scholarly journals The youngest South American rhynchocephalian, a survivor of the K/Pg extinction

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1792) ◽  
pp. 20140811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián Apesteguía ◽  
Raúl O. Gómez ◽  
Guillermo W. Rougier

Rhynchocephalian lepidosaurs, though once widespread worldwide, are represented today only by the tuatara ( Sphenodon ) of New Zealand. After their apparent early Cretaceous extinction in Laurasia, they survived in southern continents. In South America, they are represented by different lineages of Late Cretaceous eupropalinal forms until their disappearance by the Cretaceous/Palaeogene (K/Pg) boundary. We describe here the only unambiguous Palaeogene rhynchocephalian from South America; this new taxon is a younger species of the otherwise Late Cretaceous genus Kawasphenodon . Phylogenetic analysis confirms the allocation of the genus to the clade Opisthodontia. The new form from the Palaeogene of Central Patagonia is much smaller than Kawasphenodon expectatus from the Late Cretaceous of Northern Patagonia. The new species shows that at least one group of rhynchocephalians not related to the extant Sphenodon survived in South America beyond the K/Pg extinction event. Furthermore, it adds to other trans-K/Pg ectotherm tetrapod taxa, suggesting that the end-Cretaceous extinction affected Patagonia more benignly than the Laurasian landmasses.

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Martín Hechenleitner ◽  
Léa Leuzinger ◽  
Agustín G. Martinelli ◽  
Sebastián Rocher ◽  
Lucas E. Fiorelli ◽  
...  

Abstract South American titanosaurians have been central to the study of the evolution of Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs. Despite their remarkable diversity, the fragmentary condition of several taxa and the scarcity of records outside Patagonia and southwestern Brazil have hindered the study of continental-scale paleobiogeographic relationships. We describe two new Late Cretaceous titanosaurians from Quebrada de Santo Domingo (La Rioja, Argentina), which help to fill a gap between these main areas of the continent. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers both new species, and several Brazilian taxa, within Rinconsauria. The data suggest that, towards the end of the Cretaceous, this clade spread throughout southern South America. At the same locality, we discovered numerous accumulations of titanosaurian eggs, likely related to the new taxa. With eggs distributed in three levels along three kilometres, the new site is one of the largest ever found and provides further evidence of nesting site philopatry among Titanosauria.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier N. Gelfo ◽  
Guillermo M. López ◽  
Mariano Bond

A new form of Xenungulata Paula Couto, 1952 from red levels of the Peñas Coloradas Formation in a locality near Puerto Visser (45°17'S, 67°01'W), Chubut province, Argentina, is represented by a fragmentary left jaw with the m3 (MPEF-PV 1871). Notoetayoa gargantuai n. gen. and n. sp. is the first ever found in direct association with Carodnia feruglioi Simpson, 1935a which characterizes the incompletely known homonymous zone of the late Paleocene of Patagonia. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis, including representatives of “Condylarthra,” Litopterna, Notoungulata, Pyrotheria, Xenungulata and Astrapotheria, plus the characters that could be scored in the new taxon, was performed using TNT software. A single most parsimonious tree was obtained. Notoetayoa gargantuai has a closer phylogenetic relationship with the Xenungulate Etayoa bacatensis Villarroel, 1987 from the ?middle Paleocene of Colombia than with any other Tertiary ungulate group of South America. Notoetayoa gargantuai fills an important gap in the knowledge of the mammalian faunas from the Paleocene of Patagonia, particularly of the poorly known pre-Itaborian times.


2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony I. Cognato

AbstractElectroborus brighti, new genus, new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is described based on two specimens from Dominican amber, which represents the first Hylesinini found in Dominican amber. A phylogenetic analysis of 24 Hylesinini species and a Strombophorus Hagedorn species based on morphological characters suggests E. brighti is not related to the Neotropical genus Phloeoborus Erichson, but shares a close affinity to African Hylesinini genera. The discovery of this new genus adds to the evidence that tropical South America and Africa shared similar faunas throughout evolutionary history. Although many Old World taxa have become extinct in the New World, the existence of E. brighti among Recent faunas is a possibility, given that the South American and African scolytine faunas are relatively poorly studied.


1995 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Zinsmeister ◽  
Miguel Griffin

The new subfamily Struthiopterinae is proposed for the aporrhaid gastropods occurring in the Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary Weddellian Province along the southern margin of the Pacific. The following genera are placed within the Struthiopterinae: Struthioptera Finlay and Marwick, 1937; Austroaporrhais n. gen.; and Struthiochenopus n. gen. The temporal and biogeographic distribution of members of Struthiopterinae show a similar pattern to other Southern Hemisphere groups of Late Cretaceous and early Cenozoic molluscs with initial disappearance from the western Australasia of the Weddellian Province by the Paleocene while surviving in Antarctica until the late Eocene and eventually disappearing in southern South America during the early Miocene.Also included in this paper is a reappraisal of the species assignable to these genera from Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary of New Zealand, Antarctica, and southern South America together with the description of five new species. The following new species of the Struthiopterinae are described: Austroaporrhais larseni n. sp., A. stilwelli n. sp., A. dorotensis n. sp., Struthiochenopus antarcticus n. sp., and S. philippii n. sp.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4320 (2) ◽  
pp. 379 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL F. LANE ◽  
ANDREW W. KRATTER ◽  
JOHN P. O’NEILL

We describe a new taxon of manakin in the Machaeropterus regulus complex, from the foothills of southwestern Loreto and northern San Martín departments, Peru. This new form appears to be almost identical morphologically to the Tepui form M. regulus aureopectus but differs strongly from that and all other members of the M. regulus complex in voice. Therefore, we conclude that this population represents a new biological species that we here name Machaeropterus eckelberryi. Based on voice and some morphological characters, we concur with several previous authors (e.g., Whittaker & Oren 1999; Snow 2004; Ridgely & Tudor 2009) that nominate M. regulus (Eastern Striped Manakin), of the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, should be separated as a biological species from the polytypic Machaeropterus striolatus of western South America (Western Striped Manakin), including M. s. striolatus of Amazonia, M. r. obscurostriatus and M. r. zulianus of the Venezuelan Andes, M. r. antioquiae of the Colombian Andes, and M. r. aureopectus of the tepuis region. 


