Showing papers in "Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments in 2013"

Mesozoic and Cenozoic squamates of Europe

Abstract: Squamates first appeared in Europe in the Middle Jurassic. They were lizards that already included some crown-group members. Faunas of the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous were more or less a continuation of the Middle Jurassic assemblage. The early Late Cretaceous was characterised by a peculiar fauna of marine pythonomorphs, while terrestrial forms were rare. In the subsequent levels of the Late Cretaceous, marine forms were mainly mosasaurids; terrestrial assemblages heralding modern ones began to take form during the Campanian–Maastrichtian. The Cretaceous–Tertiary event did not strongly affect squamates in Europe. After poor Paleocene faunas, a big wave of dispersals reached Europe during a marked rise in temperature at the beginning of the Eocene (MP 7). The Eocene fauna was rich, diverse and of tropical type. In western Europe, a sharp extinction event (‘Grande Coupure’) eliminated most squamates at the end of the Eocene, but its impact in central and eastern Europe is unknown. The Oligocene fauna was transitional between the ‘old’ Eocene and the modern Miocene faunas. By the late early Miocene (MN 3–MN 4), the fauna markedly changed when an important wave of dispersals entered Europe during a climatic optimum. From the late middle Miocene onward, the temperature has dropped. As a consequence, faunas became less rich and regionalisation occurred. Numerous extinctions and withdrawals took place during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene, leaving an impoverished fauna in Europe.

Mesozoic and Tertiary Anura of Laurasia

Abstract: Anurans of Laurasia have a long history that begins with the earliest known anuran, Prosalirus, from the Early Jurassic of Arizona, USA. At that time, western Laurasia (North America) was still connected with Gondwana, so faunal interchange was still possible between those parts of the former Pangean supercontinent. The anuran fossil record from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Laurasia is mainly represented by disarticulated skeletal elements similar to those of Prosalirus (e.g. amphicoelous vertebrae indicating the presence of continuous notochord; ilia without dorsal crest and dorsal tubercle; small body size). Because the morphology of the ilium, the most commonly preserved element of Mesozoic anurans, superficially recalls that of Recent Alytes, Bombina or Pelobates, Mesozoic anurans often were assigned to discoglossids and pelobatids. The Cretaceous portion of the Laurasian anuran record is marked by the appearance of procoelous and opisthocoelous vertebrae, ilia bearing a dorsal crest and dorsal tubercle (although such ilia may rarely be found as early as in the Jurassic) and larger body sizes. Cretaceous anuran assemblages include a mix of generalised taxa that are comparable to Recent basal anurans and more specialised taxa lacking clear affinities with any extant anurans. Some of these forms survived into the Paleocene, but in general anuran faunas on all Laurasian continents were markedly depleted in the Paleocene. Major groups of anurans appeared in the Eocene. The early Miocene is the interval when Eurasian and American herpetofaunas reached their peak taxonomic diversities. In the Pliocene, some extant anuran species appeared, but at the same time taxa that had been dominant throughout the Oligocene and Miocene (e.g. Eopelobates, palaeobatrachids) became extinct during this interval or during the subsequent Pleistocene glaciation. The brief biochronological synopsis presented here is followed by a systematic review of taxa with their diagnoses and published data on their stratigraphic and geographic distributions.

Mesozoic salamanders and albanerpetontids of Middle Asia, Kazakhstan, and Siberia

Abstract: Mesozoic terrestrial deposits containing diverse vertebrate assemblages are widely distributed in Siberia (central and eastern part of Russia), Middle Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), and Kazakhstan. Twelve formations of Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) to Late Cretaceous (Campanian) age in the region contain salamanders (six in Middle Asia, two in Siberia and four in Kazakhstan). In contrast to the situation in Euramerica, albanerpetontids are extremely rare in the Mesozoic of Asia, where their fossil record is limited to the Khodzhakul (Cenomanian) and Bissekty (Turonian) formations, both in Uzbekistan. Salamanders in Siberia are known from the Bathonian Itat Formation in the Krasnoyarsk Region (the stem salamander Urupia monstrosa and two undescribed taxa—a new stem salamander and a possible crown-group salamander) and from the Aptian–Albian Ilek Formation in Kemerovo Province and the Krasnoyarsk Region (the crown-group salamander Kiyatriton leshchinskiyi and Caudata indet.). In the Jurassic of Middle Asia, the stem salamanders Kokartus honorarius and Karauridae indet. are known from the Bathonian–Callovian Balabansai Formation in Kyrgyzstan. Younger records in Middle Asia are restricted to only two Late Cretaceous genera of crown-group salamanders: the possible cryptobranchoid Nesovtriton in the Bissekty Formation (Turonian) and the cryptobranchid Eoscapherpeton in the Khodzhakul, Dzharakuduk, Bissekty, and Aitym formations (collectively Cenomanian–Campanian) in Uzbekistan and the Yalovach Formation (Santonian) in Tajikistan. In Kazakhstan, salamanders are known from the Kimmeridgian Karabastau Formation (the stem salamander Karaurus sharovi), the Turonian Zhirkindek Formation (Caudata indet.), the Santonian–Campanian Bostobe Formation (the cryptobranchid Eoscapherpeton, the possible proteid “Bishara backa” and Caudata indet.) and the Campanian Darbasa Formation (the cryptobranchid Eoscapherpeton). Cenomanian–Campanian vertebrate assemblages in Middle Asia and Kazakhstan are characterised by dominance of the cryptobranchid Eoscapherpeton.

