[Herpetology • 2013] Rhacophorus borneensis | Bornean Smaller Gliding Frog • a New Gliding Frog in Rhacophorus reinwardtii group (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Borneo

Rhacophorus borneensis

Bornean Smaller Gliding Frog

Matsui M, Shimada T & Sudin A. 2013. 

Curr. Herpetol. DOI: 10.5358/hsj.32.11

Abstract

A rhacophorid frog from Borneo is divergent genetically and morphologically from Javanese R. reinwardtii, with which it was formerly confused, and is recognized as a distinct species. The frog differs from R. reinwardtii by an immaculate green dorsum and a black posterior thigh surface, which is studded with sky blue spots in the female. Because the frog is also divergent genetically and morphologically from the other congeners recently split from R. reinwardtii, we describe it as a new species, R. borneensis.

 Keywords: New species, MtDNA phylogeny, Rhacophorus reinwardtii, Borneo, Taxonomy

Rhacophorus borneensis sp. nov.

Bornean Smaller Gliding Frog

Rhacophorus reinwardtii Inger and Stuebing, 1997: 194 (part); Chan and Grismer, 2010: 43 (part).

Etymology: The specific name refers to the island of Borneo, where the new species was found.

Range: Known from the type locality, Camel Trophy of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Sandakan Division, State of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo; Batang Ai, State of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo (Chan and Grismer, 2010).

Rhacophorus borneensis Matsui, Shimada & Sudin, 2013

photo: George Madani frogblogmanchester.com

Natural History: In Camel Trophy, an amplectant pair of the type specimens were found at night perching on a tree branch (<1 m) extending above the surface of a shallow pool (3–5 m×10 m). The air temperature before the time of finding was 24C. No tadpoles or eggs were found in the pond and calling males were absent in early March. Frogs found associated with R. borneensis included Kurixalus appendiculatus (Günther, 1858), Polypedates macrotis (Boulenger, 1891), Chiromantis sp., and M. petrigena Inger and Frogner, 1979.

Matsui M, Shimada T & Sudin A. 2013. A New Gliding Frog of the Genus Rhacophorus from Borneo. Curr. Herpetol. 32 (2): 112-124. DOI: 10.5358/hsj.32.11

Chan, K.-O. & Grismer, L. L. 2010. Reassessment of the Reinwardt’s Gliding Frog, Rhacophorus reinwardtii (Schlegel 1840) (Anura: Rhacophoridae) in Southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia and its re-description as a new species. Zootaxa. 2505: 40–50.

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] A review of the Cainozoic small mammal fauna of Thailand with new records (Chiroptera; Scandentia; Eulipotyphla) from the late Pleistocene / with an extinct bat species new to science, Eptesicus chutamasae | Chutamas’s Serotine | ค้างคาวท้องสีน้ำตาลอาจารย์จุฑามาส, from peninsular Thailand

Chutamas’s Serotine | Eptesicus chutamasae Harrison & Pearch 2013

Abstract

In October 2010, a team comprising scientists from The Prince of Songkla University in southern Thailand and the Harrison Institute in the United Kingdom collected samples of a fossiliferous deposit in Khao Kao Cave, which is situated in an Ordovician limestone hill range in Thailand’s Songkhla Province. Analysis of the numerous teeth, jaws, and other bones present in the samples has resulted in the identification of fifteen species of small mammal representing the orders Chiroptera, Scandentia and Eulipotyphla, all but one known from the living fauna. Eleven of the species are recorded for the first time from the Pleistocene of Thailand including an extinct bat species new to science, which is described.Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of the deposit indicates a late Pleistocene age of 16.35 ± 2.67 Ka, although a small number of rogue grains among the mineral population suggests the presence of material older than 200 Ka. The history of fossil small mammal research in Thailand is summarised.

Key words: Chiroptera, Scandentia, Eulipotyphla, Thailand, Pleistocene, Eptesicus sp. nov., new records, OSL dating

Eptesicus chutamasae Harrison & Pearch, sp. nov.

Chutamas’s Serotine | ค้างคาวท้องสีน้ำตาลอาจารย์จุฑามาส 

Type locality – Khao Kao Cave, Songkhla Province, Thailand.

Stratum typicum – Calcified cave deposit (late Pleistocene).

Etymology – We name this taxon in honour of Prof. Chutamas Satasook, Dean of the Faculty of Science at the Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Thailand.

