Partial hindlimb of Blikanasaurus cromptoni n. gen. and n. sp.,representing a new family of prosauropod dinosaurs from the upper triassic of South Africa

The holotype of the prosauropod dinosaur Blikanasaurus cromptoni n. gen. and n. sp., a partial hindlimb, is described from the lower Elliot Formation (= Red Beds) (upper Carnian or lower Norian; Upper Triassic) of Herschel district, Transkei, South Africa. The new prosauropod family Blikanasauridae is characterized by a hindlimb that is extremely stocky, especially the metatarsus, with the distal tarsals medially situated. Blikanasaurus was an early experiment in the direction of heavily-built, quadrupedal saurischians, but it was not on the evolutionary line that gave rise to the Sauropoda.     

New skull of Lesothosaurus (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) of southern Africa

A new ornithischian skull from the Elliot Formation of southern Africa is described. The specimen is compared in detail with the fabrosaurid Lesothosaurus diagnosticus. It actually shares many characters with specimens of the syntypes of this species or specimens referred to it. It is nevertheless not identical to any of these specimens and it is, moreover, remarkably larger than them. The possibility of attributing this specimen to a so far undescribed ‘large fabrosaur’ from the same formation is discussed. It is concluded that the specimen in question in this paper, while being ascribable to the genus Lesothosaurus, cannot be determined to a specific level until the existence of two fabrosaurid species in the ‘Stormberg Group’ is demonstrated and their range of morphological and size variation is properly appraised.     

Gryllolattids (Insecta, Grylloblattida) from the Upper Permian of South Africa

A Late Permian fauna of grylloblattid insects (Insecta; Grylloblattida) from the KwaZulu-Natal Province (South Africa) is considered. New taxa, Liomopterites ulterior sp. nov. and L. meridionalis sp. nov. (family Liomopteridae); Normandienoptera serotina gen. et sp. nov. and Afrogrylloblattus disputabilis gen. et sp. nov. (Skaliciidae), are described. Mioloptera stuckenbergi Riek, 1973 and Mioloptoides andrei Riek, 1976 of the family Liomopteridae are redescribed.     

Facies architecture of the Stuttgart Formation (Schilfsandstein, Upper Triassic), central Germany, and its comparison with modern Ganga system, India

The Stuttgart Formation (Schilfsandstein) is approximately 50 m thick in Thuringia, representing deposition during the “Mid-Carnian Wet Intermezzo”. Stratigraphically it occurs between the Grabfeld and Weser formations, which formed under arid conditions. It comprises NNE-SSW-trending elongate, anastomosing channelized sand-rich bodies with erosional bases (channel belts) that are several kilometres wide and pass laterally into predominantly mudstones deposited in interfluve areas. The source area of these clastics was the uplifted Norwegian Caledonides. Muddy interfluve facies is dominant in exposures in Thuringia, Central Germany.The Lower Stuttgart Formation has an unconformable base that is locally overlain by metre-thick “Basal Beds”. These consist of grey mudstones and thin sandstones deposited under humid conditions in predominantly shallow brackish water environments after a marine ingression via the Eastern Carpathian/Upper Silesian Gate. The following 30-40 m-grey, fine-grained sandstones, siltstones and mudstones were deposited in fluvial environments in channel belts and interfluve areas under humid conditions. These are followed by predominantly reddish mudstones and sandstones of mainly fluvial origin, deposited under somewhat drier conditions with seasonal droughts. The Upper Stuttgart Formation may be more than 16 m thick; it comprises reddish and grey sandstones and mudstones that were mostly deposited in lake delta settings by recurring flash floods. During the deposition of this unit climate was weakly humid with less prominent seasonal draughts.The modern Ganga Plain of India is an analogue for the depositional setting of the Stuttgart Formation. Climatic conditions in Ganga Plain are humid monsoonal with seasonal droughts and roughly comparable with those interpreted for Mid-Carnian times in Germany. The sandy deposits of incised channel belts and channels and muddy deposits of interfluve areas in the Ganga Plain are comparable with the sandstone-dominated channelized facies and mudstone dominated interfluve facies of the Stuttgart Formation, respectively.     

