[Ichthyology • 2013] Two new species of Snappers (Lutjanidae: Lutjanus) from the Indo-West Pacific ; Lutjanus indicus from Indian Ocean & L. papuensis from western Pacific

Abstract

Two new species of snappers, genus Lutjanus, are described from Indo-West Pacific seas. Lutjanus indicus is described from 20 specimens, 54.7–226 mm SL, from western Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain. It has also been photographed at Oman and the Andaman Islands (tissue sample also taken). It has invariably been confused with its sibling species, L. russellii, from the western Pacific. Comparison of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) genetic marker utilised in DNA barcoding produced a genetic divergence of about 4.1 % between L. indicus and its closest congener, L. russellii. In addition, significant colour differences are useful for separating the two species, specifically a series of seven narrow yellow-to-brown stripes on the side, obliquely rising (except lower two) dorsally and posteriorly, which are present on both juveniles and adults of L. indicus. Lutjanus papuensis is described from four specimens, 173–259 mm SL, collected at Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua and purchased from fish markets at Bali and western Java, Indonesia. It has also been observed at Timor Leste, northern Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It is most closely related to L. bitaeniatus from eastern Indonesia and north-western Australia, but differs notably by its unique colour pattern (bluish to grey on upper side, yellow-orange below lateral line with bright yellow anal and pelvic fins), wider interorbital, deeper body shape, and flatter snout-forehead profile. Its status was also confirmed by genetic analysis. Comparison of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) genetic marker utilised in DNA barcoding produced a genetic divergence of about 2.7 and 3.9 % between L. papuensis and its closest congeners, L. bitaeniatus and L. lemniscatus, respectively.

Key words: snappers, Lutjanus, Lutjanidae, new species, reef fish, taxonomy, DNA barcoding, Indo-Pacific.

Lutjanus indicus, n. sp.

Etymology. The species is named indicus with reference to its Indian Ocean distribution

Distribution and habitat. The new species is known with certainty from the northern continental margin of the Indian Ocean including western Thailand, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Sri Lanka, India, Gulf of Oman (Randall 1995), and Arabian Gulf. Allen and Talbot (1985) recorded L. russellii from the southern Red Sea, Zanzibar, South Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar, and Mauritius, and we provisionally include these records as L. indicus, but the status of the Red Sea and western Indian Ocean population needs to be reassessed, preferably utilising genetic analysis.

We observed this species in coral-reef habitat at western Thailand, Myanmar, and the Andaman Islands. It was generally encountered solitary or in small groups in about 5–15 m depth. It is also taken by trawlers in deeper water (to at least 50 m) and regularly appears in fish markets. There is scant information on juvenile habitat, but we suspect it is similar to that of L. russellii young, which consists of brackish mangrove estuaries and lower reaches of freshwater streams.

Lutjanus papuensis, n. sp.

Etymology. The species is named papuensis after the West Papuan location where it was first collected. Also, West Papua (particularly Cenderawasih Bay) appears to be the stronghold of the distribution, judging from its abundance compared to other locations within the known range. The species was also referred to as the Papuan Snapper by Allen and Erdmann (2012).

Distribution and habitat. Allen and Erdmann (2012) reported this species from Indonesia (West Papua Province), Papua New Guinea (Manus Island and Milne Bay Province), and the Solomon Islands (Malaita, Santa Ysabel, and New Georgia). In addition, M. Erdmann observed a single individual at Timor Leste during a 2012 survey. Although two of the paratypes were purchased at fish markets in Bali and western Java, their exact origin is uncertain, given that fishes entering these markets can be caught throughout the Indonesian Archipelago. 

The habitat consists of coastal fringing reefs in about 6–15 m depth. It is generally seen solitarily or in small groups. Cenderawasih Bay in West Papua Province, Indonesia is the only location where we have seen it on a regular basis. Otherwise, it is generally rare. Only six individuals were encountered during a month-long survey by G. Allen at the Solomon Islands in 2004. We have not encountered any juvenile fish or subadults under about 150 mm SL despite considerable searching. It appears likely they are confined to a particular habitat not frequented by divers, perhaps either dense mangroves or deeper reefs (i.e. below 70 m).

