[Herpetology • 2012] Rediscovery and Redescription of the Holotype of Lygosoma vittigerum (= Lipinia vittigera) Boulenger, 1894

Abstract

We report about the rediscovery of the holotype of the Southeast Asian striped skink Lipinia vittigera and provide a detailed redescription together with photographs and drawings. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1894 as Lygosoma vittigerum based on a specimen collected by Elio Modigliani on the island of Sereinu (= Sipura), west of Sumatra. The original type specimen was considered to be lost for more than a century and was recently rediscovered in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale “Giacomo Doria” (MSNG) in Genova, Italy.

Keywords: holotype, rediscovery, re-description, Lipinia, skink, Squamata, Indonesia

Yannick Bucklitsch, Peter Geissler, Timo Hartmann, Giuliano Doria and André Koch. 2012. Rediscovery and Redescription of the Holotype of Lygosoma vittigerum (= Lipinia vittigera) Boulenger, 1894. Acta Herpetologica. 7(2): 325-329

http://www.zfmk.de/web/ZFMK_Mitarbeiter/KochAndr/Publikation_neu/Bucklitsch_etal_2012_Lipinia_vittigera.pdf

http://www.fupress.net/index.php/ah/article/view/11037

[Herpetology • 2011] The Terrestrial Reptile Fauna of the Biosphere Reserve Cat Ba Archipelago, Hai Phong, northeastern Vietnam

Abstract

A total of 40 species of reptiles was recorded within two herpetological surveys during May 2007 and April 2008 on Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong, northeastern Vietnam: one species of turtle, 19 species of lizards, and 20 species of snakes. Nineteen species (47.5%) were new records for the island. Compared with previous herpetological surveys on Cat Ba Island, the diversity of terrestrial reptiles recorded during our field work was five times higher than given in Darevsky (1990) and two times higher than indicated by Nguyen & Shim (1997). Taxonomic comparisons revealed that one lizard is endemic, the eublepharid gecko Goniurosaurus catbaensis (Ziegler et al. 2008), and another new skink species, Sphenomorphus tonkinensis (Nguyen et al. 2011); the divergent status of other squamate species (e.g., Pareas cf. hamptoni, Viridovipera cf. stejnegeri) is still under examination.

Key words: Vietnam, Cat Ba Archipelago, Diversity, new record 

T.Q. Nguyen (Nguyễn), R. Stenke, H.X. Nguyen (Nguyễn) & T. Ziegler. 2011. The Terrestrial Reptile Fauna of the Biosphere Reserve Cat Ba Archipelago, Hai Phong, Vietnam. Bonner Zoologische Monographien. (57)

http://frogblogmanchester.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/nguyen-et-al-2011-reptile-diversity-cat-ba-archipelago.pdf

http://www.terrario-suisse.ch/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=7768

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] Panthera blytheae • Himalayan Fossils of the Oldest known Pantherine establish Ancient Origin of Big Cats

A reconstruction of the newly discovered species Panthera blytheae, based on a skull discovered in Tibet that is estimated to be between four and five million years old.

Illustration by Mauricio Antón | DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.2686 

Abstract

Pantherine felids (‘big cats’) include the largest living cats, apex predators in their respective ecosystems. They are also the earliest diverging living cat lineage, and thus are important for understanding the evolution of all subsequent felid groups. Although the oldest pantherine fossils occur in Africa, molecular phylogenies point to Asia as their region of origin. This paradox cannot be reconciled using current knowledge, mainly because early big cat fossils are exceedingly rare and fragmentary. Here, we report the discovery of a fossil pantherine from the Tibetan Himalaya, with an age of Late Miocene–Early Pliocene, replacing African records as the oldest pantherine. A ‘total evidence’ phylogenetic analysis of pantherines indicates that the new cat is closely related to the snow leopard and exhibits intermediate characteristics on the evolutionary line to the largest cats. Historical biogeographic models provide robust support for the Asian origin of pantherines. The combined analyses indicate that 75% of the divergence events in the pantherine lineage extended back to the Miocene, up to 7 Myr earlier than previously estimated. The deeper evolutionary origin of big cats revealed by the new fossils and analyses indicate a close association between Tibetan Plateau uplift and diversification of the earliest living cats.

