scholarly journals Patagonian Eocene Archaeopithecidae Ameghino, 1897 (Notoungulata): systematic revision, phylogeny and biostratigraphy

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 1272-1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Vera
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Mass Range ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
The Body ◽  
South American ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Systematic Revision ◽  
Size And Morphology ◽  
Land Mammal ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe Archaeopithecidae is a very poorly known group of native ungulates from the Eocene of Patagonia (Argentina), whose alpha taxonomy has remained obscure since Ameghino’s times. It is traditionally considered as a family representative of the Casamayoran (middle Eocene) South American Land Mammal Age, and is thought to be morphologically close to the notopithecids. After studying >200 specimens from several institutions, including all the type specimens, a taxonomic overestimation is established. Out of the six species considered originally as archaeopithecids, Archaeopithecus rogeri Ameghino, 1897 is here recognized as the only valid name and species; subsequent synonymies are proposed and previous taxonomic hypotheses discarded. This exhaustive revision has permitted improving the knowledge of A. rogeri and, for the first time, it has revealed many craniodental characters, which allow amending its diagnosis and differentiating this taxon from other Eocene notoungulates. Archaeopithecus rogeri is a small-sized taxon characterized by its complete and rooted dentition, which is relatively higher than that of other contemporaneous short-crowned notoungulates and shows ontogenetic variation in size and morphology. The body mass range of A. rogeri (1.4–2.5 kg) is comparable to those of notopithecids and some small hegetotheriids. The phylogenetic analysis shows A. rogeri is not directly related to any family within Notoungulata, appearing into a polytomy, as a basal taxon of typotherians. The biochronological range of A. rogeri is adjusted to Vacan (middle Eocene) through Barrancan subages (late middle Eocene); older (Riochican, late early Eocene) and younger (Mustersan, late Eocene) records remain to be confirmed.

scholarly journals Complete chloroplast genomes shed light on phylogenetic relationships, divergence time, and biogeography of Allioideae (Amaryllidaceae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ju Namgung ◽  
Hoang Dang Khoa Do ◽  
Changkyun Kim ◽  
Hyeok Jae Choi ◽  
Joo‑Hwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Ornamental Plants ◽  
Divergence Time ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Molecular Dating ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Phylogenomic Analysis ◽  
South American ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Chloroplast Genomes

AbstractAllioideae includes economically important bulb crops such as garlic, onion, leeks, and some ornamental plants in Amaryllidaceae. Here, we reported the complete chloroplast genome (cpDNA) sequences of 17 species of Allioideae, five of Amaryllidoideae, and one of Agapanthoideae. These cpDNA sequences represent 80 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and four rRNA genes, and range from 151,808 to 159,998 bp in length. Loss and pseudogenization of multiple genes (i.e., rps2, infA, and rpl22) appear to have occurred multiple times during the evolution of Alloideae. Additionally, eight mutation hotspots, including rps15-ycf1, rps16-trnQ-UUG, petG-trnW-CCA, psbA upstream, rpl32-trnL-UAG, ycf1, rpl22, matK, and ndhF, were identified in the studied Allium species. Additionally, we present the first phylogenomic analysis among the four tribes of Allioideae based on 74 cpDNA coding regions of 21 species of Allioideae, five species of Amaryllidoideae, one species of Agapanthoideae, and five species representing selected members of Asparagales. Our molecular phylogenomic results strongly support the monophyly of Allioideae, which is sister to Amaryllioideae. Within Allioideae, Tulbaghieae was sister to Gilliesieae-Leucocoryneae whereas Allieae was sister to the clade of Tulbaghieae- Gilliesieae-Leucocoryneae. Molecular dating analyses revealed the crown age of Allioideae in the Eocene (40.1 mya) followed by differentiation of Allieae in the early Miocene (21.3 mya). The split of Gilliesieae from Leucocoryneae was estimated at 16.5 mya. Biogeographic reconstruction suggests an African origin for Allioideae and subsequent spread to Eurasia during the middle Eocene. Cool and arid conditions during the late Eocene led to isolation between African and Eurasian species. African Allioideae may have diverged to South American taxa in the late Oligocene. Rather than vicariance, long-distance dispersal is the most likely explanation for intercontinental distribution of African and South American Allioideae species.

