Dental formulae and dental eruption patterns in Parapithecidae (Primates, Anthropoidea)

The eruption sequence for the lower teeth of Apidium phiomense based on 18 juvenile specimens is dP3, dP4, M1, M2, P2, P4, (P3, M3), C. Only five specimens of Parapithecus grangeri show developing lower teeth. P2, M1, and M2 all erupted before P3 and P4; C and M3 were the last cheek teeth to erupt. Late eruption of the lower canines in parapithecids is a possible shared derived resemblance linking these species with Anthropoidea and Adapidae and distinguishing both from Omomyidae, Tarsiidae, and tooth-combed lemurs. Late eruption of M3 in parapithecids is a shared derived resemblance with Anthropoidea alone. The lower dental formula of Apidium phiomense is confirmed as 2 X 1 X 3 X 3 by additional specimens which show the incisors. Based in part on tooth socket counts, the deciduous lower dental formula was 2 X 1 X 3. New specimens of Parapithecus grangeri now demonstrate an adult mandibular dental formula of 0 X 1 X 3 X 3 (not 2 X 1 X 3 X 3 as previously thought) and a juvenile formula of 1 X 1 X 3. The number of incisors possessed by Parapithecus fraasi is again open to debate. Material is insufficient to judge whether this species had a pair of incisors in each lower jaw quadrant, by analogy with Apidium, or had undergone reduction to just one incisor. In any event, the presence of two incisors in another parapithecid Apidium shows anterior tooth reduction of Parapithecus grangeri occurred independent of, and should not be considered a shared derived similarity with, Tarsiidae, as was once thought.     

New jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and similar beetles from the Cretaceous and Early Paleogene of Asia

A new genus and two new species of jewel beetles are described, Andakhudukia ponomarenkoi gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia and Metabuprestium ustkivdense sp. nov. from the lowermost Paleogene of the Amur Region. In addition, four new monotypic genera that share some features with jewel beetles are described: Cretoelaterium kazanovense gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous of Eastern Transbaikalia and Cretopoena gratshevi gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia have been referred to the families Elateridae and Eucnemidae; Cretofalselaterium baiankhongoricum gen. et sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia and Cretogermen turonicum gen. et sp. nov. from the Upper Cretaceous of Kazakhstan have been erected for isolated elytra and placed in Coleoptera incertae sedis.     

Uniquely derived upper molar morphology of Eocene Amphipithecidae (Primates: Anthropoidea): Homology and phylogeny

The extinct Southeast Asian primate family Amphipithecidae is regularly cited in discussions of anthropoid origins, but its phylogenetic position remains controversial. In part, the lack of consensus regarding amphipithecid relationships can be attributed to uncertainty regarding the homology of upper molar structures in this group. Here, we describe a virtually pristine upper molar of Pondaungia cotteri from the late middle Eocene Pondaung Formation of Myanmar, which is the first example of a relatively unworn and well-preserved amphipithecid upper molar ever recovered. The distolingual upper molar cusp in this new specimen of Pondaungia appears to be a lingually displaced and enlarged metaconule, rather than a hypocone or pseudohypocone as previous workers have thought. Reassessment of the upper molar morphology of other amphipithecids and putative amphipithecids reveals a very similar pattern in Siamopithecus, Myanmarpithecus and Ganlea, all of which are interpreted as having upper molars showing many of the same derived features apparent in Pondaungia. In contrast, the upper molar morphology of Bugtipithecus diverges radically from that of undoubted amphipithecids, and the latter taxon is excluded from Amphipithecidae on this basis. Phylogenetic analyses of several character–taxon matrices culled from the recent literature and updated to reflect the new information on amphipithecid upper molar morphology yield similar results. Consensus tree topologies derived from these analyses support amphipithecid monophyly and stable relationships within Amphipithecidae. Amphipithecids appear to be stem members of the anthropoid clade.     