Subject Areas: evolution, palaeontology, taxonomy and systematics

Keywords: first appearance, Himalaya, Pantherinae, Felidae, Miocene, Asia

Z. Jack Tseng, Xiaoming Wang, Graham J. Slater, Gary T. Takeuchi, Qiang Li, Juan Liu and Guangpu Xie. 2013. Himalayan Fossils of the Oldest known Pantherine establish Ancient Origin of Big Cats. Proc. R. Soc. B. 281: 20132686. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2686

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ck5TQJAwfaA
Step by step reconstruction of the new species of fossil pantherine cat from Tibet.
via Mauricio Anton  

This Fossil Skull Unearthed in Tibet Is the Oldest Big Cat Ever Found

 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2013/11/this-fossil-skull-unearthed-in-tibet-is-the-oldest-big-cat-ever-found/   @SmithsonianMag 

Discovery of world's oldest big cat fossil suggests predator evolved in Asia

Nearly complete skull of creature similar to a snow leopard discovered in Tibet is estimated to be 4.4m years old

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/13/oldest-big-cat-fossil-tibet-predator-asia

 http://news.yahoo.com/oldest-big-cat-fossils-discovered-tibet-003235854.html

Ancient Cat May Reshape Feline Family Tree

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2013/11/ancient-cat-may-reshape-feline-family-tree

http://lacmvp.blogspot.com

_____________________

Ji H. Mazák, Per Christiansen and Andrew C. Kitchener. 2011. Oldest Known Pantherine Skull and Evolution of the Tiger. 

DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025483

[Ichthyology / Genome • 2013] The African Coelacanth Latimeria chalumnae Genome provides insights into Tetrapod Evolution

An African coelacanth and diver photographed by Laurent Ballesta in Sodwana Bay, South Africa. The African Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) attracted international attention when a specimen was netted off the South African coast in 1938, as coelacanths were thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago. Now its genome has been sequenced. Phylogenomic analysis resolves the long-standing question of which lobe-finned fish is the closest living relative of the land vertebrates — it is the lungfish, and not the coelacanth. The protein-coding genes of the coelacanth are slowly evolving, which perhaps explains how similar today’s coelacanth looks to its 300-million-year-old fossil ancestors. Examination of changes in genes and regulatory elements shows the importance of factors including brain and fin development, immunity and nitrogen excretion in the adaptation of vertebrates to land. Cover: Laurent Ballesta/Andromède Collection

The African Coelacanth Genome 

provides insights into Tetrapod Evolution

Chris T. Amemiya, Jessica Alföldi, Alison P. Lee, Shaohua Fan, Hervé Philippe, Iain MacCallum, Ingo Braasch, Tereza Manousaki, Igor Schneider, Nicolas Rohner, Chris Organ, Domitille Chalopin,  Jeramiah J. Smith, Mark Robinson, Rosemary A. Dorrington, Marco Gerdol, Bronwen Aken, Maria Assunta Biscotti,  Marco Barucca,  Denis Baurain, Aaron M. Berlin, Gregory L. Blatch, Francesco Buonocore, Thorsten Burmester and Michael S. Campbell. 2013.  The African Coelacanth Genome provides insights into Tetrapod Evolution. Nature. 496: 311-316. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12027

http://nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7445/

http://nature.com/nature/journal/v496/n7445/full/nature12027.html

http://evolutionsbiologie.uni-konstanz.de/?section=136

[Ichthyology • 2013] Tetraodon barbatus | ปลาปักเป้าปากดำ • Validation of Tetraodon barbatus Roberts, 1998, a Freshwater Pufferfish (Family Tetraodontidae) from the Mekong River