Mesozoic and Palaeocene lissamphibian assemblages of North America: a comprehensive review

Abstract: The Mesozoic and Palaeocene record of lissamphibians (i.e. anurans, caudates, gymnophionans and albanerpetontids) in North America is reviewed on the basis of over 400 published and unpublished occurrences from 61 geological formations. The record is heavily biased towards isolated bones, although some associated and articulated skeletons and rare tracks and trackways are known. Most of the localities are in the Western Interior: in central and southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, Canada, extending southwards through the USA and into northern Mexico. Outside of that region, records are limited to one Late Cretaceous age formation in Baja California and several Late Triassic and Cretaceous age formations in the eastern USA. Putative lissamphibians have been reported from the Late Triassic (middle Carnian and early Norian). Unambiguous lissamphibians are known from the Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian), the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian–earliest Tithonian), the basal Cretaceous (late Berriasian–Valanginian) and a nearly continuous sequence extending from the Aptian through to the terminal Palaeocene. The Early Jurassic (Sinemurian–Pliensbachian) of Arizona documents the oldest global occurrences of an anuran (i.e. crown frog) and a stem caecilian; the latter also is the only North American fossil occurrence for Gymnophiona prior to the Quaternary. Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian–earliest Tithonian) age deposits in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming contain a moderate diversity of anurans, urodeles (i.e. crown salamanders) and possibly stem salamanders. A basal Cretaceous locality (late Berriasian–Valanginian) in South Dakota contains a urodele and the first North American occurrence for Albanerpetontidae. Aptian/Albian age localities in Montana, Wyoming, Texas and Oklahoma contain a mixture of anurans, urodeles and albanerpetontids—that tripartite lissamphibian composition persists in North America through the remainder of the Cretaceous and intermittently through the Palaeocene. Most of the anurans are of uncertain familial affinities. The urodeles contain a mixture of extinct families (Scapherpetontidae and Batrachosauroididae) that were prominent through the Cretaceous into the early Palaeogene, along with the earliest appearances of several extant families, specifically sirenids in the Santonian, amphiumids and proteids in the late Maastrichtian and dicamptodontids and unequivocal cryptobranchids in the late Palaeocene. The albanerpetontid genus Albanerpeton was moderately diverse during the Cretaceous and Palaeocene, before vanishing from the North American record near the end of the Palaeocene. Temporal richness estimates of North American lissamphibians were calculated based on taxic and minimum lineage level occurrence data per 5 million year time interval beginning in the Early Jurassic and though to the end of the Palaeocene. The resulting richness curves demonstrate a general pattern of increasing richness leading up to the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary, with peak values during the Campanian and Maastrichtian and a decline thereafter. The latter part of that pattern suggests higher extinction rates for lissamphibians across the K-Pg boundary compared to previous estimates, which we attribute to our coarser temporal binning, taxonomic additions and changes to some earlier taxonomic identifications. Although the overall richness pattern may at least partially reflect a true signal, it is heavily influenced by factors such as taphonomy, temporal gaps, fossil sampling and publication biases towards particular intervals and taxonomic groups; more detailed studies of all major lissamphibian clades are needed to corroborate these findings. This review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the Mesozoic and Palaeocene portion of the North American lissamphibian record and provides a framework for future work.

Squamates from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of North America

Abstract: Squamates from the Mesozoic of North America have been collected since the end of the nineteenth century. To date, the fossils are known to occur in the Late Jurassic, Aptian-Albian, Cenomanian, Turonian, Santonian, Campanian, and Maastrichtian. Most of the records are from the Western Interior in the arid regions associated with the Rocky Mountains. Geographically, these records extend from central Alberta, Canada, south to northern Mexico. The earliest squamates are primitive forms of scincoideans and anguimorphans from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. At the beginning of the Late Cretaceous, the squamate fauna in North America changes dramatically to include a much greater diversity of taxa with a mix of lineages now extinct (e.g. Polyglyphanodontini, Chamopsiidae, Contogeniidae) and lineages still alive today (e.g. Anguidae, Xantusiidae, Platynota, Serpentes). The greatest diversity appears to be during the late Campanian, but diversity appears correlated with number of localities sampled and the late Campanian is the best sampled horizon in the Mesozoic of North America. The apparent sudden change in the North American squamate fauna is coincident with similar changes to other vertebrates (mammals, dinosaurs) and the opening of a land bridge with Asia. The lack of taxonomic and systematic study of the squamates from the Early Cretaceous of Asia makes comparison difficult, but it is likely that introduction of Asian taxa into North America was responsible, at least in part, for the relatively rapid change in the North American fauna. The hypotheses of an additional invasion from Asia during the Turonian is not supported, but the hypothesis of a second opening with Asia during the Santonian is weakly supported by the appearance of an iguanian in North America. Additional iguanians from the Campanian may have evolved in situ or may have entered North America from Asia as late as the mid-Campanian. Many of the most conspicuous lizards of the Late Cretaceous (Polyglyphanodontini, Chamopsiidae, paramacellodid-cordylid grade scincoideans) went extinct at the terminal Cretaceous extinction event, while most of the anguimorphans and snakes appear little affected. Amphisbaenians do not appear in North America until after the early Paleocene.