云南早泥盆世一流线型盔甲鱼及其分类学与古生态学意义(英文)

记述了云南昭通早泥盆世布拉格期坡松冲组华南鱼目一新属、新种——剑裂甲鱼(Rhegmaspis xiphoidea gen.et sp.nov.)。新属的主要特征是:具有鱼雷形头甲,细长吻突,眶孔位于头甲腹侧位,鳃穴向头甲腹面弯曲,角、内角和腹环丢失。鉴于以上特征,新属被归到了包括鸭吻鱼和乌蒙山鱼在内的鸭吻鱼科。根据新材料提供的信息,修订了鸭吻鱼科,包括鸭吻鱼和乌蒙山鱼的鳃穴、腹环、角、内角等特征。裂甲鱼属是该地区发现的第一个具有流线形体型的盔甲鱼类,指示了该地区一些盔甲鱼类可能开始了一种营上底栖的生活方式,具有更加主动的取食行为。新属的发现不仅丰富了该地区华南鱼目的多样性,而且提供了盔甲鱼类在早泥盆世布拉格期通过占据新的生态位而发生的最后一次辐射演化的证据。     

The BC200 RNA Gene and Its Neural Expression Are Conserved in Anthropoidea (Primates)

The gene encoding BC200 RNA arose from a monomeric Alu element. Subsequently, the RNA had been recruited or exapted into a function of the nervous system. Here we confirm the presence of the BC200 gene in several primate species among the Anthropoidea. The period following the divergence of New World monkeys and Old World monkeys from their common ancestor is characterized by a significantly higher substitution rate in the examined 5′ flanking region than in the BC200 RNA coding region itself. Furthermore, the conservation of CpG dimers in the RNA coding region (200 bp) is drastically increased compared to the 5′ flanking region (∼400 bp) over all 12 species examined. Finally, the brain-specific expression pattern of BC200 RNA and its presence as a ribonucleoprotein particle (RNP) are conserved in Old World and New World monkeys. Our studies indicate that the gene encoding BC200 RNA was created at least 35–55 million years ago and its presence, mode of expression, and association with protein(s) as an RNP are under selective pressure. Received: 1 December 1997 / Accepted: 3 June 1998     

Additional materials of Myanmarpithecus yarshensis (Amphipithecidae, Primates) from the middle Eocene Pondaung Formation

Myanmarpithecus yarshensis is an amphipithecid primate from the middle Eocene Pondaung Formation in Myanmar. It was previously known based on maxillary fragments with P⁴–M³ and mandibular fragments with C–P₃ and M_2–3. This study reports new materials for the genus, including a humeral head fragment, a lingual fragment of the right M², a lingual fragment of the right M³, and a left I¹. These new materials were collected from approximately the same point, and likely belonged to the same individual. The upper molar morphology and size of the new materials show similarity to those of the type specimen, indicating that the new materials can be assigned to M. yarshensis. The humeral head is the first postcranial element that is associated with dental materials for amphipithecids. The morphological similarity between the previously reported larger humerus and this specimen confirms the assignment of the former specimen to Amphipithecidae and suggests common locomotor adaptations in the family. The upper central incisor is large relative to the molar fragments, but is within the variation among extant platyrrhines. The tooth is spatulate-shaped and high crowned, and lacks the mesial process, indicating similarity to I¹ of haplorhines and clear differences from that of adapoids. It has been suggested that amphipithecids, including Myanmarpithecus, have affinities with notharctine adapoids, but the morphology of I¹ does not support the notharctine hypothesis of the Amphipithecidae.     

A new pipoid frog (Anura,Pipimorpha) from the Paleogene of Patagonia. Paleobiogeographical implications

The aim of the present contribution is to describe a new genus and species of Pipoidea from the Huitrera Formation (Eocene) from Patagonia, Argentina. The new genus shows a unique combination of characters indicating that it is a valid taxon different from other pipimorphs, including the coeval Llankibatrachus truebae. The phylogenetic analysis resulted in the nesting of the new taxon within a previously unrecognized endemic clade of South American aglossans. This new clade turns out to be the sister-group of crown-group Pipidae. This phylogenetic proposal reinforces the hypothesis sustaining the dispersal of pipids between Africa and South America through an island chain or a continental bridge across the Atlantic Ocean by Early Tertiary times.     

