[Paleontology • 2026] Phosphatotitan khouribgaensis • A Titanosaurian Sauropod with South American Affinities (Lognkosauria: Argentinosauridae) from the Late Maastrichtian of Morocco and Evidence for Dinosaur Endemism in Africa

 

Phosphatotitan khouribgaensis

Longrich, Pérez-Moreno, Díez Díaz, Pereda-Suberbiola, Bardet & Jalil, 2026

DOI: doi.org/10.3390/d18050241

Artwork by Andrey Atuchin facebook.com/AndreyAtuchin

Abstract

The latest Cretaceous saw the final diversification of dinosaurs before the K/Pg extinction. Discussions of end-Cretaceous dinosaur diversity have focused on well-sampled faunas from Laurasia; far less is known about dinosaurian faunas of the Southern Hemisphere, especially Africa. The late Maastrichtian Phosphates of Morocco provide a rare window into African dinosaur diversity. Abelisaurids, lambeosaurines, and titanosaurian sauropods are known. However, no diagnostic titanosaur remains have been recovered, leaving the affinities of these sauropods unclear. We describe Phosphatotitan khouribgaensis gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosaur from the Maastrichtian of Sidi Chennane, Khouribga Province. Phosphatotitan is represented by dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, and the pelvis. The new species differs from titanosaurs described from the Cretaceous of Africa and Europe but resembles South American Lognkosauria, and especially Patagotitan, in having short dorsal and caudal centra, expanded dorsal and caudal neural spines, and a broad pubis. Its small size relative to other Lognkosauria (3.5–4 tonnes) suggests a lineage selected for small size. The close relationships of Morocco’s titanosaurs and abelisaurids to South American species may reflect a wide distribution of these clades prior to the opening of the South Atlantic and the separation of Africa and South America ~100 Ma, while a complex pattern of oceanic dispersal may explain the presence of distinct saltasauroid lineages worldwide. The latest Cretaceous Gondwanan dinosaur faunas were highly endemic due to a combination of continental fragmentation, extinction, and dispersal, creating high endemism in southern continents and within Africa, suggesting that Maastrichtian dinosaur diversity is underestimated.

Keywords: Dinosauria; Sauropoda; Titanosauria; Argentinosauria; Upper Cretaceous; biogeography; Gondwana

Phosphatotitan khouribgaensis gen. et sp. nov.

 Nicholas R. Longrich, Agustín Pérez-Moreno, Verónica Díez Díaz, Xabier Pereda-Suberbiola, Nathalie Bardet and Nour-Eddine Jalil. 2026. A Titanosaurian Sauropod with South American Affinities (Lognkosauria: Argentinosauridae) from the Late Maastrichtian of Morocco and Evidence for Dinosaur Endemism in Africa. Diversity. 18(5); 241. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/d18050241 [22 April 2026]

 facebook.com/AndreyAtuchin/posts/26756211193972997

[Arachnida • 2024] Micropholcus abha, M. bashayer, M. dhahran, M. ghar, M. shaat, ... • Old World Micropholcus spiders, with first records of acrocerid parasitoids in Pholcidae (Araneae)

 

A Micropholcus dhahran Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, W of Dhahran Al Janub; B M. harajah Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, SE of Harajah; 
C, D M. alfara Huber, sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, S of Al Fara; 
E M. abha Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, N of Abha; F M. tanomah Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, NW of Tanomah; 
G M. bashayer Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, NW of Al Bashayer; H M. maysaan Huber, sp. nov., male from Mecca, NW of Maysaan.

in Huber & Meng, 2024.

DOI:  doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1213.133178 

Photographs Bernhard A. Huber.

Abstract  

Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen, 1987 is one of only two Pholcidae genera known to occur both in the Old and New Worlds. However, there are major morphological and ecological differences among geographically separate groups of species, and it was mainly molecular data that have resulted in our current view of uniting all these species into a single genus. In the Old World, only four species have previously been described. Here, current knowledge about Old World Micropholcus is reviewed, redescribing three of the four previously known species, and describing twelve new species, originating from Saudi Arabia (M. dhahran Huber, sp. nov., M. harajah Huber, sp. nov., M. alfara Huber, sp. nov., M. abha Huber, sp. nov., M. tanomah Huber, sp. nov., M. bashayer Huber, sp. nov., M. maysaan Huber, sp. nov.), Oman (M. darbat Huber, sp. nov., M. shaat Huber, sp. nov.), Morocco (M. ghar Huber, sp. nov., M. khenifra Huber, Lecigne & Lips, sp. nov.), and the Philippines (M. bukidnon Huber, sp. nov.). We provide an exploratory species delimitation analysis based on CO1 barcodes, extensive SEM data, and first records of Acroceridae (Diptera) larvae in Pholcidae, extracted from book lungs.   