Allen, G.R., W.T. White & M.V. Erdmann. 2013. Two new species of snappers (Pisces: Lutjanidae: Lutjanus) from the Indo-West Pacific. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation.  6: 33-51.

http://www.oceansciencefoundation.org/josf/josf6c.pdf

[Ichthyology • 2012] Paracaesio brevidentata • a new snapper (Lutjanidae: Apsilinae) from southeastern Indonesia

Paracaesio brevidentata

by reefbuilders.com

Abstract

Paracaesio brevidentata, a new species of apsiline lutjanid fish from southeastern Indonesia, is described, bringing the total number of known species in this deepwater snapper genus to nine. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: very small teeth in jaws without enlarged canines, tubular lateral-line scales 71–73, pectoral-fin rays 18 or 19, caudal fin deeply forked, penultimate rays of soft dorsal and anal fins not longer than adjacent rays, snout short, maxilla scaly and body purplish brown and caudal fin reddish with upper and lower lobes similar in colour. Members of the genus are distinguished in a key. A specimen of Paracaesio caerulea from southeastern Indonesia represents the first record of this species from Indonesian waters.

Key words: Paracaesio, Lutjanidae, new species, new distribution record, Indonesia, Lombok

White, W.T. and Last, P.R. 2012. Paracaesio brevidentata n. sp., a new snapper (Lutjanidae: Apsilinae) from Indonesia. Zootaxa, 3418: 51-60.

http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2012/f/z03418p060f.pdf

http://reefbuilders.com/2012/08/16/eviota-kermadecensis-paracaesio-brevidentata-species-reef-fish/

[Paleontology • 2013] Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand of England

The holotypes of the species recognized as valid by the researchers, put to the same scale, illustrate how diverse this pterosaur fauna was.

Abstract

Over a decade after the last major review of the Cambridge Greensand pterosaurs, their systematics remains one of the most disputed points in pterosaur taxonomy. Ornithocheiridae is still a wastebasket for fragmentary taxa, and some nomenclatural issues are still a problem. Here, the species from the Cretaceous of England that, at some point, were referred in Ornithocheirus, are reviewed. Investigation of the primary literature confirmed that Criorhynchus should be considered an objective junior synonym of Ornithocheirus. 

Taxonomic review of more than 30 species known from fragmentary remains showed that 16 of them are undiagnosable (nomina dubia): Palaeornis cliftii, Cimoliornis diomedeus, Pterodactylus compressirostris, Pterodactylus fittoni, Pterodactylus woodwardi, Ornithocheirus brachyrhinus, Ornithocheirus carteri, Ornithocheirus crassidens, Ornithocheirus dentatus, Ornithocheirus enchorhynchus, Ornithocheirus eurygnathus, Ornithocheirus oxyrhinus, Ornithocheirus scaphorhynchus, Ornithocheirus tenuirostris, Ornithocheirus xyphorhynchus, and Pterodactylus sagittirostris. Fourteen species are considered valid, and diagnoses are provided to all of them: Ornithocheirus simus, Lonchodraco giganteus comb. n., Lonchodraco machaerorhynchus comb. n., Lonchodraco(?) microdon comb. n., Coloborhynchus clavirostris, ‘Ornithocheirus’ capito, Camposipterus nasutus comb. n., Camposipterus(?) sedgwickii comb. n., Camposipterus(?) colorhinus comb.n., Cimoliopterus cuvieri comb. n., ‘Ornithocheirus’ polyodon, ‘Ornithocheirus’ platystomus, ‘Pterodactylus’ daviesii, and ‘Ornithocheirus’ denticulatus. These species are referred in the genera Ornithocheirus, Lonchodraco gen. n., Coloborhynchus, Cimoliopterus gen. n., and Camposipterus gen. n., but additional genera are probably present, as indicated by the use of single quotation marks throughout the text. 

A cladistic analysis demonstrates that Anhangueridae lies within a newly recognized clade, here named Anhangueria, which also includes the genera Cearadactylus, Brasileodactylus, Ludodactylus, and Camposipterus. The anhanguerian ‘Cearadactylus’ ligabuei belongs to a different genus than Cearadactylus atrox. Lonchodraconidae fam. n. (more or less equivalent to Lonchodectidae sensu Unwin 2001) is a monophyletic entity, but its exact phylogenetic position remains uncertain, as is the case of Ornithocheirus simus. Therefore, it is proposed that Ornithocheiridae should be constricted to its type species and thus is redundant. Other taxa previously referred as “ornithocheirids” are discussed in light of the revised taxonomy.

