Parasitic castration of the crab, Tumidocarcinus giganteus Glaessner, from the Miocene of New Zealand: Coevolution within the Crustacea

1998 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 493-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney M. Feldmann
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
South Dakota ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Parasitic Castration

Feminization of adult male xanthid crabs, Tumidocarcinus giganteus Glaessner, from the Miocene of New Zealand, represents the first notice of the phenomenon in the fossil record. Marked broadening of the abdomen of adult males, to assume a form much like that of mature females and limitation in the size of the major claw likely result from parasitic castration by rhizocephalan, probably kentrogonid, barnacles. A sexually aberrant dakoticancrid, Dakoticancer overanus Rathbun, from the Late Cretaceous of South Dakota (Bishop, 1983) may extend this coevolutionary relationship between parasitic barnacles and decapod crustaceans into the Mesozoic.

scholarly journals Crustaceans in cold seep ecosystems: fossil record, geographic distribution, taxonomic composition, and biology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adiël A. Klompmaker ◽  
Torrey Nyborg ◽  
Jamie Brezina ◽  
Yusuke Ando
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Cold Seep ◽  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
Primary Literature ◽  
First Time ◽  
Squat Lobsters

Crustaceans including decapods, copepods, amphipods, cumaceans, tanaidaceans, ostracods, and isopods are major components of modern marine methane seeps, where they play a key role in structuring these hotspots of diversity in relatively deep waters. There is every reason to suspect they were common too in ancient seeps, but relatively few studies have focused on crustaceans from fossil seep deposits thus far. We hypothesize that crustaceans can be commonly found in Meso-Cenozoic seeps when many of the aforementioned groups were present and/or radiated. To this end, we review the global fossil record of crustaceans in seeps for the first time using the primary literature and newly collected specimens from the Late Cretaceous of South Dakota, USA. We find that seep crustaceans are much more common than previously known, are found on each continent, and occur more frequently starting in the Jurassic. Decapod crustaceans are represented by body fossils and traces (coprolites, repair scars in mollusks, and burrows), whereas only body fossils of ostracods and barnacles are known. Other groups are lacking. While modern seep decapods are dominated by galatheoid squat lobsters, alvinocaridid shrimps, king crabs, and true crabs, the fossil record is consisting primarily of callianassid ghost shrimps and true crabs thus far. Preservation and recognition are likely to have influenced this discrepancy. Finally, the relatively unexplored fossil record of seep crustaceans provides many opportunities for systematic and paleoecological research.

Paleocene isocrinids (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) from the Kauru Formation, South Island, New Zealand

1994 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Stilwell ◽  
R. Ewan Fordyce ◽  
Peter J. Rolfe
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Storm Surge ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Local Equivalent ◽  
Energy Environment ◽  
First Time

Crinoids are reported from the New Zealand Paleocene for the first time and include rare articulated columnals and brachia with pinnules. These specimens of Metacrinus sp. (Isocrinidae) are present in basal, fossiliferous, coarse-grained, quartzose sediments of the Kauru Formation, a few centimeters above schist basement, in the Kakanui Valley, North Otago. The crinoid-bearing facies probably represents earliest onlap or a storm surge onto a wave cut platform; sedimentological and paleontological evidence indicates a moderate- to high-energy environment. The crinoids were most probably buried rapidly while alive or shortly after death. The presence of isocrinids in the Kauru Formation and younger Paleogene strata reveals that the supposed shift of some isocrinids from a shallower to a deeper environment actually occurred much later in the Paleogene, and not the Late Cretaceous as previously supposed. Associated molluscs indicate a mid to upper “Wangaloan” Stage (local), equivalent to mid Paleocene. A summary of the New Zealand crinoid fossil record is presented.

Managing big boys: a case study on remote anaesthesia and satellite tracking of adult male New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri)

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Geschke ◽  
B. Louise Chilvers
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Satellite Tracking ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Phocarctos Hookeri

Context. Handling animals is essential for many applications in wildlife management. However, currently there are limited techniques to safely handle and move large mobile pinnipeds, particularly when they cannot be physically restrained first. Such animals can be the cause of many land-based wildlife–human conflicts. The New Zealand (NZ) sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) is the world’s rarest and second largest otariid, and is in severe decline. Although most NZ sea lions live on uninhabited NZ subantarctic islands, a small population is recolonising the coastline of Otago, NZ and this close proximity with humans can cause conflict. Aims. The aim of this research was to assess a method of remote chemical anaesthesia for its ability to safely and practically immobilise large pinnipeds to allow attachment of satellite tracking equipment and to handle and potentially move animals if in situations of conflict. Methods. The chemical anaesthetic Zoletil® was remotely applied to immobilise adult male NZ sea lions at Enderby Island, Auckland Islands, to allow handling and the application of satellite tracking equipment. Key results. Six adult males weighing up to 330 kg were successfully anaesthetised, weighed and measured. Two of these had satellite location tags attached, which showed two very different post-breeding movement patterns by adult males and indicated minimum overlap with local fisheries activities. Conclusions. This remote anaesthesia technique was successful for adult male NZ sea lions and could be used for the immobilisation and management of other large mobile pinnipeds. Implications. The ability to anaesthetise and safely handle large adult male pinnipeds will provide better management in areas where animals come in close contact with human populations with possible lethal interactions or where attachment of monitoring equipment is required to investigate population parameters or possible lethal interactions.