Abstract

 The freshwater pufferfish, Tetraodon barbatus Roberts, 1998, previously considered as a synonym of Tetraodon cambodgiensis Chabanaud, 1923, is validated. It differs distinctly from T. cambodgiensis by the combination of characters of that its caudal peduncle is smooth without small spinules and the head is broader (head width at preorbital, post orbital and nape: 54.1–59.8, 69.1–77.8 and 76.5–86.8 % head length (HL), respectively, in T. barbatus vs. 48.7–53.3, 60.2–64.3 and 68.5–74.3 %HL, respectively, in T. cambodgiensis). 

Key words: Tetraodon barbatus, valid species, Mekong River 

Geographic distribution.– T. barbatus is only known from the middle and lower Mekong basin (Roberts, 1998). The data from the field trips in Mekong basin of Thailand revealed that T. barbatus is not only found in Mekong mainstream but also in its larger tributaries, especially in places with rocky, sandy or muddy substrate. Moreover, T. barbatus inhabits rapids and is often found in the same habitat as T. suvattii and T. baileyi.

Pasakorn Saenjundaeng, Chaiwut Grudpun and Chavalit Vidthayanon. 2013. Validation of Tetraodon barbatus Roberts, 1998, a Freshwater Pufferfish (Family Tetraodontidae) from the Mekong River. Tropical Natural History. 13(2): 77-85

http://www.biology.sc.chula.ac.th/TNH/TNH_13_2/77-85%20Saenjundaeng.pdf

[Herpetology • 2013] Taxonomic Status and Distribution of Leptobrachium smithi Matsui, Nabhitabhata & Panha, 1999 (Anura: Megophryidae) in India with New Locality Records

Leptobrachium smithi from Northeast India 

Abstract

 The Megophrid genus Leptobrachium Tschudi, 1838 represents a group of megophryid frogs characterized by a stocky body with wide head, slender, long forelimbs, and short hindlimbs. Currently the genus is represented by 32 species, of which two have been reported from India. Recently, in describing L. rakhinensis from Rakhini State of Myanmar, Wogan (2012) suggested the presence of the species also in India because the Rakhini Hills are biogeographically contiguous to Assam Hills of Northeast India. 

Comparing the detailed morphometry and colour pattern of L. rakhinensis and L. smithi with the Northeast India populations of Leptobrachium, we conclude that the Northeast Indian populations closely resemble L. smithi in all aspects, and we recommend to apply the nomen L. smithi for those populations. 

Key words: Taxonomy; Leptobrachium smithi; distribution; Northeast India

Dipankar Dutta, Abhijit Das, Amalesh Dutta, Jayanta Gogoi and Saibal Sengupta. 2013. Taxonomic Status and Distribution of Leptobrachium smithi Matsui, Nabhitabhata & Panha, 1999 (Anura: Megophryidae) in India with New Locality Records. Tropical Natural History. 13(2): 87-95

http://www.biology.sc.chula.ac.th/TNH/TNH_13_2/87-95%20Dutta.pdf

[Herpetology • 2012] Leptobrachium rakhinensis • A New Species of Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from Myanmar

Leptobrachium rakhinensis Wogan, 2012

Abstract

The faunal composition of the Myanmar populations of frogs in the genus Leptobrachium has been confused historically. The secretive nature of these frogs in combination with few systematic surveys throughout Myanmar has meant that sampling is sparse, not allowing for robust examination of morphological variation. Recent survey efforts in conjunction with historical collections have yielded for the first time a chance to evaluate the diversity of the genus Leptobrachium within Myanmar. While three allopatric populations of Leptobrachium species were discovered and all are distinguishable based on morphological differences, genetic analyses support that only one is distinct. A new species with a red and black bicolored iris with a blue scleral arc is described herein. In addition to the new species, a new country record is also reported.