New species, new records and a checklist of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) from Nepal

Biologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Ermilov ◽  
Jochen Martens
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
New Records ◽  
Oribatid Mite ◽  
The Body ◽  
Central Nepal ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Size And Morphology ◽  
Annotated Checklist ◽  
First Time

AbstractAn annotated checklist of identified oribatid mite taxa from Nepal is provided. It includes 77 species/subspecies, 56 genera and 40 families; 36 species/subspecies, 21 genera and nine families are recorded for the first time in Nepal. Two new species, Vilhenabates schawalleri sp. n. (Haplozetidae) and Taiwanoppia (Taiwanoppia) paranepalica sp. n. (Oppiidae), are described from soil of central Nepal. Vilhenabates schawalleri sp. n. is morphologically similar to V. giganteus Ermilov & Rybalov, 2012, however, it differs from the latter by the body size, length of rostral, lamellar and subcapitular setae, location of lamellar setae, adanal setae ad 3 and adanal lyrifissures and number of porose areas. Taiwanoppia (Taiwanoppia) paranepalica sp. n. is morphologically similar to T. (T.) nepalica Ermilov & Martens, 2014, however, it differs from the latter by the body size and morphology of the rostrum.

scholarly journals Tarsal morphology of ischyromyid rodents from the middle Eocene of China gives an insight into the group’s diversity in Central Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik ◽  
Sergi López-Torres ◽  
Qian Li
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Modern Aspect ◽  
Tarsal Bones ◽  
Mammal Assemblages ◽  
First Time

AbstractIschyromyids are a group of large rodents with the earliest fossil record known from the late Paleocene (Clarkforkian) of North America; they are considered the earliest fossil representatives of Rodentia of modern aspect. Ischyromyids dominated early Paleogene small-mammal assemblages of North America and in the latest Paleocene migrated to western Europe and to Asia; in the latter they survived only to the beginning of the late Eocene, but were never abundant. Here we describe for the first time the calcanei of ischyromyids from the early middle Eocene of the Erlian Basin in Nei Mongol, northern China. These calcanei document the existence of three species. The morphology of the studied tarsal bones overall suggests ambulatory locomotion for these animals (‘slow cursors’), similar to that of the coypu and porcupines, but one form shows more marked cursorial capabilities. These differences show that Chinese ischyromyids, although rare, had attained greater taxonomic diversity by the middle Eocene in Nei Mongol than estimated from dental remains. We also address the question of the morphological and ecological divergence of these ischyromyids in relation to their North American counterparts, as well as the issue of a direct dispersal route from North America to Asia in the early Eocene.

scholarly journals Bipedal locomotion in Tropidurus torquatus (Wied, 1820) and Liolaemus lutzae Mertens, 1938

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 649-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Rocha-Barbosa ◽  
MFC. Loguercio ◽  
ALR. Velloso ◽  
ACC. Bonates
Keyword(s):  
Locomotor Behavior ◽  
Sprint Performance ◽  
The Body ◽  
Body Posture ◽  
Bipedal Locomotion ◽  
South American ◽  
The One ◽  
First Time

Bipedalism has evolved on numerous occasions in phylogenetically diverse lizard families. In this paper we describe, for the first time, bipedal locomotion on South American lizards, the sand-dweller Liolaemus lutzae and the generalist Tropidurus torquatus. The lizards were videotaped running on a racetrack and the sequences were analyzed frame by frame. The body posture, as a whole, diverged a lot during bipedal locomotion between the two species, even though there was no difference regarding their sprint performance. The locomotor behavior of L. lutzae is, in general, more similar to the one observed on other sand-dweller lizards. Certain particularities are common, such as the digitigrade posture at footfall and throughout stance, trunk angles; and tail posture. In contrast, T. torquatus exhibited high trunk angles and dragged its tail, in a posture compared to basilisks. This body posture could be related to certain characteristics and obstacles of a microhabitat such as the one around lakes and streams (basilisks) and the one with compact shrubby vegetation (T. torquatus).