M.J. Pearch, S. Bumrungsri, J.-L. Schwenninger, D.J. Ward & D.L. Harrison. 2013. A review of the Cainozoic small mammal fauna of Thailand with new records (Chiroptera; Scandentia; Eulipotyphla) from the late Pleistocene. Cainozoic Research. 10(1-2); 59-98.

http://www.harrison-institute.org/Harrison%20Institute%20Annual%20Report%202011-2012Final.pdf

[Botany • 2013] Winitia gen. nov. • Integrative systematics supports the establishment of Winitia, a new genus of Annonaceae (Malmeoideae, Miliuseae), allied to Stelechocarpus and Sageraea, from Thai - Malaysia peninsula

Winitia expansa Chaowasku

photo: Nonn Panitvong

Abstract

The generic circumscriptions of Stelechocarpus and Sageraea (Annonaceae) are assessed using molecular phylogenetic, macromorphological, and pollen morphological evidence. For molecular phylogenetic analysis the combined seven plastid markers: rbcL exon, trnL intron, trnL-F spacer, matK exon, ndhF exon, psbA-trnH spacer, and ycf1 exon constituting c. 7 kb are used. The results corroborate the recognition of a maximally supported clade as a new genus, Winitia. It is weakly to moderately supported as sister to Stelechocarpus burahol, the type and only species of Stelechocarpus. A clade consisting of Winitia and Stelechocarpus is strongly supported as sister to Sageraea, which is monophyletic with strong support. Winitia consists of two species, one of which (W. expansa) is proposed as a new species endemic to Thailand, whereas one new combination (W. cauliflora) is made. The new genus is primarily characterized by (1) multicolumellar stigmas (≥ 5 columns per stigma) and (2) pollen grains with a very thin tectum, a more or less columellate/coarsely granular infratectum, and a very distinct basal layer. The macromorphology and pollen morphology of the three genera (Stelechocarpus, Winitia, and Sageraea) are highlighted.

Key words: Annonaceae, Miliuseae, molecular phylogenetics, morphology, nomenclature, palynology, Sageraea , Stelechocarpus , taxonomy, Winitia

งำเงาะ Winitia cauliflora (syn.: Stelechocarpus cauliflorus)

Winitia Chaowasku, gen. nov.

Type Species: Winitia expansa Chaowasku, sp. nov.

Etymology: The genus name is to honour Phraya Winit Wanandorn, who has been praised as the ‘father’ of Thai Botany.

Distribution: Two species occurring in Vietnam, southern Thailand through Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra?, and Borneo.

Key to the species of Winitia

1a. Flowers mostly clustered on the swollen base of the trunk, pedicels 12.0–22.0 mm long, inner petals moderately spreading at maturity, adaxial side of both inner and outer petals glaucous, each stigma with 7–9(–10) columns……………… W. expansa sp. nov.

1b. Flowers usually clustered (on knobs) along the trunk, pedicels usually ≥ 30.0 mm long, inner petals connivent at maturity, no glaucous appearance observed on adaxial side of either petal whorl, each stigma with 5–7 columns…………… W. cauliflora comb. nov.

Winitia expansa Chaowasku, sp. nov.

Etymology: The epithet refers to the moderately spreading inner petals at maturity.

Distribution: peninsular Thailand

Winitia cauliflora (Scheff.) Chaowasku, comb. nov. 

 syn.: Stelechocarpus cauliflorus (Scheff.) J. Sinclair 

Distribution: Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo
(Sarawak, West- and East-Kalimantan).

http://www.asianplant.net/Annonaceae/Stelechocarpus_cauliflorus.htm

http://khaophrathaew.org/Biodiversity_Flora2.html

Tanawat Chaowasku & Raymond W.J.M. Van Der Ham. 2013. Integrative systematics supports the establishment of Winitia, a new genus of Annonaceae (Malmeoideae, Miliuseae) allied to Stelechocarpus and Sageraea. Systematics and Biodiversity. 11 (2), 195-207. 

DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2013.806370

 สกุล Winitia สกุลใหม่ล่าสุด พรรณไม้วงศ์กระดังงา (Annonaceae) | http://siamensis.org/webboard/topic/38528

[Herpetology • 2013] Ichthyophis pauli • A New Striped Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo)

Ichthyophis pauli
Nishikawa, Matsui, Sudin & Wong 2013

Abstract

A new striped Ichthyophis is described based on one adult male collected from the southeastern slope of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia. The new species is characterized by the absence of yellow marking on the jaw angle and the presence of a lateral stripe on most of the collar region, and is distinguished from all other striped congeners by a combination of characters that includes body size and proportion, position of tentacles, shape of annular grooves, and number of annuli, scale rows, and splenial teeth. The anterior phallodeum morphology is also described for the new species.

