An enigmatic organism from the 'Exshaw' Formation (Devonian-Carboniferous), Alberta, Canada

Libodiscus ascitus gen. et. sp. nov. (incertae sedis) consists of a flask-like body (mean length of 15 mm; mean maximum width of 9 mm) bearing a flange of plates or flattened tentacles. At one end a pair of arm-like extensions connects with a disc with concentric markings. The flask has transverse structures with prominent relief. Some of these are more or less regularly arranged, but in other specimens they are much more irregular. On what appears to be the inner wall of the flask there are closely spaced striations. Libodiscus is known only from Devonian-Carboniferous transitional strata ('Exshaw' Formation) at Crowsnest Pass, southwest Alberta, Canada. Its affinities are speculative and no secure relationship can be demonstrated with metazoans, plants or other problematica such as chitinozoans. The disc is, however, similar to a number of discoidal fossils that previously have been assigned to chondrophorine medusoid hydrozoans. □ Libodiscus ascitus, Exshaw, Devonian, Carboniferous, problematica.     

Ankylosaur Remains from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) of Northwestern Germany

A fragmentary cervico-pectoral lateral spine and partial humerus of an ankylosaur from the Early Cretaceous (early Valanginian) of Gronau in Westfalen, northwestern Germany, are described. The spine shows closest morphological similarities to the characteristic cervical and pectoral spines of Hylaeosaurus armatus from the late Valanginian of England. An extensive comparison of distal humeri among thyreophoran dinosaurs supports systematic differences in the morphology of the distal condyli between Ankylosauria and Stegosauria and a referral of the Gronau specimen to the former. The humerus fragment indicates a rather small individual, probably in the size range of H. armatus, and both specimens are determined herein as ?Hylaeosaurus sp.. A short overview of other purported ankylosaur material from the Berriasian-Valanginian of northwest Germany shows that, aside from the material described herein, only tracks can be attributed to this clade with confidence at present.     

Skull Ecomorphology of Megaherbivorous Dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Upper Campanian) of Alberta,Canada

Megaherbivorous dinosaur coexistence on the Late Cretaceous island continent of Laramidia has long puzzled researchers, owing to the mystery of how so many large herbivores (6–8 sympatric species, in many instances) could coexist on such a small (4–7 million km²) landmass. Various explanations have been put forth, one of which–dietary niche partitioning–forms the focus of this study. Here, we apply traditional morphometric methods to the skulls of megaherbivorous dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Park Formation (upper Campanian) of Alberta to infer the ecomorphology of these animals and to test the niche partitioning hypothesis. We find evidence for niche partitioning not only among contemporaneous ankylosaurs, ceratopsids, and hadrosaurids, but also within these clades at the family and subfamily levels. Consubfamilial ceratopsids and hadrosaurids differ insignificantly in their inferred ecomorphologies, which may explain why they rarely overlap stratigraphically: interspecific competition prevented their coexistence.     

Blastomycosis: Report of the first case from Alberta,Canada

The first known case of laboratory confirmed blastomycosis in Alberta occurred in 1970. The patient, who is believed never to have left Alberta, presented with of headaches, sore neck and impaired intellect. Initially, tuberculous or cryptococcal meningitis was suspected, but laboratory findings did not support the diagnosis. A fungus resembling Blastomyces dermatitidis was isolated from the venticular cerebrospinal fluid and lung at autopsy. A few yeast cells suggestive of B. dermatitidis were seen in lung and brain tissue sections. Initial attempts at in vitro conversion of the mycelial form of the isolate into yeast form on several enriched media were unsuccessful. The fungus gave ± to ++ reactions with B. dermatitidis specific conjugate by the direct fluorescent antibody technique, it was not pathogenic for mice and guinea pigs, and no asexual spores were produced in slide cultures. Further investigation indicated that the mycelial form of the fungus converted into its yeast form when an actively growing inoculum was used, although the yeast cells varied considerably in size. The yeast form produced disseminated infection in mice within 10 days. Exoantigenic analysis demonstrated an A antigen specific for B. dermatitidis, which revealed the identity of this organism as an atypical strain of B. dermatitidis.

