[Herpetology • 2016] Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya & C. lenggongensis • Two New Bent-toed Geckos of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex from Peninsular Malaysia and Multiple Instances of Convergent Adaptation to Limestone Forest Ecosystems

Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya 

 Grismer, Wood, Anuar, Grismer, Quah, Murdock, Muin, Davis, Aguilar, Klabacka,
Cobos, Aowphol & Sites, 2016  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4105.5.1  

Abstract

A new species of limestone cave-adapted gecko of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex, Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya sp. nov., is described from an isolated karst formation at Felda Chiku 7, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. This formation is scheduled to be completely quarried for its mineral content. From what we know about the life history of C. hidupselamanya sp. nov., this will result in its extinction. A new limestone forest-adapted species, Cyrtodactylus lenggongensis sp. nov., from the Lenggong Valley, Perak was previously considered to be conspecific with C. bintangrendah but a re-evaluation of morphological, color pattern, molecular, and habitat preference indicates that it too is a unique lineage worthy of specific recognition. Fortunately C. lenggongensis sp. nov. is not facing extinction because its habitat is protected by the UNESCO Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley due to the archaeological significance of that region. Both new species can be distinguished from all other species of Cyrtodactylus based on molecular evidence from the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs as well as having unique combinations of morphological and color pattern characteristics. Using a time-calibrated BEAST analysis we inferred that the evolution of a limestone habitat preference and its apparently attendant morphological and color pattern adaptations evolved independently at least four times in the C. pulchellus complex between 26.1 and 0.78 mya.

Keywords: Karst, new species, convergent evolution, conservation, extinction, Cyrtodactylus, Peninsular Malaysia, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Reptilia

Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya sp. nov.

English: Chiku Bent-toed Gecko

Malay: Cicak Jari-bengkok Chiku

Distribution. Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya sp. nov is known only from the type locality at Felda Chiku 7, Kelantan,  Peninsular  Malaysia  (Fig.  1).  Another  karst  formation  approximately  1  km  to  the  south  was  not  surveyed. There are other isolated karst formations 5–10 km away that were also not surveyed. 

Etymology. The specific epithet hidupselamanya is a modification of the Malay words “hidup selamanya” which, loosely translated means “live forever” and is in reference this species precarious future being that its limestone habitat is targeted to be completely quarried. 

Remarks. The karst formation in which Cyrtodactylus hidupselamanya sp. nov. occurs is scheduled to be completely quarried for its limestone and other raw materials by ASN Cement Sdn Bhd. From what we currently know about this species, this will result in its extinction. 

Cyrtodactylus lenggongensis sp. nov.

English: Lenggong Bent-toed Gecko

Malay: Cicak Jari-bengkok Lenggong

syn.: Cyrtodactylus bintangrendah Grismer et al. 2012:32, 2014a:360. 

Distribution. Cyrtodactylus  lenggongensis  sp.  nov.  is  known  only  from  the  type  locality  at  Lenggong  Valley, Ulu Perak, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia (Fig. 1).

 Etymology. The specific epithet lenggongensis refers to the Lenggong Valley, Perak where this species is endemic.

Natural History. Cyrtodactylus lenggongensis sp. nov. is saxicolous and found on limestone karst outcrops and in the vicinity of the mouths of limestone caves (Fig. 7). During the day, geckos are occasionally observed hiding in cracks and crevices of the outcrops. At night, lizards emerge and can be found perching or crawling over  the  walls  of  the  karst  formation  1–3  m  above  the  ground. No  lizards  were  found  on  the  surrounding  vegetation. 

Remarks. Unlike Cyrtodactylus  hidupselamanya  sp.  nov., C.  lenggongensis  sp.  nov.  is  not  destined  to  become extinct by the quarrying interests of foreign industrial companies but rather it is protected through the UNESCO Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley due to the area’s archaeological significance. It is sad that ancient living relicts of the past (i.e. species) that did not happen to go extinct do not garner as much importance or appreciation as archeological relicts that did. 

L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Wood Jr, Shahrul Anuar, Marta S. Grismer, Evan S. H. Quah, 

Matthew L. Murdock, Mohd Abdul Muin, Hayden R. Davis, César Aguilar, Randy Klabacka, Anthony J. Cobos, Anchalee Aowphol and Jack W. Sites, Jr. 2016. Two New Bent-toed Geckos of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex from Peninsular Malaysia and Multiple Instances of Convergent Adaptation to Limestone Forest Ecosystems.
 Zootaxa. 4105(5); 401-429. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4105.5.1

ResearchGate.net/publication/301640533_Two_new_Bent-toed_Geckos_of_the_Cyrtodactylus_pulchellus_complex_from_Peninsular_Malaysia_and_multiple_instances_of_convergent_adaptation_to_limestone_forest_ecosystems