A happy family: systematic revision of the endemic Theridion spiders (Araneae, Theridiidae) of the Hawaiian Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrià Bellvert ◽  
Rosemary G. Gillespie ◽  
Miquel A. Arnedo
Keyword(s):  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Cladistic Analysis ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
The Body ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Happy Face ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Systematic Revision ◽  
Happy Family ◽  
First Time

Since the description in 1900 of the iconic Happy Face spider, Theridion grallator, Simon, along with nine relatives, the Theridion fauna of the Hawaiian Islands has remained unstudied. Here, we present a systematic revision of the Hawaiian Theridion, which includes the examination of abundant material collected during the last 50 years, with scanning of the genitalia of several species using SEM techniques, and a cladistic analysis based on 22 morphological characters, to provide a first hypothesis of the phylogenetic structure of the group. We describe eight new species, namely T. ariel, sp. nov., T. caliban, sp. nov., T. ceres, sp. nov., T. ferdinand, sp. nov., T. juno, sp. nov., T. miranda, sp. nov., T. prospero, sp. nov. and T. sycorax, sp. nov. Additionally, we provide new diagnoses for former species and illustrate and describe for the first time the male of T. kauaiense Simon, 1900 and the female of T. praetextum Simon, 1900. We further propose that T. campestratum Simon, 1900 is a junior synonym of T. melinum Simon, 1900 and T. praetextum concolor Simon, 1900 is a junior synonym of T. praetextum. Finally, we provide updated information on the distribution of the species. Most species are easily diagnosed based on the male and female genitalia, but we also reveal the existence of somatic characters that differ among species, such as the body size and the shape and size of the chelicerae, which may have played a role in the diversification and coexistence of some of the species. The preferred cladogram from the cladistic analysis, although compatible with a progression rule, also suggests a complex pattern of multiple back and forward colonisations, albeit most of the clades are poorly supported.

scholarly journals Fossil mammals from the central Chilean Andes: a new interval in the South American land mammal succession, and implications for Eocene-Oligocene boundary events and Andean tectonics

1992 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 318-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R. Wyss ◽  
J.J. Flynn ◽  
C.C. Swisher ◽  
R. Charrier ◽  
M.A. Norell
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
South American ◽  
Mammalian Fauna ◽  
Late Mesozoic ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Early Tertiary ◽  
Tectonic Rotation ◽  
Land Mammal ◽  
Mammal Faunas

Biostratigraphically significant samples have been collected from six localities in post-Neocomian terrestrial deposits of the central Andean Main Range (34° 50 S latitude), Chile. Localities are distributed over an area of 13 km by 5 km, and span more than 2500 m of section.Two eastern localities occurring lowest in the sequence yield a diverse suite of more than 20 taxa indicative of a new biochronologic interval between the Mustersan (?middle Eocene) and Deseadan (?late Oligocene-early Miocene) South American Land Mammal Ages (LMA); speculatively it also is older than the enigmatic Divisideran “LMA”. Noteworthy occurrences include the first South American appearance of rodents, argyrolagoid marsupials, and interatheriine interathere and advanced notohippid Notoungulata, as well as the last appearance of polydolopid marsupials, and notopithicine and notostylopid Notoungulata. Four K-Ar and Ar40-Ar39 analyses on a flow and tuff which directly underlie one locality yield ages between 35.6 ± 0.9 and 37.56 ± 0.14 Ma; the fossiliferous unit itself has produced four Ar40-Ar39 dates between 31.7 ± 0.3 and 31.37 ± 0.08 Ma in one locality. Therefore, the new biochronologic interval appears to be earliest Oligocene in age, and is the oldest sequence representing Simpson's “Second Faunal Stratum”. The “Tinguiririca” assemblage is the oldest South American mammalian fauna dominated by herbivores (in a diversity of taxa) with high-crowned or evergrowing teeth, documenting major changes caused by interaction between a major phase of tectonic uplift in the central Andes and global climatic changes near the Eocene-Oligocene boundary.We recently recovered about one dozen skulls and jaws from several sites some 10 km west of, and 2500 m stratigraphically above, these lowest localities. The fauna from these new western sites appears advanced over the localities to the east, and probably is younger than about 20 Ma, based on stratigraphy and Ar40-Ar39 dates from units overlying the eastern localities. The new faunas should help resolve controversy concerning the younger limit of the Deseadan LMA.Discovery of the mammal faunas has profoundly altered understanding of central Andean geology: 1) we identified an unconformity between Jurassic marine/late Cretaceous clastic units and volcaniclastic mid-Tertiary deposits, indicating that a dramatic episode of volcanism previously attributed to the late Mesozoic is in fact 30 m.y. younger; 2) consequently, the late Cretaceous/early Tertiary is characterized by non-deposition or erosion, rather than by volcanic deposition as had been hypothesized earlier; and 3) our paleomagnetic results also indicate previously unrecognized, but significant post-Miocene clockwise tectonic rotation (up to 20°) of units in this part of the Andes.