Key words: Asia, Megophryidae, Myanmar, Burma

Leptobrachium rakhinensis Wogan, 2012

Synonymies: Leptobrachium hasseltii Frost, Grant, Faivovich, Bain, Haas, Haddad, De Sa, Channing, Wilkinson, Donnellan, Raxworthy, Campbell, Blotto, Moier, Drewes, Nussbaum, Lynch, Green, Wheeler. 2006: Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural Hististory. 297: 50 Leptobrachium sp. 3 Matsui, Hamidy, Murphy, Khonsue, Yambum, Shimada, Ahmad, Belabut, Jiang. 2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56: 262, 263, 265, 267, 270. 

Holotype: CAS 222296, adult male collected in Myanmar, Rakhine State, Gwa Township, Rakhine Yoma Elephant Sanctuary, on April 27, 2001, by J. B. Slowinski, G. O. U. Wogan, Htun Win,
Thin Thin, Kyi Soe Lwin, Awan Khwi Shein, and Hla Tun.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the name of the mountain range (The Rakhine Yoma) and

political province (Rakhine State) where this species was first encountered

Natural history and reproductive behavior. This species inhabits low elevation monsoonal rainforest, and

has been found in the Myanmar Coastal Rainforest and Mizarom-Manipur Kachin Rainforest ecoregions (Olson et al., 2001). The holotype was found moving in thick leaf litter or among rocks in small waterfalls in streams. The paratypes were found in primary evergreen rain forest. Two individuals (not collected) were observed being preyed upon by a large centipede (Scolopendromorpha; Scolopendra). In both instances the centipede had eaten the legs off of the frog. 

Not much is known about the reproductive behavior of this species. Males were observed calling from the

ground in leaf litter in September (end of monsoon season). Females collected in September were gravid; the eggs of the species are cream colored, not bicolored. 

Range. In Myanmar this species has been found in the Rakhine Hills (in Rakhine and Bago States) (Figure 6). Outside of Myanmar it may also occur in N.E. India and Bangladesh (see discussion).

Wogan, G.O.U. 2012. A New Species of Leptobrachium from Myanmar (Anura: Megophryidae). Zootaxa. 3415: 23-36. 

http://guinwogan.com/Publications3_files/2012_Wogan_Zootaxa.pdf

[News • 2013] New populations of Indochina’s Rarest Deer, Endangered Hog Deer Axis porcinus annamiticus (or Hyelaphus annamiticus), discovered in Cambodia

New populations of Indochina’s rarest deer discovered in Cambodia

Surveys confirm three populations of the Endangered hog deer in Cambodia

A joint team from the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) and Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have found three previously unknown populations of the Endangered hog deer in Cambodia.

The hog deer, today listed as Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, once ranged throughout large areas of South and mainland Southeast Asia, but has suffered regional population decimations due to hunting, habitat loss and degradation. Cambodia is home to the only known wild populations of the Axis porcinus annamiticus (or Hyelaphus annamiticus) subspecies of the deer.

A field team, funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, conducted interview surveys in local villages, following up on hog deer reports with rapid field surveys looking for tracks or dung.

...........

http://www.fauna-flora.org/news/new-populations-of-indochina’s-rarest-deer-discovered-in-cambodia/

[Crustacea • 2013] A Crab with Three Eyes, Two Rostra, and a Dorsal Antenna-like Structure | malformed freshwater crab Amarinus lacustris from New Zealand

Highlights

• We describe a crab with three eyes, two rostra, and a dorsal antenna-like structure.

• An inspection of internal features revealed a brain with enlarged protocerebrum.

• The putative causes for this kind of malformation are discussed.

• A scenario combining a conjoined twin with a regeneration event seems most likely.