Rodrigues T, Kellner AWA 2013. Taxonomic review of the Ornithocheirus complex (Pterosauria) from the Cretaceous of England. ZooKeys .308 (Special issue): 1-112. doi: dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.308.5559

High diversity of flying reptiles in England 110 million years ago

Brazilian paleontologists Taissa Rodrigues, of the Federal University of Espirito Santo, and Alexander W. A. Kellner, of the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, have just presented the most extensive review yet available of toothed pterosaurs from the Cretaceous of England. The study features detailed taxonomic information, diagnoses and photographs of 30 species and was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/pp-hdo061013.php

[Ornithology / Behaviour • 2013] Dance Choreography Is Coordinated with Song Repertoire in a Complex Avian Display | Dancing Superb Lyrebirds Menura novaehollandiae Surprise Ornithologists

Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae

at Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia 

(Melburnian / CC BY-SA 3.0)

Highlights

• We quantify associations between song and dance within lyrebird sexual displays

• Males accompany each different song type with a particular set of movements

• Dance is a voluntary and independent addition to sound production

• Like humans, lyrebirds coordinate song and dance repertoires in their displays

Summary

All human cultures have music and dance, and the two activities are so closely integrated that many languages use just one word to describe both [1 and 3]. Recent research points to a deep cognitive connection between music and dance-like movements in humans, fueling speculation that music and dance have coevolved and prompting the need for studies of audiovisual displays in other animals. However, little is known about how nonhuman animals integrate acoustic and movement display components. One striking property of human displays is that performers coordinate dance with music by matching types of dance movements with types of music, as when dancers waltz to waltz music. Here, we show that a bird also temporally coordinates a repertoire of song types with a repertoire of dance-like movements. During displays, male superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) sing four different song types, matching each with a unique set of movements and delivering song and dance types in a predictable sequence. Crucially, display movements are both unnecessary for the production of sound and voluntary, because males sometimes sing without dancing. Thus, the coordination of independently produced repertoires of acoustic and movement signals is not a uniquely human trait.

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Dancing Superb Lyrebirds Surprise Ornithologists

Australian biologists have found that male superb lyrebirds (Menura novaehollandiae) coordinate song with dance as part of an elaborate mating ritual.

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/article01145-superb-lyrebird-dance.html

Anastasia H. Dalziell et al. Dance Choreography Is Coordinated with Song Repertoire in a Complex Avian Display. Current Biology, published online June 06, 2013; doi: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2013.05.018

[Herpetology • 2013] A Long-lost relic from the Eastern Ghats: Morphology, Distribution and Habitat of Sepsophis punctatus Beddome, 1870 (Squamata: Scincidae)

Abstract

Sepsophis punctatus Beddome 1870, the only species of a monotypic genus, was described based on a single specimen from the Eastern Ghats of India. We rediscovered the species based on specimens from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh state, India, after a gap of 137 years, including four specimens from close to the type locality. The holotype was studied in detail, and we present additional morphological characters of the species with details on natural history, habitat and diet. The morphological characters of the holotype along with two additional specimens collected by Beddome are compared with the specimens collected by us. We also briefly discuss the distribution of other members of the subfamily Scincinae and their evolutionary affinities.

Key words: Sepsophis, rediscovery, Peninsular India, Eastern Ghats, Scincidae

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=260732470735668

DATTA-ROY, A., MOHAPATRA, P.P., DUTTA, S. K., GIRI, V.B., VEERAPPAN, D., MADDOCK, S.T., RAJ, P., AGARWAL, I. & KARANTH, P. 2013. A long-lost relic from the Eastern Ghats: Morphology, distribution and habitat of Sepsophis punctatus Beddome, 1870 (Squamata: Scincidae). Zootaxa. 3670 (1): 055–062.

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03670p062f.pdf | http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3670.1.4

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6B23C90F-2629-4A16-B7B7-58804D1325D8

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzdG1hZGRvY2sxMXxneDpiMWE4M2EzOWFhYmRjMw

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LIMBLESS LIZARD OF the Genus SEPSOPHIS DISCOVERED FROM KHANDADHAR HILLS OF BONAI, SUNDARGARH, ORISSA

http://vasundharaodisha.org/download_new/NEW%20SPECIES%20OF%20LIMBLESS%20LIZARD%20OF%20SEPSOPHIS%20SP.pdf

Limbless lizard belonging to the genus Sepsophis, in the forested region of Khandadhar near Raurkela in Orissa state, about 625 miles southeast of New Delhi, India.

photo: Pratyush P Mohapatra 

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18919206/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/not-snake-limbless-lizard-discovered/

http://www.hindu.com/seta/2007/05/31/stories/2007053100601600.htm

[Ornithology • 2013] Ptilopachinae: a new subfamily of the Odontophoridae (Aves: Galliformes); Stone Partridge Ptilopachus petrosus & Nahan’s Partridge P. nahani

Stone Partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus)