scholarly journals A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea)

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4659 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
TERRY L. WHITWORTH ◽  
SOHATH YUSSEFF-VANEGAS
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
South American ◽  
Neighbor Joining ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
First Time

The Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae is revised. A total of 53 valid, extant species are included in the family, including 15 described as new and 38 redescribed based on study of type and non-type material and of the literature. A total of 18 primary types were examined. An additional ca. 2300 specimens, belonging to 47 species, were studied in detail, including dissection and photographic documentation of terminalia, with many females illustrated for the first time. Keys to subfamilies, genera, species-groups and species are provided. Type specimens of six species housed in South American institutions could not be obtained for study, i.e., M. bequaerti Séguy, 1925 and the five recently described species M. andina (Wolff et al., 2014), M. carvalhoi (Wolff et al., 2013b), M. cordillera (Wolff & Ramos-Pastrana in Wolff et al., 2017), M. obscura (Wolff in Wolff et al., 2017) and Laneella patriciae (Wolff, 2013). We accept the synonymy, proposed by previous authors, of Eumesembrinella Townsend, 1931 with Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893. In addition, we synonymize the genera Albuquerquea Mello, 1967, Giovanella Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005, Henriquella Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005, Huascaromusca Townsend, 1918 and Thompsoniella Guimarães, 1977 with Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893, synn. nov., retaining three valid genera in the family: Laneella Mello, 1967, Mesembrinella and Souzalopesiella Guimarães, 1977. Laneella nigripes Guimarães, 1977 and Mesembrinella bellardiana Aldrich, 1922 are fixed as the type species of the genera Laneella Mello, 1967 and Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893, respectively, under Article 70.3 of the ICZN Code. We separate Mesembrinella into the following species-groups: M. latifrons (Mello, 1967), M. spicata Aldrich, 1925, M. bolivar (Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005), M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann, 1830), M. bicolor (Fabricius, 1805), and M. anomala (Guimarães, 1977). The following 15 new species are described: Laneella fusconitida Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela, Laneella fuscosquamata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Guatemala and Mexico, Laneella purpurea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Mesembrinella bullata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Bolivia, Mesembrinella chantryi Whitworth, sp. nov. from French Guiana and Brazil, Mesembrinella epandrioaurantia Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella guaramacalensis Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella longicercus Whitworth, sp. nov. from Bolivia, Mesembrinella mexicana Whitworth, sp. nov. from Mexico, Mesembrinella nigrocoerulea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela, Mesembrinella serrata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Peru, Mesembrinella velasquezae Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella violacea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Mesembrinella woodorum Whitworth, sp. nov. from Ecuador, and Mesembrinella zurquiensis Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica. Mesembrinella abaca Hall, 1948 is proposed as a junior synonym of Mesembrinella socors (Walker, 1861), syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Dexia randa Walker, 1849 (now Mesembrinella) and Mesembrinella pictipennis Aldrich, 1922. We analyze the most extensive DNA-barcode dataset for Mesembrinellidae to date, encompassing the three genera considered valid and including 188 sequences (178 new) from 35 species, with data for 23 species provided for the first time. The topology of the resulting Neighbor-Joining tree is mostly congruent with morphology; however, some species show considerable genetic variation that is not reflected by morphology. Finally, we include a corrigendum to the recent Zootaxa paper on Nearctic Calliphora Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by Tantawi et al.