Abstract

We describe a malformed specimen of the freshwater crab Amarinus lacustris from New Zealand. With three eyes in a horizontal row, two rostra, and a dorsal antenna-like structure, the pattern of malformation of this animal is unique and has not been described before. A careful inspection and description of external and internal structures, in particular the central nervous system, were carried out. These revealed, in addition to the external abnormalities, a retarded brain with a hypertrophied and backwards bent protocerebrum connected with all three eyes and putatively with the dorsal antenna-like structure. Based on these data, a variety of hypotheses about the causes for this kind of malformation are discussed. A scenario combining a conjoined twin (Duplicitas anterior) based on the duplication of the embryonic anterior head lobes and a regeneration event leading to the replacement of an eye by an antenna shows the best fit to the observed patterns.

Keywords: Crustacea Decapoda; Siamese twins; regeneration; brain; development

Gerhard Scholtz, Peter K.L. Ng and Stephen Moore. 2013. A Crab with Three Eyes, Two Rostra, and a Dorsal Antenna-like Structure. Arthropod Structure & Development. 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2013.10.007

Blinky the crab has three eyes

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24550-blinky-the-crab-has-three-eyes.html 

[PaleoEntomology • 2013] Anthoscytina perpetua | Forever Love: The Hitherto Earliest Record of Copulating Insects from the Middle Jurassic of China

Anthoscytina perpetua's 'Forever Love' Reconstruction

Anthoscytina perpetua Li, Shih et Ren, sp. nov.

holotype. male, on the right (CNU-HEM-NN2012002 p) and allotype. female, on the left (CNU-HEM-NN2012003 p).  A, photograph of habitus. B, ecological reconstruction

Abstract

Background

Mating behaviors have been widely studied for extant insects. However, cases of mating individuals are particularly rare in the fossil record of insects, and most of them involved preservation in amber while only in rare cases found in compression fossils. This considerably limits our knowledge of mating position and genitalia orientation during the Mesozoic, and hinders our understanding of the evolution of mating behaviors in this major component of modern ecosystems.

Principal Finding

Here we report a pair of copulating froghoppers, Anthoscytina perpetua sp. nov., referable to the Procercopidae, from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China. They exhibit belly-to-belly mating position as preserved, with male's aedeagus inserting into the female's bursa copulatrix. Abdominal segments 8 to 9 of male are disarticulated suggesting these segments were twisted and flexed during mating. Due to potential taphonomic effect, we cannot rule out that they might have taken side-by-side position, as in extant froghoppers. Genitalia of male and female, based on paratypes, show symmetric structures.

Conclusions/Significance

Our findings, consistent with those of extant froghoppers, indicate froghoppers' genitalic symmetry and mating position have remained static for over 165 million years.

Figure 1. Anthoscytina perpetua Li, Shih et Ren, sp. nov. 
A–D, holotype. male, on the right (CNU-HEM-NN2012002 p) and allotype. female, on the left (CNU-HEM-NN2012003 p). A, photograph of habitus. B, 3-D ecological reconstruction. C, photograph of male and female genitalia in copulation, under alcohol. D, interpretative drawing of C. E, paratype. CNU-HEM-NN2010003, interpretative drawings of venations of the forewing and hind wing. pyg., pygofer; atb., anal tube; phb., phallobase; cc., corpus connective; pht., phallotrema; sp., sclerotized process; gy., gonapophyses.

Scale bars = 1 mm (A, C, D, E).

doi: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078188.g001

Systematic Palaeontology

Order Hemiptera Linnaeus, 1758

Suborder Cicadomorpha Evans, 1946

Superfamily Cercopoidea Leach, 1815

Family Procercopidae Handlirsch, 1906

Genus Anthoscytina Hong, 1983

Type species. Anthoscytina longa Hong, 1983 

(Middle Jurassic of Haifanggou, Beipiao City, Liaoning, China).

Other included species.