A new species of Sinemys (Testudines: Cryptodira: Sinemydidae) from the Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract: A new species of Sinemys (Testudines: Cryptodira: Sinemydidae), S. brevispinus n. sp. is described on the basis of three skeletons from the Early Cretaceous Luohandong Formation, Chabu Sumu, Ordos Basin, Inner Mongolia. The new taxon is characterised by an elongate carapace with a pair of distinct but short lateral spines, a sculptured shell surface, closed lateral carapacial fontanelles and an open incisura columellae auris. A nearly complete turtle skeleton from the Early Cretaceous of Hedaochuan, Huanxian, Gansu Province which was previously referred to S. lens is revised and assigned to S. cf. brevispinus. The systematics of Sinemydidae is discussed and the family is restricted to the genus Sinemys. S. brevispinus likely lived in a fluvial environment with the spines acting as a stabiliser to limit the rolling of the carapace, as in S. gamera, but the difference in the shape of the shell suggests that these two species were adapted to different hydrodynamic regimes. The distribution of Sinemys adds to the evidence for biogeographically distinct aquatic communities in eastern and western China during the Early Cretaceous.

Deciphering Dinotheriensande deinotheriid diversity

Abstract: Interpretation of the Neogene fluvial deposits of the Ur-Rhein—the Dinotheriensande—has a long history in which fossil mammals have played an ever present role. Most of the collections made prior to the 1930s consist of fossils from more than one biostratigraphic horizon, and this has obscured proper assessment of the age of the fossils from the deposits. As is usual in fluviatile deposits, there is evidence of reworking of many fossils, but most of them have probably not moved far from their original depositional locus. For many years, the Dinotheriensande deposits were correlated to the Early Pliocene (in the old sense of the term when “Pontian” was thought to be Early Pliocene), but for the past half century or so they have been correlated to the basal part of the late Miocene—the Vallesian. There has always been the suggestion that earlier deposits are present in the system, but because most of the sites have yielded remains of the equid, Hipparion (today Hippotherium), most authors have opted for a late Miocene age for the Eppelsheim Formation, which is the modern term for the Dinotheriensande. Even though Dorn-Durkheim 1 is not strictly speaking part of the Dinotheriensande, it is geographically close to the deposits traditionally included in the deposits. This contribution examines the deinothere fossils from the Mainz Basin, and compares them to rich control samples excavated from horizons or sites which span a short time interval, including Langenau (MN 4, 62 teeth), Massenhausen (MN 8, 84 teeth) and Montredon (MN 10, 190 teeth). The results indicate that there are substantial quantities of fossils of the middle Miocene age in the Mainz Basin, especially well represented at Sprendlingen (MN 6, 113 teeth) and Gau-Weinheim (Wissberg) (MN 7/8 and MN 9–10, 84 teeth). The type area of the formation at Eppelsheim, which yielded 174 teeth, includes fossil specimens that correlate to MN 4–5, while most of the fossils correlate to MN 9, and some correlate to MN 10, whereas there are a few specimens suggesting an age equivalent to MN 11. Dorn-Durkheim 1 (35 teeth) correlates to MN 11, although the presence of Anancus at the site pleads for a younger correlation (MN 12 or MN 13) (Gaziry 1997; Metz-Muller 2000). The paper probes the taxonomy of the Dorn-Durkheim 1 deinotheres and other “huge” deinotheres from the Turolian of Europe, Asia and Africa, with the aim of determining the taxonomic identification of the material from Dorn-Durkheim 1, which was previously interpreted as a form intermediate between D. giganteum and D. gigantissimum. It is concluded that it belongs to the latter species which is a junior synonym of two species names which have priority—D. proavum (Eichwald Nova Acta Phys-Med Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum, 17:677–760, 1831) and D. indicum Falconer (Q J Geol Soc Lond 1:356–372, 1845). A final aim of this article is to describe and interpret huge deinothere dental remains from Iran which help fill the geographic gap that used to separate the Eastern European Deinotherium proavum (ex D. gigantissimum) from equally large Deinotherium indicum. This discovery suggests that the huge Indian and European deinotheres belong to a single widespread species.

