Vertebrate fossils (Dinosauria) from the Bonnet Plume Formation, Yukon Territory, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Evans ◽  
Matthew J. Vavrek ◽  
Dennis R. Braman ◽  
Nicolás E. Campione ◽  
T. Alexander Dececchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Polar Region ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Considerable Potential ◽  
Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽  
New Material ◽  
Diverse Community

Dinosaurs and other terrestrial vertebrates are poorly documented in the Mesozoic of the Canadian polar region. Here, we provide a complete review of the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) vertebrate fauna of the Bonnet Plume Formation in the northeastern Yukon Territory, Canada, which includes the description of the first newly collected dinosaur bones from this unit in almost half a century. Previously reported fragmentary dinosaur remains collected in the early 1960’s pertain to an indeterminate hadrosaurid. New material includes a poorly preserved forelimb bone and a pedal phalanx. These new remains pertain to at least one species of non-hadrosaurid ornithischian dinosaur, and the humerus is tentatively referred to a small-bodied basal ornithopod. The new vertebrate fossils from the Bonnet Plume Formation provide further evidence of vertebrates from this unit. However, directed field surveys in 2008 and 2009 suggest that vertebrate fossils are not abundant. A review of the known localities of terrestrial Mesozoic vertebrates from the Canadian Arctic indicate that it had a relatively diverse community of terrestrial vertebrates, including dinosaurs, during the Late Cretaceous, but emphasizes our limited knowledge of the Mesozoic Arctic and considerable potential for future exploration and discovery.

A Paleogene flora from the upper Bonnet Plume Formation of northeast Yukon Territory, Canada

2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Vavrek ◽  
David C. Evans ◽  
Dennis R. Braman ◽  
Nicolás E. Campione ◽  
Grant D. Zazula
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Canadian Arctic Archipelago ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Similar Composition ◽  
Plant Macrofossil ◽  
Late Paleocene

Palaeontological exploration of the Bonnet Plume Basin in northwestern Yukon Territory, Canada, has revealed a Late Paleocene to Early Eocene macrofloral assemblage from a channel fill deposit. The flora is typified by cosmopolitan taxa and dominated by deciduous angiosperms, with the notable presence of Zizyphoides , Ettingshausenia , and Corylites . Floras with a similar composition are known from Late Cretaceous through Early Eocene deposits in Alaska and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, where they have been interpreted as evidence for warm, equable temperatures. This collection represents the most diverse known Paleogene plant macrofossil assemblage from the Yukon Territory and helps to expand our knowledge of ancient high-latitude floras.

scholarly journals A small azhdarchoid pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous, the age of flying giants

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 160333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Martin-Silverstone ◽  
Mark P. Witton ◽  
Victoria M. Arbour ◽  
Philip J. Currie
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Large Species ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
The West ◽  
New Material ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Continental Interior

Pterosaur fossils from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of North America have been reported from the continental interior, but few have been described from the west coast. The first pterosaur from the Campanian Northumberland Formation (Nanaimo Group) of Hornby Island, British Columbia, is represented here by a humerus, dorsal vertebrae (including three fused notarial vertebrae), and other fragments. The elements have features typical of Azhdarchoidea, an identification consistent with dominance of this group in the latest Cretaceous. The new material is significant for its size and ontogenetic stage: the humerus and vertebrae indicate a wingspan of ca 1.5 m, but histological sections and bone fusions indicate the individual was approaching maturity at time of death. Pterosaurs of this size are exceedingly rare in Upper Cretaceous strata, a phenomenon commonly attributed to smaller pterosaurs becoming extinct in the Late Cretaceous as part of a reduction in pterosaur diversity and disparity. The absence of small juveniles of large species—which must have existed—in the fossil record is evidence of a preservational bias against small pterosaurs in the Late Cretaceous, and caution should be applied to any interpretation of latest Cretaceous pterosaur diversity and success.

The crucial boundaries in the development of the late cretaceous biota of plankton foraminifers in the southern part of the Indian ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 1074-1085
Author(s):  
E. A. Sokolova
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Planktonic Foraminifera ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
Systematic Composition ◽  
Climatic Series

The article analyzes own data on the species composition of shells of planktonic foraminifera from the Upper Cretaceous sediments of the Indian Oceans, as well as from the sections of the offshore seas of Australia. The species of planktonic foraminifera are grouped and arranged in a climatic series. An analysis of the change in the systematic composition of foraminifers made it possible to distinguish periods of extreme and intermediate climatic states in the Late Cretaceous.

