An early Oligocene stem Galbulae (jacamars and puffbirds) from southern France, and the position of the Paleogene family Sylphornithidae

The Auk ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 137 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïs Duhamel ◽  
Christine Balme ◽  
Stéphane Legal ◽  
Ségolène Riamon ◽  
Antoine Louchart
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Southern France ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
The Family ◽  
Tropical America ◽  
Fossil Bird ◽  
Leg Bones

Abstract Together, puffbirds (Bucconidae) and jacamars (Galbulidae) form the suborder Galbulae, sister group of all other Piciformes. Hitherto, the Galbulae had no ascertained pre-Pleistocene fossil record, and all previous alleged candidates have been refuted, except possibly the Sylphornithidae. Here we describe a wing of a tiny fossil bird from the early Oligocene of the Luberon region (southern France), which we assign to the Galbulae, as a new genus and species. Several characters, especially of the ulna and wing phalanx 1 of digit II, exclude the Passeriformes and Zygodactylidae, and indicate a representative of the Piciformes. Among Piciformes, absence of papillae remigales caudales and several characters of the wing phalanx 1 of digit II make it possible to assign the fossil to the Galbulae, and exclude all other clades. The fossil Sylphornithidae, with the carpometacarpus of Sylphornis being available, show some similarity with the Luberon fossil. The combination of features of the wing elements leads to the placement of the new fossil as stem Galbulae, and tentatively within the family Sylphornithidae. As such, it fills a gap and permits to better assign the whole enigmatic tiny sylphornithids, otherwise essentially known from leg bones. This yields the first firm pre-Pleistocene fossil record for the Galbulae. Today, both the Bucconidae and Galbulidae live exclusively in tropical America. The presence of stem Galbulae in the Oligocene of Europe, and probably the late Eocene, is a new example of a present-day Neotropical clade that had stem representatives in the Paleogene of Europe.

A new genus and species of spoon-winged lacewing from the Cretaceous Crato Formation in Brazil (Neuroptera: Nemopteridae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-341
Author(s):  
ANDRÉ NEL ◽  
CRISTIAN PELLA
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Burmese Amber ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Stem Group

The lacewing family Nemopteridae Burmeister, 1839 is very poorly represented in the fossil record with three Early Cretaceous genera of uncertain affinities from the Brazilian Crato Formation, one ‘mid’-Cretaceous representative of the stem group of the Crocinae Navás, 1910 in the Burmese amber, and two Cenozoic nemopterine genera Marquettia Navás, 1913 (late Eocene-early Oligocene) and Paleonemia Claisse et al., 2019 (middle Oligocene). Also two undetermined Nemopterinae are recorded from the late Eocene and the Oligocene (Lu et al., 2019a: Table 1; Claisse et al., 2019).

scholarly journals New phiocricetomyine rodents (Hystricognathi) from the Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Depression, Egypt

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12074
Author(s):  
Shorouq F. Al-Ashqar ◽  
Erik R. Seiffert ◽  
Dorien de Vries ◽  
Sanaa El-Sayed ◽  
Mohamed S. Antar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
Early Oligocene ◽  
Species Type ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Latest Eocene

Background The rich rodent assemblages from the Eocene–Oligocene deposits of the Jebel Qatrani Formation (Fayum Depression, Egypt) have important implications for our understanding of the origin and paleobiogeography of Hystricognathi, a diverse clade that is now represented by the Afro-Asiatic Hystricidae, New World Caviomorpha, and African Phiomorpha. Methods Here we present previously undescribed material of the enigmatic hystricognath clade Phiocricetomyinae, from two stratigraphic levels in the lower sequence of the Jebel Qatrani Formation—a new genus and species (Qatranimys safroutus) from the latest Eocene Locality 41 (~34 Ma, the oldest and most productive quarry in the formation) and additional material of Talahphiomys lavocati from that species’ type locality, early Oligocene Quarry E (~31–33.2 Ma). Results The multiple specimens of Qatranimys safroutus from L-41 document almost the entire lower and upper dentition, as well as mandibular fragments and the first cranial remains known for a derived phiocricetomyine. Specimens from Quarry E allow us to expand comparisons with specimens from Libya (late Eocene of Dur at-Talah and early Oligocene of Zallah Oasis) that have been placed in T. lavocati, and we show that the Dur at-Talah and Zallah specimens do not pertain to this species. These observations leave the Fayum Quarry E as the only locality where T. lavocati occurs.