A. reducta (Becker-Migdisova, 1949) (Lower Jurassic of Kyzyl-Kiya, Kyrgyzstan);

 A. daica Shcherbakov, 1988 (Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous, 

Glushkovo Formation of Chita, Siberia, Russia); 

A. parallelica Ren, Lu, et Guo, 1995 (Middle Jurassic of Zhouyingzi, Hebei, China); and 

A. aphthosa Ren, Yin, et Dou, 1998 (Lower Cretaceous, Yixian Formation of Beipiao, China); and 

Anthoscytina perpetua Li, Shih et Ren, sp. nov.

Etymology: From the Latin perpet, eternal love, in reference to this everlasting copulation.

Shu Li, Chungkun Shih, Chen Wang, Hong Pang and Dong Ren. 2013. Forever Love: The Hitherto Earliest Record of Copulating Insects from the Middle Jurassic of China. PLoS ONE. 8(11): e78188. 

dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078188

[Paleontology • 2013] Lythronax argestes | 'King of Gore' | a new tyrannosaurid from the Wahweap formation of southern Utah • Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans

Life Reconstruction of the newly named tyrannosaur Lythronax argestes.

Illustration: Andrey Atuchin

Abstract

The Late Cretaceous (~95–66 million years ago) western North American landmass of Laramidia displayed heightened non-marine vertebrate diversity and intracontinental regionalism relative to other latest Cretaceous Laurasian ecosystems. Processes generating these patterns during this interval remain poorly understood despite their presumed role in the diversification of many clades. Tyrannosauridae, a clade of large-bodied theropod dinosaurs restricted to the Late Cretaceous of Laramidia and Asia, represents an ideal group for investigating Laramidian patterns of evolution. We use new tyrannosaurid discoveries from Utah—including a new taxon which represents the geologically oldest member of the clade—to investigate the evolution and biogeography of Tyrannosauridae. These data suggest a Laramidian origin for Tyrannosauridae, and implicate sea-level related controls in the isolation, diversification, and dispersal of this and many other Late Cretaceous vertebrate clades.

Skull reconstructions and selected cranial elements of Lythronax argestes.

DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079420

Lythronax argestes

Loewen, Irmis, Sertich, Currie & Sampson 2013

Etymology: Lythronax, from lythron (Greek), gore, and anax (Greek), king; and argestes (Greek), the Homeric wind from the southwest, in reference to the geographic location of the specimen within North America.

Skeletal reconstruction of Lythronax (A) and Teratophoneus (B)Reconstructed skeletons of Lythronax argestes (UMNH VP 20200) and (B) Teratophoneus curriei (UMNH VP 16690), with the respective postcranial material (C-M for Teratophoneus and N-P for Lythronax)

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079420

Mark A. Loewen,  Randall B. Irmis, Joseph J. W. Sertich, Philip J. Currie and Scott D. Sampson. 2013. Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans. PLoS ONE. 8(11): e79420. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079420

Thomas D. Carr, Thomas E. Williamson, Brooks B. Britt and Ken Stadtman. 2011. Evidence for high taxonomic and morphologic tyrannosauroid diversity in the Late Cretaceous (Late Campanian) of the American Southwest and a new short-skulled tyrannosaurid from the Kaiparowits formation of Utah. Naturwissenschaften 98 (3): 241–246. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-011-0762-7

Lythronax argestes the "King of Gore"

A new species of Tyrannosaur recently uncovered in the badlands of Utah.

 youtube.com/watch?v=gHb5BX4LEis

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151742559931088

http://www.aamulehti.fi/Ulkomaat/1194851083868/artikkeli/utahista+loytyi+uusi+tyrannosauruslaji+sukua+t+rexille+katso+kuvat.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/520097/20131106/king-gore-tyrannosaurus-rex-forefather-lythronax-argestes.htm

Lythronax: a new tyrant and the spread of the tyrannosaurs

A newly named tyrannosaur dinosaur supports the idea that the evolution of these animals was more provincial than previously thought