Location: Tambacounda, eastern Senegal 

Taken on January 2006 by Liki Fumei http://flic.kr/p/PXeY8

The use of DNA sequences of diverse genetic loci has revolutionized our understanding of the systematic relationships among many different organisms. One such unexpected discovery was that two African galliform species, the Stone Partridge Ptilopachus petrosus Gmelin, 1789, and Nahan’s Francolin Francolinus nahani Dubois, 1905, represent a relictual clade sister to the New World Quail (Odontophoridae) and hence are only distantly related to other Old World Galliformes (Crowe et al. 2006, Cohen et al. 2012). Almost as unexpected was the recovery of the sister relationship between P. petrosus and F. nahani, which had never been considered close relatives, much less placed in the same genus (Crowe et al. 2006, Cohen et al. 2012). Previously unrecognized vocal and behavioral similarities between P. petrosus and P. nahani supported the genetic data and the transfer of nahani to Ptilopachus (Crowe et al. 2006, Cohen et al. 2012). Intriguingly, both species occupy areas suggested to serve both as centres of species diversification and places where relictual taxa persist (Kingdon 1989, Fjeldså & Bowie 2008, Fjeldså et al. 2012): P. nahani in dense primary forest in the vicinity of the Albertine Rift and P. petrosus in rocky outcrops of the Sahel. 

Cohen et al. (2012) suggested that the African Ptilopachus diverged from the New World quail some 37.4 Ma (95% HPD 31.7-43.0) in the Oligocene, and from each other some 9.6 Ma (95% HPD 5.8-14.0). Given the considerable time since Ptilopachus diverged from the remaining members of the Odontophoridae (genera Dendrortyx, Oreortyx, Callipepla, Philortyx, Colinus, Odontophorus, Dactylortyx, Cyrtonyx, and Rhynchortyx), as well as the clear disjunction of Old World taxa from New World taxa, we recommend that all New World species of Odontophoridae be placed in the subfamily Odontophorinae Gould, 1844, and in accordance with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1999; Art. 13.1.1), erect and provide a formal definition below of a new subfamily to encompass the two African species of the genus Ptilopachus.

Family: Odontophoridae Gould, 1844

Subfamily: Ptilopachinae Bowie, Cohen and Crowe, subfam. nov.

Type genus: Ptilopachus Swainson, 1837

Description: Small African-endemic galliform birds (Aves: Galliformes) that have bare red skin around the eye, lack tarsal spurs, and are not sexually dimorphic. Both taxa regularly cock their tails, a character shared by only one other African galliform, Dendroperdix sephaena Smith. The calls of both taxa consist of a series of whistles increasing in volume and likely comprise duets. Field observations suggest that both taxa live in small family groups.

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

RAURI C.K. BOWIE, CALLAN COHEN & TIMOTHY M. CROWE. 2013. Ptilopachinae: a new subfamily of the Odontophoridae (Aves: Galliformes). Zootaxa. 3670 (1): 097–098. http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03670p098f.pdf

[Ornithology / Behaviour • 2013] Fight Club: a Unique Weapon in the Wing of the Solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria (Aves: Columbidae), an extinct flightless bird from Rodrigues, Mascarene Islands

A pair of male solitaires Pezophaps solitaria fight over territory
in the valley of Saint François, Rodrigues.

An artistic reconstruction by Julian P. Hume. |  http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bij.12087

Abstract

The solitaire (Columbidae; Pezophaps solitaria) of Rodrigues was an extinct giant flightless pigeon and the sister taxon to the dodo (Columbidae; Raphus cucullatus) from neighbouring Mauritius. The appearance and behaviour of the solitaire was recorded in detail by two observers before it became extinct in the mid 1700s. They described a prominent wing structure termed the ‘musket ball’ (carpal knob), which was used as a weapon and to produce an audible signal by either sex in territorial combat. Our study of subfossil solitaire bones from cave localities shows that the carpal knob formed after skeletal maturity, and reached its greatest size in adult males. We describe the morphology of the carpal knob, including its histology in thin section. It is an outgrowth of the processus extensorius of the carpometacarpus, but differs morphologically from homologous structures in other bird taxa, and thus is unique in Aves. We also compare the pectoral and wing osteology of the solitaire with that of the dodo, which had a similar morphology, but lacked any bony outgrowths on the wing. Furthermore, we suggest some biological and environmental factors leading to the evolution of this remarkable and unique carpal weapon.