[Paleontology • 2016] Gryposuchus pachakamue • A New 13 Million Year Old Gavialoid Crocodylian from Proto-Amazonian Mega-Wetlands Reveals Parallel Evolutionary Trends in Skull Shape Linked to Longirostry

Fig 9. Time calibrated phylogenetic tree of the Gavialoidea and relevant paleogeographic distributions associated with the evolution and diversification of gavialoids in marine and freshwater settings. 
During the Late Paleocene-Early Eocene interval, peaks of sea surface temperature (SST) and global sea surface level (GSL) occurred together with tropical marine connections through the Tethys Ocean and Caribbean Sea [59,60]. During the Neogene, distinct biomes dominated tropical South America: (A) Acre Phase, after the onset of the eastern-draining Amazon and northward-draining Orinoco river systems; and (B) Pebas Mega-Wetland System, with its drainage northward to the Caribbean Sea.

Abbreviations: Olig., Oligocene; Ple., Pleistocene; Pli., Pliocene. Global and South American schematic paleogeography adapted from Blakey [60] and Hoorn et al. [61], respectively.   DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152453

Abstract

Gavialoid crocodylians are the archetypal longirostrine archosaurs and, as such, understanding their patterns of evolution is fundamental to recognizing cranial rearrangements and reconstructing adaptive pathways associated with elongation of the rostrum (longirostry). The living Indian gharial Gavialis gangeticus is the sole survivor of the group, thus providing unique evidence on the distinctive biology of its fossil kin. Yet phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary ecology spanning ~70 million-years of longirostrine crocodylian diversification remain unclear. Analysis of cranial anatomy of a new proto-Amazonian gavialoid, Gryposuchus pachakamue sp. nov., from the Miocene lakes and swamps of the Pebas Mega-Wetland System reveals that acquisition of both widely separated and protruding eyes (telescoped orbits) and riverine ecology within South American and Indian gavialoids is the result of parallel evolution. Phylogenetic and morphometric analyses show that, in association with longirostry, circumorbital bone configuration can evolve rapidly for coping with trends in environmental conditions and may reflect shifts in feeding strategy. Our results support a long-term radiation of the South American forms, with taxa occupying either extreme of the gavialoid morphospace showing preferences for coastal marine versus fluvial environments. The early biogeographic history of South American gavialoids was strongly linked to the northward drainage system connecting proto-Amazonian wetlands to the Caribbean region.

Systematic paleontology

Crocodyliformes Hay, 1930 

Eusuchia Huxley, 1875 

Crocodylia Gmelin, 1789 

Gavialoidea Hay, 1930 

Gryposuchinae Vélez-Juarbe et al., 2007 

Gryposuchus Gürich, 1912 

Gryposuchus pachakamue sp. nov.

ZooBank life science identifier (LSID) for species. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6B71903E-9412-44BE-8537-203B07909DEE

Etymology: The Pebasian Gryposuchus species is named after the Quechua word “pachakamue”, primordial pre-Columbian god and first “storyteller” who preserved ancient knowledge about the origin of living things in Amazonia.

Holotype: MUSM 1981, nearly complete skull (Fig 1A–1C).

Locality and Horizon: Locality IQ114, Iquitos area, Peru; Pebas Formation, late Middle Miocene, approx. 13 Ma; Mollusc Zone 8 (MZ8; Fig 1).

..........

Conclusions

Gavialoid history exhibits independent acquisitions of the “telescoped” orbits condition. Analyses of the new Pebasian species Gryposuchus pachakamue and other South American fossil gavialoids document high plasticity in orbital anatomy, which appears to have been strongly correlated with a visually enhanced feeding strategy and environmental circumstances. Morphospaces occupied by fluvial and coastal marine specialists are identified by quantitative analysis of orbital and circumorbital shape variation. In light of the phylogenetic history, a fluvial habitus in South American gharials is derived from ancestral lacustrine-deltaic forms with incipient development of protruding eyes or telescoped orbits. The circumorbital region of coastal marine gavialoids is closer in morphology to that of brevirostrine crocodylians. Identifying morphological steps of parallel evolution and ancestral ecological habitus in gavialoids provides models for reconstructing puzzling phylogenetic histories and adaptive radiations within extinct crocodylomorphs clades with elongated rostrums, such as thalattosuchians, dyrosaurids, and pholidosaurids. Proto-Amazonian connections with the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the subsequent onset of the transcontinental Amazon River System draining eastward, provided multiple habitats and conditions for gavialoid colonizations of new areas and extensive morphological diversification in South America throughout the mid-late Cenozoic.

Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi, John J. Flynn, Patrice Baby, Julia V. Tejada-Lara, Julien Claude and Pierre-Olivier Antoine. 2016. A New 13 Million Year Old Gavialoid Crocodylian from Proto-Amazonian Mega-Wetlands Reveals Parallel Evolutionary Trends in Skull Shape Linked to Longirostry.  PLoS ONE. 11(4): e0152453. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152453

13 million-year-old crocodile offers insight into evolution http://ti.me/1U6KyiK via @TIME

[Botany • 2015] Nuphar saikokuensis • A New Species (Nymphaeaceae) from Central to Western Japan

Nuphar saikokuensis

Shiga & Kadono 

A. Flower. F. Emergent form at Oda-cho, Ono-shi, Hyogo Pref. (type locality) on 2 Aug. 2001. G. Floating form at Sakamoto, Hiketa-cho, Kagawa Pref.

A new species of Nuphar (Nymphaeaceae), Nuphar saikokuensis, from central to western Japan is described. This new species is characterized by its widely ovate to narrowly ovate floating and emergent leaves, which are 10–30 cm long and 7–20 cm wide. This species is suggested to be of hybrid origin between N. japonica DC. and N. subintegerrima (Casp.) Makino or N. oguraensis Miki, or among these three species based on morphological and genetic studies. Because the plants are fertile, and are widely distributed in central to western Japan, we consider these plants to belong to a distinct species.

Key words:  Hybrid origin, Japan, new species, Nuphar saikokuensis, Nymphaeaceae. 

Fig. 2. Morphology and habit of Nuphar saikokuensis Shiga & Kadono.
A. Flower. B. Transverse section of petiole. C. Wild seedling. D. Fruit. E. Juvenile plant with submerged leaves after ca. three years from germination. F. Emergent form at Oda-cho, Ono-shi, Hyogo Pref. (type locality) on 2 Aug. 2001. G. Floating form at Sakamoto, Hiketa-cho, Kagawa Pref. on 13 Sept. 2001.

A–E from the type locality of N. saikokuensis .

Takashi Shiga and Yasuro Kadono. 2015. Nuphar saikokuensis (Nymphaeaceae), A New Species from Central to Western Japan. J. Jpn. Bot. 90: 22–28

ResearchGate.net/publication/282923951_Nuphar_saikokuensis_Nymphaeaceae_a_new_species_from_central_to_western_Japan

[Botany • 2016] Selliguea kachinensis • A New Fern Species (Polypodiaceae) of uncertain affinity from Northern Myanmar

 Selliguea kachinensis

Hovenkamp, S. Linds. & Fraser-Jenk.  DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.62.8101

Abstract

We describe Selliguea kachinensis as a new species from Northern Myanmar and discuss its generic placement in either Selliguea or Arthromeris. The conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient. In addition, we make the new combination Selliguea erythrocarpa (Mett. ex Kuhn) Hovenkamp, S. Linds., Fraser-Jenk.

Keywords: New species, new combination, generic placement, conservation status, taxonomy, morphology, Arthromeris, Southeastern Himalaya

Climate

The climate station nearest to the collection sites is Putao (450 m a.s.l) in an intramontane basin 50 km to the southeast. It records approximately 4000 mm rainfall between May and October with a pronounced dry season from November to January. We expect that the annual rainfall at altitudes between 1400 and 1800 m a.s.l. exceeds 5000 mm plus an unknown amount of fog precipitation from clouds shrouding the mountains between April and November.

Distribution, conservation and threats

Selliguea kachinensis is currently known from five locations, all in the north of Kachin State, Myanmar. On the basis of these occurrences, the Extent of Occurrence is 4738 km2, while the known Area of Occupancy is 20 sq.km. However, as exploration of the area has been very fragmentary, we have little information on the actual occurrence of this species, which could well be more widely distributed along the rim of the Mali Kha / Irawaddy River basin. To date, forests where S. kachinensis is found are among the least disturbed submontane evergreen broadleaved forests of the Southeastern Himalaya. Drastically increased population could extend swidden farming and might lead to a reduction of the population, but we have no information on any concrete and current threats to the habitat of the species. Accordingly, we propose a status of Data Deficient (IUCN 2014).

Phyo Kay Khine, Stuart Lindsay, Christopher Fraser-Jenkins, Jürgen Kluge, Myint Kyaw and Peter Hovenkamp. 2016. Selliguea kachinensis (Polypodiaceae), A New Fern Species of uncertain affinity from Northern Myanmar. PhytoKeys. 62: 73-81. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.62.8101

[Mammalogy • 2016] Phylogenetic Position of A Monotypic Ethiopian Endemic Rodent genus Megadendromus (Rodentia, Nesomyidae)

Figure 2: External view of the Megadendromus nikolausi.

