A new ichthyodectiform (Actinopterygii,Teleostei) from the Lower Cretaceous Marizal Formation,north‐east Brazil

Abstract: A new genus and species, Ogunichthys triangularis, from the Early Cretaceous Marizal Formation in the Tucano Basin, Bahia State, Brazil, can be assigned to the teleost order Ichthyodectiformes and to the suborder Ichthyodectoidei by the presence of ten synapomorphies of these clades. Ogunichthys gen. nov. cannot be placed into any of the currently recognized families within Ichthyodectoidei and differs from all other ichthyodectoid genera in the ratio between the depth of the dentary symphysis and the depth of the coronoid process, the relationships between the length of the coronoid process and the alveolar border of the dentary, and a supraoccipital crest with posterior border fringed. The new taxon occurs in Early Cretaceous (Aptian) strata of the Marizal Formation, which are related to periods during epicontinental seas extended from the Caribbean Tethys into the South American continent. Rather than representing a single continuous widespread seaway, these epicontinental seas reflect local tectonic events, sometimes including locally distinctive faunas.     

Biostratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous microfossils from the Araripe basin, northeastern Brazil

A biostratigraphic study was carried out in the Lower Cretaceous Araripe basin, northeastern Brazil, allowing the recognition of several chronostratigraphic units: the Dom João (Jurassic?-Lower Cretaceous?), the Rio da Serra (Neocomian) and the Alagoas (Aptian/Albian) local stages. For the first time a large hiatus between the Rio da Serra and Alagoas local stages is carefully documented. The palynomorphs and the ostracode associations throughout the Jurassic?-Aptian/Albian sequence allow the interpretation of the paleoenvironmental evolution of the Araripe basin which otherwise confirms that a polycyclical sedimentation occurred in the basin, being one of the controlling factors on the distribution of ostracodes and palynomorphes.     

First record ofColoborhynchus (Pterosauria) from the Santana Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Chapada do Araripe, Brazil

The anterior tips of associated upper and lower jaws of a pterosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil are described and assigned to the taxonColoborhynchus in the family Ornithocheiridae. It is characterized by the shape and position of the sagittal crest on the upper and lower jaw, the arrangement and length of the teeth and the spoon-like lateral expansion of the anterior parts of the jaws. It closely resemblesColoborhynchus wadleighi from North America andColoborhynchus clavirostris from England. Diagnostic anatomical characteristics permit a revision of the genusTropeognathus, which is shown here to be a junior synonym of other described taxa.Tropeognathus mesembrinus is referred toCriorhynchus andT. robustus toColoboryhnchus. Consistent anatomical features enable the new jaw fragment to be assigned toColoborhynchus robustus.      

Neoselachians (Chondrichthyes,Elasmobranchii) from the Lower and lower Upper Cretaceous of north‐eastern Spain

Extensive sampling of several Barremian and Albian–Cenomanian levels across the Aguilón, Oliete and Aliaga subbasins of the Iberian Basin, north‐east Spain, yielded abundant material of new or so far poorly known neoselachians. The faunas consist of 16 different species, five of which represent new species and two new genera: Cantioscyllium brachyplicatum sp. nov. , Platypterix venustulus gen. et sp. nov. , Ptychotrygon pustulata sp. nov. , Ptychotrygon striata sp. nov. and Iberotrygon plagiolophus gen. et sp. nov. In addition, teeth of Heterodontus cf. H. carerens, Lamniformes indet., Pteroscyllium sp., Scyliorhinidae indet., Rhinobatos sp., Spathobatis sp., Belemnobatis sp., Ptychotrygon geyeri, Ptychotrygon sp. and Celtipristis herreroi are described. The new family Ptychotrygonidae is defined. The localities comprise palaeoenvironments ranging from lacustrine and shallow lake to open marine settings. Neoselachians are almost completely absent from continental settings in the Barremian, as a result of prevailing freshwater conditions, but became more abundant in marine strata. The Albian–Cenomanian selachian assemblage is the most profuse and diverse of the three assemblages studied. It is dominated by small, benthic and near‐coastal taxa, for instance Cantioscyllium and Ptychotrygon, and contains several new species, including an endemic batoid, Iberotrygon plagiolophus gen. et sp. nov. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155 , 316–347.     