All hail the Southern King of Gore – Lythronax argestes. As names go in palaeontology that’s a superb entry and one that has more than a nice ring to it. While it is true that new dinosaurs are named all the time, new tyrannosaurs are generally considered rather special since they are not common, and the charisma of the group remains undimmed. Thus the naming of Lythronax in the journal PLOS ONE is unsurprisingly popular, but the animal has way more going for it than a cool name.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/06/lythronax-argestes-tyrannosaurs

[Paleontology • 2013] Tooth Loss and Alveolar Remodeling in Sinosaurus triassicus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the lower Jurassic Strata of the Lufeng Basin, China

 Abstract

Pathological or traumatic loss of teeth often results in the resorption and remodeling of the affected alveoli in mammals. However, instances of alveolar remodeling in reptiles are rare. A remodeled alveolus in the maxilla of the Chinese theropod Sinosaurus (Lower Jurassic Lower Lufeng Formation) is the first confirmed example of such dental pathology in a dinosaur. Given the known relationship between feeding behavior and tooth damage in theropods (teeth with spalled enamel, tooth crowns embedded in bone) and the absence of dentary, maxillary, and premaxillary osteomyelitis, traumatic loss of a tooth is most likely the cause of alveolar remodeling. Based on the extent of remodeling, the injury and subsequent tooth loss were non-fatal in this individual.

Palaeopathological characters of the right maxilla of Sinosaurus triassicus

 LiDa Xing, Phil R. Bell, Bruce M. Rothschild, Hao Ran, JianPing Zhang, ZhiMing Dong, Wei Zhang and Philip J. Currie. 2013. Tooth Loss and Alveolar Remodeling in Sinosaurus triassicus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the lower Jurassic Strata of the Lufeng Basin, China. Chinese Science Bulletin. 58(66); 1931-1935.  DOI: 10.1007/s11434-013-5765-7

http://tech.gmw.cn/2013-10/08/content_9100935_7.htm

http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.com/2013/06/dental-pathology-in-jurassic-theropod.html

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] Obdurodon tharalkooschild • A New, Giant Platypus (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae) from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia

Obdurodon tharalkooschild, a middle to late Cenozoic giant toothed platypus from the the World Heritage fossil deposits of Riversleigh, Australia. At about one meter (more than 3 feet) in length and with powerful teeth (inset: the holotype, a first lower molar), it would have been capable of killing much larger prey, such as lungfish and even small turtles, than its much smaller living relative.

 Illustration: Peter Schouten.

Fossil of Largest Known Platypus Discovered in Australia

  — No living mammal is more peculiar than the platypus. It has a broad, duck-like bill, thick, otter-like fur, and webbed, beaver-like feet. The platypus lays eggs rather than gives birth to live young, its snout is covered with electroreceptors that detect underwater prey, and male platypuses have a venomous spur on their hind foot. Until recently, the fossil record indicated that the platypus lineage was unique, with only one species inhabiting Earth at any one time. This picture has changed with the publication of a new study in the latest issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology that describes a new, giant species of extinct platypus that was a side-branch of the platypus family tree.

......................

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131104152715.htm

http://www.agenciasinc.es/Noticias/Un-ornitorrinco-gigante-habitaba-Australia-hace-entre-15-y-5-millones-de-anos

Giant turtle-devouring duck-billed platypus discovered

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1104-hance-giant-platypus.html

Pian, R., M. Archer, and S.J. Hand. 2013. A New, Giant Platypus, Obdurodon tharalkooschild, sp. nov. (Monotremata, Ornithorhynchidae), from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, Australia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 33(6):1-5.

[Paleontology • 2013] Dimetrodon - Diplocaulus interaction | Finned Monster Chomped Heads Off Ancient Amphibians

An illustration of Dimetrodon extracting an unfortunate boomerang-head amphibian from its burrow. Shed teeth mingled with amphibian bones reveal that the fin-back ate these strange burrowing creatures in the Permian period.

