The Fossil Record of the Pancrustacea

Fossils are critically important for evolutionary studies as they provide the link between geological ages and the phylogeny of life. The Pancrustacea are an incredibly diverse clade, representing over 800,000 described extant species, encompassing a variety of familiar and unfamiliar forms, such as ostracods, tongue worms, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, copepods, barnacles, branchiopods, remipedes, and insects. Having colonized nearly every environment on Earth, from hydrothermal vents to terrestrial habitats, they have a diverse fossil record dating back to the Cambrian (540–485 Ma). The quality of the fossil record of each clade is variable and related to their lifestyle (e.g., free-living versus parasitic, benthic versus pelagic) and the degree of mineralization of their cuticle. We review the systematics, morphology, preservation, and paleoecology of pancrustacean fossils; each major clade is discussed in turn, and, where possible, fossil systematics are compared with more recent data from molecular phylogenetics. We show that the three epic clades of the Pancrustacea—Allotriocarida, Multicrustacea, and Oligostraca—all have Cambrian roots, but the diversification of those clades did not take place until the Middle and Late Paleozoic. We also address the potential affinities of three “problematic” clades: euthycarcinoids, thylacocephalans, and cyclids. We conclude by assessing the future of pancrustacean paleobiology, discussing new morphological imaging techniques and further integration with growing molecular phylogenetic data.

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Symplocos Fruits from the Pliocene of Colombia

Systematic Botany ◽

10.1600/036364421x16231782047398 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 416-421

Author(s):

Steven R. Manchester ◽

Terry A. Lott ◽

Fabiany Herrera ◽

Henry Hooghiemstra ◽

Vincent M. Wijninga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

South America ◽

Middle Miocene ◽

Late Eocene ◽

The North ◽

Extant Species ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Voucher Specimens ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic Data ◽

Key Characters

Abstract— Fossil fruits of Symplocos (Ericales: Symplocaceae) are here recognized from the Pliocene of Guasca, Colombia, based on specimens formerly attributed to Cordia (Cordiaceae, Boraginales). Symplocos vera (Berry) comb. nov. is represented by 19 lignitized fruits. The fossils are recognized as belonging to Symplocos primarily by their woody endocarps that are apically truncate and that possess 3 to 5 apical germination pores and locules, and a central vascular canal extending the length of the endocarp. In several key characters they are highly congruent with the endocarps of the extant Neotropical clade S. ser. Symplocos. Some of the extant species in the series are variably 3- to 5-locular; 4-locular endocarps are otherwise rare in Symplocos, and 5-locular endocarps appear to be unique to this series. Symplocos vera is the only specifically named record of fossil Symplocos fruits with accessible voucher specimens from South America. The younger Neogene age of the fossils relative to those attributed to S. ser. Symplocos from the late Eocene of Texas, along with a report of Colombian fossil endocarps from the middle Miocene, supports the North America to South America migration inferred for this clade from molecular phylogenetic data.

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Review: Freshwater and Soil Foraminifera – A Story of Long-Forgotten Relatives

The Journal of Foraminiferal Research ◽

10.2113/gsjfr.51.4.318 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 318-331

Author(s):

Maria Holzmann ◽

Andrew J. Gooday ◽

Ferry Siemensma ◽

Jan Pawlowski

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Complex Environments ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Terrestrial Habitats ◽

Genomic Studies ◽

Morphological And Molecular Data ◽

Fresh Impetus ◽

The 19Th Century

ABSTRACT Foraminifera are a primarily marine taxon widespread in all oceanic habitats, from shallow, brackish-water settings to deep-seafloor and pelagic realms. Their diversity is remarkable with several thousand species described and a fossil record tracing back to the Cambrian. While foraminifera represent one of the best-studied groups of marine meiofauna, much less is known about their non-marine relatives. The first freshwater foraminifera were described in the 19th century by European and North American protozoologists, but interest in them lapsed during much of the 20th century and was not rekindled until the advent of molecular systematics provided a fresh impetus to their study. Several new species, genera, and families have been described recently based on morphological and molecular data derived from cultured specimens. In parallel, environmental genomic studies revealed that foraminifera are highly diverse and ubiquitous in freshwater and soil environments. Molecular phylogenetic analyses places non-marine foraminifera in a few clades among the large array of single-chambered (monothalamous) lineages, suggesting that several independent colonization events of freshwater and terrestrial habitats occurred. Non-marine foraminifera are turning from obscure curiosities to being recognized as an important part of soil and freshwater microbial communities, a major component of these complex environments.