A new crocodylomorph specimen from the Araripe Basin (Crato Member,Santana Formation), northeastern Brazil

The fossil fauna of the Santana Formation (Early Cretaceous) comprises many distinct taxa, but crocodylomorphs are poorly understood. Here we describe a new specimen (MPSC-R1137) that consists of a complete hind limb found in the Crato Member, the basal section of the Santana Formation. Based on the characteristics of the fibula (e.g., pronounced variation of the shaft width) and length proportions of the femur and tibia, this specimen can be distinguished from Caririsuchus camposi and Araripesuchus gomesii, which are known from the Romualdo Member (the upper lithostratigraphic unit of the Santana Formation). The only crocodylomorph formally described from the Crato Member is Susisuchus anatoceps, whose holotype lacks elements of the hind limb. On the basis of a comparative anatomical study of the hind limb, which shows no similarities between MPSC-R1137 and other crocodylomorphs from the Araripe Basin, we tentatively classify this new specimen as cf. Susisuchus sp., and provide new anatomical information for this rather derived crocodylomorph.      

A new neosuchian crocodylomorph (Crocodyliformes, Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Early Cretaceous of north-east Brazil

Abstract:  A new neosuchian crocodylomorph, Susisuchus jaguaribensis sp. nov., is described based on fragmentary but diagnostic material. It was found in fluvial-braided sediments of the Lima Campos Basin, north-eastern Brazil, 115 km from where Susisuchus anatoceps was found, in rocks of the Crato Formation, Araripe Basin. S. jaguaribensis and S. anatoceps share a squamosal–parietal contact in the posterior wall of the supratemporal fenestra. A phylogenetic analysis places the genus Susisuchus as the sister group to Eusuchia, confirming earlier studies. Because of its position, we recovered the family name Susisuchidae, but with a new definition, being node-based group including the last common ancestor of Susisuchus anatoceps and Susisuchus jaguaribensis and all of its descendents. This new species corroborates the idea that the origin of eusuchians was a complex evolutionary event and that the fossil record is still very incomplete.     

A new species of Tingidae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia

A new species of lace-bug Sinaldocader ponomarenkoi sp. nov. (Tingidae: Phatnomatini) is described from the Lower Cretaceous Transbaikalian locality Baissa. The new species differs from the type species S. drakei Popov, 1989 from the Lower Cretaceous of Mongolia in the well-developed lateral carinae of pronotal disc and in the details of hemelytral venation.     

New postcranial elements of the Thalassodrominae (Pterodactyloidea,Tapejaridae) from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian–Albian), Santana Group,Araripe Basin,Brazil

Tapejarids are edentate pterosaurs recovered mainly from Early Cretaceous deposits. They are diagnosed by five synapomorphies, among which only one is postcranial: a broad and well‐developed tubercle at the ventroposterior margin of the coracoid. Regarding the clade Thalassodrominae, most phylogenetic studies are based on cranial elements, as postcranial skeletons of these pterosaurs are rare. Here, new postcranial material from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian–Albian) from the Araripe Basin is described. The material comprises the three posteriormost cervical vertebrae, the first seven dorsal vertebrae (fused into a notarium), both scapulocoracoids, a fragment of a sternum, a partial right humerus, a small fragment of a 4th phalanx of the wing finger, a distal extremity of the right femur and the proximal portions of both tibia and fibula. Comparisons with other specimens and morphological features examined in a phylogenetic context, such as the presence of three foramina lateral and dorsal to the neural canal of the cervical vertebrae, the presence of a notarium and a pneumatic foramen on the ventral side of the proximal portion of the humerus, allow the assignment of this specimen as Thalassodrominae indet. Regarding palaeobiogeographical aspects, to date, this clade is exclusively found in the Romualdo Formation. It is the most complete postcranial material assigned to the Thalassodrominae described so far.     