Lavrenchenko, et al, 2016

Abstract

The taxonomic and phylogenetic position of the Nikolaus’s African climbing mouse (Megadendromus nikolausi), formerly known only from four specimens, remained for a long time ambiguous. Here, we report, for the first time, the phylogenetic analysis of this species using mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and nuclear (interphotoreceptor binding protein) gene sequences obtained from a new specimen recently caught in the Bale Mountains in south-eastern Ethiopia. Our analyses strongly suggest that the Nikolaus’s climbing mouse does not belong to a distinct monotypic genus, but to the genus Dendromus. The first karyotype description of this enigmatic Ethiopian endemic is presented. The diploid set comprises 18 pairs of bi-armed chromosomes, 2N=36, one of the lowest diploid numbers reported for the genus Dendromus (2N=30–52). Moreover, the phylogenetic analysis reveals that another very distinctive Ethiopian endemic, Dendromus lovati, sometimes placed in a subgenus Chortomys, occupies an internal position within Dendromus s.s. The results suggest that the Ethiopian Plateau is an important center of high diversity and adaptive radiation for the genus Dendromus. The conservation status of M. nikolausi is assessed.

Keywords: Dendromurinae;  Ethiopia;  karyotype;  Megadendromus; phylogeny.

 Leonid A Lavrenchenko, R. S. Nadjafova, Afework Bekele, Tatiana Mironova and Josef Bryja. 2016. Phylogenetic Position of A Monotypic Ethiopian Endemic Rodent genus Megadendromus (Rodentia, Nesomyidae). Mammalia. DOI:  10.1515/mammalia-2015-0148

ResearchGate.net/publication/294087725_Phylogenetic_position_of_a_monotypic_Ethiopian_endemic_rodent_genus_Megadendromus_Rodentia_Nesomyidae/figures

[Herpetology • 2015] The Frog Fauna of a Coastal Dry Forest, and a Checklist of the Amphibians of Mozambique

Figure 3. Anuran species from Nhica do Rovuma.
a. Arthroleptis stenodactylus, MNHN 2010.21, adult male, pantanos 1; b. Arthroleptis xenodactyloides, MNHN 2010.49, adult male, forest floor near Rovuma; c. Leptopelis broadleyi, MNHN 2010.24, adult male, Nhica Lake; d. Leptopelis flavomaculatus, pantanos 1; e. Breviceps mossambicus, MNHN 2010.52, adult female, near base camp; f. Amietophrynus maculatus, 2010.53, adult male, Nhica Lake; g. Hemisus marmoratus, MNHN 2010.60, adult male, pantanos 1; h. Afrixalus fornasini, MNHN 2010.1, adult male, Nhica Lake. 

 ABSTRACT

Field work was conducted in 2008 and 2009 in Nhica do Rovuma, Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique, in order to assess anuran faunal composition of East African coastal dry forest. A total of 31 species were observed and/or collected; 24 of these are new for the province. Discussions on nomenclatural and taxonomic aspects are given for Leptopelis broadleyi, Hyperolius parkeri, Ptychadena anchietae, Ptychadena oxyrhynchus, and Ptychadena taenioscelis. Available names for the Hyperolius nasutus complex frogs are discussed and Hyperolius microps is used as valid name for Hyperolius acuticeps. The following new synonyms: Hyperolius translucens Power, 1935 syn. nov. is a junior subjective synonym of Crumenifera pusilla Cope, 1862 with the valid name Hyperolius pusillus (Cope, 1862); Hyperolius usaramoae Loveridge, 1932 syn. nov. and Hyperolius acuticeps Ahl, 1931 syn. nov. are junior subjective synonyms of Hyperolius microps Günther, 1864. Xenopus petersi was confirmed from Mozambique based on a historical specimen. A literature review of the distribution of amphibians of Mozambique resulted in a national checklist of 82 species or subspecies. A dendrogram of occurrence data investigating faunal relationships between provinces illustrates Cabo Delgado is closest to Nampula in the number of shared species, reflecting the distribution of East African coastal dry forest frog fauna.

Keywords: Amphibia, faunistic study, taxonomy, live colouration, species list

 Annemarie Ohler and Thierry Frétey. 2015. Going Back to Rovuma: The Frog Fauna of a Coastal Dry Forest, and a Checklist of the Amphibians of Mozambique. Journal of East African Natural History. 103(2):73-124. DOI:  10.2982/028.103.0203

 researchgate.net/publication/286378893_Going_Back_to_Rovuma_The_Frog_Fauna_of_a_Coastal_Dry_Forest_and_a_Checklist_of_the_Amphibians_of_Mozambique

[PaleoEcology / Paleontology • 2016] Dental Disparity and Ecological Stability in Bird-like Dinosaurs Prior to the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction

A small feathered dinosaur swoops down on an unsuspecting lizard while a bird hunts for seeds in this reconstructed slice of life in Alberta 66 million years ago. A new theory suggests that a seed diet helped birds survive the mass extinction event that wiped out all other dinosaurs.

illustration: Danielle DUFAULT

 DOI:  10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.039 

Highlights

• Tooth shape disparity in small maniraptoran dinosaurs is examined in the Cretaceous

• Results show stability and sudden extinction in this guild at the end of the Cretaceous

• Groups are mostly static in shape space except for larger size in the early Maastrichtian

• Evolution of an edentulous beak and granivory may have been key to the survival of birds