Keywords: Caecilian, Ichthyophis, New species, Mt. Kinabalu, Borneo

K. Nishikawa, M. Matsui, A. Sudin, and A. Wong. 2013. A New Striped Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Current Herpetology. 32 (2), 159-169.

http://bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5358/hsj.32.159

http://facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=515558905191597

[Herpetology • 2012] Ichthyophis lakimi • A new unstriped Ichthyophis (Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

Ichthyophis lakimi
Nishikawa, Matsui & Yambun 2012

Abstract

A new unstriped Ichthyophis is described based on one adult male and five larval specimens collected from the northwestern slope of Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. The new species is distinguished from all other unstriped congeners by a combination of characters that includes position of tentacles and number of annuli, scale rows, splenial teeth, and vertebrae. The anterior phallodeum morphology is described for the new species. The evolution of large larvae of unstriped Ichthyophis is discussed briefly.

 Keywords: Caecilian, Ichthyophis, Taxonomy, New species, Borneo

Nishikawa K, Matsui M, Yambun P. 2012. A new unstriped Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) from Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Current Herpetology. 31: 67-77.

http://bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5358/hsj.31.67

http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=428538&one=T

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] Rugosodon eurasiaticus • Earliest Evolution of Multituberculate Mammals Revealed by a New Jurassic Fossil from China

Rugosodon eurasiaticus Yuan,  Ji,  Meng,  Tabrum & Luo 2013
lived 160-million years ago on the lakeshores of what is now China

Abstract

Multituberculates were successful herbivorous mammals and were more diverse and numerically abundant than any other mammal groups in Mesozoic ecosystems. The clade also developed diverse locomotor adaptations in the Cretaceous and Paleogene. We report a new fossil skeleton from the Late Jurassic of China that belongs to the basalmost multituberculate family. Dental features of this new Jurassic multituberculate show omnivorous adaptation, and its well-preserved skeleton sheds light on ancestral skeletal features of all multituberculates, especially the highly mobile joints of the ankle, crucial for later evolutionary success of multituberculates in the Cretaceous and Paleogene.

A reconstruction of the extinct rodentlike creature, now called Rugosodon eurasiaticus, which lived 160-million years ago on the lakeshores of what is now China.

 Illustration by April Isch, University of Chicago

'Rugosodon' refers to the rugosity, or wrinkliness, of the mammal's distinctively shaped teeth.

For instance, multituberculates that lived 100 million years or more after R. eurasiaticus and were capable of tree climbing and jumping "had the most interesting ankle bones, capable of 'hyper-back-rotation' of the hind feet." Luo said. "What is surprising about this discovery is that these ankle features were already present in Rugosodon — a land-dwelling mammal."

The fossil of Rugosodon eurasiaticus is preserved in two shale slabs in part (left) and counterpart (right). It is about 6.5 inches (17 cm) long from head to rump, and is estimated to have weighed about 2.8 ounces (80 grams).

 Photographed by Zhe-Xi Luo of University of Chicago and Chongxi Yuan of Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences

Yuan, C.-X., Ji, Q., Meng, Q.-J., Tabrum, A. R. & Luo, Z.-X. 2013. Earliest Evolution of Multituberculate Mammals Revealed by a New Jurassic Fossil. Science. 341, 779–783. 

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1237970

Fossil reveals features of mammal line that outlived dinosaurs

: Rodent-like animals were deft movers and flexible feeders.

doi: dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature.2013.13568

Ancient Rodentlike Creature Once Dominated Earth

http://www.livescience.com/38924-ancient-rodentlike-creature-discovered.html

http://www.sciencecodex.com/unearthed_fossil_of_historys_most_successful_mammal-117706

[Mammalogy • 2013] Olinguito | Bassaricyon neblina • Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species endemic to the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador

Olinguito, Bassaricyon neblina neblina

Abstract

We present the first comprehensive taxonomic revision and review the biology of the olingos, the endemic Neotropical procyonid genus Bassaricyon, based on most specimens available in museums, and with data derived from anatomy, morphometrics, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, field observations, and geographic range modeling. Species of Bassaricyon are primarily forest-living, arboreal, nocturnal, frugivorous, and solitary, and have one young at a time. We demonstrate that four olingo species can be recognized, including a Central American species (Bassaricyon gabbii), lowland species with eastern, cis-Andean (Bassaricyon alleni) and western, trans-Andean (Bassaricyon medius) distributions, and a species endemic to cloud forests in the Andes. The oldest evolutionary divergence in the genus is between this last species, endemic to the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and all other species, which occur in lower elevation habitats. Surprisingly, this Andean endemic species, which we call the Olinguito, has never been previously described; it represents a new species in the order Carnivora and is the smallest living member of the family Procyonidae. We report on the biology of this new species based on information from museum specimens, niche modeling, and fieldwork in western Ecuador, and describe four Olinguito subspecies based on morphological distinctions across different regions of the Northern Andes.

Keywords: Andes, Bassaricyon, biogeography, Neotropics, new species, olingo, Olinguito

Figure 13. The Olinguito, Bassaricyon neblina neblina, in life, in the wild. Taken at Tandayapa Bird Lodge, Ecuador

(for mammalogical background of Tandayapa, see Lee et al. 2006).
Photograph by Mark Gurney.

Figure 3. Illustrations of the species of Bassaricyon. 

From top to bottom, Bassaricyon neblina sp. n. (Bassaricyon neblina ruber subsp. n. of the western slopes of the Western Andes of Colombia), Bassaricyon medius (Bassaricyon medius orinomus of eastern Panama), Bassaricyon alleni (Peru), and Bassaricyon gabbii (Costa Rica, showing relative tail length longer than average).

Artwork by Nancy Halliday.

Helgen, K.M., Pinto, C.M., Kays, R., Helgen, L.E., Tsuchiya, M.T.N., Quinn, A., Wilson, D.E., Maldonado, J.E. 2013. Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species, the Olinguito. ZooKeys. 324: 1–83. doi: dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.324.5827

Olinguito, New Mammal Species, Announced By Smithsonian Researchers (PHOTOS)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/15/olinguito-new-mammal-species_n_3761649.html

[Orchidology • 2013] อั้วห้วยขาแข้ง | Habenaria khakhaengensis • A New Species of Habenaria (Orchidaceae) from Uthai Thani Province, Thailand

Habenaria khakhaengensis W. Makerd & Kurzweil 

in Makerd, Kurzweil, et al., 2013. 

 qsbg.or.th/bot

facebook.com/AkeGaru/

Abstract

Habenaria khakhaengensis W. Makerd & Kurzweil sp. nov. from Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Uthai Thani Province, Thailand, is described and illustrated.

Keywords: Habenaria, new species, Orchidaceae, Thailand

Distribution.— The species appears to be endemic to Thailand where it is known only from the type locality in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Uthai Thani Province.

Ecology.— The type specimen was collected on sandy soil in a grassy patch in dipterocarp forest at 200-300 m altitude. Flowering was observed in September.

Conservation status.— The known Extent of Occurrence of this species is less than 10 sq.km. and the known localities are all inside of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.

Etymology.— The name of this new species refers to the type locality in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary where it was collected.

Watcharasak Makerd,  Hubert Kurzweil, Uthai Chansuk and Preeyanan Sanpote. 2013. 2013. A New Species of Habenaria (Orchidaceae) from Uthai Thani Province, Thailand.  Thai Journal of Botany. 2013(1): 77-81.

 qsbg.or.th/bot/journal/showarticle.aspx?type=article&id=143

http://www.qsbg.or.th/bot/journal/showjournal.aspx?id=50

facebook.com/AkeGaru/posts/3370847592984585

พืชวงศ์กล้วยไม้ บริเวณอุทยานแห่งชาติแม่วงก์ จังหวัดนครสวรรค์และจังหวัดกําแพงเพชร

http://app.dnp.go.th/opac/multimedia/th/40_56/3.pdf

http://www.frcdb.forest.ku.ac.th/Forest/?action=family&action2=family_detail&fam=ORCHIDACEAE

[PaleoMammalogy • 2013] Megaconus mammaliaformis • A Jurassic mammaliaform and the earliest mammalian evolutionary adaptations

A fossil of the forest-floor-dwelling animal Megaconus suggests that its group predated mammals — whereas a fossil of its tree-dwelling cousin Arboroharamiya (see picture below) seems to show that the group belonged in the mammalian family tree.