A new herrerasaurid (Dinosauria, Saurischia) from the Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina

Herrerasauridae comprises a basal clade of dinosaurs best known from the Upper Triassic of Argentina and Brazil, which have yielded remains of Herrerasaurus ischigualastensis and Staurikosaurus pricei, respectively. Systematic opinion regarding the position of Herrerasauridae at the base of Dinosauria has varied. Here we describe a new herrerasaurid, Sanjuansaurus gordilloi gen. n., sp. n., based on a partial skeleton from Carnian-age strata of the the Upper Triassic Ischigualasto Formation of northwestern Argentina. The new taxon is diagnosed by numerous features, including long, band-shaped and posterolaterally oriented transverse process on the posterior cervical vertebrae; neural spines of the sixth to eighth dorsal vertebrae, at least, bearing acute anterior and posterior processes; scapula and coracoid with everted lateral margins of the glenoid; and short pubis (63% of the femoral length). Phylogenetic analysis placed Sanjuansaurus within a monophyletic Herrerasauridae, at the base of Theropoda and including Herrerasaurus and Staurikosaurus. The presence of Sanjuansaurus at the base of the Ischigualasto Formation, along with other dinosaurs such as Herrerasaurus, Eoraptor, Panphagia, and Chromogisaurus suggests that saurischian dinosaurs in southwestern Pangea were already widely diversified by the late Carnian rather than increasing in diversity across the Carnian-Norian boundary.     

An unusual species of spoon-wing lacewing (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae) from South Africa, with notes on its biology

Abstract. An unusual species of spoon-wing lacewing, Palmipenna aeoleoptera sp.n., is described from Namaqualand, South Africa. This small species is similar to its three congeners in general body morphology and genitalic features. Its hindwings, however, differ dramatically from known insect hindwing form. These conspicuously pigmented wings with their relatively huge surface area are hypothesized to have dual aerodynamic and semaphore functions when used by males in gliding flight during mate attraction.     

Upper Cretaceous woods from the Olmos Formation (late Campanian-early Maastrichtian), Coahuila, Mexico

? Premise of the study: The Olmos Formation was part of a system of deltas that existed in the southern portion of the Western Interior of North America during the Campanian-Maastrichtian. The paleofloristic composition from the northern portions of the Epicontinental Sea is relatively well known, but less intensive exploration in the south has precluded more detailed floristic comparison across the entire latitudinal span of the Sea. The Olmos Formation flora, with more than 100 different leaf morphotypes so far recognized and several wood types, has the most diverse Cretaceous fossil plant assemblage in Mexico and represents a valuable opportunity for comparative studies. ? Methods: The fossil woods here described were collected in the Coahuila State, Mexico. The samples were studied using standard thin section technique and identified by comparison with fossil and extant material. ? Key results: We described four new genera (Olmosoxylon, cf. Lauraceae; Coahuiloxylon, ?Anacardiaceae, ?Burseraceae; Muzquizoxylon, Cornaceae; and Wheeleroxylon, Malvaceae s.l.) and three xylotypes of angiosperms. ? Conclusions: Some of the genera present in the Olmos Formation such as Javelinoxylon and Metcalfeoxylon have been described from geologic units in the USA (San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Big Bend National Park, Texas), suggesting similarity in the taxonomic composition of the floras that inhabited southern portions of the western margin of the Campanian-Maastrichtian Epicontinental Sea. Other species, however, have only been reported for the Olmos Formation, indicating some degree of local floristic differentiation among the assemblages that inhabited the southern portion of the Western Interior.     

Mammalian Carnivore Coprolites from the Sopas Formation (Upper Pleistocene,Lujanian Stage), Uruguay

Continental tetrapod coprolites from Uruguay are described for the first time. These remains come from the Piedra Pintada locality (Artigas Department), northern Uruguay, where the Sopas Formation crops out (Upper Pleistocene, Lujanian Stage). It was possible to identify several attributes indicative of a coprolitic origin, such as anisopolar shape, extrusion marks, pointed ends, sutures, gas bubbles, and inclusions. These specimens are assigned to carnivorous mammals, probably large felids, based on morphological attributes and inclusions of rodent bones and teeth.     