Key words: CO1 barcode, genetic distances, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, species delimitation, taxonomy

Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen; live specimens from Saudi Arabia
A M. dhahran Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, W of Dhahran Al Janub; B M. harajah Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, SE of Harajah; C, D M. alfara Huber, sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, S of Al Fara; 
E M. abha Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, N of Abha; F M. tanomah Huber, sp. nov., male from ‘Asir, NW of Tanomah; G M. bashayer Huber, sp. nov., female with egg-sac from ‘Asir, NW of Al Bashayer; H M. maysaan Huber, sp. nov., male from Mecca, NW of Maysaan. Photographs BAH.

Micropholcus Deeleman-Reinhold & Prinsen; live specimens from Oman, Morocco, and the Philippines
A, B M. darbat Huber, sp. nov., male and female with egg-sac from Oman, Dhofar, near Qairoon Hairitti C M. shaat Huber, sp. nov., male from Oman, Dhofar, Shaat sinkhole
D, E M. agadir (Huber), male and female with egg-sac from Morocco, Souss-Massa, Paradise Valley

F M. ghar Huber, sp. nov., male from Morocco, Fès-Meknès, Kef El Ghar G M. khenifra Huber, Lecigne & Lips, sp. nov., male from Morocco, Béni Mellal-Khénifra, near Sidi Ben Daoud H M. bukidnon Huber, sp. nov., male from Philippines, Mindanao, Blue Water Cave.

 Photographs BAH.

 Bernhard A. Huber and Guanliang Meng. 2024. Old World Micropholcus spiders, with first records of acrocerid parasitoids in Pholcidae (Araneae). ZooKeys. 1213: 95-182. DOI:  doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1213.133178 [26 Sep 2024]

[Arachnida • 2025] Eresus rubrocephalus • The Red-Colored Oddball—A New Ladybird Spider (Araneae: Eresidae) with unusual coloring from Morocco

Eresus rubrocephalus 

Gál, Kovács, Vincze, Keve, Páll-Gergely, Bagyó, Fehér, Bali & Kaszab, 2025.

DOI: doi.org/10.3390/ani15182707 

Abstract

According to our current knowledge, the prothorax of male spiders belonging to the genus Eresus is covered with black hairs. However, during our collection activities in Morocco, we found male specimens showing habitus that can be clearly distinguished from the previously known species based on their pars cephalica of prosoma covered with distinct red hairs. Diagnostic drawings and digital photographs of male copulatory organs, alongside DNA and COI barcoding results, are also presented.

Keywords: velvet spiders; North Africa; genetic analysis; COI analysis; species delimitation

 Prosoma shape in Eresus rubrocephalus sp. n. holotype (lateral view).

 Habitus photo of the Eresus rubrocephalus sp. n. 
(A) Dorsal view, (B) ventral view, and (C) frontal view.

Eresus rubrocephalus sp. n., 

 

  Diagnosis: The habitus of males was like the European and some Asiatic Eresus sp. of the same sex.

In our specimens, as in the Eresus sp. males, the clypeal hood forms a clearly acute angle, and the cephalic region of the prosoma does not overhang the thoracic region posteriorly (Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4) [31]. Our two male specimens differ from all known species males in that the carapace dorsally and ventrally, as well as the chelicerae, are most uniformly carmine red (Figure 4). In the previously known ladybird spider species (E. gharbi, E. solitarius, E. moravicus, E. sandaliatus, E. transcaucasicus, and E. agrinus), pars thoracica is predominantly black compared to the species we described. 

  Etymology: Unlike the previously known coloration of the Eresus genus (sandaliatus group), the prosoma of the examined specimens is uniformly red in color; see “rubrocephalus”.

