[PaleoEntomology• 2025] Ampatiri eloisae • Back to the Poop: the Oldest Hexapod Scales discovered within a Triassic Coprolite from Argentina

Ampatiri eloisae

Fiorelli, Vera, Perez Loinaze, Torréns, Ezcurra, Lara & Desojo, 2025 

DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105584 

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Artwork by Ezequiel Vera

Highlights: 

• After end-Permian mass extinction, the Triassic witnessed a super-radiation of modern insects (i.e., hymenopterans, dipterans, and lepidopterans).

• We report the oldest known record of hexapod scales, which were recovered from a megaherbivore dicynodont coprolite.

• The coprolite comes from a communal latrine in lower Carnian deposits (∼236 Ma) of the Chañares Formation, NW Argentina.

• The unique combination of features (e.g., ornamented hollow scales with internal lumen) suggests lepidopteran affinities.

• The Chañares scales contribute to the temporal mismatch between phylogenomic and fossil evidence of lepidopterans.

Abstract

Life on Earth nearly came to an end during the end-Permian mass extinction (EPME; c. 252 Ma). In its aftermath, the Triassic witnessed the adaptation of survivors to a postapocalyptic world and the establishment of modern ecosystems. Inland, these changes included an outstanding turnover between amniote groups triggered by the diversification of plants and arthropods. A super-radiation of morphologically modern insects occurred in the Triassic, including some of their most successful and ecologically relevant groups, such as Diptera (flies and mosquitoes) and Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). Here, we describe the oldest evidence of hexapod scales, preserved within a megaherbivorous kannemeyeriiform dicynodont coprolite. This specimen comes from a communal latrine in the lower Carnian deposits (∼236 Ma) of the Chañares Formation, La Rioja Province, northwestern Argentina. The tiny fossil scales are hollow and ornamented, which is a synapomorphy of Lepidoptera and suggests that they could belong to this group. If this is the case, the Chañares scales would partially fill the temporal mismatch between phylogenomic date and the fossil evidence of butterflies and moths because they preceded the previously oldest lepidopteran record by c. 35 million years. Moreover, the scales have a combination of features present in early diverging glossatan lepidopterans. The inclusion of the temporal data provided by the Chañares scales into an updated temporal calibration of lepidopteran phylogeny shows that the proboscis, a key evolutionary novelty for the group (Glossata), evolved between c. 260–244 Ma. Thus, the proboscis-bearing lepidopterans would be part of the repertory of new plants and animals that diversified during the aftermath of the EPME.

 

Systematic palaeontology

Euarthropoda Walossek, 1999

Hexapoda Latreille, 1825

cf. Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758

Ampatiri eloisae gen. et sp. nov.

Diagnosis. The type series of Ampatiri eloisae is distinguished from other hexapod and lepidopteran scales because of the following combination of character states (autapomorphies indicated with an asterisk): hollow bilayer scales–synapomorphy of Glossata–ornamented by dense longitudinal ridges with some dichotomous or anastomosed ridges; up to 70 longitudinal ridges on the upper ...

 

 

Lucas E. Fiorelli, Ezequiel I. Vera, Valeria S. Perez Loinaze, Javier Torréns, Martín D. Ezcurra, María B. Lara and Julia B. Desojo. 2025. Back to the Poop: the Oldest Hexapod Scales discovered within a Triassic Coprolite from Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 162, 105584. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2025.105584 [15 August 2025] 

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2025] DNA and Spores from Coprolites reveal that Colourful Truffle-like Fungi endemic to New Zealand were consumed by extinct Moa Megalapteryx didinus (Dinornithiformes)

 

upland moa Megalapteryx didinus (Owen, 1883)

(c) Gallacea scleroderma*, 

(d) Gallacea sp. ‘Nelson Lakes’*, 

(e) Rossbeevera pachydermis*, 

(f) Russula macrocystidiata*,

in Boast, Wood, Cooper, Bolstridge, Perry et Wilmshurst, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440  

 