scholarly journals A sphenodontine (Rhynchocephalia) from the Miocene of New Zealand and palaeobiogeography of the tuatara ( Sphenodon )

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1660) ◽  
pp. 1385-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc E.H Jones ◽  
Alan J.D Tennyson ◽  
Jennifer P Worthy ◽  
Susan E Evans ◽  
Trevor H Worthy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Window Of Opportunity ◽  
Temporal Window ◽  
Biogeographic History

Jaws and dentition closely resembling those of the extant tuatara ( Sphenodon ) are described from the Manuherikia Group (Early Miocene; 19–16 million years ago, Mya) of Central Otago, New Zealand. This material is significant in bridging a gap of nearly 70 million years in the rhynchocephalian fossil record between the Late Pleistocene of New Zealand and the Late Cretaceous of Argentina. It provides the first pre-Pleistocene record of Rhynchocephalia in New Zealand, a finding consistent with the view that the ancestors of Sphenodon have been on the landmass since it separated from the rest of Gondwana 82–60 Mya. However, if New Zealand was completely submerged near the Oligo-Miocene boundary (25–22 Mya), as recently suggested, an ancestral sphenodontine would need to have colonized the re-emergent landmass via ocean rafting from a currently unrecorded and now extinct Miocene population. Although an Early Miocene record does not preclude that possibility, it substantially reduces the temporal window of opportunity. Irrespective of pre-Miocene biogeographic history, this material also provides the first direct evidence that the ancestors of the tuatara, an animal often perceived as unsophisticated, survived in New Zealand despite substantial local climatic and environmental changes.

HAPTEN-RADIOIMMUNOASSAY OF PLASMA OESTRADIOL

1973 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Doerr
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Normal Values ◽  
Normal Adult ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Reagent Blank ◽  
Keyhole Limpet Haemocyanin ◽  
Ether Extraction ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Assay Precision ◽  
Plasma Oestradiol

ABSTRACT A hapten-radioimmunoassay for plasma oestradiol is described and information about the reliability of the method is given in detail. Oestradiol-3-hemisuccinate coupled to keyhole limpet haemocyanin is used for immunization of rabbits. The antiserum utilized for the assay is characterized by its titer, affinity and specificity. Following ether extraction and NaOH-light petroleum partition oestradiol is separated from crossreacting oestrogens by TLC. Oxidation of oestradiol on the plate is prevented by mercaptoethanol. To separate free and antibody bound ligand 250 μg dextran-coated charcoal per tube is used in the presence of bovine serum gammaglobulin (1 mg/ml). The between-assay precision based on 15 different determinations of control samples from normal adult male plasma was 9.4% (C. V.). The mean reagent blank value of 31 determinations was equivalent to 0.3 pg oestradiol and the detection limit in terms of the 99% confidence limit for a single blank value, was equivalent to 4.3 pg oestradiol. A procedure for detecting plasma blanks is described. Plasma oestradiol is separated from approximately all concomitant substances originally present in the sample by enzymatic conversion into oestrone and a second TLC. No plasma blanks could be detected with respect to normal adult male plasma. Normal values for adult males based on 51 subjects were characterized by a median of 17.2 pg/ml and the 95 percentiles of 9.5–27.6.

Bonobo baby dominance: Did female defense of offspring lead to reduced male aggression?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara Walker ◽  
Brian Hare
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Social System ◽  
Dominant Species ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Male Aggression ◽  
Dominance Style ◽  
The Social ◽  
Initial Support

The dominance style of bonobos presents an evolutionary puzzle. Bonobos are not male dominant but female bonobos do not show traits typical of female-dominant species. This chapter proposes the offspring dominance hypothesis (ODH) as a potential solution. ODH suggests the social system of bonobos evolved as a defence against infanticide and is not due to pressure to monopolize resources. Females that prevented aggression towards offspring and preferred mating with less aggressive males were most successful. Supporting ODH, during observations at Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary it was found that: 1) adult male bonobos are rarely aggressive towards offspring with mothers, 2) some mother-reared juvenile bonobos attain rank higher than adult males and 3) mother-reared offspring often socially interact with adult males without their mothers nearby. These preliminary findings provide initial support that the bonobo social system evolved due to fitness advantages of effectively protecting offspring against consequences of male aggression. Le style de dominance des bonobos présente un puzzle évolutionnaire. Les bonobos ne sont pas dominés par les mâles mais les bonobos femelles ne montrent pas les traits caractéristiques d’une espèce dominée par femelles. On propose l’hypothèse de dominance de progéniture (ODH) comme une solution potentielle. La ODH suggère que le système social des bonobos a évolué en défense contre l’infanticide et pas sous pression pour la monopolisation des ressources. Les femelles qui préviennent l’agression vers leur progéniture et leur préférence d’accouplement avec des mâles moins agressives étaient très efficaces. À l’appui de la ODH on a trouvé pendant nos observations à Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary que: 1) les mâles adultes bonobos agressent rarement vers les bébés avec mères, 2) quelques adolescents bonobos qui furent élevés par leurs mères atteignent un rang plus haut que les mâles adultes et 3) la progéniture élevée par la mère interagissent avec avec d’adultes mâles sans la présence de leur mère. Ces trouvailles préliminaires donnent appuie à l’hypothèse que le système social des bonobos a évolué par les avantages corporelles de la protection de la progéniture contre les conséquences de l’agression mâle.