First titanosaur (Saurischia,Sauropoda) axial remains from the Uberaba Formation,Upper Cretaceous,Bauru Group,Brazil

The Adamantina and Marília formations are considered to be the richest vertebrate-bearing units in the Bauru Group, Upper Cretaceous, Brazil. In contrast, the fossil content from the Uberaba Formation, which only outcrops in Minas Gerais State, is scarce and poorly understood. In this essay the first taxonomically informative titanosaur remains unearthed from this unit are reported. They comprise anterior caudal vertebrae from two different individuals corresponding to a probably basal titanosaur (CPP-360) and a derived titanosaur (CPP-217). Although these remains can be clearly distinguished from other titanosaurs on the basis of their unique association of characteristics like the presence of mildly procoelous centra, lateral pits in the anterior caudal vertebrae, and prezygapophyses with a dorsal protuberance in anterior caudals in CPP-360 and the presence of strongly developed prespinal, spinopostzygapophyseal and centropostzygapophyseal laminae in CPP-217, more complete materials are needed to propose them new names.     

Vertebrate fossils from the Adamantina Formation (Late Cretaceous), Prata paleontological district, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

In this contribution is given a preliminary up-to-date annotated list of all fossil vertebrates from the Turonian-Santonian Adamantina Formation, Bauru Group where it occurs in the Prata paleontological district which is located 45 km to the west of Prata in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The Adamantina Formation is a reddish sandstone in the Triângulo Mineiro region. These fluviolacustrine sediments were deposited in a semiarid environment. Three fossil vertebrate sites occur in the Prata paleontological district. The diversity of vertebrates in the Adamantina Formation is modest, and its components comprise a mixture of typical austral Gondwana taxa (such as abelisaurids, Aeolosaurus) and boreal Gondwana taxa (such as Carcharodontosauridae). The absence of Laurasian taxa in the upper part of the Bauru Group is noteworthy. Excepting some turtles, crocodylians, and one titanosaurid, most of the specimens discovered in this Group are based on fragmentary and isolated remains, which make it difficult to correctly identify the fossils. For this reason, many of the taxa have only been identified in a preliminary manner. Despite this drawback, the dinosaurs are typical Gondwana forms with no evidence of Laurasian affinities. This is concordant with the idea that the Laurasian dinosaurs entered South America at the end of the Late Cretaceous; i.e. after the Turonian-Santonian, the age of the Adamantina Formation.     

A new species of derelomine weevils (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Curculioninae: Acalyptini) from the Rovno amber

Protoceletes hirtus sp. nov. (Curculionidae: Curulioninae: Acalyptini) from the Late Eocene Rovno amber is described. This is the second fossil of the genus. The new species is close to P. wolfschwenningerae Rheinheimer, 2007 from Baltic amber and differs it in the separated coxae, asymmetrically convex eyes, longer and clearly semierect hairs on the surface, and the longer body.     

Xenomorphism, bioimmuration, and biologic substrates: an example from the Cretaceous of Brazil

Lopha ramicola Beurlen, 1964, from the Upper Cretaceous of Brazil is illustrated as an example of xenomorphism and bioimmuration on an unknown, possibly botanical, substrate not preserved in the fossil record. The shells preserve a sharp negative replica of the biologic substrate on the attached valve and a protruding positive replica, including a geometric pattern of nodes, on the unattached valve.     

Decapod Crustacea from the Agrio Formation (Lower Cretaceous) of the Neuquén Basin,Argentina

Abstract: Two species of decapod crustacean are recorded from the Agua de la Mula Member of the Agrio Formation (Upper Hauterivian – Lower Barremian) of the Neuquén Basin of west‐central Argentina, namely Astacodes falcifer Bell and a new species of Palaeohomarus, P. pacificus. The preservation of the specimens is exceptional, some showing delicate compound eyes and a stridulatory apparatus, features rarely found in fossil forms. Many specimens are preserved articulated inside calcareous nodules, within dark‐grey shales. The lobster‐bearing sediments accumulated in a low‐energy marine environment and diagenetic mineralization occurred very rapidly, prior to significant decay, thus allowing exceptional preservation of specimens. Palaeohomarus was a rare genus in the Cretaceous with a palaeogeographic distribution restricted to the Mediterranean Tethys, the eastern USA and Madagascar, while Astacodes falcifer has been recorded only from Speeton (eastern England) and Neuquén.     

Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from the Lower Cretaceous of Huolinhe, eastern Inner Mongolia, China

Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from the Lower Cretaceous Huolinhe Formation in the Huolinhe coal–mining area, eastern Inner Mongolia, China, is identified, described and figured. Comparison with the type material of Sphenobaiera ikorfatensis (Seward) Florin from West Greenland confirms its identity. About 20 Chinese leaf specimens are known with well preserved cuticle which is closely similar to the Greenland leaves but more papillate. The palaeoclimatic and phytogeographic significance of the occurrence of this species is discussed in relation to the suggestion that West Greenland, north–east China and eastern Siberia were in the same phytogeographic region during the Lower Cretaceous.     