Summary

The causes, rate, and selectivity of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction continue to be highly debated. Extinction patterns in small, feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs (including birds) are important for understanding extant biodiversity and present an enigma considering the survival of crown group birds (Neornithes) and the extinction of their close kin across the end-Cretaceous boundary. Because of the patchy Cretaceous fossil record of small maniraptorans, this important transition has not been closely examined in this group. Here, we test the hypothesis that morphological disparity in bird-like dinosaurs was decreasing leading up to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, as has been hypothesized in some dinosaurs. To test this, we examined tooth morphology, an ecological indicator in fossil reptiles, from over 3,100 maniraptoran teeth from four groups (Troodontidae, Dromaeosauridae, Richardoestesia, and cf. Aves) across the last 18 million years of the Cretaceous. We demonstrate that tooth disparity, a proxy for variation in feeding ecology, shows no significant decline leading up to the extinction event within any of the groups. Tooth morphospace occupation also remains static over this time interval except for increased size during the early Maastrichtian. Our data provide strong support that extinction within this group occurred suddenly after a prolonged period of ecological stability. To explain this sudden extinction of toothed maniraptorans and the survival of Neornithes, we propose that diet may have been an extinction filter and suggest that granivory associated with an edentulous beak was a key ecological trait in the survival of some lineages.

Figure 2: Tooth Disparity Through Time – A plot of tooth disparity (shape variation) thought the last 20 million years of the Cretaceous from the four groups of bird-like dinosaurs analyzed in this study.

DOI:  10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.039  

A small feathered dinosaur swoops down on an unsuspecting lizard while a bird hunts for seeds in this reconstructed slice of life in Alberta 66 million years ago. A new theory suggests that a seed diet helped birds survive the mass extinction event that wiped out all other dinosaurs.

illustration: Danielle DUFAULT

Derek W. Larson, Caleb M. Brown and David C. Evans. 2016. Dental Disparity and Ecological Stability in Bird-like Dinosaurs Prior to the End-Cretaceous Mass Extinction. Current Biology.  DOI:  10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.039

Fossil teeth suggest that seeds saved bird ancestors from extinction http://esciencenews.com/node/1250215

Why did birds live while dinosaurs died? It’s a seedy story, researchers say /via @globeandmail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/why-did-birds-live-while-dinosaurs-died-its-a-seedy-story-researcherssay/article29705574

Fossil teeth suggest that seeds saved bird ancestors from extinction https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160421133639.htm

[Paleontology • 2016] A Tiny Titanosaur, Rapetosaurus krausei, from the Cretaceous of Madagascar

Baby Rapetosaurus were only dog-sized a few weeks after hatching.
Scientists have found an adorable fossil: a baby dinosaur. It would've been gargantuan had it lived, but at its death at age two or three months, it was only the size of a golden retriever. It is the only one of its kind, and it promises to shed new light on dinosaur growth rates and parenting.

Photo: R. Martin and K. Curry Rogers | usatoday.com
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf1509 

Abstract

Sauropod dinosaurs exhibit the largest ontogenetic size range among terrestrial vertebrates, but a dearth of very young individuals has hindered understanding of the beginning of their growth trajectory. A new specimen of Rapetosaurus krausei sheds light on early life in the smallest stage of one of the largest dinosaurs. Bones record rapid growth rates and hatching lines, indicating that this individual weighed ~3.4 kilograms at hatching. Just several weeks later, when it likely succumbed to starvation in a drought-stressed ecosystem, it had reached a mass of ~40 kilograms and was ~35 centimeters tall at the hip. Unexpectedly, Rapetosaurus limb bones grew isometrically throughout their development. Cortical remodeling, limb isometry, and thin calcified hypertrophic metaphyseal cartilages indicate an active, precocial growth strategy.

Tiny giant

Titanosaurs were the largest land vertebrates to have evolved, but even they had to start small. Curry-Rogers et al. describe a baby Rapetosaurus only 35 cm at the hip at death. Histological and limb analysis suggest that this tiny giant had a much greater range of movement than it would have had as an adult. Furthermore, the work confirms hypotheses that these largest of dinosaurs were precocial, being able to move independently immediately after birth. This pattern differs from that seen in many contemporary dinosaur groups, such as theropods and ornithischians, for which increasing evidence suggests that parental care was important.