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Tetrapod Evolution

Evolutionary Biology ◽

10.1093/obo/9780199941728-0027 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Michel Laurin

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Molecular Phylogenetics ◽

Minor Component ◽

Early Carboniferous ◽

Early Devonian ◽

Extant Species ◽

Extinction Events ◽

A Minor ◽

Tetrapod Evolution ◽

Mass Extinction Events

Tetrapods include all extant limbed vertebrates (and those that lost limbs, such as gymnophionans and snakes) and many or all extinct ones (depending on the adopted definition). This large clade is represented by over 21,000 extant species: more than 7,000 species of extant amphibians and more than 13,000 species of amniotes, which include mammals and reptiles, the latter also including birds in many recent taxonomies. The origin of tetrapods can be followed back into the Early Devonian (419–393 million years ago), shortly after tetrapodomorphs (as stem-tetrapods are called) diverged from dipnomorphs (the largest clade that includes lungfishes but not tetrapods). The first tetrapodomorphs retained paired fins, but by the Middle Devonian (393–383 million years ago), the first limbed vertebrates had appeared. The tetrapod crown (the smallest clade that includes lissamphibians and amniotes) first appears in the fossil record in the Early Carboniferous. The group subsequently diversified fairly quickly and occupied a diversity of habitats (saltwater, freshwater, and terrestrial) by the Early Carboniferous. Amniotes appeared no later than about 317 million years ago (Ma), although they remained a minor component of the terrestrial biota until the Early Permian. The origin of turtles remains contentious, but the first undisputed stem-turtle and lepidosauromorphs (squamates, Sphenodon, and extinct relatives) are known from the Triassic, whereas archosauromorphs (which include birds and crocodiles) can be traced back to the Late Permian. Much of what we know about early tetrapod evolution is based on the fossil record, but our understanding of the subsequent evolution of the group has progressed tremendously in recent years through molecular phylogenetics. This article is organized into thematic sections, such as tetrapod origins, biodiversity evolution, and mass extinction events, as well as systematic sections that deal with various clades, especially (but not only) extant ones. Throughout, the emphasis has been on recent papers because their bibliographies usually include references to older, influential publications, although some older, very important papers are covered too.

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Iheyaspira bathycodon new species (Vetigastropoda: Trochoidea: Turbinidae: Skeneinae) from the Von Damm Vent Field, Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315412000823 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 93 (4) ◽

pp. 1017-1024 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Verity Nye ◽

Jon Copley ◽

Katrin Linse ◽

Sophie Plouviez

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

16S Rdna ◽

Hydrothermal Vent ◽

18S Rdna ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Faunal Composition ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic Data

Iheyaspira bathycodon sp. nov. is described from the Von Damm Vent Field on the world's deepest spreading centre, the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre (MCSC), Caribbean, at 2300 m depth. The new species is defined and illustrated from 11 specimens, with brief notes on habitat and known distribution. Molecular phylogenetic data from partial COI mDNA, 16S rDNA and nuclear 18S rDNA regions are used to analyse the species’ phylogenetic position and its morphology is compared with previously described skeneid and vent taxa. The new species is distinguished from the most closely allied vent species, Iheyaspira lequios Okutani, Sasaki & Tsuchida, 2000 by morphological differences in radula diagnosis and appendage structure of the head-foot. Iheyaspira bathycodon sp. nov. is the tenth turbinid to be described from a hydrothermal-vent environment and the second species to be named from recently discovered hydrothermal vents on the MCSC. Determining the faunal composition of assemblages at the vent fields of the MCSC will help to elucidate the vent biogeography of the region.

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A new species ofLebbeus(Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae) from the Von Damm Vent Field, Caribbean Sea

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315412000884 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 93 (3) ◽

pp. 741-751 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Verity Nye ◽

Jon Copley ◽

Sophie Plouviez ◽

Cindy Lee Van Dover

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Hydrothermal Vents ◽

Caribbean Sea ◽

Phylogenetic Position ◽

Caridean Shrimp ◽

The Pacific ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

The Pacific Ocean ◽

A New Species ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic Data

A new species of the hippolytid shrimp genusLebbeusWhite, 1847 is described from the Von Damm Vent Field (VDVF) on the Mid-Cayman Spreading Centre, Caribbean Sea, at 2294 m water depth.Lebbeus virentovasp. nov. is defined and illustrated from seven specimens, with brief notes on its distribution and habitat. Molecular phylogenetic data from the COI mDNA region are used to analyse the species’ phylogenetic position, and its morphology is compared with previously described species. This new species represents the second family of caridean shrimp to be reported from the VDVF.Lebbeus virentovasp. nov. is the eighth member of the genus to be described from hydrothermal vents and appears to be the first hippolytid shrimp at a vent field known from outside the Pacific Ocean.

