A neglected lineage of North American turtles fills a major gap in the fossil record

Abstract: The fossil record of the two primary subclades of softshell turtles (Trionychidae) is exceedingly asymmetric, as a result of a ghost range of total clade Cyclanorbinae that is estimated at 80 Ma. Herein, we present the first phylogenetic analysis of Trionychidae that includes a representative of the poorly studied taxon Plastomenidae, which is known from the Campanian to Eocene of North America. The analysis reveals that plastomenids are stem cyclanorbines, thus significantly reducing the apparent ghost range of total group Cyclanorbinae to approximately 30 Ma. Plastomenids are either an early branching clade of stem Cyclanorbinae, or they represent a paraphyletic grade that gave rise to modern cyclanorbines. Although abundant, the fossil record is still too poorly understood to distinguish between these two primary hypotheses. The previously persistent extremely long ghost range of total clade Cyclanorbinae appears to have been the result of a research bias.     

A specimen of Eocuculus Chandler, 1999 (Aves, ? Cuculidae) from the early Oligocene of France

A postcranial skeleton of a small bird from the early Oligocene locality Pichovet in Southern France is described and identified as Eocuculus cf. cherpinae Chandler, 1999. It is the second fossil record of Eocuculus which was hitherto known from a postcranial skeleton from the late Eocene of North America only. Although Eocuculus shares some derived similarities with Cuculidae (cuckoos), it distinctly differs in a number of osteological features from crown group members of this taxon. If future, more complete skeletons prove its cuculiform affinities, Eocuculus is a stem lineage representative of this taxon and not within the crown group. Recognition of Eocuculus in the early Oligocene of France provides evidence for the presence of an extinct late Eocene/early Oligocene avian taxon with an intercontinental Northern Hemisphere distribution.     

Paleobiochemistry of North American fossil Liriodendron sp.

Organic geochemical analyses are presented for a fossil Liriodendron sp. from the Miocene, Clarkia Flora of Northern Idaho. Flavonoid profiles determined for the fossil and two extent species of Liriodendron (L. chinense and L. tulipifera) confirm the generic status of the fossil material, but owing to a generic uniformity in flavonoid composition, fail to resolve taxonomic affinities at the species level. Steroid and other cycloalkane-alkene profiles indicate that the fossil taxon has a greater chemical similarity with L. chinense than L. tulipifera, despite the general leaf outline similarity between the fossil species and extent L. tulipifera. The morphologic and chemical data are interpreted as evidence for mosaic evolution within the genus, and the non-canalization of character states in some Miocene species.     

New specimens of the early Eocene bird Vastanavis and the interrelationships of stem group Psittaciformes

We describe new skeletal elements of Vastanavis from the early Eocene Cambay Shale Formation of western India, including a small coracoid that represents an unnamed new species, and comment on the relationships between this avian taxon and the recently described Avolatavis from the early Eocene Green River Formation in North America. Like the previously described ones, the new Vastanavis bones resemble those of the late Eocene Quercypsittidae, thus strengthening psittaciform affinities of the Indian taxon. Vastanavis differs from Avolatavis in the presence of a crista medianoplantaris on the tarsometatarsus and in claw morphology, but a fossil from the early Eocene London Clay, which was previously assigned to Vastanavidae, closely resembles Avolatavis in these features and all other osteological aspects. We show that most branches in a recent phylogeny of stem group Psittaciformes collapse after modification of a single erroneous character scoring for Vastanavis. We further describe a morphologically distinctive distal humerus of a small bird resembling the stem group nyctibiid Paraprefica, which was discovered in the most recent excavation in Vastan Lignite Mine.     

Prominatherium dalmatinum from the late Eocene of Grancona (Vicenza,NE Italy). The oldest terrestrial mammal of the Italian peninsula

So far, the oldest terrestrial mammal associations in Italy dates to the beginning of the Oligocene, with Anthracotheriidae being the most represented taxon. Sites from northern Italy yielded remains of the genus Anthracotherium that spread from Asia to western Europe after the Grande Coupure. A finding at Grancona, which is Priabonian in age, implies that Anthracotheriidae family reached the Italian Peninsula before the Eocene–Oligocene boundary. Thus, the dispersal of this family in northern Italy is anterior than previously believed. The fossil consists of a poorly preserved right hemi-maxilla with well-preserved P4 and M3. The shape and the size of the teeth are not compatible with the genus Anthracotherium. On the contrary, the closer affinities with the Croatian species Prominatherium dalmatinum suggest a connection between the Balkan area and the Italian peninsula and a possible new way of dispersal for this family.     

