Taxonomy and paleobiogeographic implication of Glabrobournonia Morris and Skelton (Hippuritida,Radiolitidae) from the Late Cretaceous Yigeziya Formation,southwestern Tarim Basin

A re-examination of the specimens that were identified as Biradiolites minor Pojarkova from the late Campanian to early Maastrichtian middle member of the Yigeziya Formation of southwestern Tarim Basin reveals that they should be assigned to the genus Glabrobournonia Morris and Skelton. Glabrobournonia is a genus of radiolitids characterized by indented radial bands, salient ridges on the shell margins and absence of fine ribs on the surface of the right valve. Apart from southwestern Tarim Basin, Glabrobournonia minor (Pojarkova) has also been recorded from the late Campanian of Fergana and Alai basins. The central Asian, late Campanian to early Maastrichtian G. minor differs from the late Campanian to Maastrichtian, eastern Arabian type species Glabrobournonia arabica Morris and Skelton in the flat left valve and an additional fourth ridge on the junction of the dorsal and posterior sides of the right valve. Biradiolites ingens (Des Moulins) could be the direct ancestor of Glabrobournonia. The paleogeographic distribution of Glabrobournonia suggests that this genus dispersed to central Asia from the late Campanian time, becoming widely distributed in the eastern Tethyan region rather than endemic to eastern Arabia. Correspondingly, specimens belonging to Gyropleura yielded from the same bed as G. minor in southwestern Tarim Basin, are similar to the specimens which were attributed to the eastern Arabian Gyropleura sp.; Campanian to early Maastrichtian Osculigera specimens described from the Yigeziya Formation are comparable with those known from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of Iran, Afghanistan and eastern Arabia. The similarity of the rudist assemblages between central Asia and eastern Arabia suggests a faunal connection and affinity between the north and south margins of the eastern Tethyan realm during Campanian to early Maastrichtian times.     

Upper Campanian–Maastrichtian chronostratigraphy of the Skælskør‐1 core,Denmark: correlation at the basinal and global scale and implications for changes in sea‐surface temperatures

The lithostratigraphy, calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy, carbon‐ and oxygen‐isotope stratigraphy and gamma‐ray profile are presented for the Skælskør‐1 core, eastern Denmark. The correlation of carbon isotopes to Gubbio (Italy) and ODP Site 762C (Indian Ocean) provides the chronostratigrahical framework of the core through a tie to magnetostratigraphy. Two new carbon‐isotope excursions are defined for the uppermost Maastrichtian of the core and prove useful for long‐distance correlation. Twenty stratigraphic tie‐points are used for correlation of the upper Campanian–Maastrichtian interval by combining carbon‐isotope and gamma‐ray variations. Significant dissimilarities in the gamma‐ray profiles of the Danish Basin cores preclude the sole use of this tool for basin‐scale correlations. Bulk oxygen‐isotopes and semi‐quantitative abundance changes in the warm‐water calcareous nannofossil Watznaueria barnesiae and the cool‐water Kamptnerius magnificus highlight the following past changes in sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs): relatively warm late Campanian SSTs, cooling across the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary and through the early Maastrichtian, warming across the early–late Maastrichtian transition, cooling in the late Maastrichtian, intense warming in the latest Maastrichtian chron C29r, followed by a very short episode of cooling immediately before the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary. The late Campanian–Maastrichtian evolution in sea water temperatures inferred from the Danish Basin is similar to that delineated at tropical latitude oceanic sites.     

西藏晚白垩世晚Campanian期至早Maastrichtian期菊石群——中国最年轻的菊石群

记述产自西藏南部仲巴县的一个中国目前所知最年轻的菊石群 ,含 2科 4属 6种 ,其中 4新种。据菊石群面貌和它们所产出的层位可以划分出上、下两个组合带 :上部Pachydiscuscf.hidakaensis Libycoceraszhongbaense组合带 ;下部Manambolitescujiangdingensis M .pivaeteaui组合带。产菊石的曲贝亚组的下段和上段的中、下部(82F5 0及其以下层位 )为晚Campanian期 ,上段上部 (即 82F5 2及其以上层位 )为早Maastrichtian期。     

Phymosomatoid echinoids from the campanian and the maastrichtian of Belgium and the Netherlands

Phymosomatoid echinoids from the Campanian and the Maastrichtian of Belgium and the Netherlands are systematically revised. Ten species, belonging to four genera are identified and described. One new species is introduced:Gauthieria?mosae sp. nov.     