K. Curry Rogers, M. Whitney, M. DEmic, B. Bagley. Precocity in A Tiny Titanosaur from the Cretaceous of Madagascar. Science. 2016; 352 (6284): 450 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf1509

How to raise a dinosaur? Tiny fossil may tell us http://usat.ly/1WfMshm via @usatoday

Tiny dinosaur skeleton reveals babies lived on their own from birth http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dinosaur-skeleton-babies_us_57193a11e4b0d912d5fe0be0 via  @HuffPostScience

Rapetosaurus krausei: Tiny titanosaurus was just a few weeks old, scientists say http://fw.to/AgAz4US

[PaleoMammalogy • 2016] Panamacebus transitus • First North American Fossil Monkey and early Miocene Tropical Biotic Interchange

Panamacebus transitus 

Bloch, Woodruff, Wood, Rincon, Harrington, Morgan, Foster, Montes, Jaramillo, Jud, Jones & MacFadden, 2016 DOI: 10.1038/nature17415

Abstract

New World monkeys (platyrrhines) are a diverse part of modern tropical ecosystems in North and South America, yet their early evolutionary history in the tropics is largely unknown. Molecular divergence estimates suggest that primates arrived in tropical Central America, the southern-most extent of the North American landmass, with several dispersals from South America starting with the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3-4 million years ago (Ma). The complete absence of primate fossils from Central America has, however, limited our understanding of their history in the New World. Here we present the first description of a fossil monkey recovered from the North American landmass, the oldest known crown platyrrhine, from a precisely dated 20.9-Ma layer in the Las Cascadas Formation in the Panama Canal Basin, Panama. This discovery suggests that family-level diversification of extant New World monkeys occurred in the tropics, with new divergence estimates for Cebidae between 22 and 25 Ma, and provides the oldest fossil evidence for mammalian interchange between South and North America. The timing is consistent with recent tectonic reconstructions of a relatively narrow Central American Seaway in the early Miocene epoch, coincident with over-water dispersals inferred for many other groups of animals and plants. Discovery of an early Miocene primate in Panama provides evidence for a circum-Caribbean tropical distribution of New World monkeys by this time, with ocean barriers not wholly restricting their northward movements, requiring a complex set of ecological factors to explain their absence in well-sampled similarly aged localities at higher latitudes of North America.

Figure 2: Comparison of Panamacebus with middle Miocene cebid Neosaimiri fieldsi from La Venta, Colombia.

DOI: 10.1038/nature17415

Primates Linnaeus, 1758

Anthropoidea Mivart, 1864

Platyrrhini Geoffroy, 1812

Cebidae Bonaparte, 1831

Panamacebus transitus gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology. Generic name combines ‘Panama’ with ‘Cebus’, root taxon for Cebidae. Specific name ‘transit’ (Latin, crossing) refers to its implied early Miocene dispersal between South and North America.

Holotype. UF 280128, left upper first molar (M1; Fig. 2a, b).

Referred material. Left upper second molar (M2; UF 281001; Fig. 2a, b), partial left lower first incisor (I1; UF 280130), right lower second incisor (I2; UF 267048), right lower canine (C1; UF 280131), possibly associated left lower second (P2; UF 280127) and fourth (P4; UF 280129) premolars (Fig. 2e–g).

Locality. Lirio Norte (site key YPA-024 in the Florida Museum of Natural History Vertebrate Paleontology Collection), Panama Canal area, Panama, Central America (Extended Data Fig. 1).

Figure 4: Palaeogeographic reconstruction showing hypothetical dispersal route of Panamacebus across the CAS in the early Miocene.

Yellow and ochre colours indicate subaerial environments, blue colours indicate marine environments (dark, coastal and platform; light, abyssal). Criteria used to arrive at this reconstruction include regional tectonic reconstructions, local and regional palaeomagnetic data, and regional strain markers and piercing points (see Extended Data Fig. 8, Methods, and Supplementary Methods). Fm., formation; Fms, formations.
DOI: 10.1038/nature17415

Jonathan I. Bloch, Emily D. Woodruff, Aaron R. Wood, Aldo F. Rincon, Arianna R. Harrington, Gary S. Morgan, David A. Foster, Camilo Montes, Carlos A. Jaramillo, Nathan A. Jud, Douglas S. Jones and Bruce J. MacFadden. 2016. First North American Fossil Monkey and early Miocene Tropical Biotic Interchange. Nature. (2016) DOI: 10.1038/nature17415

ResearchGate.net/publication/301537062_First_North_American_fossil_monkey_and_early_Miocene_tropical_biotic_interchange

Seven tiny teeth tell the story of an ancient monkey that made a 100-mile ocean crossing between North and South America into modern-day Panama – the first fossil evidence for the existence of monkeys in North America. http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2016/04/paleontologists-find-first-fossil-monkey-in-north-america--but-how-did-it-get-here.php

[Herpetology • 2009] Conolophus marthae • A New Species of Land Iguana (Squamata, Iguanidae) from the Galápagos Archipelago

Galápagos Pink Land Iguana | Conolophus marthae 

Gentile & Snell, 2009  

Abstract 

Conolophus marthae sp. nov., a new species endemic to Volcan Wolf of northern Isla Isabela of the Galápagos archipelago, is described. The new species is morphologically, behaviorally, and genetically distinguished from the other two congeneric species C. subcristatus and C. pallidus. Besides the taxonomic implications, C. marthae sp. nov. is extremely important as it is the only evidence of deep divergence within the Galápagos land iguana lineage. 