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Molecules, Morphology, Fossils and the Origination and Extinction Dynamics of Scleractinian Corals

The Paleontological Society Papers ◽

10.1017/s1089332600002448 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

pp. 61-77

Author(s):

Marcos S. Barbeitos

Keyword(s):

Coral Reefs ◽

Fossil Record ◽

Molecular Phylogenetics ◽

Evolutionary Dynamics ◽

Scleractinian Corals ◽

Future Research ◽

Marine Biodiversity ◽

Mass Extinctions ◽

Extant Species ◽

The Impact

The history of Scleractinian corals, richly documented by the fossil record, is one of complex dynamics linked to the dynamics of coral reefs themselves. In spite of all the waxing and waning of marine biodiversity throughout the post-Paleozoic, scleractinians have remained remarkably resilient as a lineage and have traversed two mass extinctions and repeated episodes of global change before becoming the chief builders of modern coral reefs. Understanding this history becomes all the more relevant in face of the current human driven coral reef biodiversity crisis. The advent of molecular phylogenetics has changed our perspective of those dynamics because it has uncovered pervasive morphological convergence in traditionally used taxonomic characters, revealing that the current classification is highly artificial. Taxonomy not only obscures important patterns, but also introduces artifacts into estimates of origination and extinction obtained directly from the fossil record. I present a brief review of the impact of molecular phylogenetics on the current understanding of coral evolution, with emphasis on the recently uncovered phyletic link between photosymbiotic, reef dwelling and azooxanthellate, deepwater coral biota. Then, I discuss the role of molecular-based techniques in a future research agenda of the evolutionary dynamics of the order. The greatest challenge for the future is the re-assessment of morphological characters from a cladistic perspective so that extinct and extant species are integrated in a unified phylogenetic framework, allowing rigorous testing of hypotheses on the fascinating biodiversity dynamics of the order.

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Perspectives in Earthworm Molecular Phylogeny: Recent Advances in Lumbricoidea and Standing Questions

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d14010030 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 30

Author(s):

Daniel Fernández Marchán ◽

Thibaud Decaëns ◽

Jorge Domínguez ◽

Marta Novo

Keyword(s):

Molecular Phylogenetics ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Reduced Representation ◽

The Family ◽

The Status ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Terrestrial Habitats ◽

Integrative Systematics ◽

Representation Techniques ◽

Targeted Enrichment

Earthworm systematics have been limited by the small number of taxonomically informative morphological characters and high levels of homoplasy in this group. However, molecular phylogenetic techniques have yielded significant improvements in earthworm taxonomy in the last 15 years. Several different approaches based on the use of different molecular markers, sequencing techniques, and compromises between specimen/taxon coverage and phylogenetic information have recently emerged (DNA barcoding, multigene phylogenetics, mitochondrial genome analysis, transcriptome analysis, targeted enrichment methods, and reduced representation techniques), providing solutions to different evolutionary questions regarding European earthworms. Molecular phylogenetics have led to significant advances being made in Lumbricidae systematics, such as the redefinition or discovery of new genera (Galiciandrilus, Compostelandrilus, Vindoboscolex, Castellodrilus), delimitation and revision of previously existing genera (Kritodrilus, Eophila, Zophoscolex, Bimastos), and changes to the status of subspecific taxa (such as the Allolobophorachaetophora complex). These approaches have enabled the identification of problems that can be resolved by molecular phylogenetics, including the revision of Aporrectodea, Allolobophora, Helodrilus, and Dendrobaena, as well as the examination of small taxa such as Perelia, Eumenescolex, and Iberoscolex. Similar advances have been made with the family Hormogastridae, in which integrative systematics have contributed to the description of several new species, including the delimitation of (formerly) cryptic species. At the family level, integrative systematics have provided a new genus system that better reflects the diversity and biogeography of these earthworms, and phylogenetic comparative methods provide insight into earthworm macroevolution. Despite these achievements, further research should be performed on the Tyrrhenian cryptic complexes, which are of special eco-evolutionary interest. These examples highlight the potential value of applying molecular phylogenetic techniques to other earthworm families, which are very diverse and occupy different terrestrial habitats across the world. The systematic implementation of such approaches should be encouraged among the different expert groups worldwide, with emphasis on collaboration and cooperation.

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Myotis Gerhardstorchi Sp. N. and Comments on the European Fossil Record of Myotis Frater Group (Mammalia, Chiroptera)

Fossil Imprint ◽

10.2478/if-2019-0021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 75 (3-4) ◽

pp. 315-342

Author(s):

Ivan Horáček ◽

Eva Trávníčková

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Molecular Phylogenetics ◽

Early Pleistocene ◽

Late Cenozoic ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

European Species ◽

Fossil Material ◽

Extant Species ◽

History Of ◽

A New Species

Abstract A new species, Myotis gerhardstorchi sp. n., supposedly close to M. sicarius and M. frater group, is described from MN 15 site Beremend 26 (Hungary). M. frater group, now restricted to vicariant ranges in E Asia, Siberia and Central Asia, is further reported from three Pliocene and two Early Pleistocene mass bat assemblages from the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. The odontological diagnosis of the group is presented, together with comparisons of the fossil material with extant species of the group, and W Palearctic taxa of the genus, both fossil and Recent. Molecular phylogenetics reveals that the above-mentioned Asiatic taxa, together with the European species M. daubentonii and M. bechsteinii, the index fossil of the W Palearctic Late Cenozoic bat communities, compose a distinct phylogenetic entity called Myotis Clade III. Here we argue that the history of Clade III in the W Palearctics was contributed also by clades close to its stem line, and those related to the Asiatic forms that later disappeared from that region. Finally, a list of taxa, both fossil and Recent, composing the Myotis Clade III is provided.

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