The Braincase of Eocaecilia micropodia (Lissamphibia,Gymnophiona) and the Origin of Caecilians

The scant fossil record of caecilians has obscured the origin and evolution of this lissamphibian group. Eocaecilia micropodia from the Lower Jurassic of North America remains the only stem-group caecilian with an almost complete skull preserved. However, this taxon has been controversial, engendering re-evaluation of traits considered to be plesiomorphic for extant caecilians. Both the validity of the placement of E. micropodia as a stem caecilian and estimates of the plesiomorphic condition of extant caecilians have been questioned. In order to address these issues, the braincase of E. micropodia was examined via micro-computed tomography. The braincase is considered to be a more reliable phylogenetic indicator than peripheral regions of the skull. These data reveal significant new information, including the possession of an ossified nasal septum, ossified anterior wall of the sphenethmoid, long anterolateral processes on the sphenethmoid, and paired olfactory nerve foramina, which are known only to occur in extant caecilians; the latter are possibly related to the evolution of the tentacle, a caecilian autapomorphy. A phylogenetic analysis that included 64 non-amniote taxa and 308 characters represents the first extensive test of the phylogenetic affinities of E. micropodia. The results place E. micropodia securely on the stem of extant caecilians, representing a clade within Temnospondyli that is the sister taxon to batrachians plus Gerobatrachus. Ancestral character state reconstruction confirms the braincase of E. micropodia to be largely representative of the plesiomorphic condition of extant caecilians. Additionally, the results refine the context within which the evolution of the caecilian form can be evaluated. The robust construction and pattern of the dermal skull of E. micropodia is interpreted as symplesiomorphic with advanced dissorophoid temnospondyls, rather than being autapomorphic in its robust construction. Together these data increase confidence in incorporating E. micropodia into discussions of caecilian evolution.     

A goose-sized anseriform bird from the late Oligocene of France: the youngest record and largest species of Romainvilliinae

We describe a new anseriform bird from the late Oligocene of Saint-André, Marseille, in southern France. Saintandrea chenoides, gen. et sp. nov. is the first avian species reported from the locality, which is well known for its mammalian fossils. The new species belongs to the extinct Romainvilliinae and represents the latest occurrence of the taxon, which was before only known from the late Eocene and early Oligocene of Europe. S. chenoides is also the largest species of Romainvilliinae and increases the known morphological diversity of the taxon. The identification of a goose-sized representative of the Romainvilliinae in the late Oligocene of Europe raises the possibility that some of the large late Paleogene or early Neogene Anseriformes with uncertain phylogenetic affinities also belong to this taxon.     

Osteology Supports a Stem-Galliform Affinity for the Giant Extinct Flightless Bird Sylviornis neocaledoniae (Sylviornithidae,Galloanseres)

The giant flightless bird Sylviornis neocaledoniae (Aves: Sylviornithidae) existed on La Grande Terre and Ile des Pins, New Caledonia, until the late Holocene when it went extinct shortly after human arrival on these islands. The species was generally considered to be a megapode (Megapodiidae) until the family Sylviornithidae was erected for it in 2005 to reflect multiple cranial autapomorphies. However, despite thousands of bones having been reported for this unique and enigmatic taxon, the postcranial anatomy has remained largely unknown. We rectify this deficiency and describe the postcranial skeleton of S. neocaledoniae based on ~600 fossils and use data from this and its cranial anatomy to make a comprehensive assessment of its phylogenetic affinities. Sylviornis neocaledoniae is found to be a stem galliform, distant from megapodiids, and the sister taxon to the extinct flightless Megavitiornis altirostris from Fiji, which we transfer to the family Sylviornithidae. These two species form the sister group to extant crown-group galliforms. Several other fossil galloanseres also included in the phylogenetic analysis reveal novel hypotheses of their relationships as follows: Dromornis planei (Dromornithidae) is recovered as a stem galliform rather than a stem anseriform; Presbyornis pervetus (Presbyornithidae) is the sister group to Anseranatidae, not to Anatidae; Vegavis iaai is a crown anseriform but remains unresolved relative to Presbyornis pervetus, Anseranatidae and Anatidae. Sylviornis neocaledoniae was reconstructed herein to be 0.8 m tall in a resting stance and weigh 27–34 kg. The postcranial anatomy of S. neocaledoniae shows no indication of the specialised adaptation to digging seen in megapodiids, with for example, its ungual morphology differing little from that of chicken Gallus gallus. These observations and its phylogenetic placement as stem galliforms makes it improbable that this species employed ectothermic incubation or was a mound-builder. Sylviornis neocaledoniae can therefore be excluded as the constructor of tumuli in New Caledonia.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the calvaria of Homo floresiensis