A new turtle from the Xiagou Formation (Early Cretaceous) of Changma Basin, Gansu Province, P. R. China

Abstract: Changmachelys bohlini gen. et sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation, Changma Basin, north-western Gansu Province, adds to our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Early Cretaceous turtles in Asia. Changmachelys bohlini is similar to Early Cretaceous turtles from Asia included in “Macrobaenidae” in having a low domed carapace and a reduced, cruciform plastron with buttresses that do not extend onto the costals. With a carapace that exceeds 34 cm in length, it is one of the largest Early Cretaceous “macrobaenids”. Despite the addition of this new taxon and new characters to previous phylogenetic analyses, the relationships of “macrobaenid” turtles remain poorly resolved. In addition to adding to the diversity of “macrobaenid” turtles in the Early Cretaceous of Asia, Changmachelys bohlini is of interest because each of the four available specimens documents a distinct stage of ontogenetic development of the shell. In the carapace, the dermal portions of the costals are unossified in the most juvenile specimen but peripherals are present. In contrast with the late ossification of the dermal bone of the carapace, the plastron ossifies relatively early.

The early Turolian (late Miocene) Cervidae (Artiodactyla, Mammalia) from the fossil site of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Germany) and implications on the origin of crown cervids

Abstract: Dental and cranial appendage remains of Cervidae from the fossil site of Dorn-Durkheim are studied in detail. The material mainly includes isolated teeth, isolated pedicles and antler pieces. Neither tooth rows nor complete appendages are recorded. Comparative morphology and statistics of morphometrics (principal component analysis and discriminant analysis) allow for the classification of small and large dentitions, small cranial appendages, two morphotypes of large pedicles and two morphotypes of large antlers. Possible combinations of the classified units document the sympatric occurrence of three species, namely, Procapreolus sp., Muntiacinae gen. and sp. indet., cf. Cervavitulus mimus, but the fragmentary condition of the material leads to ambiguity regarding their composition and, consequently, to a certain extent regarding the taxonomic identification. However, these remains indicate the contemporaneous occurrence of early Turolian members of the crown cervids Muntiacinae and Capreolinae and close a previous spatiotemporal gap in the European cervid record. In addition, their presence proves the progressive turnover from dichotomous-antlered muntiacines to early monopodial-antlered crown cervids from NE to SW Europe in the late Miocene. The taxonomical assignment challenges the recent hypothesis on the origin of crown Cervidae around the middle/late Miocene border since Dorn-Durkheim cervids provide further evidence for the successive achievement of derived characters in cranial appendages of crown cervids (mediopostorbital position and backwards orientation of pedicles, coronet development, shaft development/elongation, beam development and increase in number of antler tines) in the lineage of crown cervids, which originated during the middle Miocene.

Diversity dynamics and evolutionary patterns of Devonian Bryozoa

Abstract: Bryozoan diversity during the Devonian period displays a persistent rise from the Pragian to the early Givetian, significantly dropping in the late Givetian in the wake of the Taghanic Event. In contrast, two other important events during the Devonian, the Frasne/Famenne Event and the Hangenberg Event at the Devonian/Carboniferous boundary, were less significant and resulted mainly in shifts in faunal composition. Diversity dynamics of Devonian Bryozoa was apparently controlled by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. Global palaeogeographic settings influenced faunal provincialism to which bryozoans seem to be sensitive. Sea-level fluctuations and subsequent changes in suitability of habitats influenced biodiversification processes in bryozoans. Intrinsically, bryozoans show some patterns consistent with diffuse co-evolution with potential predators and, possibly, prey. Observed trends in the morphological evolution of Devonian bryozoans include some obvious anti-predator adaptations (protective structures, strengthened skeletal walls). Moreover, Devonian bryozoans often developed various internal modifications, which apparently influenced the activity of polypides. This pattern is regarded here as apparent improvement of feeding, possibly as a response to diminishing food in the course of the mid-Palaeozoic Phytoplankton Blackout.

What do latest Famennian and Mississippian miospores from South American diamictites tell us

Abstract: Cores from shallow boreholes penetrating the Mississippian Poti Formation, in the western margin of the Parnaiba Basin, contain dark grey diamictites which are extremely rich in well-preserved palynomorphs. Eighty-eight miospore taxa have been identified, and almost half of these are obviously reworked. The presence of these early Late Visean-age diamictites might possibly contradict the accepted climatic implications of the Paraca Flora, which is also recorded in the Poti Formation. However, a time span of ca. 4 Ma, corresponding to almost the entire Late Visean, probably allowed the warmer-climate Paraca Flora to exist between the early Late Visean and Serpukhovian ice ages. Cores from a deep borehole penetrating the upper Cabecas strata of latest Famennian age, in central Parnaiba Basin, contain tillites and varve-like rhythmites, usually laminated siltstones and sandstones, with scattered clasts. Forty-one miospore taxa have been identified from these diamictites and associated siltstones, most of which (70 %) were reworked from Middle and Upper Devonian sediments. An 18-m-thick diamictite section in the lower portion of the Itacua Formation at Bermejo, southeast Bolivia, was reported to display the three successive Strunian miospore zones (LL–LE–LN) established in Western Europe, and thus interpreted as a composite that records several deglaciation events occurring over 3 million years. However, we challenge the presence of the three successive Strunian miospore zones in the Bolivian diamictites which for us correspond only to parts of the LE and LN zones. In Western Europe, the same shorter interval of the miospore zonation corresponds to a period of lower sea-surface palaeotemperatures based on oxygen isotopes from conodont apatite (δ18Ophosph) as well as a conspicuous sea-level change. Conodont data suggest a much shorter time span (100,000 years) for the highest LE and the LN interval encompassing the Hangenberg and Drewer Sandstones. On the other hand, the Itacua Formation (Bolivia), sampled 33 m and 58 m above the base of the formation, more likely testifies to multiple glacial–interglacial events featuring a superposition of latest Famennian and Mississippian diamictites.