The earliest evolution of mammals and origins of mammalian features can be traced to the mammaliaforms of the Triassic and Jurassic periods that are extinct relatives to living mammals. Here we describe a new fossil from the Middle Jurassic that has a mandibular middle ear, a gradational transition of thoracolumbar vertebrae and primitive ankle features, but highly derived molars with a high crown and multiple roots that are partially fused. The upper molars have longitudinal cusp rows that occlude alternately with those of the lower molars. This specialization for masticating plants indicates that herbivory evolved among mammaliaforms, before the rise of crown mammals. The new species shares the distinctive dental features of the eleutherodontid clade, previously represented only by isolated teeth despite its extensive geographic distribution during the Jurassic. This eleutherodontid was terrestrial and had ambulatory gaits, analogous to extant terrestrial mammals such as armadillos or rock hyrax. Its fur corroborates that mammalian integument had originated well before the common ancestor of living mammals.

tree-dwelling cousin Arboroharamiya 

Zhou, C. F.; Wu, S.; Martin, T.; Luo, Z. X. 2013. A Jurassic mammaliaform and the earliest mammalian evolutionary adaptations. Nature. 500(7461): 163. 

doi: dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12429 10.1038/nature.2013.13522

http://derstandard.at/1375625979925/Ueberraschende-Fossilienfunde-bringen-Verwirrung-in-den-Saeugetier-Stammbaum

[Herpetology • 2013] Taxonomic Reassessment and Conservation Status of the Beaded Lizard, Heloderma horridum (Squamata: Helodermatidae); Heloderma alvarezi, H. charlesbogerti, H. exasperatum & H. horridum

Abstract

The beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Gila monster (H. suspectum) are large, highly venomous, anguimorph lizards threatened by human persecution, habitat loss and degradation, and climate change. A recent DNA-based phylogenetic analysis of helodermatids (Douglas et al. 2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 55: 153–167) suggests that the current infraspecific taxonomy (subspecies) of beaded lizards underestimates their biodiversity, and that species status for the various subspecies is warranted. Those authors discussed “conservation phylogenetics,” which incorporates historical genetics in conservation decisions. Here, we reassess the taxonomy of beaded lizards utilizing the abovementioned molecular analysis, and incorporate morphology by performing a character mapping analysis. Furthermore, utilizing fossil-calibrated sequence divergence results, we explore beaded lizard diversification against a backdrop of the origin, diversification, and expansion of seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) in Mexico and Guatemala. These forests are the primary biomes occupied by beaded lizards, and in Mesoamerica most are considered threatened, endangered, or extirpated. Pair-wise net sequence divergence (%) values were greatest between H. h. charlesbogerti and H. h. exasperatum (9.8%), and least between H. h. alvarezi and H. h. charlesbogerti (1%). The former clade represents populations that are widely separated in distribution (eastern Guatemala vs. southern Sonora, Mexico), whereas in the latter clade the populations are much closer (eastern Guatemala vs. Chiapas, Mexico). The nominate subspecies (Heloderma h. horridum) differed from the other subspecies of H. horridum at 5.4% to 7.1%. After diverging from a most-recent common ancestor ~35 mya in the Late Eocene, subsequent diversification (cladogenesis) of beaded lizards occurred during the late Miocene (9.71 mya), followed by a lengthy stasis of up to 5 my, and further cladogenesis extended into the Pliocene and Pleistocene. In both beaded lizards and SDTFs, the tempo of evolution and diversification was uneven, and their current distributions are fragmented. 

Based on multiple lines of evidence, including a review of the use of trinomials in taxonomy, we elevate the four subspecies of beaded lizards to full species: Heloderma alvarezi (Chiapan beaded lizard), H. charlesbogerti (Guatemalan beaded lizard), H. exasperatum (Río Fuerte beaded lizard), and H. horridum (Mexican beaded lizard), with no changes in their vernacular names. Finally, we propose a series of research programs and conservation recommendations.