Key words: Galápagos pink land iguana, Conolophus, Iguanidae, Squamata, Galápagos Islands, Galápagos National Park, lizards, endemism 

Galápagos Pink Land Iguana | Conolophus marthae

  Gentile & Snell, 2009  

Etymology. The new species is named in memory of Martha Rebecca Gentile, second daughter of the first author. Martha prematurely left this world. She was born dead, as consequence of a medical doctor’s negligence, on August 20th 2003. 

Distribution. Thus far, this species is known to occur only on Volcan Wolf (Fig. 1), the northernmost volcano of Isla Isabela (Galápagos National Park, Ecuador).

Gentile, Gabriele and Snell, Howard L. 2009. Conolophus marthae sp.nov. (Squamata, Iguanidae), A New Species of Land Iguana from the Galápagos Archipelago. Zootaxa. 2201: 1–10.

http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/zt02201p010.pdf

ResearchGate.net/publication/258255559_Conolophus_marthae_sp._nov._(Squamata_Iguanidae)_a_new_species_of_land_iguana_from_the_Galapagos_archipelago

Volcano erupts in Galapagos Islands; only known home to recently-described pink #iguanas http://reut.rs/1HJaWdx @SheddResearch

Galápagos Islands volcanic eruption could threaten pink iguana species http://gu.com/p/497qz

twitter.com/ParqueGalapagos

[Paleontology • 2016] First Sauropod Bones from Italy Offer New Insights on The Radiation of Titanosauria between Africa and Europe

Titanosauria gen. et sp. indet.

Possible reconstruction of the Italian sauropod 

 DOI:  10.1016/j.cretres.2016.03.008 theropoda.blogspot.com  

Highligths

• Referable to Titanosauria gen. et sp. indet., earliest record in southern Europe.

• An Aptian–Albian basal titanosaurian with bizarre orientation of the zygapophyseal facets.

• Further evidence of Early Cretaceous sporadic connection between Africa and Europe.

Abstract

Here we describe the first sauropod skeletal remains from the Italian peninsula that also represent the earliest record of titanosaurs in Southern Europe. Scattered bones, including an almost complete anterior caudal vertebra, were found in Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) marine deposits, some 50 km East of Rome. The vertebra shows a bizarre and perhaps unique orientation of the zygapophyseal articular facets that renders their interpretation problematic. Phylogenetic retrofitting tests support the placement of the Italian titanosaur among basal lithostrotians. Palaeobiogeographic analysis based on the resulting phyletic relationships suggests an Afro-Eurasian route for the ancestors of the Italian titanosaur, a scenario compatible with the palaeogeographic evolution of the Italian microplates during the Cretaceous. Together with previously recorded titanosaurian-like ichnites from a Cenomanian locality in Latium, this new find suggests a quite long emersion for the Apenninic carbonate platform. We suggest that the Italian titanosaur was member of a population that crossed the western Tethys Sea through a “filtering bridge” composed of a chain of ephemeral islands and peninsulae, known as Periadriatic (Adria) carbonate platforms, that connected sporadically Africa and Europe since the Early Cretaceous.

Keywords: Sauropoda; Titanosauria; Early Cretaceous; Aptian–Albian; Italy; Palaeobiogeography

Systematic palaeontology

Dinosauria Owen, 1842

Saurischia Seeley, 1887

Sauropoda Marsh, 1878

Titanosauriformes Salgado, Coria and Calvo, 1997

Titanosauria Bonaparte and Coria, 1993

Titanosauria gen. et sp. indet.

Material: Three disarticulated bones, deposited at the Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano (MSNM), Milan, Italy: one anterior caudal vertebra (MSNM V7157), one portion of scapular blade or of ischial/pubic shaft (MSNM V7158), and another -possibly pelvic- bone fragment (MSNM V7159).

Fig. 1. Map of Italy showing Latium (red) and the Monti Prenestini position (blue), and geological map of the Rocca di Cave area with stratigraphic log of the outcrop that contained the new titanosaurian bones. The blue target indicates the discovery site (modified from Praturlon and Madonna, 2007).

(For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)  DOI:  10.1016/j.cretres.2016.03.008

  Horizon, age and locality: Monti Prenestini carbonate platform, “Ostracod and Gastropod limestones” unit (sensu Praturlon and Madonna, 2007); Lower Cretaceous, upper Aptian–lower Albian; Rocca di Cave, Palestrina, Roma Province, Italy (locality coordinates on file at the Soprintendenza Archeologia del Lazio e dell'Etruria meridionale).