Keywords: bird behaviour; intraspecific combat; Pezophaps solitaria; Raphus cucullatus; sexual dimorphism; territory

  

Carpometacarpus of male Pezophaps solitaria with carpal knob

Figure 4. Comparison of adult male and female carpometacarpi of P. solitaria, showing specimens with and without carpal knob. Left side, ventral aspect:
A, male without carpal knob (NHMUK PVA9044); B, male with carpal knob (NHMUK PVA3505);
C, female without carpal knob (NHMUK PVA9046); D, female with carpal knob (NHMUK PVA9045).

Scale bar = 10 mm. | http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bij.12087

Julian P. Hume & Lorna Steel. 2013. Fight Club: a unique weapon in the wing of the solitaire, Pezophaps solitaria (Aves: Columbidae), an extinct flightless bird from Rodrigues, Mascarene Islands. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bij.12087

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/article01122-rodrigues-solitaire-dodo.html

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2013/may/angry-birds-unique-wing-weapon-revealed121659.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pezophaps

[Paleontology • 2013] Barbaturex morrisoni • Giant Lizards occupied Herbivorous Mammalian Ecospace during the Paleogene Greenhouse in Southeast Asia | 'Lizard King' fossil shows giant reptiles coexisted with mammals during globally warm past in middle Eocene Pondaung Formation of Myanmar

Barbaturex morrisoni | ‘King bearded Lizard’ 

The cast of a fossil piece (right) is part of the jaw bone of Barbaturex morrisoni and is only about a quarter of the entire jawbone. At left is the tip of the jaw bone, with Head of sailfin lizard Hydrosaurus sp.

Artist's rendition of Barbaturex morrisoni.

illustration: Angie Fox, Nebraska State Museum of Natural History, 

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Abstract

Mammals dominate modern terrestrial herbivore ecosystems, whereas extant herbivorous reptiles are limited in diversity and body size. The evolution of reptile herbivory and its relationship to mammalian diversification is poorly understood with respect to climate and the roles of predation pressure and competition for food resources. Here, we describe a giant fossil acrodontan lizard recovered with a diverse mammal assemblage from the late middle Eocene Pondaung Formation of Myanmar, which provides a historical test of factors controlling body size in herbivorous squamates. We infer a predominately herbivorous feeding ecology for the new acrodontan based on dental anatomy, phylogenetic relationships and body size. Ranking body masses for Pondaung Formation vertebrates indicates that the lizard occupied a size niche among the larger herbivores and was larger than most carnivorous mammals. Paleotemperature estimates of Pondaung Formation environments based on the body size of the new lizard are approximately 2–5°C higher than modern. These results indicate that competitive exclusion and predation by mammals did not restrict body size evolution in these herbivorous squamates, and elevated temperatures relative to modern climates during the Paleogene greenhouse may have resulted in the evolution of gigantism through elevated poikilothermic metabolic rates and in response to increases in floral productivity.

Keywords: Squamata, gigantism, herbivory, paleoclimate, Eocene

The cast of a fossil piece (right) is part of the jaw bone of Barbaturex morrisoni and is only about a quarter of the entire jawbone. At left is the tip of the jaw bone, with Head of sailfin lizard Hydrosaurus sp.
The lizard was researched by a team led by Jason Head, assistant professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The lizard roamed the earth 40 million years ago, was six feet long and weighed upward of 60 pounds.

Photo by Craig Chandler / University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Systematic Paleontology

Squamata Oppel 1811

Iguania Cuvier 1817

Acrodonta Cope 1864 sensu Estes et al. 1988

Barbaturex morrisoni gen. et sp. nov.

 Etymology: Barbatus (L) ‘bearded’ & rex, ‘king’, referring to the presence of ventral ridges along the mandible and giant size of the taxon. Species nomen honors Jim Morrison, vocalist and lizard king

Jason Head, assistant professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, holds a fossil and fossil cast from the jawbone of Barbaturex morrisoni, a giant ancient lizard. The lizard roamed Southeast Asia some 40 million years ago. On either side of Head are a mounted sailfin lizard and a skeleton of the modern Iguana.

Photo by Craig Chandler / University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Head, J. J., Gunnell, G. F., Holroyd, P. A., Hutchinson, J. H. & Ciochon, R. L. 2013. Giant lizards occupied herbivorous mammalian ecospace during the paleogene greenhouse in South East Asia. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 20130665. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.0665

'Lizard King' fossil shows giant reptiles coexisted with mammals during globally warm past

Some 40 million years before rock singer Jim Morrison's lyrics earned him the moniker "the Lizard King," an actual king lizard roamed the hot tropical forests of Southeast Asia, competing with mammals for food and other resources.

http://newsroom.unl.edu/

"And what makes Barbaturex doubly remarkable is that it lived alongside a diverse assemblage of herbivorous, omnivorous and carnivorous mammals where – get this – it was one of the largest members of the fauna."