Abstract

Mycovores (animals that consume fungi) are important for fungal spore dispersal, including ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi symbiotic with forest-forming trees. As such, fungi and their symbionts may be impacted by mycovore extinction. New Zealand (NZ) has a diversity of unusual, colourful, endemic sequestrate (truffle-like) fungi, most of which are ECM. As NZ lacks native land mammals (except bats), and sequestrate fungi are typically drab and mammal-dispersed, NZ’s sequestrate fungi are hypothesized to be adapted for bird dispersal. However, there is little direct evidence for this hypothesis, as 41% of NZ’s native land bird species became extinct since initial human settlement in the thirteenth century. Here, we report ancient DNA and spores from the inside of two coprolites of NZ’s extinct, endemic upland moa (Megalapteryx didinus) that reveal consumption and likely dispersal of ECM fungi, including at least one colourful sequestrate species. Contemporary data from NZ show that birds rarely consume fungi and that the introduced mammals preferentially consume exotic fungi. NZ’s endemic sequestrate fungi could therefore be dispersal limited compared with fungi that co-evolved with mammalian dispersers. NZ’s fungal communities may thus be undergoing a gradual species turnover following avian mycovore extinction and the establishment of mammalian mycovores, potentially affecting forest resilience and facilitating invasion by exotic tree taxa.

Keywords: evolutionary anachronism, moa, New Zealand, extinction, ancient DNA, mycophagy

(a) Upland moa skeleton, (b) HC coprolite X17/11/33,
and (c–h) examples of fungi identified from aDNA (* denotes taxa with congruent spore evidence):
(c) Gallacea scleroderma*, (d) Gallacea sp. ‘Nelson Lakes’*, 
(e) Rossbeevera pachydermis*, (f) Russula macrocystidiata*,
(g) Cortinarius sp. ‘Blyth Track’, (h) Cortinarius violaceovolvatus.

Photo credits: (a) Wikimedia Commons, (b) Alexander P. Boast, (c–h) Noah Siegel.

Alexander P. Boast, Jamie R. Wood, Jerry Cooper, Nic Bolstridge, George L. W. Perry and Janet M. Wilmshurst. 2025. DNA and Spores from Coprolites reveal that Colourful Truffle-like Fungi endemic to New Zealand were consumed by extinct Moa (Dinornithiformes). Biol. Lett. 2120; 240440. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0440  

[Paleontology • 2024] Digestive Contents and Food Webs Record the advent of Dinosaur Supremacy

  

in Qvarnström, Wernström, Wawrzyniak, Barbacka, ... et Niedźwiedzki, 2024. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08265-4

Abstract

The early radiation of dinosaurs remains a complex and poorly understood evolutionary event. Here we use hundreds of fossils with direct evidence of feeding to compare trophic dynamics across five vertebrate assemblages that record this event in the Triassic–Jurassic succession of the Polish Basin (central Europe). Bromalites, fossil digestive products, increase in size and diversity across the interval, indicating the emergence of larger dinosaur faunas with new feeding patterns. Well-preserved food residues and bromalite-taxon associations enable broad inferences of trophic interactions. Our results, integrated with climate and plant data, indicate a stepwise increase of dinosaur diversity and ecospace occupancy in the area. This involved (1) a replacement of non-dinosaur guild members by opportunistic and omnivorous dinosaur precursors, followed by (2) the emergence of insect and fish-eating theropods and small omnivorous dinosaurs. Climate change in the latest Triassic resulted in substantial vegetation changes that paved the way for ((3) and (4)) an expansion of herbivore ecospace and the replacement of pseudosuchian and therapsid herbivores by large sauropodomorphs and early ornithischians that ingested food of a broader range, even including burnt plants. Finally, (5) theropods rapidly evolved and developed enormous sizes in response to the appearance of the new herbivore guild. We suggest that the processes shown by the Polish data may explain global patterns, shedding new light on the environmentally governed emergence of dinosaur dominance and gigantism that endured until the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

 

Martin Qvarnström, Joel Vikberg Wernström, Zuzanna Wawrzyniak, Maria Barbacka, Grzegorz Pacyna, Artur Górecki, Jadwiga Ziaja, Agata Jarzynka, Krzysztof Owocki, Tomasz Sulej, Leszek Marynowski, Grzegorz Pieńkowski, Per E. Ahlberg and Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki. 2024. Digestive Contents and Food Webs Record the advent of Dinosaur Supremacy. Nature. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08265-4

[PaleoMammalogy • 2024] Large-sized Mammalian Coprolite containing Ground Sloth Osteoderms from the Upper Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation of Brazil

in Jacob, Diniz, Kerber, Dentzien-Dias et Francischini, 2024.