  Remarks

The following combination of phylogenetically informative features permits to refer MSNM V7157 to a titanosaurian sauropod, and more precisely to a basal lithostrotian: anterior caudal vertebra strongly procoelous, with the apex of the articular condyle positioned on the dorsal half of the centrum; centrum height and width subequal; chevron attachments for single articular facets; pedicles of the neural arch short and attached to the anterior half of the centrum; neural spine vertically projecting; long prezygapophyses (about 40% of the centrum length), evidently surpassing the cranial end of the centrum; prezygapophyseal articular facets widened by a bony rim; postzygapophyses nested at the base of the neural spine and terminating at the level of the centrum-condyle rim; tubercle on spinoprezygapophyseal lamina near prezygapophysis; postzygapophyseal centrodiapophyseal fossa and postzygapophyseal spinodiapophyseal fossa almost confluent; inner bone structure apneumatic.

A bizarre feature observed in MSNM V7157 is that the prezygapophyseal facets face medioventrally rather than mediodorsally, and that the postzygapophyseal facets face laterodorsally rather than lateroventrally, diverging ventrally and widening the intrapostzygapophyseal lamina into a large pyramidal bony bridge. The absence of a ventral longitudinal hollow in the centrum is here interpreted a reversion to the plesiomorphic condition exhibited by basal, non-lithostrotian titanosaurs (see Section 6).

.......

 Cristiano Dal Sasso, Gustavo Pierangelini, Federico Famiani, Andrea Cau and Umberto Nicosia. 2016. First Sauropod Bones from Italy Offer New Insights on The Radiation of Titanosauria between Africa and Europe. Cretaceous Research.  DOI:  10.1016/j.cretres.2016.03.008

http://theropoda.blogspot.com/2016/04/nuntio-vobis-dinosaurum-magnum-habemus.html

[Mammalogy • 2016] Gracilimus radix • A New Genus and Species of Omnivorous Rodent (Muridae: Murinae) from Sulawesi, nested within A Clade of Endemic Carnivores

Slender Rat | Gracilimus radix 

Rowe, Achmadi & Esselstyn, 2016

  Image by K. Rowe  DOI: 10.1093/JMammal/gyw029  

Abstract

We document a new genus and species of rodent (Muridae) from the west-central region of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The new taxon is known only from the type locality at around 1,600 m elevation on Mt. Gandangdewata of the Quarles Range, in the district of Mamasa. With phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from 5 unlinked loci, we infer that the new taxon is sister to the Sulawesi water rat, Waiomys mamasae, and nested within a clade of rodents from Sulawesi that otherwise feed exclusively on invertebrates. The new species is distinguishable from other rodents of Sulawesi by the combination of its small, slender body; soft, gray–brown fur; small, rounded ears; long, sparsely haired tail; long, fine mystacial vibrissae; gracile cranium; short rostrum; pronounced lacrimal bone; prominent, sickle-shaped coronoid process; and pale orange enamel on labial surface of incisors. Unlike its closest relatives, the new species feeds on both plant and animal matter, and may represent a rare evolutionary reversal of traits associated with a carnivorous diet in murids.

Key words: biodiversity, Indonesia, molecular phylogeny, shrew rat, taxonomy, Wallacea

Kevin C. Rowe, Anang S. Achmadi and Jacob A. Esselstyn. 2016. A New Genus and Species of Omnivorous Rodent (Muridae: Murinae) from Sulawesi, nested within A Clade of Endemic Carnivores. Journal of Mammalogy. DOI: 10.1093/JMammal/gyw029 

Brand new mammal species joins the ranks of biology | SBS Science http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/science/nature/article/2016/04/20/brand-new-mammal-species-joins-ranks-biology

Kami mendokumentasikan genus dan spesies hewan pengerat (Muridae) baru dari bagian tengah-barat Pulau Sulawesi, Indonesia. Takson baru ini hanya diketahui dari lokasi spesimen tipe pada ketinggian sekitar 1600 meter di Gunung Gandangdewata yang termasuk dalam rangkaian Pegunungan Quarlesi, Kabupaten Mamasa. Analisa filogenetik pada sekuen DNA dari 5 loci yang tidak terhubung menunjukkan bahwa takson baru ini merupakan kerabat dekat tikus air Sulawesi, Waiomys mamasae, dan berada pada kelompok hewan pengerat lainnya dari Sulawesi yang hanya memakan invertebrata. Spesies baru ini dibedakan dari hewan pengerat lainnya dari Sulawesi berdasarkan kombinasi beberapa karakter yaitu: tubuh ramping; rambut lembut abu-abu coklat; telinga kecil dan membulat; ekor panjang dan berambut jarang; kumis panjang dan tipis; tengkorak ramping; tulang hidung pendek; tulang lakrimal jelas; coronoid process tampak jelas dan berbentuk bulan sabit; dan enamel berwarna oranye muda pada penampang labial dari gigi seri. Tidak seperti kerabat terdekatnya, species baru ini memakan unsur tumbuhan maupun hewan, dan kemungkinan besar menunjukkan proses evolusi langka yang berbalik dari ciri yang diasosiasi dengan salah satu pemakan daging pada jenis Muridae.