Parvigruidae (Aves, core Gruiformes) from the early Oligocene of Belgium

Abstract: The avian taxon Parvigruidae includes poorly known early Oligocene core Gruiformes, which were considered to be most closely related to either Ralloidea (rails and allies) or Gruoidea (cranes and allies) by earlier authors. Previous fossils of these birds were found in southern France (Parvigrus pohli) and eastern Germany (Rupelrallus saxoniensis). Here, I describe remains of two parvigruid species from the Rupelian stratotype (Boom clay) in Belgium. The smaller of these are tentatively assigned to P. pohli, the larger specimens agree with R. saxoniensis in size but differ in some morphological details and are assigned to a new species, ?Rupelrallus belgicus, sp. nov. The new fossils show that parvigruids were an important part of the early Oligocene European avifauna and had a wide distribution across the continent. They further allow recognition of previously unknown osteological features, especially of the humerus and hypotarsus, which substantiate sister group relationship between Parvigruidae and crown group Gruoidea.

Evidence of northern Turolian savanna-woodland from the Dorn-Dürkheim 1 fauna (Germany)

Abstract: Western European Turolianmammalian faunas and palaeoenvironments are less well known than middle and early late Miocene ones for which more data exist at a time when major climate events occurred (Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum followed by Late Middle Miocene Climatic Cooling). In this respect, rich faunas represent exceptional windows into mammalian diversity and biogeography. They constitute key points to understand local palaeoenvironments and refine larger-scale patterns. Dorn- Durkheim 1 is one of the richest mammalian faunas of Western Europe with at least 79 species of mammals. We investigate this fauna and compare its composition to the faunal and biogeographic context of the European late Miocene. A community-based analysis of body masses of the constituent species together with an original approach on predator-prey biomasses are also attempted to reconstruct its palaeoenvironment. While its composition reflects the known late Miocene context and fits in the biogeographic North- South pattern evidenced by earlier studies, the reconstructed landscape is different from previous hypotheses of densely forested habitats. Our results suggest the presence of a savanna-woodland biome more open than previously thought, in a subtropical-like and seasonal climate. Other palaeoecological studies on elements of the large mammal fauna confirm this interpretation.

“Mesozoic and Cenozoic lissamphibian and squamate assemblages of Laurasia”—introduction to the special issue

Abstract: Lissamphibia (frogs, salamanders, caecilians, and albanerpetontids) and Squamata (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) have been persistent components of many non-marine ecosystems on Earth since the early part of the Mesozoic. Both clades have extant and fossil occurrences on every modern continent, except Antarctica. The three Northern Hemisphere continents of Europe, Asia, and North America, which owe their origins largely to the mid-Mesozoic break-up of the former supercontinent Laurasia, have yielded the lion’s share of fossils for both groups. Consequently, the Laurasian fossil record has been critical for shaping our ideas about the diversities and evolutionary histories of lissamphibians and squamates. The earliest collections and descriptions of fossil lissamphibians and squamates from the former Laurasian continents date back to the early 1800s in Europe, followed decades later by discoveries in North America (western USA) in the 1870s and in Asia (Mongolia) in the 1920s (e.g. see historical summaries by Caldwell 2007; Estes 1981, 1983; Sanchiz 1998). Until the middle part of the twentieth century, descriptive work on fossil lissamphibians and squamates tended to focus on articulated skeletons, such as those of Oligo–Miocene anurans from Central Europe (e.g. von Meyer 1860; Wolterstorff 1885) and of Early Cretaceous lizards and of what is now regarded as an albanerpetontid from Italy (e.g. Costa 1864). Although generally of less interest, isolated and articulated bones recovered by quarrying, surface collecting, or dry screening also merited some attention; to cite two examples, a mandible from the late Oligocene of France became the holotype of the earliest named fossil lizard, Dracaenosaurus croizeti Gervais 1848–1852, and the dozen or so fossil lissamphibians and squamates named by Cope and Marsh in the late 1800s from the Late Jurassic and latest Cretaceous of the western USA were described on isolated bones (e.g. Cope 1876; Marsh 1872, 1887, 1892). Even after more than a century of work, by the middle part of the twentieth century our understanding of fossil lissamphibians and squamates was limited to a small number of taxa known mostly from Europe and western North America, and largely from the Cenozoic. Aside from scattered and intriguing Mesozoic occurrences, little was known about either group from that era and much of the entire Asian fossil record remained a blank. Two developments in the latter part of the twentieth century dramatically improved our access to the lissamphibian and squamate fossil records. The first development was the widespread adoption in the 1950s of screen washing (McKenna 1962) as a method to bulk process fossiliferous matrix by washing it through fine screens in order to recover small bones, teeth, and scales preserved in the rock. Screen washing was pioneered by palaeomammalogists and is still widely used by them as a way to recover mammalian teeth and jaws, particularly from fossil localities that are not suitable for hand quarrying and as a way to salvage fossils from the rubble left behind after quarrying. The “by-catch” of non-mammalian fossils caught in the screens often includes jaws, vertebrae, and other bones of lissamphibians and squamates. Estes’ (1964) monograph, “Fossil vertebrates from the Late Cretaceous Lance Formation, eastern Wyoming” demonstrated that screen washing could provide large enough samples to This article is a contribution to the special issue "Mesozoic and Cenozoic lissamphibian and squamate assemblages of Laurasia"