Simple Summary: In our work, we provide a description of the habitus of a species of ladybird spider found in Northern Africa, specifically Morocco, based on microscopic examination of the palpus and genetic delimitation analysis. The cephalothorax and abdomen of the male spider are both covered with carmine red hairs on the dorsal and ventral sides as well as on the chelicerae. The palpus exhibits several characteristic distinguishing features, such as the course of the palpus conductor plate, the characteristic U-shaped groove, and the uniquely shaped terminal tooth. Both phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses supported the establishment of the new species Eresus rubrocephalus sp. n.

 János Gál, Gábor Kovács, Zoltán Vincze, Gergő Keve, Barna Páll-Gergely, Richárd Bagyó, Enikő Fehér, Krisztina Bali and Eszter Kaszab. 2025. The Red-Colored Oddball—A New Ladybird Spider with Unusual Coloring from Morocco, Eresus rubrocephalus sp. nov. (Araneae: Eresidae). Animals. 15(18), 2707. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/ani15182707  [16 September 2025]

[Paleontology • 2025] Falciscaris mumakiana • A New giant nektobenthic radiodont benthivore (Radiodonta: Hurdiidae) from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Biota in Morocco

 

Falciscaris mumakiana 

Potin, Claisse, Trébaol, Gueriau, Wu, Pates & Daley, 2025

 DOI: doi.org/10.4202/app.01278.2025 

 Researchgate.net/publication/398154837

Artwork by Alexis Trébaol

The Fezouata Shale Formation is an Early Ordovician Lagerstätte that preserved exceptionally detailed records of complex marine ecosystems, making it crucial for understanding the early evolution of animal life. It has yielded the youngest known community of radiodonts to date. This group is particularly well known from the Cambrian, with iconic representatives such as Anomalocaris, which are emblematic of the Cambrian explosion. Here we describe a new radiodont from the Fezouata Biota, Falciscaris mumakiana gen. et sp. nov. based on seven specimens of isolated frontal appendages. These appendages bear long endites with large and robust auxiliary spines, suggesting they were adapted for foraging through sediment in search of prey. The appendages of F. mumakiana gen. et sp. nov. can be relatively large compared to the majority of radiodont appendages, with endites reaching up to 11.4 cm in length, suggesting a total body size exceeding one meter for this Ordovician radiodont. In contrast, smaller specimens can be up to 10 times smaller, indicating ontogenetic stages during which the frontal appendage morphology changes little. Following the “Ordovician Plankton Revolution”, the proliferation of planktonic resources and enhanced pelagic-benthic coupling during this period likely allowed for the rise of giant suspension-feeding radiodonts, such as the Aegirocassisinae and F. mumakiana gen. et sp. nov., the new giant benthivore. In term of taxonomic diversity, benthivores radiodonts remain a minor component of radiodont diversity in the Fezouata Biota compared to the more dominant suspension feeders.

Key words: Panarthropoda, Radiodonta, Hurdiidae, gigantism, benthivores, feeding evolution, Fezouata Shale, Early Ordovician.

Superphylum Panarthropoda Nielsen, 1995 

Order Radiodonta Collins, 1996 

Family Hurdiidae Lerosey-Aubril & Pates, 2018

Hurdiid radiodont Falciscaris mumakiana gen. et sp. nov. frontal appendage, 
from the Fezouata Shale Formation, Lower Ordovician, Morocco.
YPM IP 516782a/b, holotype and paratypes 

 Genus Falciscaris nov.

Etymology: From Latin falx (genitive falcis), scythe, in recognition of the strongly curved shape of the endites tips; and Latinised Greek caris, crab, commonly used in arthropod taxonomy.

Falciscaris mumakiana sp. nov.  

 Etymology: Mûmak (plural mûmakil) is a fantasy elephant-like animal from the Tolkien universe Lord of the Rings. They are described as giant animals and are depicted in the third part of the movie trilogy as having 4 long curved tusks equipped with spines, looking like the curved and spiny endite of Falciscaris mumakiana gen. et sp. nov. 

Diagnosis.—Hurdiidae frontal appendage with at least seven podomeres: one proximal, five intermediate and one distal. Proximal podomeres rectangular, taller than long. At least six laminiform endites are present, long ones on five intermediate podomeres and a shorter one distally. Intermediate endites over twice the height of podomeres, all ending in a strongly curved, hook-like tip. Each endite bears dorsally curved auxiliary spines in at least three sizes, alternating such that spines of the same size are never adjacent.