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Zusammenfassung Der erste Fall in Blastomycosis von einem Laboratorium wurde 1970 in Alberta bestätigt. Der Patient — der wahrscheinlich Alberta nie verlassen hat — klagte über Kopfschmerzen, Genickschmerzen und zeigte beeinträchtigte Verstand. Anfänglich wurde TBC — oder cryptococcal meningitis vermutet, laborfunde unterstutzten jedoch nicht die Diagnose. Ein Fungus — ahnlich zum Blastomyces dermatitidis wurde von venticular cerebrospinal Flüssigkeit und von der Lunge nach der Autopsie isoliert. Wenige Hefezellen hinweisend auf B. dermatitidis wurden gewebschnitten von Lunge und Gehirn festgestellt. Anfängliche Versuche die isolierten mycel Form in die Hefe Form in vitro mit Hilfe verschiedener angereicherter Nahrboden was erfolglos. Der Fungus ergab in der Direct Fluorescent Antibody Technik. ± zu ++ Reaktion mit dem B. dermatitidis specifische Konjugate; es war nicht pathogen fur Mause und Meerschweinchen, asexual Sporen wurden in der objecttrage Kultur produziert. Weitere Untersuchungen zeigten, dass sich die mycel Form des Fungus in die Hefeform umwandelte wenn ein gut wachsendes Inoculum gebraucht wurde. Die Hefezellen zeigten jedoch beträchtliche Grossenunterschiede. Die Hefeform verursachte in Mauseneine generallisierte Infektion in inerhalb von 10 Tagen. Exoantigenik Analyse zeigte ein A Antigen, specifisch für B. dermatitidis, welches die Identität des Organismus als atypischen Stamm des B. dermatitidis aufwies.

     

TEM study of Mg distribution in micrite crystals from the Mishrif reservoir Formation (Middle East,Cenomanian to Early Turonian)

Microporous limestones composed of micrite crystals constitute sizeable hydrocarbon reservoirs throughout the world and especially in the Middle East. However, the crystallization history of micrites is poorly understood. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) studies give morphological and bulk composition information about micrites, but no information exists on the distribution of minor elements inside micrite grains. This study proposes Mg maps obtained with X-ray EDS combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) of micrite crystals from the Mishrif reservoir Formation (Middle East, Cenomanian to Early Turonian). Three types of Mg distribution were observed through micrite crystals from five different samples: (1) homogenous Mg concentration, (2) small Mg-enriched areas close to the center of the crystal, and (3) geometric Mg impoverishments near crystal edges and parallel to present crystallographic faces. The homogenous Mg distribution is the most frequent and is found both in microporous and in tight micrites. The second type of distribution showing small Mg-enriched areas inside micrite crystals relatively close to their center comes from a microporous sample located below an emersive surface. These enriched areas may correspond to crystal seeds. The third type of distribution was observed in micrite crystals from another microporous sample situated just below an emersive surface. The Mg-poor zones probably represent overgrowths that precipitated in contact with less Mg-rich meteoric fluids.     

A small ichthyosaur from the Clearwater Formation (Alberta,Canada) and a discussion of the taxonomic utility of the pectoral girdle

Albian sedimentary successions of northwestern Canada have yielded a diverse assemblage of Mesozoic marine vertebrates, and ichthyosaurs form an important component of these faunas. Here, we describe a partial postcranial skeleton of a small (estimated at less than 3 m total body length) ichthyosaur from the Wabiskaw Member of the Clearwater Formation (lowermost Albian). The semi-articulated specimen includes much of the presacral vertebral column, dorsal ribs and gastralia. Most significantly, it possesses an articulated pectoral girdle and humerus, and also preserves the pelvic girdle, allowing new insights into girdle evolution in ichthyosaurs. Whereas both sets of girdles are thought to exhibit large amounts of intraspecific variation, the pectoral girdle of ophthalmosaurids appears to evolve very slowly, remaining essentially unchanged from the Middle Jurassic onwards. In contrast, the pelvic girdle shows taxonomically informative changes within Ophthalmosauridae. The variable and poorly known nature of girdle morphology in Cretaceous ichthyosaurs precludes generic referral of the specimen.     