The Squamozoic actually happened (kind of): giant herbivorous lizards in the Paleogene

 http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/tetrapod-zoology/

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] Archicebus achilles • The Oldest known Primate Skeleton and early Haplorhine Evolution | Tiny, Insect-eating Animal from Eocene of China becomes Earliest known Primate

The earliest known fossil primate, Archicebus achilles (depicted in illustration above), was probably a tiny, arboreal insectivore that was active during the day.

illustration: X. Ni/
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology/
Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Reconstructing the earliest phases of primate evolution has been impeded by gaps in the fossil record, so that disagreements persist regarding the palaeobiology and phylogenetic relationships of the earliest primates. Here we report the discovery of a nearly complete and partly articulated skeleton of a primitive haplorhine primate from the early Eocene of China, about 55 million years ago, the oldest fossil primate of this quality ever recovered. Coupled with detailed morphological examination using propagation phase contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography, our phylogenetic analysis based on total available evidence indicates that this fossil is the most basal known member of the tarsiiform clade. In addition to providing further support for an early dichotomy between the strepsirrhine and haplorhine clades, this new primate further constrains the age of divergence between tarsiiforms and anthropoids. It also strengthens the hypothesis that the earliest primates were probably diurnal, arboreal and primarily insectivorous mammals the size of modern pygmy mouse lemurs.

The skeleton of Archicebus achilles, is among the best-preserved examples of early primates.

The new fossil takes its name from the Greek arche (meaning beginning or first; the same root as archaeology) and the Greek kebos (meaning long-tailed monkey). The species name achilles (derived from the mythological Greek warrior achilles) highlights the new fossil's unusual ankle anatomy.

Illustration of an evolutionary tree, showing how Archicebus fits with respect to primate phylogeny.

by Mark A. Klingler/Carnegie Museum

The Archicebus skeleton is roughly 7 million years older than the previously known oldest fossil primate skeletons, which include Darwinius from Messel, Germany, and Notharctus from the Bridger Basin, Wyoming.

Archicebus is not the oldest primate, "this new species will significantly impact our understanding of what is primitive for the common ancestor of living primates," Mary Wilcox said, anthropologist of the University of Toronto Scarborough, Canada.

Xijun Ni, Daniel L. Gebo, Marian Dagosto, Jin Meng, Paul Tafforeau, John J. Flynn & K.Christopher Beard. 2013. The Oldest known Primate Skeleton and early Haplorhine Evolution. Nature. 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12200

Tiny, Insect-eating Animal becomes Earliest known Primate

Archicebus achilles lived 55m years ago in what is now China and is the ancestor of all monkeys, apes and humans

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-06/cmon-rad060313.php

http://www.livescience.com/37185-oldest-preserved-primate-skeleton-found.html

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/475152/20130605/world-s-oldest-primate-human-evolution-ancestor.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/jun/05/earliest-known-primate-archicebus-achilles

[Herpetology • 2013] Gracixalus waza | WAZA Treefrog • A new species of Gracixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from northern Vietnam

Gracixalus waza

Abstract

We describe a new species of small tree frog from northern Vietnam based on morphological differences and molecular divergence. Gracixalus waza sp. nov. is distinguishable from its congeners and other small rhacophorid species on the basis of a combination of the following characters: (1) size small (snout-vent length of males 27.1–32.9 mm, of females 37.6 mm); (2) head as wide as or wider than long; (3) vomerine teeth absent; (4) snout rounded and long (16–18 % of the snout-vent length); (5) spines on upper eyelid absent; (6) tibiotarsal projection absent; (7) dorsal skin smooth; (8) dermal fringes on forearm and tarsus absent; (9) dorsal surface of head and body greyish-green to moss-green with dark brown pattern forming an inverse Y marking; and (10) throat and chest with dark marbling. Our molecular data showed that the new species is nested in the same group with Gracixalus jinxiuensis sensu lato.