An Early Albian shallow marine coral fauna from Southern France – insight into evolution and palaeobiogeography of Cretaceous corals

Abstract: A species-rich hermatypic coral fauna from the late Early Albian (Mammillatum Zone) from Padern (Les Corbieres, Aude, France) is taxonomically revised. The fauna encompasses 45 species in 24 genera. Genera of the suborders Faviina and Microsolenina dominate, followed by genera of the suborders Stylinina and Fungiina. The suborders Caryophylliina, Fungiina, Heterocoeniina, Meandrinina and Rhipidogyrina are represented by only a few genera. One species of the genus Parnassomeandra is described as new. The hitherto poorly known genera Trochoseropsis and Cyathophoropsis are supported with new material and described and depicted in greater detail. The overall faunal composition is comparable to Aptian to Early Albian coral faunas of the same region and facies; however, the fauna shows some exotic elements that persisted into the Late Cretaceous. Most species are known from Barremian to Albian faunas of the western Atlantic, the Aptian of the Central Tethys and the Albian Boreal South England Basin.

Palaeobiodiversity, palaeoecology, palaeobiogeography and biochronology of Dorn-Dürkheim 1—a summary

Abstract: Dorn-Durkheim 1 has yielded one of the most diverse fossil mammal faunas of Europe, comprising at least 80 species. It fills a gap in the fossil record of the terrestrial late Miocene concerning not only phylogeny but also the environmental development at a decisive moment, just after the Vallesian/Turolian turnover. The article also discusses palaeobiogeographic aspects and biochronology and presents an updated list of the mammal fauna.

The Moschidae of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Germany)

Abstract: The locality of Dorn-Durkheim houses the youngest record for the family Moschidae in Europe besides Micromeryx mirus from Kohfidisch (Austria; Vislobokova Paleontol J 41(4):451–460, 2007) and Hispanomeryx sp. from Puente Minero (Spain; Sanchez et al. Palaeontology 53(5):1023–1047, 2010). In describing the moschid material from Dorn-Durkheim, we intend to update the data on the European late Miocene representatives of the family. With a nearly closed anterior valley in p4 and brachy- to mesodont (sensu Damuth and Janis Biol Rev 86(3):733–758, 2011) lower molars, the material of small ruminants from Dorn-Durkheim shows typical features of the Miocene Moschidae that clearly distinguish them from dental remains of similar sized but more brachydont taxa, such as Lagomeryx (Rossner Palaeontogr A 277:103–112, 2006). Dimensionally, both the teeth and the postcranial material fit well within the variability of the genus Micromeryx. Morphologically, the postcranial material clearly differs from that of Hispanomeryx. Therefore, we assign the material from Dorn-Durkheim 1 to Micromeryx sp. A brief review of the biochronologic and palaeogeographic range of the European Miocene Moschidae is given.

Did fire play a role in formation of dinosaur-rich deposits? An example from the Late Cretaceous of Canada

Abstract: The mid-late Campanian Dinosaur Park Formation outcropping within Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada, contains multiple dinosaur deposits occurring as bone beds, articulated skeletons, isolated bones and microvertebrate deposits. Due to the abundance of dinosaur deposits, the exposure of Cretaceous sediments, and the presence of charcoal, this locality acts as a good test site for investigating the implications of fire-impacted landscapes for the formation of vertebrate deposits. Despite prior palaeontological and geological research being carried out into this Formation, the presence of charcoal in vertebrate deposits has never previously been recorded. This study compares charcoal content in vertebrate deposits (two bone beds, two beds with articulated skeletons), 6 sediment samples with isolated bones and 23 sediments with no bone. Charcoal is more abundant in the vertebrate deposits than in sediments containing isolated bones or no bones, including those in identical lithofacies. This evidence suggests that flooding events following wildfires are likely to have played a role in the formation of some vertebrate deposits.