First Mesozoic Scutigeromorph Centipede, from the Lower Cretaceous of Brazil

The first Mesozoic scutigeromorph centipede (Myriapoda: Chilopoda), Fulmenocursor tenax gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation of north-east Brazil. Previously described fossil Scutigeromorpha are known from Dominican and Baltic amber, the Carboniferous (Westphalian D) Francis Creek Shale of Mazon Creek, Illinois, the Silurian and Devonian of Britain, and the Devonian of New York State.     

A new Sphagesaurus (Mesoeucrocodylia: Notosuchia) from the Upper Cretaceous of Monte Alto City (Bauru Group,Brazil), and a revision of the Sphagesauridae

Oxygen consumption and ammonia excretion rates were assessed for Terebratulina retusa (L.) held under 3 different regimes of temperature and food availability. These were: 5.6?C, no food (cold, starved); 5.8?C, food present (cold, fed) and 10.7?C food present (warm, fed), which simulated winter conditions, summer conditions and an intermediate treatment. Regressions of oxygen consumption on ash‐free dry weight (AFDW) had slopes which were not significantly different from each other and ranged from 0.953 to 0.999. A common slope of 0.976 was calculated and intercepts based on the common slope used to compare oxygen consumption in each treatment. The rise from cold, starved conditions to warm, fed was 24.5 per cent and this was significant (P < 0.05). Other differences were not significant (P > 0.05) but the cold, fed result was 12.6 per cent higher than cold, starved. Therefore feeding and temperature probably account for equivalent proportions of the rise in metabolism from winter to summer. Ammonia production data were much more variable. Excretion rates of a 50 mg AFDW individual (in ng‐at NH₃‐N.h^‐1) were as follows: cold, starved: 30.2 cold, fed: 7.1; and warm, fed: 22.9. Oxygen to nitrogen (O:N) ratios reflected these results. Mean O:N ratios were: cold, starved: 8.0; cold, fed: 42.4; warm, fed: 16.3. This shows that the simulated winter group relied heavily on protein to fuel their metabolism, the simulated summer group were less dependent on protein and the intermediate group probably used lipids and carbohydrates to fuel metabolic demands. This possibly reflected a trade off between food supply and increased metabolism from treatment to treatment, demonstrating a flexibility which could have been a contributing factor in the ecological tolerance and geological longevity of some brachiopods.     

New tribes of the superfamily Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) in Burmese amber

Two new tribes in the Curculionoidea are described as the Anchineini Poinar and Legalov, n. trib. (Ithyceridae: Carinae) and Paleocryptorhynchini Poinar and Legalov, n. trib. (Curculionidae: Erirhininae). The genus Anchineus Poinar and Brown, 2009, n. placem. is transferred from the subfamily Curculioninae of the family Curculionidae to the subfamily Carinae of the family Ithyceridae. The genus Paleocryptorhynchus Poinar, 2009, n. placem. is transferred from the subfamily Cryptorhynchinae to the subfamily Erirhininae. The placement of the genus Mesophyletis Poinar, 2006 in the family Ithyceridae was confirmed. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C0039DD-7BC6-4A54-9282-F43C5606D68B     

A Chondrophorine (Medusoid Hydrozoan) from the Lower Cretaceous of Chile

Aysenspriggia apelegensis is a new genus and species of a chondrophorine (jellyfish-like hydrozoan) from the Lower Cretaceous Apeleg Formation of southern Chile. Despite their modern abundance chondrophorines are rare in the fossil record. The Apeleg Formation was deposited in a deep-water environment characterised by strong tidal currents. The fossils resulted from water-logged pelagic floats settling to the sea bed during periods of tidal slack water. Burial of the rigid three-dimensional chitinoid float resulted in preservation as imprints on the base of the overlying sandstone. Soft parts of the animal were not preserved. The palaeoenvironmental interpretation is in accordance with that of other records of chondrophorines, including those from the Ediacaran fauna, which are apparently characterised by a bimodal depth distribution. Like much of the Ediacaran fauna most chondrophorines are preserved as impressions on the base of sandstone beds.