Artistic life reconstruction of the hurdiid radiodont Falciscaris mumakiana gen. et sp. nov. 
Apart from the frontal appendages, the reconstruction is based on other related hurdiids.

by Alexis Trébaol

Gaëtan J.-M. Potin, Pénélope Claisse, Alexis Trébaol, Pierre Gueriau, Yu Wu, Stephen Pates, and Allison C. Daley. 2025. A New giant nektobenthic radiodont benthivore from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Biota in Morocco. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 70(4). 709-722. DOI: doi.org/10.4202/app.01278.2025 

 Researchgate.net/publication/398154837_A_new_giant_nektobenthic_radiodont_benthivore_from_the_Early_Ordovician_Fezouata_Biota_in_Morocco

[PaleoIchthyology • 2025] Pseudocorax heteroserratus • Pseudocorax (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes: Pseudocoracidae) in the Upper Maastrichtian Phosphates of Khouribga Province, Morocco

 

Pseudocorax heteroserratus

Egli, Goode, Rempert & Rego, 2025

 DOI: doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2025.10183  

 Researchgate.net/publication/397832548

Abstract

A new species of Pseudocorax (Lamniformes, Pseudocoracidae), Pseudocorax heteroserratus n. sp., is described from the upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Morocco. This novel taxon is recognized by a large sample of isolated teeth collected from the upper Couche III layer at the Sidi Chennane quarry in the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Khouribga Province, Morocco. P. heteroserratus is differentiated from other Pseudocorax species by bearing a mesiodistally elongated tooth base, broad crown, and highly variable serrations. The variability in number and extent of serrations along the carinae ranges from completely absent to fully serrated and finely to coarsely serrated, raising speculation on broader Pseudocorax phylogenetics and as to whether the genesis of serrations within Pseudocorax occurred in a singular progressive event or rather from two distinct events. The morphological variability within the new species highlights the importance of large sample sizes in selachian odontological studies using isolated teeth.

Systematic paleontology

Class Chondrichthyes Huxley, Reference Huxley, 1880

Subclass Elasmobranchii Bonaparte, Reference Bonaparte, 1838

Cohort Euselachii Hay, Reference Hay, 1902

Subcohort Neoselachii Compagno, Reference Compagno, 1977

Order Lamniformes Berg, Reference Berg, 1958

Family Pseudocoracidae Cappetta, Reference Cappetta, 2012

Genus Pseudocorax Priem, Reference Priem, 1897

Type species: Pseudocorax affinis (Münster in Agassiz, Reference Agassiz1843), from the upper Maastrichtian, Netherlands.

 Upper anterior Pseudocorax heteroserratus n. sp. 
 (1–5) MMNS VP-12820 (holotype), upper left anterior tooth in (1) lingual, (2) basal, (3) apical, (4) profile, and (5) labial views.
(6–10) MMNS VP-12827.01, upper left anterior tooth in (6) lingual, (7) basal, (8) apical, (9) profile, and (10) labial views. Scale bars = 5 mm.

Pseudocorax heteroserratus new species 

Diagnosis: Crown and tooth base mesiodistally expanded, especially along upper and lower jaw anterior teeth. Mesial shoulder generally more prominent along basal crown, extending further apically. Variable serrations, from absent to full and coarse to fine, regardless of jaw position or potential ontogenetic stage. Deep basal margin on tooth base with variable tooth base lobe morphology.

Occurrence: Upper Couche III layer of the Oulad Abdoun Basin, Sidi Chennane quarry, near Oued Zem, Khouribga Province, Morocco.

 

Etymology: “Hetero-”, Latin for “different”, and “serratus” for “serrations,” highlighting the variability in the presence and size of serrations along the crown.

