogene fossil sharks from the Azores (Northeast Atlantic)

The Azores Archipelago is a group of isolated islands located in the North Atlantic Ocean. One of these oceanic islands – Santa Maria – exhibits marine fossiliferous sediments of late Miocene/early Pliocene and also of Pleistocene age. Recent research provided new selachian fossil material, with three new records (Carcharias acutissima, Megaselachus megalodon, and Carcharhinus cf. leucas) increasing the number of fossil sharks reported from the Azores (Santa Maria Island) to seven species (Notorynchus primigenius, C. acutissima, Cosmopolitodus hastalis, Paratodus benedenii, Isurus oxyrinchus, M. megalodon, and C. cf. leucas). So far, no teeth of batoids or small sharks have been found despite the screen-washing of several sediment samples from Santa Maria. The Azorean Mio-Pliocene selachian fauna clearly differs from those described from sediments deposited on continental shelves, in which batoids and small benthic sharks (e.g., scyliorhinids) are usually well represented. During the late Miocene/early Pliocene, subtropical to warm-temperate seas were prevalent in the area of the Azores, as deduced from palaeontological, geological and isotopic data, all indicating a warmer climate than in the present.     

First giraffid skulls (Bohlinia attica) from the late Miocene Maragheh fauna,Northwest Iran

An almost complete skull and a second partial skull of Bohlinia attica (Artiodactyla: Giraffidae) from the late Miocene of Maragheh in northwestern Iran is described along with a complete upper dentition from Samos in Greece. These specimens enrich what is known of this species. The skull has massive bent ossicones. The braincase is horizontal to the face in lateral view. The upper premolars have strongly curved styles. The metapodials of this species are elongate with a deep plantar trough. The braincase is short and the occipital does not extend caudally. The type material of Bohlinia is from Pikermi but this taxon is also known from localities in F.Y.R.O. Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Iraq, and Iran. The new specimens are similar to others except that the ossicone terminates in a knob and the palatine choanae are positioned caudally. This taxon along with Honanotherium, which is most similar but with shorter metapodials and simpler premolars, can be placed in the subfamily Bohlininae.