Cranial growth and variation in edmontosaurs (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae): implications for latest Cretaceous megaherbivore diversity in North America

The well-sampled Late Cretaceous fossil record of North America remains the only high-resolution dataset for evaluating patterns of dinosaur diversity leading up to the terminal Cretaceous extinction event. Hadrosaurine hadrosaurids (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) closely related to Edmontosaurus are among the most common megaherbivores in latest Campanian and Maastrichtian deposits of western North America. However, interpretations of edmontosaur species richness and biostratigraphy have been in constant flux for almost three decades, although the clade is generally thought to have undergone a radiation in the late Maastrichtian. We address the issue of edmontosaur diversity for the first time using rigorous morphometric analyses of virtually all known complete edmontosaur skulls. Results suggest only two valid species, Edmontosaurus regalis from the late Campanian, and E. annectens from the late Maastrichtian, with previously named taxa, including the controversial Anatotitan copei, erected on hypothesized transitional morphologies associated with ontogenetic size increase and allometric growth. A revision of North American hadrosaurid taxa suggests a decrease in both hadrosaurid diversity and disparity from the early to late Maastrichtian, a pattern likely also present in ceratopsid dinosaurs. A decline in the disparity of dominant megaherbivores in the latest Maastrichtian interval supports the hypothesis that dinosaur diversity decreased immediately preceding the end Cretaceous extinction event.     

A new late Cretaceous azhdarchid (Pterosauria,Azhdarchidae) from the Volga Region

A new azhdarchid genus and species, Volgadraco bogolubovi gen. et sp. nov., is described based on an anterior fragment of the mandibular symphysis (mandibular beak) and some postcranial elements from the Rybushka Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Lower Campanian) of the Shirokii Karamysh 2 locality, Saratov Region. The new taxon is intermediate in size and vascularization of the mandibular beak between medium-sized Turonian-Santonian azhdarchids (Azhdarcho, Bakonydraco) and the giant Maastrichtian azhdarchid Quetzalcoatlus.     

Calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy and turnover dynamics in the late Campanian–Maastrichtian of the tropical South Atlantic

The complete late Campanian–Maastrichtian succession of the South Atlantic reference DSDP Site 525A has been investigated to establish a detailed record of calcareous nannofossil biohorizons. A complete holostratigraphy of the core is presented for this interval and allows for global correlations to other Tethyan and Boreal reference sections for that interval. The new study allows for proposing a new time scale with a tie of Tethyan and Boreal nannofossil zonations. A new subzonation is proposed for the late Campanian UC16 Zone in the Tethyan Realm and the last occurrences of Uniplanarius trifidus and Zeugrhabdotus praesigmoides are demonstrated as markers of the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary. The difference between cumulative first and last occurrences reflects the turnover dynamics of calcareous nanoplankton in the South Atlantic and highlights 6 major events. Five of them appear well related to major changes in sea-surface temperatures whereas the sixth event is likely the expression of a global decrease in primary productivity in the late Maastrichtian. Surprisingly, the turnover dynamics in calcareous nannoplankton appears completely unrelated to that observed in planktic foraminifera which shows only 4 major events with different timings. The two groups thus seem to have responded either very differently to similar environmental constraints or to different direct environmental constraints in the photic zone, although caused by the same global changes in climate.     