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104715  

Artwork: Júlia d'Oliveira twitter.com/tupandactylus

Abstract

Coprolites provide information about the presence, diet, and feeding behavior of the producer, besides the trophic relationships between extinct taxa and the regional paleoclimatic context where these organisms lived. Here, we present a paleobiological and paleoecological investigation of a Late Pleistocene carnivore coprolite found in southern Brazil (Touro Passo Formation, Rio Grande do Sul). Our analyses include morphological and morphometric approaches employing scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and CT-scanning. The analyzed coprolite is cylindrical, measuring 180 mm in length and 40 mm maximum in diameter, and contains a high proportion of phosphorus and calcium. Interestingly, it presents a large quantity of 102 osteoderms attributed to a Pleistocene ground sloth (Mylodontidae indet.). The size and contents of the coprolite suggest that it was produced by a large carnivorous animal comparable to representatives of Smilodon or another large carnivore mammal. The structure of the osteoderms resembles the morphological pattern found in Mylodontidae, but they are smaller than those described for adult individuals, suggesting that the coprolite producer possibly fed on a juvenile ground sloth. Palynological analysis was also performed, and the low pollen content indicates accidental consumption of plants or pollen, through the viscera of the prey or with the ingestion of water. These paleoenvironmental data suggest that the coprolite producer may have inhabited floodplain regions near river courses, where the coprolite was deposited. These results help to understand the ecological dynamics during the Late Pleistocene of South America.

Coprolite producer

The coprolite MCP-5176-PV was evidently produced by a carnivore, given its cylindrical morphology, whitish-gray color, and phosphatic composition. Moreover, the producer, which ingested (at least) the osteoderm-bearing portion of a giant sloth skin, was of a considerable size, based on its feces large dimensions.

Animals from the Late Pleistocene of South America that were big enough to produce the coprolite MCP-5176-PV include mammals (mainly canids, felids, and ursids) and crocodilians (e.g., ...

Conclusions: 

This study reveals new evidence on the food chain dynamics in the Late Pleistocene of southern Brazil. The coprolite described here was produced by a large carnivorous animal, probably a felid comparable in size to Smilodon populator, Panthera onca, and Puma concolor. This animal fed on a ground sloth, as revealed by the presence of more than 102 osteoderms in the coprolite. These ossicles are regarded as Mylodontidae osteoderms, but smaller than those associated with adult ground sloths, ...

Thândara Jacob, Débora Diniz, Leonardo Kerber, Paula Dentzien-Dias and Heitor Francischini. 2024. A Large-sized Mammalian Coprolite containing Ground Sloth Osteoderms from the Upper Pleistocene Touro Passo Formation of Brazil. Journal of South American Earth Sciences. 133, 104715. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsames.2023.104715

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[Paleontology • 2023] Crococopros naduongensis • Exceptionally Well-preserved Crocodilian Coprolites from the Late Eocene of Northern Vietnam: Ichnology and Paleoecological Significance

The Eocene of Na Duong Basin is considered as a fossil Lagerstätte of Southeast Asia
Flora and fauna constituent in the drawing were an actual reconstruction based on palynology analyses, and of body fossil findings from various workers 

Crococopros naduongensis Halaçlar, Rummy, Liu, Hunt, Do, Minh & Deng, 2023

 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107607

Illustration by Chung-Tat Cheung  facebook.com/ChungTatCheung

Highlights: 

• New ichnogenus and ichnospecies Crococopros naduongensis

• First quantitative study on crocodilian coprolites

• Multidisciplinary approach to understand paleoecology of Na Duong Basin

• Tangible evidence supporting Na Duong Basin as a fossil-Lagerstätte of Southeast Asia

Summary

This study examines 55 coprolites from the Na Duong Basin to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. Coproecology sheds light on understanding the complex prey-predator relationships, trophic dynamics, and ecosystem evolution. Through quantitative and multidisciplinary analysis, the putative coprolites were attributed to crocodilian producers, leading to the establishment of a new ichnogenus and species, Crococopros naduongensis igen. et isp. nov., based on distinct characteristics and comparisons. The study provides compelling evidence of an ancient river or lake-like environment dominated by diverse crocodilian fauna, indicating a thriving food chain in the Na Duong Basin. The findings also highlight the remarkable richness of ichnofauna, fauna, flora, and the presence of a favorable climate, confirming the area as a significant fossil Lagerstätte in Southeast Asia. Overall, this study offers a unique snapshot of the past, providing valuable insights into the regional ecosystem and significantly contributing to our understanding of paleoenvironmental conditions and biotic interactions.

Paleoenvironment reconstruction drawing reflects a real ‘snapshot’ of an intermittently swamped lacustrine–fluvial plain ecosystem with an abundance of crocodilians and testudines
 The Eocene of Na Duong Basin is considered as a fossil Lagerstätte of Southeast Asia (Flora and fauna constituent in the drawing were an actual reconstruction based on palynology analyses, and of body fossil findings from various workers).