 Upper lateroposterior Pseudocorax heteroserratus n. sp. teeth.
(1–5) MMNS VP-12823 (paratype), upper left lateroposterior tooth in (1) lingual, (2) basal, (3) apical, (4) profile, and (5) labial views. (6–10) MMNS VP-12827.05, (?) upper right lateroposterior tooth in (6) lingual, (7) basal, (8) apical, (9) profile, and (10) labial views.
(11–15) MMNS VP- 12827,06, (?) upper left lateroposterior tooth in (11) lingual, (12) basal, (13) apical, (14) profile, and (15) labial views. (16–20) MMNS VP-12827.07, upper left lateroposterior tooth in (16) lingual, (17) basal, (18) apical, (19) profile, and (20) labial views.
(21–25) MMNS VP-12827.08, upper right lateroposterior tooth in (21) lingual, (22) basal, (23) apical, (24) profile, and (25) labial views. (26–30) MMNS VP-12827.09, upper left lateroposterior tooth in (26) lingual, (27) basal, (28) apical, (29) profile, and (30) labial. Scale bars = 5 mm.

Hunter Chase Egli, Benjamin Goode, Trevor Rempert and Christopher Rego. 2025. Pseudocorax (Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes, Pseudocoracidae) in the Upper Maastrichtian phosphates of Khouribga Province, Morocco. Journal of Paleontology. Journal of Paleontology. DOI: doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2025.10183  [21 November 2025]

 Researchgate.net/publication/397832548_Pseudocorax_in_the_Upper_Maastrichtian_phosphates_of_Khouribga_Province_Morocco 

 

Non-technical Summary: A new species of extinct shark, Pseudocorax heteroserratus n. sp., has been identified through isolated teeth from fossil-rich Cretaceous rock in Morocco. Unlike previously known Pseudocorax species, this new species is distinguishable through its broad crown, elongated tooth base, and unusually variable serrations. These serrations range from unserrated to coarsely serrated and provide new insights into Pseudocorax evolutionary history. It raises the question of whether serrations in this lineage evolved gradually in a continuous process or from multiple independent origins. The findings of this study emphasize how large sample sizes of shark teeth are critical in palaeoichthyology, especially when species are known only from their teeth.

[Paleontology • 2025] ?Carcinosoma aurorae • Early Ordovician Sea Scorpions from Morocco suggest Cambrian Origins and main Diversification of Eurypterida

?Carcinosoma aurorae

Van Roy, Richards & Ortega-Hernández, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2061 

Abstract

Eurypterida were a diverse clade of aquatic euchelicerates that occupied environments ranging from freshwater to fully marine and included several of the largest euarthropods on record. Although a Middle Ordovician megalograptid hitherto represented the oldest evidence of this clade, its phylogenetic position suggested an earlier history for the origin and main diversification within Eurypterida. Here, we report unequivocal eurypterid fragments from the Early Ordovician Fezouata Biota of Morocco, pre-dating the previously oldest record of this group by 12–15 million years. We describe ?Carcinosoma aurorae n. sp. based on several distinctively spinose isolated appendages diagnostic of the eurypterine clade Carcinosomatidae. This discovery demonstrates that the major morphological and ecological diversifications within Eurypterida between swimming Eurypterina and benthic crawling Stylonurina had taken place by the Early Ordovician. Furthermore, the derived phylogenetic position of carcinosomatids implies that most eurypterine clades had already diversified by that time. A cuticle patch with dense scales, reminiscent of pterygotids, likely belongs to a second eurypterid species. The remarkable diversity of euchelicerates in the Fezouata Biota indicates undocumented Cambrian origins and provides further evidence for an early eurypterid radiation centred off Gondwana. Significantly, the sister-group relationship between Eurypterida and Arachnida entails equally early arachnid origins.

Keywords: Arachnida, Cambrian explosion, Carcinosomatidae, Chelicerata, Eurypterida, Fezouata Biota, Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, Konservat-Lagerstätte, Pterygotidae, Tremadocian

Euarthropoda Lankester, 1904 

Euchelicerata Weygoldt & Paulus, 1979 

Prosomapoda Lamsdell, 2013 

Planaterga Lamsdell, 2013 

Dekatriata Lamsdell, 2013 

Eurypterida Huxley, 1857  

Eurypterina Novojilov, 1962  

Diploperculata Lamsdell Hoşgör & Selden, 2013 

Carcinosomatoidea Størmer, 1934 

Carcinosomatidae Størmer, 1934 

Genus: ?Carcinosoma Claypole, 1890  

Isolated appendages of ?Carcinosoma aurorae n. sp. from the Early Ordovician (upper Tremadocian) Fezouata Biota of Morocco.
 (A–D) Holotype NM S 5974 consisting of a walking limb, gnathobase and four fragmentary tergites, part. (A) Overview, dry. (B) Overview, under a mixture of ethanol and propanol. (C) Details of the limb and gnathobase, dry. (D) Details of the limb and gnathobase, under a mixture of ethanol and propanol.
(E,F) Paratype MCZ.IP. 202866, consisting of nearly complete walking limb, part. (E) Dry. (F) Under demineralized water. All scale bars represent 10 mm.