Ostracoda and palaeo-oxygen levels, with particular reference to the Upper Cretaceous of East Anglia

It has been shown that the percentage of Platycopina (the sole remaining group of filter-feeding Ostracoda since the global extinction of the Metacopina in the Lower Toarcian) making up a fossil ostracod fauna can be used as a measure of dissolved oxygen in past oceans. High levels of platycopids indicate low oxygen and vice versa. A new scale is introduced here, based mainly on the environmental oxygen levels of modern oceans and their equivalent percentages of living platycopids, in order to evaluate the palaeo-oxygen levels of the Upper Chalk in East Anglia. The effects of varying oxygen concentrations on the overall simple species diversity of the Ostracoda is also shown to have important palaeoenvironmental implications. The study is based on 79 samples from the Santonian to Lower Maastrichtian of the Trunch Borehole and 126 samples from outcrops in Suffolk and Norfolk, ranging from the Coniacian to Lower Maastrichtian. The Coniacian is shown to have been a time of low to very low oxygen, except for its upper part that was much better ventilated. The Santonian and Lower Campanian were low to very low in their dissolved oxygen, while the Upper Campanian and particularly the Lower Maastrichtian had much higher oxygen levels. Notwithstanding these general trends, oxygen levels appear to have fluctuated rapidly throughout the interval, during times of both generally low and high oxygenation. These variations in oxygenation are thought to have been associated with the Oxygen Minimum Zone and its migrations onto the continental shelf and subsequent retreat to the continental slope. This in turn is related to sea-level fluctuations and this, together with the potential for the application of this technique to sequence stratigraphy are discussed.     

Small Theropod Teeth from the Late Cretaceous of the San Juan Basin,Northwestern New Mexico and Their Implications for Understanding Latest Cretaceous Dinosaur Evolution

Studying the evolution and biogeographic distribution of dinosaurs during the latest Cretaceous is critical for better understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction event that killed off all non-avian dinosaurs. Western North America contains among the best records of Late Cretaceous terrestrial vertebrates in the world, but is biased against small-bodied dinosaurs. Isolated teeth are the primary evidence for understanding the diversity and evolution of small-bodied theropod dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous, but few such specimens have been well documented from outside of the northern Rockies, making it difficult to assess Late Cretaceous dinosaur diversity and biogeographic patterns. We describe small theropod teeth from the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. These specimens were collected from strata spanning Santonian – Maastrichtian. We grouped isolated theropod teeth into several morphotypes, which we assigned to higher-level theropod clades based on possession of phylogenetic synapomorphies. We then used principal components analysis and discriminant function analyses to gauge whether the San Juan Basin teeth overlap with, or are quantitatively distinct from, similar tooth morphotypes from other geographic areas. The San Juan Basin contains a diverse record of small theropods. Late Campanian assemblages differ from approximately co-eval assemblages of the northern Rockies in being less diverse with only rare representatives of troodontids and a Dromaeosaurus-like taxon. We also provide evidence that erect and recurved morphs of a Richardoestesia-like taxon represent a single heterodont species. A late Maastrichtian assemblage is dominated by a distinct troodontid. The differences between northern and southern faunas based on isolated theropod teeth provide evidence for provinciality in the late Campanian and the late Maastrichtian of North America. However, there is no indication that major components of small-bodied theropod diversity were lost during the Maastrichtian in New Mexico. The same pattern seen in northern faunas, which may provide evidence for an abrupt dinosaur extinction.     

Revised radiolarian zonation of the Upper Cretaceous Izumi inter-arc basin (SW Japan)

The radiolarian zonation of the Izumi Group is revised for an integrated biostratigraphy across the Campanian/Maastrichtian boundary, together with the ammonite occurrence, fission track and magnetostratigraphic calibration of the acidic tuff key beds. The significance of direct correlation in the same sections, between macro- and micro-fossils (i.e. between relatively near-shore nektonic and turbiditic planktonic-fauna) is discussed in relation to the litho- and bio-facies of the Izumi group. Late Cretaceous paleoceanographic changes inferred from the studied radiolarian fauna represent a regional marker event for the chronostratigraphic correlation of continental shelf to turbidite deep-sea sequences, which accumulated on a mid latitudinal margin facing towards the NW paleo-Pacific. The proposed Campanian/Maastrichtian boundary is at the limit between Pachydiscus awajiensis and Nostoceras hetonaiense ammonite zones. This boundary corresponds to the radiolarian last occurrence of Amphipyndax pseudoconulus (= A. enesseffi), Archaeodictyomitra sliteri, Dictyomitra formosa, D. koslovae and Rhopalosyringium magnificum at the top of the Myllocercion acineton Assemblage Zone (uppermost Campanian), and the first occurrence of Clathrocyclas gravis and Dorcadospyris sp. A, at the base of the Maastrichtian C. gravis Assemblage Zone. The new data settle partly a chronostratigraphic discrepancy between radiolarian and ammonite zonations in the Izumi Group, which was pointed out previously by Ishida et al. (2010).     