Anisodon sp. (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Chalicotheriidae) from the Turolian of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Rheinhessen, Germany): morphology, phylogeny, and palaeoecology of the latest chalicothere in Central Europe

Abstract: The rich mammalian fauna of the Turolian fossil site Dorn-Durkheim 1 (Rheinhessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany) contains numerous remains of a chalicotheriine chalicothere. These are 171 dental remains, 1 fragment of a lower jaw symphysis, and 8 carpal and tarsal bones. A morphological description and comprehensive comparison with other Eurasian Chalicotheriinae are given. The Dorn-Durkheim 1 chalicothere was comparatively small in body size and resembled members of the Anisodon clade rather than Chalicotherium within the Chalicotheriinae. A phylogenetic analysis corroborates the assignment of the Dorn-Durkheim 1 chalicothere to Anisodon sp. We used low-magnification stereoscopic microwear analysis in order to reconstruct the diet of Anisodon sp. from Dorn-Durkheim 1. Counts of small pits are higher than in earlier Eurasian and American chalicotheres. Anisodon sp. from Dorn-Durkheim 1 most likely fed on leaves and fruit. There is no indication of the inclusion of highly abrasive material, grit, or dust in its diet. These results are in accordance with the interpretation of the Dorn-Durkheim 1 environment as a tropical savannah to woodland. The dating of the Dorn-Durkheim 1 fauna as Mammal Neogene (MN) 11 makes this Anisodon the latest known chalicothere in Central Europe. Based on morphological similarities with late Miocene chalicotheriines from Asia and southeastern Europe, we assume that it is an immigrant that arrived in the course of the expansion of faunas from the southeast at the beginning of the Turolian.

Macro- versus microfauna: resolution potential of bivalves, gastropods, foraminifera and ostracods in reconstructing the Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Pearl River delta, China

Abstract: Sedimentological, taphonomic, and palaeoecological analyses of a core from the central Pearl River delta plain allow a detailed reconstruction of the Holocene sedimentological and biological evolution. The marine ingression of the postglacial sea-level rise reached the core site 9,600 years ago and quickly established brackish conditions. Subsequent to a minor regression, water depths and salinity levels peaked between 7,500 and 6,800 years ago. The eventual cessation of the postglacial sea-level rise led to progradation of the delta front and the establishment of fluvial conditions around 4,200 years BP. Subsequent episodic and short-lived marine ingressions can be attributed to shifting delta lobes. While the reconstructed model parallels already established global and regional sea-level curves, the dataset allows further conclusions. The highly fossiliferous core yields abundant bivalves, gastropods, foraminifera and ostracods. Although these fossil groups recur throughout the core, their resolution potentials for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions differ substantially. Bivalves and foraminifera are extremely abundant. However, their very low species richness and high tolerance to environmental fluctuations only allow the reconstruction of the major steps of delta evolution. Gastropods are more diverse (22 taxa) but occur only sporadically, which diminishes their resolution potential. Another problem is the insufficient knowledge on these mm-scale brackish-water molluscs. In the present study, ostracods exhibit the highest resolution potential, which is mainly due to their high abundance and diversity (32 taxa). Although many of the recorded ostracod species are euryoecious with regard to environmental factors such as salinity, substrate, or water depth, the use of palaeocommunity analyses allows the most detailed palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. While the study of molluscs involves considerably less preparation time than that of microfossils, only ostracods reflect all environmental changes present in the studied core.

A green alga of the genus Coelastrum Naegeli from the sediments of the Tertiary Lake Messel

Abstract: A chlorococcal alga of the genus Coelastrum is firstly described from the sediments of the Eocene Lake Messel on the basis of morphological characters and fluorescence microscopy. The great abundance of this alga in massive parts of the stratigraphic section shows its significance for the Messel ecosystem in Eocene times, besides other known algae from this locality. The very favourable conditions of fossilisation allow the identification of various generational stages of this alga. Interestingly, the best preserved specimens were found in small fish coprolites (although we interpret Coelastrum sp. as by-catch and not an important source of food for fish).

Ichthyosaur embryos outside the mother body: not due to carcass explosion but to carcass implosion

Abstract: Some well-preserved ichthyosaurs found in the Early Jurassic Posidonienschiefer Formation at Holzmaden (Germany) have puzzled palaeontologists for a long time: their skeletons are exceptionally well preserved and their bones are almost all in situ, but the bones of their embryos are scattered, partly beyond the body limits of the mother. This has been explained initially by bottom currents and later by a displacement of already disarticulated embryos during the expulsion of putrefaction gases through the disrupted body wall of the mother. It was postulated recently that this latter hypothesis is not tenable. It is argued here that both hypotheses are not tenable in their original form, but that carcass implosion may explain the various enigmatic features.