Illustration: Robert Bakker

Finned Monster Chomped Heads Off Ancient Amphibians

— Talk about a creature feature: A bizarre boomerang-headed amphibian that burrowed in a seasonal pond in what is now Texas often met its doom in the jaws of a reptilian fin-backed mammalian ancestor, new fossils reveal.  

These two weird critters were residents of the Permian period 298 million to 250 million years ago, before dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Dimetrodon, the jaguar-size finback, looked like a lizard but was actually more closely related to modern mammals. Diplocaulus, the boomerang-head, was a truly strange amphibian with an impractically wide, bony skull.

"It's just so weird," said study researcher Robert Bakker, the curator of paleontology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. "This is an example of unintelligent design."


Unintelligent though a broad head may have been for a burrowing creature, the boomerang-head managed to survive for 45 million years during the Permian, a period known for its extinctions, Bakker told LiveScience.

Bakker and his colleagues discovered the Dimetrodon and Diplocaulus interaction in the Craddock bone bed in Baylor County, Texas. The bone bed is scattered with the bodies of boomerang-heads, curled in what were once burrows. The amphibians seem to have burrowed into the mud to survive the dry season, the researchers reported here Monday (Oct. 28) at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

"The bed had a reputation of just being a stewpot with everything mixed together," Bakker said. "That's totally wrong. It's beautifully layered."

The excavations revealed that boomerang-heads were common in the pond — and that something was snacking on them.

"We have hundreds of these, mostly chewed, and even the guys in burrows got attacked," Bakker said.

The shed teeth, "like bullets in a crime scene," revealed the attacker to be Dimetrodon, he said. The finback's sharp fangs and long snout would have enabled it to bite boomerang-heads hiding in burrows, perhaps after partially excavating them with its sharp, digging claws.

One cluster of eight juvenile boomerang-heads was found stacked together, suggesting they all occupied the same burrow. Dimetrodon likely killed the top three, including one whose nose was bitten clean off (taking part of the brain with it). The other five boomerang-heads survived the Dimetrodon, only to perish during the next dry season, Bakker said.

The find corroborates a theory first posited by famed paleontologist E. C. Olson, who argued that Dimetrodon must have eaten the boomerang-headed amphibians.

"[Dimetrodons are] the equivalent of Velociraptor and T. rex, you'd think they'd be eating big plant-eaters," Bakker said. But there weren't many big plant-eaters in the Permian era, so Dimetrodon ate smaller amphibians instead. (The largest Diplocaulus skull ever found measured about 17 inches (43 centimeters) across, Bakker said.)

Finned monster chomped heads off ancient amphibians

http://www.livescience.com/40842-finned-monster-chomped-heads-off-ancient-amphibians.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/finned-monster-chomped-heads-ancient-amphibians-8C11511627

[Crustacea • 2013] A New Record of the Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium spinipes (Schenkel, 1902) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from Taiwan, with notes on its taxonomy

Macrobrachium spinipes (Schenkel, 1902) is recorded from Taiwan for the first time and extends the distribution of the species to north of the Tropic of Cancer

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151978915599672

Abstract

The giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium spinipes (Schenkel, 1902) is recorded from Taiwan for the first time and extends the distribution of the species to north of the Tropic of Cancer. The Taiwanese specimens differ slightly from material from Indonesian Papua in the density of the spination of the adult second pereipods, the relative length of the ridge of the posterior submedian plate of thoracite sternite 4, and the color of the carapace, abdomen and pleural condyles.

Keywords: Crustacea, Caridea, Macrobrachium spinipes, new record, Taiwan

Shy, J.Y., Wowor, D. and Ng, P.K.L. 2013. A New Record of the Giant Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium spinipes (Schenkel, 1902) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae) from Taiwan, with notes on its taxonomy. Zootaxa. 3734(1): 45-55. 

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3734.1.5

http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03734p055f.pdf