NEW MATERIAL OF SMALL DINOSAURS FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS ALLISON MEMBER, MENEFEE FORMATION, NEW MEXICO

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kara A. Kelley ◽  
◽  
Charlotte J.H. Hohman ◽  
Andrew T. McDonald ◽  
Douglas G. Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
New Material

Multi-Aged Small Pterosaur Track Assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous of Korea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jongyun Jung ◽  
Min Huh ◽  
Koo-Geun Hwang ◽  
Hyun-Joo Kim ◽  
Byung-Do Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Korean Peninsula ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Global Distribution ◽  
The Other

Abstract The pterosaur is the earliest and largest powered flying vertebrate, even earlier and larger than the other extant archosaurian group, birds. However, evidence for this flying reptile, including the diversity of the small-sized pterosaur after the mid-Cretaceous, and their ecology, has remained elusive. Here we present numerous and dense pterosaur track assemblages from the Hwasun Seoyuri tracksite in the Upper Cretaceous Jangdong Formation of the Neungju Basin in Korea. The pterosaur track assemblage, assigned to Pteraichnus isp., consists of various sized, randomly oriented manus-dominated tracks with several pes claw marks. These features commonly indicate the semi-aquatic behavior and multi-age gregariousness of pterosaurs. The supposed trackmaker of pterosaur tracks would be the small-sized pterodactyloid that inhibited the Late Cretaceous Korean Peninsula, but that has not previously been reported. This ichnological evidence for the global distribution of small-sized pterosaurs could be interpreted to mean that the pterosaur fauna in the Late Cretaceous was more distributed and diverse than was previously known.

Ostracoda from the Santonian–Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Nenjiang and Sifangtai formations, Songliao Basin, northeastern China

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Yunqi Ye ◽  
Dangpeng Xi ◽  
Lixin Sun ◽  
Dermeval Aparecido Do Carmo ◽  
Lucas Silveira Antonietto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Northeastern China ◽  
Songliao Basin ◽  
Unique Material ◽  
China And Japan ◽  
Far Eastern

Abstract Despite the abundant literature on limnic Cretaceous ostracode faunas, the database on mid-Late Cretaceous taxa is still scarce. The Songliao Basin in northeastern China preserves a diverse assemblage of ostracode fossils from the Santonian–Campanian Nenjiang and Sifangtai formations. This rather unique material is of major importance to comprehend Early to mid-Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Campanian) limnic ostracode faunas and therefore the evolution of Late Cretaceous basins in China. A study of this fauna was conducted to detail the taxonomy of ostracode species from members 1 and 2 of the Nenjiang and Sifangtai formations in the Songliao Basin. Well-preserved specimens of 14 ostracode species were recovered from samples of the ZKY2-1 well in southwestern Songliao Basin: Scabriculocypris liaukhenensis Liu in Netchaeva et al., 1959, Ilyocyprimorpha netchaevae Su in Netchaeva et al., 1959, Cypridea acclinia Netchaeva in Netchaeva et al., 1959, Cypridea cavernosa Galeeva, 1955, Cypridea gracile Netchaeva in Netchaeva et al., 1959, Cypridea lepida Ye in DOFEAD, 1976, Cypridea squalida Sou in Netchaeva et al., 1959, Fabaeformiscandona? Disjuncta (Hao in Hao et al., 1974), Lycopterocypris profunda Lübimova, 1956, Mongolocypris magna (Hou, 1958), Mongolocypris tera (Su in Netchaeva et al., 1959), Talicypridea obliquecostae (Szczechura and Błaszyk, 1970), Talicypridea reticulata (Szczechura, 1978) and Renicypris renalata (Su in Hao et al., 1974). Four of the species identified received emended descriptions and diagnoses. Other important results include the first discussion on sexual dimorphism in Cypridea acclinia and Fabaeformiscandona? disjuncta, the first study on the ontogeny of Ilyocyprimorpha netchaevae, and the reassignment of Cypridea liaukhenensis to the genus Scabriculocypris. Several species recorded herein are also found in other continental far-eastern Asian basins, while genera range from worldwide to far-eastern Asian distribution; these results support strong affinities among faunas of Mongolia, China, and Japan.

scholarly journals A new small deinonychosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagônia, Argentina