West coast North America record of the Paleogene marine stromboid gastropodRimellaand paleobiogeography of the genus

2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 826-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Squires
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
New Combination ◽  
The West ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Early Paleocene ◽  
First Time

The west coast of North America record of the shallow-marine stromboid gastropod genusRimellaAgassiz, 1841 is restudied for the first time in 90 years. This genus comprises a small group of Paleogene gastropods characterized by having an ornamented fusiform shell, a posterior canal ascending the spire, and simple (non-flared) outer lip.Rimella, whose familial ranking has been inconsistent, is placed here in family Rostellariidae Gabb, 1868, subfamily Rimellinae Stewart, 1927.EctinochilusCossmann, 1889;MacilentosClark and Palmer, 1923;VaderosClark and Palmer, 1923; andCowlitziaClark and Palmer, 1923 are recognized here as junior synonyms ofRimella. Four species are recognized from the west coast of North America: early to middle EoceneRimella macilentaWhite, 1889; early EoceneRimella oregonensisTurner, 1938; middle to late EoceneRimella supraplicata(Gabb, 1864) new combination, of whichRostellaria canaliferGabb, 1864,Cowlitizia washingtonensisClark and Palmer, 1923, andCowlitzia problematicaHanna, 1927 are recognized here as junior synonyms; and late EoceneRimella elongataWeaver, 1912.Rimellawas a warm-water gastropod whose earliest known record is of early Paleocene (Danian) age in Pakistan. Other than the west coast of North America,Rimellais found in Eocene strata in western Europe, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, southeastern United States, Panama, Peru, and, to a lesser degree, in Trinidad, Columbia, Java, and New Zealand. Global cooling near the end of the Eocene greatly diminished the genus. Its youngest known occurrences are of early Oligocene age in Germany, Italy, England, and Peru.

Additional mislabeling in African Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae): the case of Onthophagus viviensis and Onthophagus laevatus

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5032 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-274
Author(s):  
MICHELE ROSSINI
Keyword(s):  
Male Genitalia ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Systematic Position ◽  
The Body ◽  
Type Material ◽  
South American ◽  
South American Species ◽  
New Synonym ◽  
First Time ◽  
Subjective Synonym

The study of the type material of Onthophagus viviensis d’Orbigny, 1905 and Onthophagus laevatus d’Orbigny, 1902 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini) revealed that these two species described from Africa are instead two South American Onthophagus Latreille, 1802. The male of O. viviensis is described for the first time and its systematic position within the O. curvicornis species complex of American Onthophagus is discussed. In addition, Onthophagus laevatus new synonym is established as junior subjective synonym of Onthophagus curvicornis Latreille, 1812. Photographs of the type material examined, pictures of the body and male genitalia of O. viviensis and O. curvicornis, and an updated map of the geographic distribution of these two South American species is provided. A neotype is designated for O. curvicornis and lectotypes are designated for O. laevatus, O. minax Kirsch, 1866 and O. viviensis.  

FabianaSilvestri (Foraminiferida) from India, with notes on its global distribution

1982 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-267
Author(s):  
Bimal K. Samanta
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Global Distribution ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
First Time

SummaryFabianiaSilvestri, a morphologically distinctive larger foraminifer, is circum-global in distribution and is reported to be almost equally abundant in the three marine Tertiary provinces, Tethyan, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean-American. The genus is reported to range from Upper Palaeocene to the top of the Eocene. During the mid-late EoceneFabianiaseems to have been represented by three species,F. cassis(Oppenheim),F. cubensis(Cole & Bermudez) andF. saipanensisCole. In the Indian subcontinent it is known only from eastern India, where it is represented byF. cassisandF. saipanensis. F. indicaNagappa is here regarded as a junior synonym ofF. saipanensisCole.F. cassisis reported for the first time from India. In eastern India,Fabianiais found to be restricted to the middle to upper part of the Middle Eocene.

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