Truong Quang Nguyen, Minh Duc Le, Cuong The Pham, Tao Thien Nguyen, Michael Bonkowski and Thomas Ziegler. 2013. A new species of Gracixalus (Amphibia: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from northern Vietnam. Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 13 (2): 203-214.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13127-012-0116-0

http://en.mava-foundation.org/?page_id=341

[Herpetology • 2013] Systematics of the caecilian family Chikilidae (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) with the description of three new species of Chikila from northeast India ; Chikila alcocki, C. darlong & C. gaiduwani

by S.D. Biju
: http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=477428005665005

Abstract

A taxonomic review of the monogeneric northeast Indian caecilian family Chikilidae is presented based on 64 specimens. Chikila fulleri (Alcock, 1904), known previously only from a single specimen collected more than 100 years ago, is rediagnosed and characterised based on recent collections. We describe three additional species new to science, Chikila alcocki sp. nov., Chikila darlong sp. nov., and Chikila gaiduwani sp. nov. This species-level taxonomy is consistent with mitochondrial DNA sequence data. A key to the species of Chikila is presented. 

Key words: DNA, herpetology, identification key, morphology, taxonomy

Kamei, R.G., Gower, D.J., Wilkinson, M. and Biju, S. D. 2013. Systematics of the caecilian family Chikilidae (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) with the description of three new species of Chikila from northeast India. Zootaxa. 3666(4): 401–435. 

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/z03666p435f.pdf

Kamei, R.G., San Mauro, D., Gower, D.J., Van Bocxlaer, I., Sherratt, E., Thomas, A., Babu. S., Bossuyt, S., Wilkinson, M. and Biju, S. D. 2012. Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 1-6. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.0150.

http://novataxa.blogspot.com/2012/02/2012-chikilidae.html

[PaleoOrnithology • 2009] Rapid Somatic Expansion Causes the Brain to Lag Behind: The Case of the Brain and Behavior of New Zealand's Haast's Eagle Harpagornis moorei

Haast's eagle Harpagornis moorei

http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com

New Zealand's late Pleistocene and Holocene Haast's eagle (Harpagornis moorei) was the sole predator of the moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes) and the largest eagle so far described. Recent molecular evidence has hypothesised that it evolved from a much smaller Asian/Australian eagle witthhin tht past 1.8 my. Osteometrof the igh-reaolution spirol computed tomography of skeletal remains of Haast's eagle were used to determine morphological and functionally significant characteristics of the central and peripheral nervous system and sensory apparatuses and to test these against hypotheses about behavior and evolution based on molecular and external morphology. Compared with other accipitrids, Haast's eagle had a proportionally low endocranial volume for its body weight. There was no anatomical evidence to support the significant use of olfaction by Haast's eagle, as the olfactory bulb size and cross-sectional area of the olfactory nerve foramen were no larger than would be expected for Accipitridae of this body weight. Both the size of the neural canal at the cervicothoracic junction and the brachial spinal quotient (ratio of neural canal area at cervicothoracic and caudal thoracic levels) were low, suggesting that the spinal cord at brachial levels was also small. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that Harpagornis had evolved to large size from a smaller ancestor and that the ancestors of Haast's eagle appear to have undergone rapid expansion of body size and elements of the hindlimb somatic nervous system at the expense of enlargement of the brain and visual, olfactory, and vestibular apparatuses.

2009. Rapid Somatic Expansion Causes the Brain to Lag Behind: The Case of the Brain and Behavior of New Zealand's Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29(3):637-649. 

http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1671/039.029.0325

Maori legend of man-eating bird is true 

Creature that features in New Zealand folklore really existed, scientists say

 http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/maori-legend-of-maneating-bird-is-true-1786867.html via @Independent

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Haast's Eagle

Legends of the Maori people of New Zealand describe a man-eating monster bird called Te Hokioi. That legend is thought to have been inspired by Haast's eagle, a giant raptor that survived until only about 500 years ago. Haast's eagles were huge, weighing 40 lbs with a nine-foot wingspan and three-inch long talons. They used their formidable size and strength to subdue and kill prey much larger than themselves, including the moa, a massive flightless bird that weighed as much as 300 lbs. 

Birds That Eat People

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-mizejewski/animal-oddities-birds-tha_b_797815.html

http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com/2012/11/haast-eagle-badass-of-week.html

http://www.wildlifeartcompany.com/art/detail.php?image=WAC-EA-00014&category=REXT

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/smartnews/2013/06/legendary-human-eating-bird-was-real-probably-could-have-eaten-people/ 

http://blogs.nature.com/news/2009/09/kiwi_scientists_add_to_maori_m_1.html

[Paleontology • 2013] A Giant Pliosaurid Skull from the Late Jurassic of England; Pliosaurus kevani, P. carpenteri & P. westburyensis