2011 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan D. Porfiri ◽  
Jorge O. Calvo ◽  
Domenica dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
South American ◽  
New Material ◽  
New Evidence

Here we report on a new small deinonychosaurian theropod, Pamparaptor micros gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Patagônia, Argentina. Pamparaptor micros exhibits a pedal structure previously unknown among South Américan deinonychosaurians. The new material provides new evidence about the morphology and taxonomic diversity of Patagônian deinonychosaurs. Pamparaptor is the smaller non-avialae Patagônian deinonychosaur, probably with about 0.50-0.70 meters, long. The pedal construction resembles, that of Troodontid or basal Dromaeosaurids. Nevertheless, up to now, we considered Pamparaptor a peculiar Patagônian Dromaeosaurid with troodontid-like pes.

Parataxonomic classification of ornithoid eggshell fragments from the Oldman Formation (Judith River Group; Upper Cretaceous), southern Alberta

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 1655-1667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darla K. Zelenitsky ◽  
L. V. Hills ◽  
Philip J. Currie
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Shell Thickness ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Theropod Dinosaur ◽  
Surface Sculpture ◽  
External Zone ◽  
Theropod Dinosaurs ◽  
Southern Alberta ◽  
The Family

Examination of a large number of eggshell fragments collected from the Oldman Formation of southern Alberta reveals a greater ootaxonomic diversity than is known from complete eggs or clutches. Three new oogenera and oospecies of the ornithoid-ratite morphotype and one of the ornithoid-prismatic morphotype are established, based on the eggshell fragments. Porituberoolithus warnerensis oogen. et oosp. nov. and Continuoolithus canadensis oogen. et oosp. nov. have a microstructure similar to that of elongatoolithid eggs of theropod dinosaurs. Tristraguloolithus cracioides oogen. et oosp. nov. and Dispersituberoolithus exilis oogen. et oosp. nov. possess an external zone and thus have a microstructure like modern avian eggshell. Tristraguloolithus has a shell thickness, microstructure, and surface sculpture similar to those of recent bird eggshell of the family Cracidae (order Galliformes). Dispersituberoolithus exhibits the primitive or normal eggshell condition of some recent neognathous avian taxa. The ootaxa described indicate a diversity of both avian and theropod dinosaur egg layers within Devil's Coulee and Knight's Ranch, southern Alberta, during the Late Cretaceous.

scholarly journals The firstCaipirasuchus(Mesoeucrocodylia, Notosuchia) from the Late Cretaceous of Minas Gerais, Brazil: new insights on sphagesaurid anatomy and taxonomy

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustín G. Martinelli ◽  
Thiago S. Marinho ◽  
Fabiano V. Iori ◽  
Luiz Carlos B. Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Lower Portion ◽  
Main Subject ◽  
Vertebrate Fauna ◽  
Paulo State ◽  
New Material ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
A New Species

Field work conducted by the staff of the Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas Llewellyn Ivor Price of the Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro since 2009 at Campina Verde municipality (MG) have resulted in the discovery of a diverse vertebrate fauna from the Adamantina Formation (Bauru Basin). The baurusuchidCampinasuchus diniziwas described in 2011 from Fazenda Três Antas site and after that, preliminary descriptions of a partial crocodyliform egg, abelisaurid teeth, and fish remains have been done. Recently, the fossil sample has been considerably increased including the discovery of several, partially articulated fish remains referred to Lepisosteiformes and an almost complete and articulated skeleton referred to a new species ofCaipirasuchus(Notosuchia, Sphagesauridae), which is the main subject of this contribution. At present, this genus was restricted to the Adamantina Formation cropping out in São Paulo state, with the speciesCaipirasuchus montealtensis,Caipirasuchus paulistanus, andCaipirasuchus stenognathus. The new material represents the holotype of a new species,Caipirasuchus mineirusn. sp., diferenciated from the previously ones due to the following traits: last two maxillary teeth located posterior to anterior edge of infraorbital fenestra, elongated lateroventral maxillo-jugal suture—about ½ the anteroposterior maxillar length—and contact between posterior crest of quadrate and posterior end of squamosal forming an almost 90° flaring roof of the squamosal, among others.C. mineiruswas found in the same outcrop thanCampinasuchusbut stratigraphically the former occurs in the lower portion of the section with no unambiguous data supporting the coexistance of both taxa.

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