Circulation of parasites among fishes from lakes in the Caribou Mountains,Alberta, Canada

Circulation of 24 macroparasite species among 12 species of fish was evaluated within samples of hosts collected from 9 lakes on an isolated plateau in northern Alberta, Canada. Twenty-seven parasite taxa (24 species plus the larval stages of Triaenophorus crassus, T. stizostedionis, and Raphidascaris acus) had the potential to be circulated among hosts. Sixteen parasite taxa were recovered from a single host species within a lake. Of the 11 remaining nonspecialist taxa, 4 were larval stages that matured in fish or birds and 7 were adults. Eight of the 11 cases of circulation among hosts involved lake whitefish, and this host was involved in the transmission of 5 species to piscivorous fishes. Despite evidence for the circulation of 7 taxa among the 4 species of sympatric Salmonidae, 60-99% of all worms were recovered from just 1 species of host. These results indicated that approximately 60% of the parasite taxa that infected fish in these lakes were absolute host specialists. The remaining 40% of parasite taxa had restricted host ranges, with most examples of parasite circulation limited to the 2 species of sympatric coregonid.     

Nasal bots and lice from white-tailed deer in southern Alberta, Canada

Heads of 64 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns, harvested in the vicinity of Magrath, Alberta, Canada, (49 degrees 24'782'N, 112 degrees 52'113'W) were examined for the presence of nasal bots and lice. The deer were collected between 8-30 January 2004 as part of a government-approved herd reduction protocol. The entire surface of each head was scanned visually for the presence of lice. Each head was split longitudinally, and the nasal passages, sinuses, and ethmoid region were washed for recovery of nasal bots. First instar Cephenemyia spp. were recovered from 17 heads (27%). Intensity of infestation ranged from 1-18 larvae (mean intensity 4.8). Among fawns, there were no significant differences in prevalence or mean intensity between the sexes. Two species of nasal bots were identified. Smaller larvae, tentatively identified as C. jellisoni, were present in 16 of 17 infested deer while larger specimens, tentatively identified as C. phobifera, were found in four deer; and in three of the four it co-occurred with C. jellisoni. The presence of C. phobifera in Alberta would represent a range extension for this species, which has not been known to occur west of North Dakota. Thirty-one fawns (48%) were infested with the sucking louse Solenopotes ferrisi. One infested fawn also had one specimen of the chewing louse, Tricholiopeurus lipeuroides.     

Sedimentology and taphonomy of the Oldman Formation (Campanian), Dinosaur Provincial Park,Alberta (Canada)

Sediments of the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Oldman Formation at Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, have yielded an exceedingly rich fauna of dinosaurs. These fluviatile sediments show characteristics of both meandering and braided channels. Fossil molluscs, plants, and diverse salamanders indicate that Oldman sediments were deposited in fresh water, and the very sparse agglutinated Foraminifera recovered fail to controvert this conclusion. Annual growth rings in wood and vertebrate of Champsosaurus demonstrate that the climate was seasonal, and current botanic interpretations suggest that the climate was an equable, warm temperate one. Dinosaurian remains represent all stages of disarticulation from complete skeletons to isolated bones. They are common in channel sediments and rare in overbank deposits, suggesting that the animals preserved died in the water of channels. The persistence of the characteristics sedimentary association of fossils over a 200 ft. stratigraphic interval demonstrates that regular, not catastrophic events determined the preservation of individuals. Stages of progressive decomposition of dinosaurs are inferred from the condition of fossils collected from the Park. Disarticulated small bones occur at interfaces between mudstone and sandstone in which the sandstone lies above the mudstone, and also in intraformational conglomerates. Ceratopsians are identified as dwellers of the swampy lowlands along with hadrosaurs. Hadrosaurs, ceratopsians, and possibly even carnosaurs spent significant portions of their daily lives in water. These dinosaurs did not breed in “uplands”, but possibly in dry areas lateral to the streams.     

Adiaspiromycosis in striped skunks in Alberta, Canada

Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis was diagnosed in seven of 25 striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in east-central Alberta. The infection varied from mild, where only microscopic lesions were seen, to severe, where gross lesions of grayish-white nodules were observed in the lung parenchyma. Mild lesions were restricted to the lung, while severe lesions extended to the tracheobronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes. Histologically, the lesions were characterized by a centrally located fungal spherule, surrounded by granulomatous inflammation. The morphology of the fungal spherules was consistent with that of Emmonsia crescens. By electron microscopy, the fungal cells had an outer thick fibrillar wall and an inner cytoplasm filled with large lipid vacuoles with relatively few mitochondria, ribosomes or glycogen inclusions. The absence of endosporulation and budding suggested that each fungal cell in the lung represented a separate inhaled spore. Infection was by inhalation, nevertheless adiaspores may disseminate to the regional lymph nodes.     