On the anatomy and relationships ofEfraasia diagnostica (Huene) n. gen., a prosauropod dinosaur (Reptilia: Saurischia) from the Upper Triassic of Germany

Palaeosaurus (?) diagnosticus Huene from the Stubensandstone (Upper Triassic, Norian) of Nordwürttemberg, Germany is made the type species of a new genus of prosauropod dinosaurEfraasia, which is referred to the family Anchisauridae. The anatomy ofEfraasia diagnostica is conservative and it was an ideal ancestor for the later and more specializedAnchisaurus polyzelus of North America. The slenderness of the manus and pes ofEfraasia andAnchisaurus is matched amongst prosauropods only by the feet ofGyposaurus capensis andThecodontosaurus antiquus. Staurikosaurus pricei Colbert from the Upper Triassic of Brazil is probably a very primitive theropod dinosaur.     

Revision ofSemionotus bergeri Agassiz, 1833 (Upper Triassic, Germany), with comments on the taxonomic status ofSemionotus (Actinopterygii, Semionotiformes).

Semionotus bergeri Agassiz, 1833, from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of southern Germany, the type species ofSemionotus, is here described in detail for the first time, including so far unstudied material in the Naturkunde-Museum Coburg, which allows a fairly complète reconstruction of this fish. The species is diagnosed by the présence of long frontals, about 4 times longer than wide, with antorbital lateral processes, 6–7 posterior infraorbitals, infraorbital at the posteroventral corner of the orbit notably larger than adjacent ones, infraorbitals at the posterior border of the orbit being as deep as long, and the middle élément anteroventrally expanded, dorsal fin base about two times the anal fin base.S. elegans from the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic of the Newark Supergroup in North America, is so far the best know species ofSemionotus and is the only species of this genus that has been included in phylogentic analyses. However, the comparison ofS. bergeri with other proposed speciesof Semionotus, such asS. elegans, and other semionotids casts doubt on the monophyly of this genus as currently understood, since these species exhibit a mosaic distribution of characters.      

A new species of Williamsonia from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of New Mexico

Williamsonia nizhonia sp. nov., the first undoubted bennettitalean flower known from the Chinle Formation of Upper Triassic age in the south - western United States, is described in detail. The species is based on a single vertically compressed specimen collected from the Lower Red Member of the Chinle Formation near Fort Wingate in west-central New Mexico. It is rather small, the gynoecium is about 5 mm in diameter and is surrounded by a whorl often persistent sterile bracts about 1–5 cm long. The cuticles of the bracts and interseminal scales are 1 to 2 u thick. Stomata are only slightly sunken on the cuticles of the bracts and interseminal scales. Only a few hairs occur on the bracts. Williamsonia nizhonia cannot be attributed with any degree of confidence to either of the two bennettitalean leaves presently known in the Chinle flora.     

Trichodinids (Ciliophora: Peritrichia) from a calanoid copepod and catfish from South Africa with notes on host specificity

A case study is presented in which a trichodinid infestation was found on Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) larvae in a hatchery. Upon examination of copepods in the water system, it was found that they too hosted this trichodinid species. After following the infestation for some time it was found that the trichodinids on the catfish disappeared, whilst the infestation on the calanoid copepods persisted. It was concluded that the trichodinid originated from the copepods and could not establish a viable infestation on the catfish larvae. Specimens of catfish fry from the same farm, however, hosted a different trichodinid which is described as a new species. After analysis of published information, it was concluded that the trichodinid from these calanoid copepods belongs to the same species as described by different authors from various localities from Eurasia. In order to provide a specific identification of this trichodinid, a literature review is presented. In a discussion of host specificity, it is concluded that the trichodinid involved is specific to planktonic copepods and cannot establish an infestation on fish.     

A lamellibranch-stromatolite bioherm in the Lower Keuper (Ladinian, Middle Triassic), South Germany

Summary A unique small bioherm, 0.7 m in diameter and 0.25 m high, is described from the Lower Keuper in South Germany. Its core consists of the attached right valves of the tiny oyster-like lamellibranchPlacunopsis ostracina (Pectinacea). It is overgrown by a cm-thick laminated stromatolitic crust formed by microbial mats and sponges. The bioherm was dolomitized during early diagenesis and represents the temporary transition from restricted marine to more saline depositional environments. It is one of the stratigraphically youngestPlacunopsis bioherms found so far in the Germanic Triassic.     