A possible pterosaur manus track from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta

An isolated track from the latest Campanian–Maastrichtian Wapiti Formation (Alberta) is tentatively identified as a pterosaur manus print. The basic digital formula (digit I < digit II < digit III) is consistent with the plesiomorphic condition in pterosaurs. The track measures 25.5 cm in length, making it the largest putative pterosaur manus print (estimated wingspan 7.7 m) from North America. Although precise chronostratigraphic data are lacking, sedimentary evidence indicates the track comes from a mid‐ to late Campanian fluvial deposits that accumulated approximately 400 km from the closest shoreline within a high‐latitude (65°N) setting.     

藏南江孜所金混杂堆积中灰岩块体里的浮游有孔虫

通过对藏南江孜所金北剖面混杂堆积中灰岩块体的分析,在2块样品中发现了丰富的浮游有孔虫化石。样品SJ-28含5属12种或未定种,包括Contusotruncana fornicata,C.patelliformis,C.plummerae,Globotruncana arca,G.falsostuarti,G.linneiana,G.ventricosa,Globotruncanita atlantica,Gl. sp.,Gl.stuartiformis,Pseudotextularia nuttalli和Muricohedbergella sp.等,指示的地层时代为晚白垩世中坎潘期至晚坎潘期。样品SJ-18发现5属9种或未定种,主要有Contusotruncana fornicata,C.patelliformis,C.plummerae,Globigerinelloides sp.,Globotruncana arca,G.falsostuarti,Globotruncanita sp.,Gl.stuartiformis和Muricohedbergella sp.等种,指示的时代为晚...     

The occurrence of the fossil genus Graminidites in the Maastrichtian Scollard Formation,Alberta, Canada,and its palaeoecological and palaeogeographical significance

Fossil grass pollen is common in Late Tertiary sediments and its rare occurrence in the Early Tertiary led to the belief that its presence is restricted to Tertiary sediments. A literature survey shows that rare occurrences of Graminidites spp. have been reported from Campanian–Maastrichtian strata worldwide. All reported Graminidites spp. have been studied by transmitted light microscopes, which are inadequate to resolve their fine exine sculpture. Graminidites sp. occurs in the Maastrichtian Scollard Formation of Alberta, Canada, and is studied here with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A new species, G. ulkapites, occurs at the initiation of a temperate climate in the area. It occurs in post‐dinosaurian beds locally but in pre‐Cretaceous–Tertiary boundary strata, which implies that grasses could also be present in dinosaur inhabitations. Grass phytoliths, reported from dinosaurian coprolites from the Maastrichtian Deccan Intertrappean sediments of India, indicate that grasses were ingested by dinosaurs even if not included in the dinosaurian diet. A plot of worldwide Senonian occurrences of Graminidites spp. on a late Maastrichtian palaeogeographic map demonstrates that the data are inadequate to reveal the place of origin or migratory pattern. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 167 , 235–248.     

Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes during the Late Cretaceous and Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary transition in Tattofte,External Rif,northwestern Morocco: implications from dinoflagellate cysts and palynofacies