?Carcinosoma aurorae n. sp.

 

Derivation of name. Genitive, from Latin, aurora, -ae, meaning ‘of the dawn’, referring to the early occurrence of this animal, making it the oldest eurypterid currently on record.

 

Diagnosis. Species of ?Carcinosoma with articulating spine pairs of unequal length on podomeres of limbs II–V , with positions of long and short spines alternating between podomeres. Gnathobases with long and slender teeth.

Peter Van Roy, Jared C. Richards and Javier Ortega-Hernández. 2025. Early Ordovician Sea Scorpions from Morocco suggest Cambrian Origins and main Diversification of Eurypterida. Proc. R. Soc. B. 292: 20252061. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2061 [12 November 2025]

 

[Entomology • 2025] Chillcottomyia ovaticornis • Chillcottomyia Saigusa (Diptera: Empidoidea: Hybotidae) new to Europe

 

Chillcottomyia ovaticornis

 Sinclair, Andrade & Gonçalves, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.9.165936

Abstract

A new species of Chillcottomyia Saigusa, 1986 is described from Portugal, C. ovaticornis sp. nov. This species represents the first record of Chillcottomyia from Europe.

Key Words: Dance flies, Hybotinae, new genus record, new species

Chillcottomyia ovaticornis sp. nov.
3. Male holotype, lateral habitus (prior to genitalia dissection); 4. Female paratype, lateral habitus; 5. Female paratype, head and thorax, oblique lateral view; 6. Female paratype, head and thorax, dorsal view; 7. Male holotype (prior to genitalia dissection), abdomen and terminalia, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.75 mm (3, 4); 0.5 mm (5, 6); 0.25 mm (7).

Chillcottomyia ovaticornis sp. nov.

 

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin ovatus (egg-shaped) and cornu (horn), in reference to the ovate-shaped postpedicel.

Diagnosis. This small species is distinguished from all other species of the genus, except an un-named species from Morocco by the ovate-shaped postpedicel. The male terminalia is similar to the type species, characterized by left epandrial lamella with subapical dorsal row of stout, stiff setae; right epandrial lamella with outer row of long, stiff setae and inner row of shorter, stout, stiff setae. Male with single, very long anterodorsal seta on mid tibia, female with pair of anterodorsal setae.

Bradley J. Sinclair, Rui Andrade, Ana Rita Gonçalves. 2025. Chillcottomyia Saigusa new to Europe (Diptera, Empidoidea, Hybotidae). Evolutionary Systematics 9(2): 167-172. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.9.165936

[Paleontology • 2025] Spicomellus afer • Extreme Armour in the World’s Oldest Ankylosaur

Spicomellus afer

Maidment, Strachan, Ouarhache, Scheyer, Brown, Fernandez, Johanson, Raven & Barrett, 2021

in Maidment, Ouarhache, Ech-charay, Oussou, Boumir, El Khanchoufi, ..., Barrett et Butler, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09453-6

Abstract

The armoured ankylosaurian dinosaurs are best known from Late Cretaceous Northern Hemisphere ecosystems, but their early evolution in the Early–Middle Jurassic is shrouded in mystery due to a poor fossil record. Spicomellus afer was suggested to be the world’s oldest ankylosaur and the first from Africa, but was based on only a single partial rib from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco. Here we describe a new, much more complete specimen that confirms the ankylosaurian affinities of Spicomellus, and demonstrates that it has uniquely elaborate dermal armour unlike that of any other vertebrate, extant or extinct. The presence of ‘handle’ vertebrae in the tail of Spicomellus indicates that it possessed a tail weapon, overturning current understanding of tail club evolution in ankylosaurs, as these structures were previously thought to have evolved only in the Early Cretaceous. This ornate armour may have functioned for display as well as defence, and a later reduction to simpler armour with less extravagant osteoderms in Late Cretaceous taxa might indicate a shift towards a primarily defensive function, perhaps in response to increased predation pressures or a switch to combative courtship displays.