Depositional influences on Re-Os systematics of Late Cretaceous–Eocene fluvio-deltaic coals and coaly mudstones, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Vol 236 ◽  
pp. 103670
Author(s):  
Enock K. Rotich ◽  
Monica R. Handler ◽  
Richard Sykes ◽  
David Selby ◽  
Sebastian Naeher
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Late Cretaceous

Maastrichtian representatives of the dragonfly family Aeschnidiidae question the entomofaunal turnover of the early Late Cretaceous

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
ANDRÉ NEL
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Alternative Scenario ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Early Late ◽  
Freshwater Environments

Gaps in the fossil record are the major challenge for estimations of impacts of crises of biodiversity of the various clades. They can lead to important misinterpretations in the effects of the different events on the fauna and flora. It is especially the case for the end-Cretaceous, which is ‘near the midpoint of a 16-million-year gap in the insect fossil record’ (Schachat & Labandeira, 2021: 111). All the important Cretaceous insect Konzentrat Lagerstätten are before the Turonian. The analysis of Schachat et al. (2019) has reconstructed a massive loss of family-level diversity for the insects at the boundary Cretaceous-Cenozoic, a possible artefact due to this gap. An alternative scenario was that a turnover in the entomofauna occurred during the early Late Cretaceous in relation to the floristic changes of the Albian–Cenomanian (Nel et al., 2018). This turnover would have also affected the aquatic insects through important changes in the freshwater environments (Sinitshenkova & Zherikhin, 1996; Ivanov & Sukatsheva, 2002). The current knowledge on the odonatan fossil record suggests a pronounced turnover with the last records of several major clades during the Cenomanian-Turonian and first records of several modern ones during the same period (Nel et al., 2015). The widespread and very diverse Jurassic-Cretaceous family Aeschnidiidae is among the best examples of such extinctions supposed to have occurred after the Cenomanian, because of the absence of any fossil in younger strata.

A review of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) described from Mesozoic deposits

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 001-014
Author(s):  
MATHIAS JASCHHOF
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
North America ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Junior Synonym ◽  
Gall Midges ◽  
Incertae Sedis ◽  
New Tribe

Twenty-four fossil gall midges (Cecidomyiidae) described from 1917–2020 from Mesozoic deposits, mostly ambers, are reviewed. Information from the original publications is used as the basis for reinterpretation, when such is regarded as appropriate here. As a result, the fossil record of cecidomyiids from the Mesozoic comprises representatives of the following subfamilies and tribes, all mycophagous (numbers in parentheses refer to species described): Catotrichinae (1); Micromyinae: Catochini (2), Amediini (1), Campylomyzini (1), Micromyini (2) and Aprionini (1); Winnertziinae: Heteropezini (2), Diallactiini (4) and Winnertziini (1); Porricondylinae: Dicerurini (1). Other Winnertziinae (3) and Micromyinae (5) cannot be classified to tribe because information on critical morphological structures is unavailable; they are thus considered incertae sedis. Members of the Lestremiinae sensu stricto are unrecorded from the Mesozoic, as are any Cecidomyiinae (the only subfamily containing phytophages and predators). Commonly occurring reasons for misinterpretation of amber fossils are the non-recognition of artefacts and the unfamiliarity with group-specific literature regarding prevailing taxonomic concepts and the morphological diversity found in Cecidomyiidae. These causes as well as obvious differences between neontological and paleontological taxonomic practices are discussed. Amediini trib. nov. Jaschhof, 2021 is introduced as a new tribe of the Micromyinae, to absorb the genera Amedia Jaschhof, 1997 (extant, North America, type genus), Amediella Jaschhof, 2003 (extant, New Zealand) and Eltxo Arillo & Nel, 2000 (extinct, Alava amber). A diagnosis of the new tribe is given. Krassiloviolini Fedotova & Perkovsky, 2017 is a new junior synonym of Heteropezini Schiner, 1868. Amediini Plakidas, 2017 and Zarqacecidomyius singularis Kaddumi, 2007 are nomina nuda.

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