This paper presents a quantitative study of dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) and palynofacies of the Campanian–Danian marly succession at the village of Tattofte (western External Rif, northwestern Morocco). The paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic interpretations, inferred from this palynologic analysis, are compared to coeval sequences of other areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Changes in the relative abundances of dinocyst taxa, which are paleoenvironmental indicators, throughout the section suggest a deposition in a marine inner to outer neritic setting. The upper Campanian dinocyst assemblage is characterized by the presence of outer neritic-oceanic and low productivity indicator taxa (e.g., Spiniferites spp., Odontochitina spp.) and cold-water taxa (e.g., Manumiella spp., Chantangiella spp., Laciniadinium spp.), whereas, the lower Maastrichtian assemblage is characterized by inner neritic, high productivity and warm-water indicator taxa (e.g., Palaeocystodinium spp., Andalusiella spp.). The upper Maastrichtian dinocyst assemblage displays a return to an outer neritic environment under a transgressive regime, but with a cooling pulse and a moderate productivity. However, the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K/Pg) boundary interval records remarkable changes in the relative abundances of dinocyst taxa, indicating an inner neritic (coastal) setting, which is the most proximal in the study section; such changes reflect instable paleoenvironmental conditions which may be related to global cooling periods, likely caused by the Deccan volcanism in India and/or the Chicxulub asteroid impact in Mexico at the K/Pg boundary. In the Danian, the dinocyst relative abundances indicate a gradual return to stable environmental conditions.A quantitative analysis of the kerogen plots (palynomorphs, phytoclasts and amorphous organic matter (AOM)) reveals five types of palynofacies, generally indicating oxic to suboxic marine environments. The upper Campanian and upper Maastrichtian (lowermost part) strata are characterized by a playnofacies (V), indicating a distal shelf, while the lower Maastrichtian and lower Danian (uppermost part) strata record a playnofacies (III), reflecting an intermediate inner-outer neritic environment. However, the K/Pg boundary transition is characterized by playnofacies types (I) and (II), indicating a proximal (coastal) environment.     

Allodaposuchus palustris sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Fumanya (South-Eastern Pyrenees,Iberian Peninsula): Systematics,Palaeoecology and Palaeobiogeography of the Enigmatic Allodaposuchian Crocodylians

The controversial European genus Allodaposuchus is currently composed of two species (A. precedens, A. subjuniperus) and it has been traditionally considered a basal eusuchian clade of crocodylomorphs. In the present work, the new species A. palustris is erected on the base of cranial and postcranial remains from the lower Maastrichtian of the southern Pyrenees. Phylogenetic analyses here including both cranial and postcranial data support the hypothesis that Allodaposuchus is included within Crocodylia. The studied specimen suggests little change in postcranial skeleton along the evolutionary history of crocodylians, except for some bone elements such as the axis, the first caudal vertebra and the ilium. The specimen was found in an organic mudstone corresponding to a coastal wetland environment. Thus, A. palustris from Fumanya is the first Allodaposuchus reported in lacustrine-palustrine settings that expand the ecological range for this genus. The S-DIVA palaeobiogeographic reconstruction of ancestral area suggests that early members of Crocodylia rapidly widespread for the Northern Hemisphere landmasses no later than the Campanian, leading the apparition of endemic groups. In that way “Allodaposuchia” represents an endemic European clade probably originated in the Ibero-Armorican domain in the late Campanian and dispersed by the Southern European archipelago prior to the early Maastrichtian.     

The youngest sauropod evidence in Europe

Titanosaur sauropods constituted one of the major dinosaur faunal components in Europe along the latest Cretaceous. Although they were abundant in the late Campanian–early Maastrichtian, titanosaurs apparently demised in terms of diversity and abundance in the late Maastrichtian Ibero-Armorican domain. Thus, any finding in this crucial period provides new clues to understand the biodiversity trend of the group prior to the K–Pg boundary. Here, we report the occurrence of a vertebral element attributed to a titanosaur in fluvial deposits dated as uppermost Maastrichtian (C29r chrone). The specimen corresponds to the right posterior part of a posterior cervical vertebra. CT-scan and histological analyses revealed high pneumatisation with laminar structures composed of compact bone, strongly remodelled with at least three generations of secondary osteons. These evidences suggest a relatively advanced age for the individual at death. Given that the partial vertebra was recovered from the uppermost portion of the late Maastrichtian, it might represent the youngest evidence for titanosaur sauropods in Europe discovered so far. Further, alongside to other remains (i.e. eggshells and footprints), the studied partial vertebra provides evidence for the persistence of this taxonomic group at the very end of the Cretaceous in southwestern Europe.     