A new characiform fish (Teleostei: Ostariophysi) from the Eocene of Tanzania

2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 473-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison M Murray
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
African Species ◽  
Caudal Skeleton ◽  
Weberian Apparatus ◽  
Fossil Fish

Four specimens of a small fossil fish were collected from the Eocene Mahenge site of Tanzania. The specimens, preserved as part and counterpart natural moulds, are identified, predominantly based on the structure of the caudal skeleton, as members of the Characiformes, probably the sister group to the living African Alestidae. The area just behind the skull, in the two specimens that include this area, is distorted, and therefore it is difficult to identify the bones of the Weberian apparatus, although that structure does appear to be present. The fossil record of characiforms includes few articulated skeletons, with only one other African species previously reported from much younger deposits. The new specimens from Mahenge are described here as a new genus and species, Mahengecharax carrolli.

Rostriamynodon grangeri n. gen., n. sp. of amynodontid (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotoidea) with comments on the phylogenetic history of Eocene Amynodontidae

1986 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 911-919 ◽  
Author(s):  
William P. Wall ◽  
Earl Manning
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Inner Mongolia ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Diagnostic Characteristics ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of ◽  
Early Late

A new genus and species of amynodontid rhinoceros, Rostriamynodon grangeri, from the early Late Eocene of Inner Mongolia, People's Republic of China, is the most primitive amynodontid recognized to date. Rostriamynodon exhibits the major diagnostic characteristics of amynodontids: quadratic M3, preorbital fossa, and loss of upper and lower P1. It differs from more advanced members of the family in its long preorbital region and lower cheek tooth morphology. Comparisons with other Eocene ceratomorphs show the crucial position Rostriamynodon has in determining phylogenetic relationships between rhinocerotoids and tapiroids. Evidence is presented for the monophyly of the Rhinocerotoidea, including amynodontids.

scholarly journals Brittle stars looking like starfish: the first fossil record of the Astrophiuridae and a remarkable case of convergent evolution

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8008
Author(s):  
Ben Thuy ◽  
Andy Gale ◽  
Lea Numberger-Thuy
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Parallel Evolution ◽  
Molecular Evidence ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Brittle Stars ◽  
Remarkable Case ◽  
The Family ◽  
A New Species

The genus Astrophiura, which ranks among the most extraordinary of modern brittle stars, is the type genus of the recently resurrected family Astrophiuridae within the order Ophiurida. On account of its absurdly enlarged and strongly modified lateral arm plates, Astrophiura bears a closer resemblance to a pentagonal starfish than to a typical ophiuroid. Although molecular evidence suggests an ancient origin of the Astrophiuridae, dating back at least to the Early Jurassic, not a single fossil astrophiurid has been reported so far. Here, we describe dissociated lateral arm plates from the Campanian of Cringleford near Norwich, UK, and the Maastrichtian of Rügen, Germany (both Upper Cretaceous) with unambiguous astrophiurid affinities and assign these to a new species, Astrophiura markbeneckei. This represents the first fossil record of the family. In addition, the Rügen material included lateral arm plates that superficially resemble those of A. markbeneckei sp. nov. but differ in having spine articulations that are typical of the ophionereidoid family Amphilimnidae. We assign these plates to a new genus and species, Astrosombra rammsteinensis, an extinct amphilimnid with morphological modifications similar to those of Astrophiura, and thus representing a remarkable case of parallel evolution amongst brittle stars looking like starfish.

scholarly journals First Record of Mites of the Family Stigmaeidae (Acari, Raphignathoidea) from Rovno Amber with Description of a New Species of the Genus Mediolata

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. e-49-e-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kuznetsov ◽  
A. Khaustov ◽  
E. Perkovsky
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
First Record ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Rovno Amber ◽  
The Family ◽  
A New Species

First Record of Mites of the Family Stigmaeidae (Acari, Raphignathoidea) from Rovno Amber with Description of a New Species of the Genus Mediolata A new species, Mediolata eocenica Kuznetsov, Khaustov et Perkovsky, sp. n., is described from the Late Eocene Rovno amber. It is the first fossil record of Stigmaeidae.