The fossil lagerstaette Dorn-Dürkheim

Abstract: The fossil lagerstaette Dorn-Durkheim (Rheinhessen, Germany) is unique in several respects. The site Dorn-Durkheim 1 is the only Turolian locality of Germany and one of the northernmost European occurrences of late Miocene vertebrates. With the publication of this issue of Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments it becomes the best known European site of this age that represents a wooded biotope. It displays an extraordinary biodiversity of mammal taxa, comprising macro- as well as micromammals. The aim of this issue is to further complete the description of the Turolian mammal fauna. Within this context, this introduction presents a comprehensive overview of the topographic and geologic situation as well as the history of investigations of the fossil lagerstaette Dorn-Durkheim, including the late early Pleistocene sites Dorn-Durkheim 2 and 3.

Deciduous cheek teeth of the late Miocene (MN11) Dorn-Dürkheim 1 hipparionine horses

Abstract: The study of hipparion deciduous cheek teeth from the Dorn-Durkheim 1 locality reveals a morphology of these specimens that differs from adult material in featuring less developed occlusal enamel features. Dorn-Durkheim 1 deciduous cheek teeth are comparable in size to specimens from the early late Miocene (MN9, early Vallesian) Howenegg and Eppelsheim localities. Size differences are too small to justify the recognition of more than one species of hipparion at Dorn-Durkheim 1 based on deciduous material alone. Comparison with deciduous teeth from North American Cormohipparion and hipparionines from various Old World localities shows commonalities among all studied deciduous cheek teeth, such as frequently open pre- and postflexids in mandibular specimens. Size differences between maxillary dP3s and dP4s are negligible, while mandibular dp3s are often wider than dp4s. Ectostylids are common in mandibular deciduous cheek teeth of North American hipparions and, in the Old World, among the members of the “Sivalhippus” Complex, for example. However, they become less frequent in more advanced members of the Hippotherium lineage, as is already apparent in the hipparionines from Dorn-Durkheim 1. This variation underlines the significance of deciduous cheek teeth for future phylogenetic studies.

Facies of Devonian fore reef limestones: a quantitative study (Iberg Reef, Harz Mts., Germany)

Abstract: Facies in a 238-m-long core drilled through the fore reef of the Devonian (Givetian–Frasnian) Iberg Reef is largely characterised by detrital deposits. Fibrous, early marine cements are common. Stromatoporoids, corals, and crinoids are the dominant reef-building taxa. Brachiopods, cephalopods, and conodontophorids belong to the reef dwellers. Reef destroyers include gastropods and rare echinoids. Quantitative analysis of abundance data allows for dilineation of five facies including detritus-rich grainstones–rudstones, cement- and detritus-rich grainstones–rudstones, cement-rich rudstones, stromatoporoid rudstones, and crinoid grainstones. Time-series analysis indicates cyclic sedimentation that might have been related to mid–late Devonian third-order sea-level variations. However, the long-term (mid-Devonian to Early Carboniferous) development of the Iberg Reef including the post-reef seamount stage was presumably controlled by subsidence.

The tapirs (Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) from the late Miocene (early Turolian) of Dorn-Dürkheim 1 (Germany, Rheinhessen)

Abstract: The tapirs from the late Miocene (early Turolian, MN 11) of Dorn-Durkheim 1 are described in detail for the first time. One isolated upper premolar of Tapirus priscus Kaup, 1833 is the youngest known occurrence of that species. The bulk of tapir fossils represents the dwarf genus and species Tapiriscus pannonicus Kretzoi (Foldt Kozl 81:384–417, 1951). T. pannonicus was up to now only known from a few teeth from Csakvar (Hungary, MN 10/11) as well as two upper molars and one os magnum from Aubignas 1, 2 (France, MN 11, 12). In Central Europe, Tapiriscus pannonicus appears for the first time during the Vallesian (MN 9) of Melchingen (Germany, Schwabische Alb).

Reply to Sauther and Cuozzo 2012

Abstract: Referring to long-term studies of living lemurs, Sauther and Cuozzo (2012) advanced doubts concerning our interpretation of a serious injury and its consequences for “Ida” (Darwinius masillae)—the famous fossil primate from the early middle Eocene of Grube Messel (Germany) (Franzen et al. 2011, 2012).We appreciate the intense efforts and the immense value of field studies for the interpretation of the palaeobiology of fossils, but we have objections concerning the comparisons and conclusions of Sauther and Cuozzo (2012).

Interpreting the paleopathology of Darwinius masillae : A reply to Franzen et al. 2013

Abstract: We thank Franzen et al. (2013) for their response to our paper (Sauther and Cuozzo 2012) in which we discuss the behavioral scenario leading to the ultimate demise of Darwinius massillae “Ida” as described in their previous publications (Franzen et al. 2011, 2012). However, we do take serious issue with several points in their response. We are currently preparing a full-length discussion on the use of data on pathology, injury and illness from living and extant primates when interpreting the palaeobiology of recent and more distant extinct primates, but we feel it is important to address several of their critiques immediately. Thus, we here expand on several main points in response to Franzen et al. (2013).