Grallator-Dominated Fossil Footprint Assemblages and Associated Enigmatic Footprints from the Chinle Group (Upper Triassic), Gateway Area,Colorado

The upper part of the Chinle Group (Late Triassic) of the Gateway area in western Colorado is extraordinarily rich in fossil footprint assemblages. Dominant track types include small Grallator tracks, generally attributed to Coelophysis-like theropods, which often occur in high densities of 50 to 100 per m². Other abundant ichnotaxa that are attributable to dinosaurs or dinosaur-like archosaurs include Pseudotetrasauropus and Tetrasauropus, attributed to prosauropods and sauropods, respectively. Several Pseudotetrasauropus-like tracks appear to be functionally didactyl and may indicate a new ichnotaxon that represents an animal that shows certain unusual features that are convergent with dromeosaurs and certain birds. Such convergence may reflect inherent growth programs as much as functional adaptations. Non-dinosaurian ichnotaxa include Brachychirotherium (probably of aetosaur affinity) and Rhynchosauroides, attributed to a sphenodontid/lizard-like form. Other ichnotaxa include probable therapsid (dicynodont) tracks labeled Pentasauropus sp., mammaloid (non-therian mammal and/or mammal-like reptile) tracks, and the trails of arthropods. Excellent preservation and high track densities mark the Gateway assemblages in a thin stratigraphic interval in the upper part of the Chinle Group (Rock Point Formation). The track assemblages are similar to those reported from the Chinle Group in other parts of the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountain region, extending over most of Colorado, Utah, northern Arizona and northern and eastern New Mexico. Some of the Chinle ichnotaxa (Grallator and Brachychirotherium) are found in the overlying Wingate Formation, indicating that it is also Late Triassic in age, at least in the lower part. However, overall the Chinle and Wingate assemblages are quite different, most notably in the rarity of mammaloid/mammal-like tracks in the Chinle Group.     

Dermal armour histology of aetosaurs (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia), from the Upper Triassic of Argentina and Brazil

Cerda, I.A. & Desojo, J.B. 2010: Dermal armour histology of aetosaurs (Archosauria: Pseudosuchia), from the Upper Triassic of Argentina and Brazil. Lethaia, Vol. 44, pp. 417–428. One of the most striking features documented in aetosaurs is the presence of an extensive bony armour composed of several osteoderms. Here, we analyse the bone microstructure of these elements in some South American Aetosaurinae aetosaurs, including Aetosauroides scagliai. In general terms, Aetosaurinae osteoderms are compact structures characterized by the presence of three tissue types: a basal cortex of poorly vascularized parallel‐fibred bone tissue, a core of highly vascularized fibro‐lamellar bone, and an external cortex of rather avascular lamellar bone tissue. Sharpey’s fibres are more visible at the internal core, toward the lateral margins and aligned parallel to the major axis of the dermal plate. No evidence of metaplastic origin is reported in the osteoderms, and we hypothesize an intramembranous ossification for these elements. The bone tissue distribution reveals that the development of the osteoderm in Aetosaurinae starts in a position located medial to the plate midpoint, and the main sites of active osteogenesis occur towards the lateral and medial edges of the plate. The osteoderm ornamentation is originated and maintained by a process of resorption and redeposition of the external cortex, which also includes preferential bone deposition in some particular sites. Given that no secondary reconstruction occurs in the osteoderms, growth marks are well preserved and they provide very important information regarding the relative age and growth pattern of Aetosaurinae aetosaurs. □Aetosauria, Aetosauroides, Archosauria, bone microstructure, integumentary skeleton, osteoderm.     

A new species of Polygala (Polygalaceae) from ultramafic soils in Sekhukhuneland,South Africa,with notes on its ecology

Polygala sekhukhuniensis Retief, Siebert & A.E.Van Wyk (Polygala; section Polygala; subsection Heterolophus), a new species with a restricted range in Sekhukhuneland, South Africa, is described, illustrated and compared with other members of the genus. It is a dwarf shrub that can be distinguished by its much-branched habit, sparsely flowered inflorescences, pink alae with darker pink veins, brown to black seed testa, and oblate pollen grains with pronounced opercula. Geographically, P. sekhukhuniensis is confined to heavily eroded localized sites, a natural geomorphological feature of some of the highly water-dispersible soils derived from ultramafic rocks in the valleys of the Steelpoort River and its tributaries in the Sekhukhuneland Centre of Plant Endemism. P. sekhukhuniensis is a calciotrophic excluder of heavy metals that accumulates Ca in its leaves. It is ecologically compared with co-occurring species of Polygala on ultramafic-derived soil.