Cenomanian belemnites from the teutoburger Wald,NW Germany

A small fauna of belemnites collected recently from the Cenomanian deposits of the Teutoburger Wald, NW Germany, is described. It includes the belemnopseidNeohibolites ultimus (d’Orbigny) and the belemnitellidsBelemnocamax boweri Crick,Actinocamax primus Arkhangelsky, andA. plenus (Blainville). The Teutoburger Wald is thus one of the few regions in NW Europe, where these four species occur. The Cenomanian belemnite events, theultimus eustato-event, theprimus eco-event, andme plenus eustato-event, are discussed.     

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.     

Flowering plant phenology and weather in Alberta,Canada

Plant phenology can be used for biomonitoring climate change. The flowering of certain temperate zone plant species occurs in response to accumulated heat. Networks of observers presently provide data on the timing of the growth of native and crop plants to Agro-meteorological Departments in Europe and the United States. In Alberta, a phenological survey which began in 1987 records flowering times for 15 native plants, with about 200 volunteers contributing observations annually. Six years of data have been summarized and correlated with temperature measurements. The Alberta phenological data can provide a key to sound decision-making in two ways: by providing proxy data on key variables to which vegetation responds, and by providing a model for transforming simple weather data into biologically meaningful zones.     

Adoption Practices of The Blood Indians of Alberta,Canada

Abstract

Adoption is practiced in many parts of the world, but its mechanics are rarely spelled out in detail. The following paper is an effort to correct this lack for the Blood (Blackfoot) Indians living in Alberta in 1939. The introduction of a money economy and life on a reservation brought about certain modifications, but at the time this investigation was made “the Indians themselves” said adoption was “frequent in former times.” There is reason to believe that the motives for adoption and the varying attitudes of those who adopt and of those who are adopted have not changed radically through the years. Many parallels in adoption are apparent, not only in other Blackfoot tribes, but also in such North American Indian groups as the Crow, Omaha, Winnebago and Ojibwa.     

First record of Lipoptena depressa (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Alberta, Canada

Lipoptena depressa is reported for the first time from Alberta on a 2 1/2-mo-old white-tailed deer fawn. This ked fly is one of four species occurring on deer in North America. The fawn had severe hemorrhagic enteritis of undetermined cause.     

Herpesvirus infection in woodland caribou in Alberta, Canada

Sera and genital swabs collected from 121 adult woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in five subpopulations in northern Alberta, Canada, between December 1997 and October 1999, were examined for evidence of infection with herpesviruses or pestiviruses. No virus was isolated from sera or swabs, and no antibodies against bovine viral diarrhea virus were detected. However, 63 (52%) of the 121 animals had neutralizing antibody titers against bovine herpesvirus 1. There was sufficient serum from 37 of the 121 caribou to allow parallel testing for antibodies against a new alphaherpesvirus isolated from an elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni), and 20 animals had antibodies against this virus. Paired sera collected 11 mo apart from 14 caribou showed seroconversion in seven animals, indicating that an active herpesvirus infection was present. Virus neutralization data suggest that these caribou are infected with a distinct alphaherpesvirus.     

A synopsis of lake sturgeon management in Alberta, Canada

The lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) is resident in the North and South Saskatchewan rivers of Alberta. Because of their confined distribution, low abundance, and vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts, lake sturgeon in Alberta have been the focus of specific management actions for nearly 60 years.
Lake sturgeon harvest was prohibited in Alberta from 1940 to 1968, after which a limited harvest was again permitted, but only as a hook-and-line sport fishery. After being reopened the fishery was primarily managed as a "trophy" fishery. Sport fishery harvest statistics have been compiled annually since 1968, through mail-out questionnaires sent to all holders of sturgeon angling licenses.
Few research studies have been undertaken on the life history or habitat requirements of lake sturgeon in the province, and biologists have relied primarily on anglers to provide information for management decisions. Preliminary population information for the South Saskatchewan River, from mark-recapture data, suggests a population size of about 3700 fish. Recent studies in the North Saskatchewan River indicate a population of about 1300 fish. Studies indicate that a portion of the population in both rivers is trans-boundary, moving between the waters of the adjoining provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and creating concerns because of differences in angling regulations. During recent decades, major consumptive uses of water have also contributed to depletion of lake sturgeon habitat in the province.
After reviewing past management strategies and actions, Alberta Environmental Protection implemented a number of regulatory changes in 1987 to further protect lake sturgeon populations in the province while continuing to provide angling opportunities and maintaining a controlled harvest.