Key words. mtDNA, ATPase, nuclear genes, character mapping, genomics, seasonally dry tropical forests, reptiles

  

  

Reiserer, R.S., Schuett, G.W. & Beck, D.D. 2013. Taxonomic Reassessment and Conservation Status of the Beaded Lizard, Heloderma horridum (Squamata: Helodermatidae). Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 7(1): 74–96.

http://www.redlist-arc.org/Article-PDFs/Special%20Mexico%20Issue_ARC_7(1)_74-96_low_res.pdf

http://squamates.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-beaded-lizard-reassed.html

[Mammalogy • 2009] the Taxonomy of the Endemic Golden Palm Civet of Sri Lanka; Paradoxurus aureus, P. montanus & P. stenocephalus

Paradoxurus aureus

Artist: J.Smit

Abstract

Two species of palm civet are currently known from Sri Lanka: the widespread common species, Paradoxurus hermaphroditus (Pallas, 1777), and the endemic golden species, Paradoxurus zeylonensis (Pallas, 1778). The latter has two ‘morphs’, one golden and one dark brown, both of which are recorded from all three major biotic zones in Sri Lanka (wet zone, dry zone, and cloud forest). We have examined specimens of both ‘morphs’ from all zones, and conclude that there are actually several species involved: names are available for two of them, we describe a third as a new species, and we draw attention to a probable fourth species, based on two distinctive specimens, the provenance of which are unfortunately unknown. The name zeylonensis probably does not apply to a golden palm civet at all.

Keywords: New species – Paradoxurus aureus – Paradoxurus montanus – Paradoxurus stenocephalus – Paradoxurus zeylonesis.

At present, three species of endemic palm civet can be distinguished in Sri Lanka.

Paradoxurus aureus F. CUVIER, 1822

GOLDEN WET-ZONE PALM CIVET

Paradoxurus montanus KELAART, 1852

SRI LANKAN BROWN PALM CIVET

Paradoxurus stenocephalus SP. NOV.

GOLDEN DRY-ZONE PALM CIVET

Etymology: Narrow-headed (Greek stenos = narrow, kephalos = head).

Paradoxurus SP. NOV.?

SUMMARY

The endemic palm civets (Paradoxurus) of Sri Lanka form not one single species but at least three: one of

these is here described as new. They are distinguished by external features and by their skulls. Two of the species are golden in colour: one is known from two specimens from the dry zone, and the other is found in the wet zone, apparently extending into the cloud forest. By contrast, there is so far no evidence for any variation according to climatic zones in the dark-coloured species, and for the moment we class them in one single species. Two further specimens are quite different from any other, but owing to the uncertainty surrounding their provenance they cannot be described taxonomically.

The name P. zeylonensis, usually used for an endemic Sri Lankan palm civet, may well apply instead to the common palm civet, P. hermaphroditus. The earliest name definitely applicable to one of the presently described species is P. aureus F. Cuvier, 1822.

 Groves, C. P., Rajapaksha, C., Mamemandra-Arachchi, K. 2009. The  Taxonomy of the Endemic Golden Palm Civet of Sri Lanka. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 155: 238–251. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00451.x

http://www.lakdasun.org/forum/doc_base/endemic_golden_palm_civet_of_sri_lanka.pdf

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

[Paleontology • 2006] Europasaurus holgeri • Bone Histology indicates 'Insular Dwarfism' in a new Late Jurassic Sauropod Dinosaur from northern Germany

adult and a juvenile sauropod Europasaurus holgeri 
an Upper Jurassic scenery showing one of the large islands in the Lower Saxony Basin in northern Germany

illustration: Gerhard Boeggemann

Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest animals ever to inhabit the land, with truly gigantic forms in at least three lineages. Small species with an adult body mass less than five tonnes are very rare, and small sauropod bones generally represent juveniles. Here we describe a new diminutive species of basal macronarian sauropod, Europasaurus holgeri gen. et sp. nov., and on the basis of bone histology we show it to have been a dwarf species. The fossils, including excellent skull material, come from Kimmeridgian marine beds of northern Germany, and record more than 11 individuals of sauropods 1.7 to 6.2 m in total body length. Morphological overlap between partial skeletons and isolated bones links all material to the same new taxon. Cortical histology of femora and tibiae indicates that size differences within the specimens are due to different ontogenetic stages, from juveniles to fully grown individuals. The little dinosaurs must have lived on one of the large islands around the Lower Saxony basin. Comparison with the long-bone histology of large-bodied sauropods suggests that the island dwarf species evolved through a decrease in growth rate from its larger ancestor.

 a late Jurassic Scene on one of the large island in the Lower Saxony basin in northern Germany. It shows an adult and a juvenile specimen of the sauropod Europasaurus holgeri and several iguanodons passing by.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Europasaurus_holgeri_Scene.jpg