Because until 2006 the Liang Bua human fossil remains were not available to the entire paleoanthropological community, the taxonomic position of Homo floresiensis was only a matter of opinion in publications. From the beginning, two schools of thought prevailed, and this situation persists today. One purports that the Liang Bua human series belongs to a local modern human (Homo sapiens sapiens) with anatomical particularities or pathologies that may be due to insular isolation/endogamy. The second argues in favour of the existence of a new species that, depending on the authors, is either a descendant of local Homo erectus, or belongs to a much more basal taxon, closer to archaic Homo or to australopithecines. Because there are no postcranial remains confidently attributed to Homo erectus in the fossil record, and because the Homo erectus type specimen is a single and partial calvaria, a cladistic analysis was undertaken using both nonmetric morphological features and metrics of the calvariae of human fossil specimens including LB1 to test if it belongs to this taxon. Our results indicate that LB1 is included in the Homo erectus clade.     

The identity of Tetracyclus constrictus (Bacillariophyceae) and a description of Tetracyclusbradburyii, a new miocene species

The siliceous valves from species of Tetracyclus (Bacillariophyceae) have variable but characteristic shapes. In this paper, species characterised by having valves with a central constriction are discussed. This distinctive shape occurs during only a period of its lifecycle. Tetracyclus constrictus and Tetracyclus celatom have been applied to fossil specimens occurring in deposits from the west coast of the USA and the east coast of Russia. Do these names apply to two closely related species or are they one and the same taxon? Two further species, Tetracyclus javanicus and Tetracyclus peragalli, have been involved in the identity of T. constrictus–T. celatom. T. constrictus M. Peragallo is the correct name and author for specimens of the extinct Miocene, circum-Pacific (or northern) fossil species with valves panduriform with rounded poles; T. javanicus refers to a species found living on Java only; fossil specimens usually referred to T. javanicus (Java) belong to a new taxon, Tetracyclus bradburyii (USA); T. peragalli is an extinct Miocene fossil, with a northern hemisphere distribution; small (≤10 μm) circular/elliptical fossil specimens, found alongside other specimens, are difficult (if not impossible) to determine to species level.     

New species of Cercopithecoides from Haasgat, North West Province, South Africa

Analyses of new cercopithecid fossil specimens from the South African site of Haasgat point to craniofacial affinities with the genus Cercopithecoides. Detailed metric and non-metric comparisons with South African Cercopithecoides williamsi, and other East African Cercopithecoides species, Cercopithecoides kimeui, Cercopithecoides meaveae, Cercopithecoides kerioensis, and Cercopithecoides alemyehui demonstrate that the Haasgat fossils have distinct craniofacial morphology and dental metrics. Specifically, material from Haasgat probably represents one of the smaller Cercopithecoides, differing from the others in its particular suite of features that vary within the genus. It is unique in its more vertical ramus, associated with a relatively lengthened mandibular body. Haasgat Cercopithecoides has a particularly narrow interorbital region between relatively larger ovoid orbits, with articulation of the maxillary bones at a suture above the triangular nasal bones. Furthermore, the maxillary arcade is more rounded than other Cercopithecoides, converging at the M² and M³. The conclusion drawn from this analysis is that the Pleistocene Haasgat fossils are colobines representing a distinct taxon of Cercopithecoides, Cercopithecoides haasgati, thus adding a second species of the genus to southern Africa.     