Spicomellus afer Maidment, Strachan, Ouarhache, Scheyer, Brown, Fernandez, Johanson, Raven & Barrett, 2021

Susannah C. R. Maidment, Driss Ouarhache, Kawtar Ech-charay, Ahmed Oussou, Khadija Boumir, Abdessalam El Khanchoufi, Alison Park, Luke E. Meade, D. Cary Woodruff, Simon Wills, Mike Smith, Paul M. Barrett and Richard J. Butler. 2025. Extreme Armour in the World’s Oldest Ankylosaur. Nature. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09453-6 [27 August 2025]

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2025/august/bizarre-armoured-dinosaur-spicomellus-afer-rewrites-ankylosaur-evolution.html

[Botany • 2025] Santolina razaneae (Asteraceae) • A New steppic Species from Morocco

 

Santolina razaneae Homrani-Bakali, Chamboul. & Léger, 

 

in Homrani-Bakali, Chambouleyron et Léger, 2025. 

DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.693.3.4 

Abstract

Based on morphological characters, Santolina razaneae, a new Asteraceae species growing in the steppic habitats of eastern Morocco (Moulouya valley and High Plateaus), is described and illustrated. This species is distinguished from other Santolina species present in Morocco by its unique morphological traits, including elliptic leaflets and pinnate leaves with obtuse lobes, triangular, lacerate, and glabrous paleae, and florets with triangular, pale pinkish lobes. A key to the spontaneous Santolina species occurring in Morocco is provided. 

Compositae, Distribution, Endemics, Morphological traits, Taxonomy, Varieties, Eudicots

 

Santolina razaneae Homrani-Bakali, Chamboul. & Léger sp. nov.

Abdelmonaim HOMRANI BAKALI, Mathieu CHAMBOULEYRON and Jean-François LÉGER. 2025. Santolina razaneae (Asteraceae), A New steppic Species from Morocco. Phytotaxa. 693(3); 235-244. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.693.3.4 [2025-03-14]

 facebook.com/HomraniBakali

www.teline.fr/en/photos/asteraceae/santolina-razaneae

Researchgate.net/publication/389851037_Santolina_razaneae_a_new_steppic_species_from_Morocco

[Botany • 2025] Orobanche andryalae (Orobanchaceae) • A New Species from the Canary Islands

 

Orobanche andryalae C.J.Thorogood, M. Hernández González, Rumsey & Reyes-Bet.,

in Thorogood, Hernández González, Rumsey et Reyes-Betancort, 2025. 

 DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.252.141300

Abstract

A new species of Orobanche is described from the Canary Islands. The plant belongs to the complicated Subsection Minores and has a distinct combination of morphological features, ecology, and host specificity. The markedly cernuous corolla, high filament insertion and colouration distinguishes Orobanche andryalae from closely related species with which it has been previously confused, and which do not occur in the Canary Islands, including O. amethystea subsp. castellana and O. calendulae; these features remain stable in cultivation. Orobanche andryalae appears to be parasitic almost exclusively on Andryala spp., and occurs on thermophilus volcanic substrates in northern Lanzarote, northwest Tenerife and Jandía in Fuerteventura. An updated key to the Orobanche of the Canary Islands is presented, including the new taxon we describe here.

Key words: Andryala, broomrape, endemism, Macaronesia, parasitic plant

Orobanche andryalae 
A habit B lower stem C corolla D corolla cross section E carpel F stamen G calyx lobe H bract.

A Orobanche andryalae in cultivation at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden B O. amethystea in the Algarve, Portugal C O. calendulae in the Algarve, Portugal
D the habitat of O. andryalae in Lanzarote: volcanic cliffs (Famara area, northern Lanzarote) E O. andryalae in Lanzarote, with its host plant Andryala perezii F O. andryalae collected from Fuerteventura (putatively parasitising Asteriscus sericeus) G, H O. andryalae in northwest Tenerife growing on Andryala pinnatifida (the corolla dorsal line of the specimen in H is atypical in being less conspicuously cernuous).