Illustration by Chung-Tat Cheung

 

Kazım Halaçlar, Paul Rummy, Jia Liu, Adrian P. Hunt, Truong Van Do, Nguyen Trung Minh and Tao Deng. 2023. Exceptionally Well-preserved Crocodilian Coprolites from the Late Eocene of Northern Vietnam: Ichnology and Paleoecological Significance. iScience.   26(9); 107607. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107607

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[Paleontology • 2022] Footprint on A Coprolite: A Rarity from the Eocene of Vietnam

in Halaclar, Rummy, Deng & Do, 2022. 

DOI: 10.1016/j.palwor.2022.01.010

Abstract

A rare ichnological example of a crocodilian footprint on an Eocene crocodilian coprolite has been discovered. The enigmatic specimen, measuring 4 cm in length, was found among 100 coprolites at the Na Duong coal mine in Lang Son province, northern Vietnam. Almost all the discovered coprolites were ascribed to a potential crocodilian producer, suggesting the existence of an ancient lacustrine environment. Furthermore, neoichnological analyses of extant crocodilian footprints also corroborate the inference of a crocodilian as the producer of the footprint. We concluded that the 4-cm-long Na Duong fingerprints most likely belonged to a 2-m-long crocodilian whose IV or V finger of the right manus might have made the fingerprints. Since no other records of foot traces or trackways were identified during the fieldwork in the fall of 2018, the Na Duong fossil site should be investigated for further ichnofossil analysis.

Keywords: Na Duong fossil, coprolites, compound ichnofossil, fingerprints, Eocene, crocodilian

 

Kazim Halaclar, Paul Rummy, Tao Deng and Truong Van Do. 2022. Footprint on A Coprolite: A Rarity from the Eocene of Vietnam. Palaeoworld. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.palwor.2022.01.010

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[Paleontology • 2015] A Specimen of Rhamphorhynchus with Soft Tissue Preservation, Stomach Contents and A Putative Coprolite

Rhamphorhynchus, a long-tailed pterosaur, hypothetically feeding on squid.

illustration: Julius Csotonyi || RoyalTyrrellMuseum || DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1191

Abstract

Despite being known for nearly two centuries, new specimens of the derived non-pterodactyloid pterosaur Rhamphorhynchus continue to be discovered and reveal new information about their anatomy and palaeobiology. Here we describe a specimen held in the collections of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Alberta, Canada that shows both preservation and impressions of soft tissues, and also preserves material interpreted as stomach contents of vertebrate remains and, uniquely, a putative coprolite. The specimen also preserves additional evidence for fibers in the uropatagium.

Figure 1: Specimen TMP 2008.41.001 of Rhamphorhynchus muensteri.

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1191

Locality Information: Solnhofen, Schernfeld quarry, from Bavaria, Southern Germany.

Systematic Palaeontology

Pterosauria Kaup, 1834

Rhamphorhynchidae Seeley, 1870

Rhamphorhynchus Von Meyer, 1847

R. muensteri Goldfuss, 1831

Numerous pterosaur specimens had been found previously, preserving fish remains in their gut, indicating these animals lived near water bodies and fed on fishes.  This particular Rhamphorhynchus specimen is the first to preserve the remains of a fish, shark, and potential tetrapod (i.e., a four-legged animal) in its stomach, and a coprolite filled with strange hooklets. Although the identities of the material preserved in the stomach and coprolite could not be determined, they reveal that Rhamphorhynchus did not feed exclusively on fish. This spectacular specimen gives researchers unique insight into dietary and ecological traits of this small Late Jurassic pterosaur.

https://royaltyrrellmuseum.wordpress.com/2015/09/04/new-research-describes-soft-tissue-and-stomach-content-of-well-preserved-pterosaur/

David Hone​, Donald M. Henderson, François Therrien and Michael B. Habib. 2015. A Specimen of Rhamphorhynchus with Soft Tissue Preservation, Stomach Contents and A Putative Coprolite. PeerJ. 3:e1191. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1191

ResearchGate.net/publication/281340109_A_specimen_of_Rhamphorhynchus_with_soft_tissue_preservation_stomach_contents_and_a_putative_coprolite

LOOK: Stunning 'Paleoart' Will Beam You Back Into A Ferocious Prehistoric World http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/12/paleoart-julius-csotonyi-illustrations_n_5226787.html via @HuffPostScience