Brunonia ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
AE Orchard

The three species of Myriophyllum occurring naturally in South America (M. aquaticum, M. quitense and M. mattogrossensis) are keyed and described. M. quitense is an earlier legitimate name for the plant generally known as M. elatinoides, a species until now thought to extend from South America into North America, New Zealand and Australia. Plants of 'M. elatinoides' in North America and Australia have been critically re-examined, and the status of closely related taxa has been reconsidered. It has been found that, in North America, M. quitense exists as two isolated populations in Arizona and Oregon. The status of M. spicatum, M. exalbescens and M. magdalenense, the three previously described species of the 'elatinoides' complex is discussed, and it is suggested that two varieties should be recognized, M. spicatum var. spicatum and M. spicatum var. exalbescens. M. magdalenense is considered to be a minor variant of M. spicatum var. spicatum. Aus- tralian plants known until now as M. elatinoides are shown to be distinct from M. quitense, and to constitute three new species, M. salsugineum, M. caput-medusae and M. porcatum, which are here described.


2000 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Leistikow

In a collection of terrestrial isopods from Venezuela, a distinct species was identified which does not fit any of the known genera. Therefore, a new taxon Metaprosekia gen.n. is instituted to accomodate the new species. An analysis of its morphological characters revealed a close relationship to the genus Prosekia Vandel, 1968 and allied genera. The phylogeny of this group is discussed and one of its poorly known representatives, Xiphoniscus mirabilis Vandel, 1968 is redescribed on the basis of the type material.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2773 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRISTOPHER K. TAYLOR

A morphological phylogenetic analysis is conducted of Australasian harvestmen previously included in the family Monoscutidae. Monophyly of Monoscutidae is not supported, and the subfamilies Monoscutinae and Megalopsalidinae are synonymised with the South American subfamily Enantiobuninae. Monoscutidae is re-synonymised with the family Neopilionidae. The analysis also demonstrates the polyphyly of species previously assigned to the genus Megalopsalis. Megalopsalis epizephyros new species, M. eremiotis new species, M. leptekes new species and M. pilliga new species are described and M. serritarsus and M. hoggi are redescribed, all from Australia. Hypomegalopsalis tanisphyros new genus and species is described from Western Australia. Megalopsalis linnaei is transferred to Tercentenarium new genus. Forsteropsalis new genus is established to include species from New Zealand (including Auckland Island): Macropsalis chiltoni (type species), Pantopsalis distincta, Macropsalis fabulosa, Pantopsalis grayi, Megalopsalis grimmetti, Megalopsalis inconstans, Megalopsalis marplesi, Megalopsalis nigra and Pantopsalis wattsi.


2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rich Mooi ◽  
Sergio Martínez ◽  
Sara G. Parma

Sand dollars in the Monophorasteridae Lahille, 1896, form an important part of the South American Cenozoic echinoid fauna. Re-examination of type and other material adds significantly to our knowledge of the morphology and taxonomy of the family, and shows that besides Monophoraster darwini (Desor, 1847), M. duboisi (Cotteau, 1884), Amplaster coloniensis Martínez, 1984, and A. alatus Rossi de Garcia and Levy, 1989, there is a new species, A. ellipticus. We also show that Karlaster Marchesini Santos, 1958, is not a monophorasterid as once thought. A phylogenetic analysis of 24 characters assessed from all species of Monophoraster Lambert and Thiéry, 1921, and Amplaster Martínez, 1984, along with genera of the Mellitidae Stefanini, 1912, produced a single most parsimonious tree. The analysis demonstrates monophyly of mellitids and monophorasterids, and that Iheringiella Berg, 1898, should be excluded from the latter. Although both Monophoraster Lambert and Thiéry, 1921, and Amplaster Martínez, 1984, retain many features of an ancestor in common with the Mellitidae Stefanini, 1912, they also exhibit bizarre morphologies quite different from those of mellitids. The study has also resulted in a clearer picture of the biogeography and biostratigraphy of the Monophorasteridae, and their great significance in the evolution of lunulate sand dollars in the Americas.


2012 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 1002-1016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Julia del Rio

A new early Danian gastropod assemblage contained in the Roca Formation of Río Negro Province was analyzed. Eleven species are described and illustrated, the new genus Rocalaria is created, and six new species are recognized: Gyroscala daniana, Heteroterma carmeloi, Microfulgur concheyroae, Sulcobuccinum prominentum, Cidarina lenzaniyeuensis, and Rocalaria alani. The present research includes the first mention of Sulcobuccinum d'Orbigny, 1850, Priscoficus Conrad, 1866, Cavoscala Whitfield, 1892, Microfulgur Finlay and Marwick, 1937, and Cidarina Dall, 1909, for the Danian of Southern South America; the new record of Austrophaera Furque and Camacho, 1949, Fusinus Rafinesque, 1815 and Heteroterma Gabb, 1869 in northern Patagonia; and the oldest Paleogene record for the genus Gyroscala de Boury, 1887. The presence of the study assemblage in northern Patagonia indicates a more complex paleobiogeographic pattern for the area than previously thought, as shown by the record of endemic genera, cosmopolitan taxa, elements with Tethyan/ Indo-Pacific affinities, and genera related with “Wangaloan” faunas of the Paleocene of New Zealand.


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