 Orobanche andryalae C.J.Thorogood, M. Hernández González, Rumsey & Reyes-Bet., sp. nov.

Description: Stems 6–16(25) cm, glandular-hairy, pale orange to light reddish-brown. Stem scarcely swollen below; subterranean bracts broadly triangular, yellow; those above (reduced leaves) rather sparse, brown, 8–15 mm. Flowers 5–15(20), arranged on the upper quarter or third of the stem, lax. Bracts 10–12 mm, rather shorter than the corolla, broadly triangular, brown, glandular-hairy. Calyx 5–7 mm with segments fused, strongly unequal (rarely entire), not exceeding the corolla tube. Corolla 10–15 mm, pale yellow with faint reddish veins and scattered glandular hairs, strongly cernuous when mature, remaining so in fruit, sometimes abruptly geniculate; upper lip bilobed; lower lip 3-lobed, the lateral lobes slightly exceeding the central; all lobes minutely-toothed. Filaments sparsely hairy below, glabrous above; inserted conspicuously (c.5 mm) above the corolla base; anthers ± glabrous. Stigma lobes touching, mid to dark red-orange.

Etymology. Orobanche andryalae is named in accordance with its main host species, Andryala perezii.

 Chris J. Thorogood, Matías Hernández González, Fred J. Rumsey and Jorge Alfredo Reyes-Betancort. 2025. Orobanche andryalae (Orobanchaceae): A New Species from the Canary Islands. PhytoKeys. 252: 275-285. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.252.141300

[Entomology • 2024] Phylogeographic Analyses of western Palearctic Scaurus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) reveal undetected taxonomic substructure along the pre-Saharian Atlantic Coast of western Africa

[a–c] Scaurus gigas Waltl, 1835  and  [d–f] S. ferreri  Español, 1943.
Specimens photographed are from (a) Meia Praia, Lagos (Portugal), (b) Chipiona, Cádiz (Spain), (d) Aglou Plage (Morocco) and (e) Deghaimis (Morocco).
Landscape images represent (c) the northernmost range of S. gigas (near Sines, Portugal)
and (f) one of the northern locations of S. ferreri at Aglou Plage (Morocco).

in Duque-Amado, García-París et Sánchez-Vialas, 2024. 

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/asp.82.e132546

Abstract

Phylogeography stands as a key tool to explore evolutionary patterns and processes, playing a crucial role in delimiting evolutionary units. Identifying these units is essential for providing robust taxonomic decisions. In this study, we present a comprehensive phylogeographical framework of Scaurus uncinus (Forster, 1771) and Scaurus gigas Waltl, 1835 across the Iberian Peninsula and North-western Africa, where they are widely co-distributed, coexisting in several localities on both sides of Strait of Gibraltar. Our results show that the Strait of Gibraltar did not act as a geographical barrier for these species, revealing shared mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear alleles between populations on both sides. However, the Souss Valley in Morocco appears to have historically served as a significant geographical barrier within the S. gigas lineage, leading to the divergence of two morphologically distinct sublineages, one to the north (S. gigas) and the other to the south (S. ferreri stat. nov.). In addition, we point out a case of cytonuclear discordance between S. uncinus and S. gigas in the southwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting the occurrence of an ancient event of genetic introgression between the two species.

Keywords: Allele networks, cyto-nuclear discordances gene flow, genetic isolation, haplotype networks, introgression, mitochondrial DNA

Live specimens and typical habitat of Scaurus gigas (a–c) and S. ferreri (d–f).
Specimens photographed are from (a) Meia Praia, Lagos (Portugal), (b) Chipiona, Cádiz (Spain), (d) Aglou Plage (Morocco) and (e) Deghaimis (Morocco).
Landscape images represent (c) the northernmost range of S. gigas (near Sines, Portugal) and (f) one of the northern locations of S. ferreri at Aglou Plage (Morocco).  

Carmen Duque-Amado, Mario García-París, Alberto Sánchez-Vialas. 2024. Phylogeographic Analyses of western Palearctic Scaurus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) reveal undetected taxonomic substructure along the pre-Saharian Atlantic Coast of western Africa. Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny. 82: 707-717. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/asp.82.e132546