A new genus and tribe of Cretaceous net-winged beetles from Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Lycidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIK TIHELKA ◽  
DIYING HUANG ◽  
CHENYANG CAI
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Single Specimen ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Burmese Amber ◽  
The Family ◽  
New Tribe

With over 4,600 species distributed worldwide, the net-winged beetles belong among the most speciose elateroid lineages. Despite this, beetles of the family Lycidae are rare in the fossil record. A new genus and species of Lycidae, Cretolycus praecursor gen. et sp. nov., is herein described based on a single specimen preserved in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Cretolycus praecursor represents the second known lycid from the Mesozoic. A new tribe, Cretolycini trib. nov., is erected for the species, characterised by 11-segmented filiform antennae, 3-segmented labial palpi with an enlarged apical palpomere, and elytra without costae. A catalogue of fossil net-winged beetles is appended.

Fossil crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the Late Cretaceous cárdenas Formation, east-central Mexico

1995 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 340-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J. Vega ◽  
Rodney M. Feldmann ◽  
Francisco Sour-Tovar
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
East Central ◽  
The Family ◽  
Marine Lagoon ◽  
First Time

Twenty-four nearly complete carapace samples were collected at three different localities of the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) Cárdenas Formation in San Luis Potosí, east-central Mexico. The material has been assigned to five families: the Callianassidae, Dakoticancridae, Carcineretidae, ?Majidae, and Retroplumidae. Two genera of callianassid shrimp are described, Cheramus for the first time in the fossil record. Dakoticancer australis Rathbun is reported as the most abundant crustacean element; one new genus and species of carcineretid crab, Branchiocarcinus cornatus, is erected, and a single, fragmentary specimen is questionably referred to the Majidae. The three localities reflect paleoenvironmental differences, exhibited by different lithologies, within marginal marine, lagoon environments. The record of dakoticancrid crabs in the Cardenas Formation extends the paleobiogeographic range of the family and the genus Dakoticancer. Carcineretid crabs, although not abundant, seem to have been a persistent element of crustacean assemblages in clastic environments during the Late Cretaceous of the ancestral Gulf Coast of Mexico.

A New Primate from the Middle Eocene of Myanmar and the Asian Early Origin of Anthropoids

Science ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 286 (5439) ◽  
pp. 528-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-J. Jaeger ◽  
Tin Thein ◽  
M. Benammi ◽  
Y. Chaimanee ◽  
Aung Naing Soe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Genus ◽  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
New Genus And Species ◽  
Asian Origin ◽  
Anthropoid Primate ◽  
Lower Jaw ◽  
The Family ◽  
Early Origin

A new genus and species of anthropoid primate,Bahinia pondaungensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Yashe Kyitchaung locality in the Late Middle Eocene Pondaung Formation (Myanmar). It is related to Eosimias, but it is represented by more complete remains, including upper dentition with associated lower jaw fragment. It is interpreted as a new representative of the family Eosimiidae, which corresponds to the sister group of the Amphipithecidae and of all other anthropoids. Eosimiidae are now recorded from three distinct Middle Eocene localities in Asia, giving support to the hypothesis of an Asian origin of anthropoids.

Giant late Eocene marine birds (Pelecaniformes: Pelagornithidae) from northwestern Oregon

1989 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 939-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Goedert
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Pacific Basin ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Family ◽  
Fossil Bird ◽  
Latest Eocene

Fossil bird bones from the late Eocene Keasey Formation and the latest Eocene Pittsburg Bluff Formation in northwestern Oregon are the earliest records of the pelecaniform family Pelagornithidae for the Pacific Basin. These fossils also represent the first late Eocene records of the family from the Northern Hemisphere, the second late Eocene record worldwide, and indicate that these animals were among the largest of flying birds. Unfortunately, the fragmentary condition of these fossils and the currently confused state of pelagornithid systematics prevents the assignment of these specimens to new species at this time.

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