Pliosaurus kevani

Abstract

Pliosaurids were a long-lived and cosmopolitan group of marine predators that spanned 110 million years and occupied the upper tiers of marine ecosystems from the Middle Jurassic until the early Late Cretaceous. A well-preserved giant pliosaurid skull from the Late Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Formation of Dorset, United Kingdom, represents a new species, Pliosaurus kevani. This specimen is described in detail, and the taxonomy and systematics of Late Jurassic pliosaurids is revised. We name two additional new species, Pliosaurus carpenteri and Pliosaurus westburyensis, based on previously described relatively complete, well-preserved remains. Most or all Late Jurassic pliosaurids represent a globally distributed monophyletic group (the genus Pliosaurus, excluding ‘Pliosaurus’ andrewsi). Despite its high species diversity, and geographically widespread, temporally extensive occurrence, Pliosaurus shows relatively less morphological and ecological variation than is seen in earlier, multi-genus pliosaurid assemblages such as that of the Middle Jurassic Oxford Clay Formation. It also shows less ecological variation than the pliosaurid-like Cretaceous clade Polycotylidae. Species of Pliosaurus had robust skulls, large body sizes (with skull lengths of 1.7–2.1 metres), and trihedral or subtrihedral teeth suggesting macropredaceous habits. Our data support a trend of decreasing length of the mandibular symphysis through Late Jurassic time, as previously suggested. This may be correlated with increasing adaptation to feeding on large prey. Maximum body size of pliosaurids increased from their first appearance in the Early Jurassic until the Early Cretaceous (skull lengths up to 2360 mm). However, some reduction occurred before their final extinction in the early Late Cretaceous (skull lengths up to 1750 mm).

Benson RBJ, Evans M, Smith AS, Sassoon J, Moore-Faye S, et al. 2013. A Giant Pliosaurid Skull from the Late Jurassic of England. PLoS ONE. 8(5): e65989. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0065989

Pliosaurus kevani – the Weymouth Bay Pliosaur

http://www.plesiosauria.com/news/index.php/pliosaurus-kevani-the-weymouth-bay-pliosaur/

[Paleontology • 2012] Cryopterygius kristiansenae & Palvennia hoybergeti • Two new ophthalmosaurids (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Agardhfjellet Formation (Upper Jurassic: Volgian/Tithonian), Svalbard, Norway

Cryopterygius kristiansenae

painting by Esther van Hulsen 

Abstract

Ichthyosaur diversity near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, particularly from high paleolatitudes, is poorly known. Two recently collected specimens of medium- to large-bodied ichthyosaurs from the Slottsmoya Member of the Agardhfjellet, Svalbard, Norway represent two new taxa of ophthalmosaurids. The holotype specimen of Cryopterygius kristiansenae gen et sp. nov., PMO 214.578, is a nearly complete and largely articulated skeleton. The specimen consists of a nearly complete skull, the entire presacral and preflexural vertebral series, numerous dorsal ribs and gastralia, an articulated pectoral girdle and nearly complete forelimb, and an articulated left pelvic girdle and hindlimb, The new taxon is diagnosed on a unique suite of features, including a robust and moderately elongate rostrum, a reduced supranarial process, an elongate maxilla that bears a high number of teeth, the absence of a lacrimal-external naris contact, and an anteroposteriorly broad postorbital bar possessing an unidentified element (supratemporal?) that lies posterior to the quadratojugal. Cryopterygius has 52 presacral vertebrae, a distinctive forelimb, including a humerus that bears only two facets at its distal end, and an articulated left pelvic girdle and hindlimb, which facilitates the unequivocal orientation of the ophthalmosaurid femur. The holotype specimen of Palvennia hoybergeti gen et sp. nov., SVB 1451, includes a nearly complete skull and fragmented postcranial remains. It is diagnosed on its relatively short rostrum, greatly enlarged orbit, narrow postorbital bar, very large pineal foramen, basioccipital with broad extracondylar area laterally, and a gracile stapedial shaft. The Slottsmoya Lagerstatte is established as one of the most productive horizons for Upper Jurassic ichthyosaurs and considerably expands our knowledge of ophthalmosaurid diversity and distribution in the latest Jurassic.

Patrick S. Druckenmiller, Jørn H. Hurum, Espen M. Knutsen & Hans Arne Nakrem. 2012. Two new ophthalmosaurids (Reptilia: Ichthyosauria) from the Agardhfjellet Formation (Upper Jurassic: Volgian/Tithonian), Svalbard, Norway. Norwegian Journal of Geology. 92 (2-3): 311–339.

http://www.nhm.uio.no/om/presse/foto/svalbard/

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/04/explorer-allows-public-access-to-results-of-sea-monster-search/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryopterygius