Chathamirhynchia kahuitara, a new genus and species of Late Cretaceous rhynchonellide brachiopod from the Chatham Islands, New Zealand: shell structure, palaeoecology and biogeography

Author(s):  
Daphne E. Lee ◽  
Neda Motchurova-Dekova

ABSTRACTA new rhynchonellide brachiopod has been collected from the Kahuitara Tuff (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of Pitt Island, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Brachiopods are extremely rare in Cretaceous rocks from New Zealand, and this new genus and species is unlike any other rhynchonellide known from Australasia or elsewhere. Chathamirhynchia kahuitara is distinguished by its small size, strong ribbing, and well-developed sulciplicate folding, and internally by a large, robust cardinal process and raduliform crura. The shell structure of C. kahuitara is shown to be of typical fine fibrous ‘rhynchonellidine’ type. This brachiopod was probably strongly attached to volcanic rock or shells in a shallow-water, high-energy environment. Implications for the biogeography of brachiopods during the Late Cretaceous are briefly discussed.

1986 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Wilson

Abstract. Three new species and one new genus of adherent foraminiferans have been found within bivalve borings in cobbles from the Faringdon Sponge-gravel (Upper Aptian) of south-central England. The new genus and species, Lapillincola faringdonensis is a uniserial textulariine with an initial planispiral coil and a multiple aperture. Lapillincola gen. nov. is a remarkable homeomorph of Arenonina Barnard, which was originally described as an agglutinated form. Arenonina is shown here to actually be calcareous and perforate, and thus a junior synonym of Rectocibicides Cushman & Ponton. Acruliammina parvispira sp. nov. is another uniserial textulariine with an initial coil. Bullopora ramosa sp. nov. is an adherent polymorphinid with a branching, irregular series of adherent chambers. These foraminiferans may have used the bivalve borings as spatial refuges from the abrasive, high energy environment of the Sponge-gravel.


1994 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Stilwell ◽  
R. Ewan Fordyce ◽  
Peter J. Rolfe

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.


1994 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney M. Feldmann

The james ross basin, situated on the eastern margin of the Antarctic Peninsula, has yielded an extensive fauna of decapod crustaceans spanning Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. To date, 28 species in 22 genera and 18 families have been described (Feldmann, 1992; Feldmann, Tshudy, and Thomson, 1993), making this the most diverse fossil decapod fauna in the Southern Hemisphere. Within the basin, Seymour Island alone contains rocks of the Eocene age La Meseta Formation from which seven species of crabs, one galatheid, and one species of callianassid ghost shrimp have been described (Feldmann and Zinsmeister, 1984; Feldmann and Wilson, 1988; Feldmann, 1992). The fauna of the La Meseta is remarkable also because, although the organisms are preserved in rocks deposited in moderate- to high-energy, shallow-water habitats (Elliot and Trautman, 1982), many of the species represent early occurrences of taxa with living descendants that are characteristic of deeper water, lower latitude habitats (Zinsmeister and Feldmann, 1984).


1995 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 376-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Blake ◽  
Keith Sturgeon

Aldebarania arenitea (Astropectinidae; Asteroidea; Echinodermata) is described from the Rocky Point Member of the Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) Peedee Formation of North Carolina. A turbulent, shallow-water environment is suggested by sedimentary features, a diverse marine fauna, and the morphology of Aldebarania. Aldebarania appears to be a partial ecological equivalent of living Astropecten and Luidia; however, phylogenetic relationships within the Astropectinidae are unstudied and the origin of similarities is unknown.


Copeia ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 (3) ◽  
pp. 483-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore W. Pietsch ◽  
Jeffrey W. Johnson ◽  
Rachel J. Arnold

2016 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael S. Engel

A new genus and species of basal cyclostome Braconidae is described and figured from a male preserved in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar.  <strong><em>Rhetinorhyssalus morticinus</em></strong> Engel, new genus and species, is interesting for its combination of primitive features such as a minute apical costal cell and anal stubs in the forewing, while lacking 2Cu in the hind wing, a putatively derived trait.  As such, the genus may represent a lineage diverging from the braconid stem subsequent to many protorhyssalines, while remaining basal relative to generalized cyclostome groups such as Rhyssalinae.  In addition, the Late Cretaceous <em>Diospilus allani</em> Brues, in Campanian Canadian amber, is transferred to <strong><em>Diorhyssalus</em></strong> Engel, new genus, and its similarity to <em>Rhetinorhyssalus</em> is discussed.  This transfer results in the new combination, <em>Diorhyssalus allani</em> (Brues).  Both genera are tentatively considered as subfamily <em>incertae sedis</em>.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boessenecker ◽  
R. Ewan Fordyce

The early evolution of toothless baleen whales (Chaeomysticeti) remains elusive despite a robust record of Eocene-Oligocene archaeocetes and toothed mysticetes. Eomysticetids, a group of archaic longirostrine and putatively toothless baleen whales fill in a crucial morphological gap between well-known toothed mysticetes and more crownward Neogene Mysticeti. A historically important but perplexing cetacean is “Mauicetus” lophocephalus (upper Oligocene South Island, New Zealand). The discovery of new skulls and skeletons of eomysticetids from the Oligocene Kokoamu Greensand and Otekaike Limestone permit a redescription and modern reinterpretation of “Mauicetus” lophocephalus, and indicating that this species may have retained adult teeth. A new genus and species, Tokarahia kauaeroa, is erected on the basis of a well-preserved subadult to adult skull with mandibles, tympanoperiotics, and cervical and thoracic vertebrae, ribs, sternum, and forelimbs from the Otekaike Limestone (&gt;25.2 Ma). “Mauicetus” lophocephalus is relatively similar and recombined as Tokarahia lophocephalus. Phylogenetic analysis supports inclusion of Tokarahia within the Eomysticetidae alongside Eomysticetus, Micromysticetus, Yamatocetus, and Tohoraata, and strongly supports monophyly of Eomysticetidae. Tokarahia lacked extreme rostral kinesis of extant Mysticeti and primitively retained a delicate archaeocete-like posterior mandible and synovial temporomandibular joint, suggesting that Tokarahia was capable of at most, limited lunge feeding in contrast to extant Balaenopteridae, and utilized an alternative as-yet unspecified feeding strategy.


2013 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Michael S. Engel ◽  
David A. Grimaldi ◽  
Jaime Ortega-Blanco

The proctotrupoid wasp family Pelecinidae (Proctotrupomorpha: Proctotrupoidea) is recorded in Early Cretaceous amber for the first time, previous amber inclusions being from the Late Cretaceous or Tertiary. Zoropelecinus zigrasi Engel & Grimaldi, new genus and species, is described and figured from an exquisitely preserved female in Albian-Cenomanian amber from Myanmar. The genus is similar to other fossil pelecinids of the genera Pelecinopteron Brues (Paleogene ambers of the Baltic and Siberia) and Henopelecinus Engel & Grimaldi (Turonian amber, New Jersey). Although two subfamilies have at times been recognized (or even as two families) the Iscopininae are clearly paraphyletic with respect to Pelecininae and therefore of no classificatory value and accordingly synonymized herein (new synonymy).


Nematology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie Davies ◽  
Zeng Qi Zhao ◽  
Brett Alexander ◽  
Ian Riley

AbstractA new genus and species of anguinid nematode, Litylenchus coprosma gen. n., sp. n., was recovered from leaves of Coprosma repens A. Rich. from an amenity planting in Wellington, New Zealand. The genus is characterised by having slender males and slender or semi-obese females, pharynx with a weak non-muscular median bulb, a terminal bulb containing the pharyngeal glands, female with a single gonad having a quadricolumella and post-uterine sac; male with arcuate spicules and the bursa arising 1-2 anal body diam. anterior to the cloacal aperture and extending nearly to the tail tip, and does not induce galls, only foliar chlorosis. The species is characterised by having a short, robust stylet with conus forming ca 40% of stylet length and three well developed rounded knobs, secretory/excretory pore opening posterior to the nerve ring, terminal bulb abutting the intestine, and tail tip of variable form. Molecular phylogeny of near full length small subunit, D2/D3 expansion segments of the large subunit and internal transcribed spacer rRNA genes support the description of L. coprosma gen. n., sp. n. as a new genus and species.


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