New primates from the late Eocene of Thailand: a contribution to primate diversity in the Paleogene of Asia

We report the discovery of two new primates from the late Eocene Krabi Basin, southern Thailand. One isolated upper molar displays morphological features (protocone united with hypocone by the prehypocrista, postprotocrista extended distobuccally) suggesting possible phylogenetic relationships with Amphipithecidae, while an isolated lower molar is tentatively referred to as a new tarsiiform, mainly on the basis of its paraconid and entoconid morphology. Although very scarce, these remains expand the record of Paleogene primates in Southeast Asia, and testify to their successful radiation in that area.     

Eocene–Oligocene calcareous nannofossils from Maud Rise and Kerguelen Plateau (Antarctica): paleoecological and paleoceanographic implications

The evolution of the Southern Ocean climate during the late Eocene–late Oligocene interval is examined through high-resolution, quantitative calcareous nannofossil analyses on samples from the Southern Ocean sections on Maud Rise and Kerguelen Plateau. We determined the abundance patterns of the counted species to clarify the biostratigraphy, which we correlated with high-resolution magnetostratigraphy [Roberts, A.P., Bicknell, S.J., Byatt, J., Bohaty, S.M., Florindo, F., Harwood, D.M., 2003a. Magnetostratigraphic calibration of Southern Ocean diatom datums from the Eocene–Oligocene of Kerguelen Plateau (Ocean Drilling Program Sites 744 and 748). In: Florindo, F., Cooper, A.K., O'Brien, P.A. (Eds.), Antarctic Cenozoic Palaeoenvironments: Geologic Record and Models. Palaeogeogr., Palaeoclimatol., Palaeoecol. 198 145–168; Florindo, F., Roberts, A.P., in press. Eocene–Oligocene magnetobiochronology of ODP Sites 689 and 690, Maud Rise, Weddell Sea, Antarctica. Geol. Soc. Am. Bull.], and used this data to interpret paleoceanographic changes through the late Eocene to late Oligocene. Percentage plots of the individual species, compared with R-mode principal component and cluster analysis results, allowed us to divide the assemblages into three groups: temperate-water taxa, cool-water taxa, and no temperature-affinity taxa. We attempt correlations between these paleoecological groups and the major sea-surface temperature (SST) variations with tectonic and paleoceanographic changes in the Southern Ocean. During the late Eocene, the nannofossil assemblage data reveal that there were several minor SST decreases (coolings) from 36 to 34 Ma, before the Eocene/Oligocene (E/O) boundary. A sharp cooling event, dated at 33.54 Ma (earliest Oligocene), occurred about 160 kyr after the E/O boundary, which is dated at 33.7 Ma. Relatively stable, cool conditions are interpreted to persist until the latest Oligocene, when an increase in abundance of temperate-water taxa, which corresponds to an antithetical decrease in abundance of cool-water indicators, is recorded.On the basis of our dating, the opening of the Drake Passage, allowing shallow-water circulation, began by 33.54 Ma at the latest, while the establishment of deep-water connections through the Tasmanian Gateway occurred at 33 Ma, as suggested by Exon et al. [Proc. ODP, Init. Rep. 189 (2001) 1].     

New and little-known grylloblattids of the family Geinitziidae (Insecta: Grylloblattida) from the Triassic and Jurassic of Europe,Asia, and South Africa

The fossil history of the family Geinitziidae is reviewed. New taxa are described in the family: Shurabia hissarica, sp. nov. (Lower Jurassic of Tajikistan), Sh. shartegica, sp. nov. (Upper Jurassic of Mongolia), Sh. serrata, sp. nov. and Ginitzia sagulensis, sp. nov. (both Lower Jurassic of Kyrgyzstan). The subfamily Stegopterinae Sharov, 1961 is synonymized under Geinitziinae Handlirsch, 1906. The genera Minesedes Fujiyama, 1973 and Ominea Fujiyama, 1973 (Upper Triassic of Japan) are synonymized under Shurabia Martynov, 1937 and Geinitzia Handlirsch, 1906, respectively. Geinitzia varia Bode, 1953 (Lower Jurassic of Germany) and Fletchizia picturata Riek, 1976 (Upper Triassic of South Africa) are redescribed from their holotypes. F. kapokraalensis Wappler, 2001 and F. aleda Wappler, 2001 (both Upper Triassic of South Africa) are transferred to the genus Shurabia.     