Evolutionary Diversification of New Caledonian Araucaria

New Caledonia is a global biodiversity hotspot. Hypotheses for its biotic richness suggest either that the island is a ‘museum’ for an old Gondwana biota or alternatively it has developed following relatively recent long distance dispersal and in situ radiation. The conifer genus Araucaria (Araucariaceae) comprises 19 species globally with 13 endemic to this island. With a typically Gondwanan distribution, Araucaria is particularly well suited to testing alternative biogeographic hypotheses concerning the origins of New Caledonian biota. We derived phylogenetic estimates using 11 plastid and rDNA ITS2 sequence data for a complete sampling of Araucaria (including multiple accessions of each of the 13 New Caledonian Araucaria species). In addition, we developed a dataset comprising 4 plastid regions for a wider taxon sample to facilitate fossil based molecular dating. Following statistical analyses to identify a credible and internally consistent set of fossil constraints, divergence times estimated using a Bayesian relaxed clock approach were contrasted with geological scenarios to explore the biogeographic history of Araucaria. The phylogenetic data resolve relationships within Araucariaceae and among the main lineages in Araucaria, but provide limited resolution within the monophyletic New Caledonian species group. Divergence time estimates suggest a Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic radiation of extant Araucaria and a Neogene radiation of the New Caledonian lineage. A molecular timescale for the evolution of Araucariaceae supports a relatively recent radiation, and suggests that earlier (pre-Cenozoic) fossil types assigned to Araucaria may have affinities elsewhere in Araucariaceae. While additional data will be required to adequately resolve relationships among the New Caledonian species, their recent origin is consistent with overwater dispersal following Eocene emersion of New Caledonia but is too old to support a single dispersal from Australia to Norfolk Island for the radiation of the Pacific Araucaria sect. Eutacta clade.     

Synchrotron analysis of a ‘mummified’ salamander (Vertebrata: Caudata) from the Eocene of Quercy,France

An incomplete ‘mummy’ from the Phosphorites du Quercy (presumed Eocene) was identified as a salamander during the 19^th century. The specimen has now been computed tomography (CT) scanned, and this revealed the incomplete skeleton (with perfectly preserved bones) and soft tissues (lung). The fossil represents a new, well‐characterized taxon. Despite the absence of the skull, several features allow a phylogenetic analysis. The fossil belongs to pseudosaurian caudates; it is tentatively assigned to the Salamandridae, although affinities with Plethodontidae cannot be definitely ruled out.     

A New Coastal Species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) from Southeastern Spain

A new species, Limonium scopulorum (Plumbaginaceae), is described from the maritime cliffs of Alicante province, Spain (southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula). This new taxon belongs to the group of Limonium delicatulum, which is highly diversified in the Mediterranean territories of the Iberian Peninsula. It is related to the Balearic species L. biflorum, though several leaf, floral and chromosomal features warrant its easy recognition. Molecular divergence, shown in previous studies, also supports its separate treatment. Major affinities and differences with other related taxa are discussed. Moreover, morphological, ecological, chorological, biogeographic features of the new taxon are discussed, and its conservation status is reported. An identification key is provided for Spanish taxa of the Limonium delicatulum group.     

New insights on the palaeobiology and biostratigraphy of the acritarch Trachyhystrichosphaera aimika: A potential late Mesoproterozoic to Tonian index fossil

The late Mesoproterozoic to Tonian (∼1100 Ma to ∼720 Ma) witnessed a critical evolutionary transition in Earth history. Several fossil taxa, including acritarchs and vase-shaped microfossils, have been suggested as potential diagnostic fossils for this time interval. The acanthomorphic acritarch Trachyhystrichosphaera aimika has become a focus of recent biostratigraphic investigations, showing great potential to assist the definition of the Tonian Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). Although T. aimika has been extensively reported in the Proterozoic sequences, little is known about its phylogenetic interpretation. Its palaeogeographic and stratigraphic distributions need to be critically scrutinized with recently emended diagnosis of the taxon and new published age constraints. In this study, we report new palaeobiological data of T. aimika specimens from the Tonian Liulaobei Formation in the Huainan region, North China, using transmitted light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Our analyses reveal a multilayered ultrastructure from the vesicle wall of T. aimika that has experienced advanced diagenesis to low-grade metamorphism with the peak palaeotemperature of ∼212 °C. In addition, a compilation of palaeogeographic occurrences of T. aimika shows the taxon is preserved in a wide range of palaeoenvironments and has a broad palaeogeographic distribution with a relatively limited stratigraphic range from ∼1150 Ma to ∼720 Ma, suggesting that T. aimika has great potential to become an index fossil for the late Mesoproterozoic to Tonian interval.