Late Cretaceous radiolarian biochronology of the Pedro Brand section,Tireo Group,eastern Central Cordillera,Dominican Republic: A contribution to the stratigraphy of the Caribbean Large Igneous Province

The Tireo Group in the eastern Central Cordillera (Dominican Republic) is part of the Jarabacoa Block, composed of a Pacific-type Jurassic ocean floor (Loma La Monja, overlain by the El Aguacate ribbon Chert), intruded and overlain by an early CLIP (Carribean Large Igneous Province)-type plateau, the Duarte Complex, which is in turn unconformably overlain by arc-type rocks of the Tireo Group. This group exhibits a 3-km thick sequence of arc-related volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks, including tuffaceous chert and mudstone studied for radiolarians in this paper. The Siete Cabezas Formation, considered to be the last Campanian–Maastrichtian CLIP-type volcano-sedimentary sequence, overlies the Tireo Group. A controversy about earlier radiolarian dating of the Tireo Group, considered until now as part of the Siete Cabezas Formation, encouraged us to study a well-exposed section located 3 km NE of Pedro Brand village. Seven samples of laminated siliceous mudstones and cherts yielded around 40 common and well-preserved radiolarian taxa. Based on maximum ranges of taxa published in several regional zonations and on a comparison with a Turonian–Coniacian sample calibrated by planktonic foraminifera (the Deva Beds from Romania), we determine a Turonian–Coniacian age for the Pedro Brand section. A ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar whole rock age of 75.1 ± 1.1 Ma, obtained in a basalt dyke crosscutting the radiolarian bearing rocks, provides a Late Campanian consistent minimum age for the pelagic–hemipelagic Pedro Brand section. Including the re-interpretation of earlier radiolarian work, we conclude that the studied rocks of the Tireo Group are older than the Maastrichtian ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar ages on plagioclase of the Siete Cabezas Formation. The studied dyke in the Pedro Brand section geochemically resembles the overlying Siete Cabezas and Pico Duarte basalts and could be a feeder dyke of those. However, a tectonic superposition of the Siete Cabezas cannot be excluded, since earlier ⁴⁰K–⁴⁰Ar basalt ages of this unit are Aptian–Albian and Cenomanian–Turonian. The Jarabacoa Block is considered as the most complete outcrop section of Pacific ocean crust overlain by a first (Aptian–Albian) phase of CLIP-type activity, followed by the development of a Cenomanian–Santonian intraoceanic arc, which is in turn overlain by a late Campanian–Maastrichtian CLIP-like phase.     

Late Maastrichtian small-sized herpetofauna from Valencia province,eastern Spain

A Late Maastrichtian microvertebrate assemblage which includes amphibian remains was recovered from continental deposits of the palaeontological site of La Solana, Valencia Province, Spain. This site is composed of variegated mudstones, pedogenically modified, interbedded with fluvial sand bodies and freshwater limestones lenses, and has also yielded plant debris, freshwater and oligohaline invertebrates, abundant fish remains (isolated bones and scales), turtle plates and archosaur bones. This fossil assemblage, dominated by aquatic forms, also includes semiaquatic and terrestrial elements, and may be interpreted as the palaeofauna of a wetland environment with terrestrial environs. The new material described here consists of fragmentary remains of an indeterminate albanerpetontid, a salamandrid and two anuran taxa (an alytid and a palaeobatrachid). The amphibians from La Solana are typical Laurasiatic taxa. This faunal association shows broad similarities to other coeval faunas of the Iberian Peninsula and contrasts with the Upper Campanian–Lower Maastrichtian sites where Gondwanan elements are frequent.     

Short-necked plesiosaurs of the family Polycotylidae from the Campanian of the Saratov Region

Fragments of the anterior part of a mandibular rostrum and a maxillary bone of the plesiosaur Polycotylidae indet. from the Karyakino and Beloe Ozero localities of the Saratov Region (Upper Cretaceous, Campanian) are described. The specimens belong to a relatively long-snouted polycotylid with a mandibular symphysis incorporating 13 pairs of teeth. A unique feature of this plesiosaur is the fact that, in the symphysis, the splenial extends to the very anterior end of the rostrum. The polycotylid from the Campanian of the Saratov Region is probably closely related or identical to Georgiasaurus from the Santonian of the Penza Region, in which structural details of the mandibular symphysis remain uncertain.