  Europasaurus by ~Olorotitan on @deviantART 

 Sander, P. M., Mateus, O., Laven, T., Knötschke, N. 2006. Bone histology indicates insular dwarfism in a new Late Jurassic sauropod dinosaur. Nature. 441: 739-741. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature04633

http://paleoillustration.tumblr.com/post/42691699016/swamp-dwelling-europasaurus-by-emiliano-troco

[Paleontology • 2011] Decuriasuchus quartacolonia • Associated skeletons of a new middle Triassic "Rauisuchia" from southern Brazil

Life reconstruction of Decuriasuchus quartacolonia

wikimedia File:Decuriasuchus.jpg

Decuriasuchus quartacolonia

França, Ferigolo & Langer 2011

Abstract

For more than 30 million years, in early Mesozoic Pangea, “rauisuchian” archosaurs were the apex predators in most terrestrial ecosystems, but their biology and evolutionary history remain poorly understood. We describe a new “rauisuchian” based on ten individuals found in a single locality from the Middle Triassic (Ladinian) Santa Maria Formation of southern Brazil. Nine articulated and associated skeletons were discovered, three of which have nearly complete skulls. Along with sedimentological and taphonomic data, this suggests that those highly successful predators exhibited some kind of intraspecific interaction. Other monotaxic assemblages of Triassic archosaurs are Late Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian) in age, approximately 10 million years younger than the material described here. Indeed, the studied assemblage may represent the earliest evidence of gregariousness among archosaurs, adding to our knowledge on the origin of a behavior pattern typical of extant taxa.

Keywords: Santa Maria Formation, Archosauria, Rauisuchia, Behavior, Middle Triassic

Skulls of D. quartacolonia

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

Marco Aurélio G. França, Jorge Ferigolo and Max C. Langer. 2011. Associated skeletons of a new middle Triassic "Rauisuchia" from Brazil. Naturwissenschaften. 98 (5): 389–395. 

doi: dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-011-0782-3

[Paleontology • 2000] Karamuru vorax • a prestosuchid archosaur from middle Triassic Santa Maria Formation of Brazil

Karamuru vorax head

by Eoscorpiidae.deviantART.com

Karamuru
a prestosuchid archosaur from the Middle Triassic-age Santa Maria Formation of Brazil.

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

Kischlat, E.-E., 2000, Tecodôncios: a aurora dos arcossáurios no Triássico, in Holz, M., and De Ros, L.F., eds., Paleontologia do Rio Grande do Sul: Porto Alegre, CIGO/UFRGS, p. 273-316.

Langer, Max C.; Ribeiro, Ana M.; Schultz, Cesar L.; and Ferigolo, Jorge 2007. The continental tetrapod-bearing Triassic of south Brazil. In Lucas, S.G.; and Spielmann, J.A. (eds.). The Global Triassic. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin, 41. Albuquerque, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. pp. 201–218.

http://sites.ffclrp.usp.br/paleo/pdf/Langer_et_al_2007b.pdf

[Paleontology • 1999] Batrachotomus kupferzellensis • Cranial osteology of a new Rauisuchian Archosaur from the Middle Triassic of southern Germany

Batrachotomus kupferzellensis Gower, 1999

via http://bestiarium.kryptozoologie.net/

Batrachotomus: a genus of prehistoric archosaur ("rauisuchian" crurotarsan). Fossils of this animal have been found in southern Germany and dated from the Ladinian stage of the Middle Triassic period, around 228 to 231 million years ago. Batrachotomus was described by palaeontologist David J. Gower 22 years after its discovery.

The locality where Batrachotomus lived was a swampy region and the name comes from the Greek batrachos/βάτραχος (frog) and tome/τομή (cutting, slicing), which refers to its preying on the large amphibian Mastodonsaurus.

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

  Batrachotomus kupferzellensis

by ~T-PEKC http://T-PEKC.deviantart.com

Gower, David J. 1999. Cranial osteology of a new Rauisuchian Archosaur from the Middle Triassic of southern Germany. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde. B 280: 1–9.

Gower, David J.; Schoch, Rainer R. 2009. Postcranial Anatomy of the Rauisuchian Archosaur Batrachotomus kupferzellensis. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 29 (1): 103–122. 

doi: dx.doi.org/10.1671/039.029.0122.