A mandible ofBranisella boliviana (Platyrrhini,Primates) from the oligocene of South America

A mandibular specimen from the Bolivian Early Oligocene is provisionally assigned toBranisella boliviana. The crown anatomy of the single preserved tooth, an M₂, indicates platyrrhine affinities and several details of the broken jaw are suggestive of symphyseal fusion. Like the African Oligocene parapithecids,Branisella contrasts with extant anthropoids in the relative shallowness of its mandible.Branisella is the most ancient, and seemingly the most primitive, fossil platyrrhine monkey, lacking any of the derived features of the two major clades of modern ceboids. Taxonomically, it is best regarded as family incertae sedis.     

First record of a middle pliocene hominid from the Siwalik Hills of South Asia

The Siwalik Hills have yielded what is perhaps the world’s most ancient early hominid. In December 1992 I discovered a hominid mandibular ramus and a hominid femur in association with stone tools in the Tatrot Formation of the upper Siwalik. The discovery was made from the Tatrot Formation exposed at Khetpurali Village in Haryana, North India. The teeth are bunodont, having a lingually inclined wear plane. The P3 is molariform and single rooted. The femur is platymeric and has medullary stenosis. The stone tools are chopper types. Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Tatrot Formation ranges from 2.47 Myr at the top to 5.44 Myr at the base. The hominid — yielding bed is dated at 3.40 Myr — Middle Pliocene. The palaeoecology of the Tatrot Formation suggests open savannah. The discovery will cast new light on the origin and migration of the early hominids, and hopefully will contribute to a solution of the 100-year-old dispute about the African or Asian origin of humans.     

关于塔塔尔蹶鼠属(Tatalsminthus)的新认识

<正>笔者最近在编写"中国古脊椎动物志"的跳鼠科的过程中,发现建立塔塔尔蹶鼠属(Tatalsminthus)的依据不够充分。现就该属及其属型种(可汗塔塔尔蹶鼠Tatalsminthus khandae)的有效性予以探讨。     

A new species of Nelumbo from South China and its palaeoecological implications

A new species of Nelumbo Adanson is described from the Eocene of the Changchang Basin, Hainan Island, South China. This is the first comprehensive report on a fossil Nelumbo species from the Eocene of the Changchang Basin, Hainan Island. The co-occurrence of fruits, tubers, rhizomes with numerous adventitious roots, leaves, and receptacles indicates that the plants grew where they are preserved. These specimens, combined with palynological assemblage and other macrofossils, indicate a tropical or subtropical humid climate in the Changchang Basin from the late early Eocene to early late Eocene.     

New macrostomatan snake from the Paleogene of northwestern Argentina

The lower Eocene Lumbrera Formation in Salta province, northwestern Argentina, outstands for providing snake remains from a non-Patagonian Paleogene site. The material consists of articulated precloacal vertebrae that represent a new medium-sized macrostomatan snake, namely Amaru scagliai nov. gen., nov. sp. The vertebral characters of Amaru scagliai nov. gen., nov. sp., suggest affinities with advanced clades, which is consistent with the recognition of derived macrostomatans in the early Paleocene of Bolivia and early Eocene of Brazil. The new snake confirms the presence of macrostomatan snakes in South America as early as the Eocene and suggests that the southern continents may have played an unsuspected role in the origin and evolution of advanced macrostomatans during the earliest Cenozoic.     

First record of a parapithecid primate from the Oligocene of Kenya

Recent excavations in northwestern Kenya have recovered a vertebrate fauna of late early or early late Oligocene age. Among the mammal remains, a fragmentary lower jaw and an isolated upper molar have been attributed to a small primate, Lokonepithecus manai gen. et sp. nov. Lokonepithecus is a primitive member of the Parapithecidae and possibly most closely related to Apidium from the Fayum. The new primate from Kenya is the youngest parapithecid known and its occurrence in the Oligocene of Kenya suggests that sub-Saharan Africa probably played a major role in the evolutionary history of several groups of mammals.     

Assessment of the conservation status of partridges and pheasants in South East Asia

The recent compilation of IUCN Action Plans for partridges and pheasants has highlighted the need for locality data to be used in conservation evaluation. Here we used locality data to measure changes in the proportion of localities from which each of 25 South East Asian species has been recorded, changes in their geographic extent and the amount of habitat that is potentially available to them. These are measures that use the data which are most readily available. Single landmass endemics from both montane and lowland forests appear to have fared badly with peacock pheasants Polyplectron and hill-partridges Arborophila suffering particularly large declines, although for montane forest species, these apparent declines are probably the result of relatively less survey effort in highland areas. Species previously widespread that give cause for concern include the green peafowl, Pavo muticus, and the blue-breasted quail, Coturnix chinensis. Conservation priorities include action on behalf of lowland forest specialists, some of which have suffered substantial reductions in the area of habitat that is potentially available. Surveys are required on the hills and mountains of Borneo, the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, and in the Lesser Sundas. Increased resolution of vegetation data would permit more accurate prediction of species ranges.     

Paleogene terrigenous (flysch) sequences in Etoloakarnania region (W. Greece). Plankton stratigraphy and paleoenvironmental implications

Based on calcareous nannofossils and planktonic foraminifera1 biostratigraphic data from flysch sequences, we give evidence for the paleoenvironmental evolution of Gavrovo and Ionian foreland basins (External Hellenides, Etoloakarnania region). Our data suggest that the onset of clastic sedimentation in both foreland basins in the study area is chronostratigraphically placed at Late Eocene (from 36.2-34.4 Ma; nannofossil biozones NP19-20, planktonic foraminifera biozones P16-17). During the earliest Oligocene (NP21-22 nannofossil biozones/34.4-32.45 Ma), both basins represent restricted accumulation of sediments, mainly composed of clays and silts. The presence of thick flysch deposits, accumulated during Early Oligocene (33.4-30 Ma, nannofossil zone NP23), indicates an increasing rate of sediment supply. The flysch sequences in the Ionian basin are associated with a distal depositional environment, while in the same time the sedimentation in the external part of Gavrovo basin is related to a more proximal environment that is gradually deepening. On the contrary, the internal part of Gavrovo basin is characterised by deep-water facies, deposited in the Early Oligocene. At the end of Early Oligocene and the onset of Late Oligocene (nannofossil zone NP24/30-27.2 Ma, planktonic foraminifera zone P21), the deposition of coarse grained sediments in both basins indicates a shift to shallower depositional environment. The accumulation of fine-grained sediments during Late Oligocene (27.2-23.2 Ma, NP25 nannofossil biozone) in the Ionian basin marks the youngest flysch sediments in the Etoloakarnania region and specifies the time of the Gavrovo nappe emplacement on the Ionian zone. Moreover the emplacement of Pindos nappe on the Gavrovo zone is estimated between 30-27.2 Ma (NP24 biozone) as supported by the nannofossil analysis of samples in front of Pindos thrust.     

Fossil moonseeds from the Paleogene of West Gondwana (Patagonia,Argentina)

Premise of the Study

The fossil record is critical for testing biogeographic hypotheses. Menispermaceae (moonseeds) are a widespread family with a rich fossil record and alternative hypotheses related to their origin and diversification. The family is well‐represented in Cenozoic deposits of the northern hemisphere, but the record in the southern hemisphere is sparse. Filling in the southern record of moonseeds will improve our ability to evaluate alternative biogeographic hypotheses.

Methods

Fossils were collected from the Salamanca (early Paleocene, Danian) and the Huitrera (early Eocene, Ypresian) formations in Chubut Province, Argentina. We photographed them using light microscopy, epifluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy and compared the fossils with similar extant and fossil Menispermaceae using herbarium specimens and published literature.

Key Results

We describe fossil leaves and endocarps attributed to Menispermaceae from Argentinean Patagonia. The leaves are identified to the family, and the endocarps are further identified to the tribe Cissampelideae. The Salamancan endocarp is assigned to the extant genus Stephania. These fossils significantly expand the known range of Menispermaceae in South America, and they include the oldest (ca. 64 Ma) unequivocal evidence of the family worldwide.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the importance of West Gondwana in the evolution of Menispermaceae during the Paleogene. Currently, the fossil record does not discern between a Laurasian or Gondwanan origin; however, it does demonstrate that Menispermaceae grew well outside the tropics by the early Paleocene. The endocarps’ affinity with Cissampelideae suggests that diversification of the family was well underway by the earliest Paleocene.