New sea turtle from the Miocene of Peru and the iterative evolution of feeding ecomorphologies since the Cretaceous

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Parham ◽  
Nicholas D. Pyenson

The seven species of extant sea turtles show a diversity of diets and feeding specializations. Some of these species represent distinctive ecomorphs that can be recognized by osteological characters and therefore can be identified in fossil taxa. Specifically, modifications to the feeding apparatus for shearing or crushing (durophagy) are easily recognizable in the cranium and jaw. New sea turtle fossils from the Miocene of Peru, described as a new genus and species (Pacifichelys urbinain. gen. and n. sp.), correspond to the durophagous ecomorph. This new taxon is closely related to a recently described sea turtle from the middle Miocene of California, USA (Pacifichelys hutchisonin. comb.), providing additional information on the osteological characters of this lineage. A phylogenetic analysis ofPacifichelysand other pan-chelonioid sea turtle lineages shows that at least seven lineages independently evolved feeding specialized for shearing or crushing. the iterative evolution of these morphologies is plausibly linked to ecological factors such as the development of seagrass communities and the opening of niches through extinction that occurred from the Cretaceous to the Miocene.

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2552 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANALÍA M. FORASIEPI ◽  
ALFREDO A. CARLINI

A new genus and species, Patagosmilus goini, of the family Thylacosmilidae (Mammalia, Metatheria, Sparassodonta) is described here. The new taxon is based on a single specimen collected from the west margin of the Río Chico, in Río Negro Province, Argentina, from the middle Miocene Colloncuran SALMA. Until now, two formally recognized species were encompassed in the family Thylacosmilidae: Thylacosmilus atrox, from the late Miocene-late Pliocene Huayquerian to Chapadmalalan SALMAof Argentina and probably Uruguay; and Anachlysictis gracilis, from the middle Miocene Laventan SALMA of Colombia. Recognition of the Patagonian taxon, Patagosmilus, provides new anatomical data, likely to be included in future phylogenetic analyses. The overall morphology of Patagosmilus suggests that it has a more generalized anatomy than Thylacosmilus. The dental morphology suggests the new Patagonian taxon was probably closer to Thylacosmilus than Anachlysictis. Saber-tooth thylacosmilids have several autapomorphic features in the skull that differentiate them from other sparassodonts, including the delayed replacement or non-replacement of the deciduous last premolar.


2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy R. Young ◽  
Harald Andruleit

Abstract. A very distinctive new deep-photic coccolithophore is described from the NE Indian Ocean. The new species is trimorphic with: 200–300 body coccoliths bearing low spines attached by narrow stems to a basal narrow-rimmed placolith structure; up to 18 circum-flagellar coccoliths with tall sail-like spines; and up to 22 coccoliths with moderately elevated spines occurring both around the circum-flagellar coccoliths and antapically. These features make the coccolithophore unique and require placement in a new species and genus. The basal structure, however, shows similarities to a recently recognized group of narrow-rimmed placoliths. Hence, the new coccolithophore provides some support for this grouping as a significant addition to our understanding of coccolithophore biodiversity, and potentially an explanation for a set of anomalous molecular genetic results. In addition the new taxon provides further evidence that the deep-photic coccolithophore community is more diverse than has been assumed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-174
Author(s):  
Yan Fang ◽  
Haichun Zhang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Daran Zheng

A new genus and species of the cockroach family Caloblattinidae, Dazhublattella lini gen. et sp.n., is described from the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation of Sichuan Province, in southwestern China. The new taxon is similar to the Triassic Caloblattina mathildae (Geinitz, 1883) (Vršanský & Ansorge 2007) in the venation and pattern, but differs in the less elongated forewing with arched anterior margin. An elemental analysis of the wing is undertaken using Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4966 (5) ◽  
pp. 550-562
Author(s):  
JORGE PÉREZ-SCHULTHEISS ◽  
GEORGE D. F. WILSON

A new asellotan isopod of the family Protojaniridae Fresi, Idato & Scipione, 1980 is described from freshwater springs in the Osorno province, Los Lagos region, southern Chile. Wiyufiloides osornoensis gen. & sp. n. is the third South American protojanirid species and the first known groundwater isopod in Chile. The new genus and species is principally characterized by the presence of a vestigial antennal scale, a strongly subchelate pereiopod I and the absence of an apical lobe on the protopod of pleopod II. The new taxon is described in detail and figures are given. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 289-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
João C. Coimbra ◽  
Silvia R. Bottezini ◽  
Cláudia P. Machado

The present study is a further contribution to the systematic knowledge of the shallow water marine ostracodes from the Brazilian oceanic islands. A total of 14 species belonging to 10 genera and eight families is herein identified. One new genus and species are described and illustrated: Berguecythere insularis gen. nov., sp. nov. In addition to this new taxon, the abundant species Loxocorniculum tricornatum Krutak, 1971, widely distributed in recent sediments in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, north and northeast of Brazil and the Rocas Atoll, along with the cosmopolitan tropical ostracode Triebelina sertata Triebel, 1948, were also identified at specific level. The remaining 11 species were left at the genus level, and should provide new species. Ecological, zoo- and paleozoogeographical aspects were also briefly discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 523-529
Author(s):  
Alexey Reshchikov ◽  
Cornelis Van achterberg

Abstract Gilen gen. nov. (type species G. orientalis sp. nov.) from South East Asia is described and illustrated. The new taxon has a produced mid-longitudinal facial projection, which differentiates it from all other known genera of Ichneumonidae. It belongs to the tribe Perilissini in the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) and is recorded from Laos, Northern Thailand and Vietnam.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4949 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-340
Author(s):  
SHOWTARO KAKIZOE ◽  
RI-XIN JIANG ◽  
HAO-HONG CAI ◽  
SHUO WANG

Sphaeraphodius gaohani Kakizoe, Jiang & Wang, a new genus and new species of the tribe Aphodiini, is described based on two female specimens from Guangxi, China. This new genus differs considerably from any previously known genera of Aphodiini by dorsally swollen body covered by considerably long setae, and lack of transverse setiferous carinae on outer surfaces of meso- and metatibiae. This new taxon is found sympatrically with the termite Macrotermes sp. in the field. Therefore, this species is perhaps termitophilous, but we cannot conclude it at this time due to the insufficient information available in the field. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4657 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-368
Author(s):  
CHARLES R. BARTLETT

Melaniphax suffusculus gen. et sp. nov. is described from Costa Rica, representing the 57th delphacid species recorded from the country to date. The new genus is superficially similar to Caenodelphax Fennah in general appearance in that the body is uniformly colored with the wings infuscated. Distinctive features of the new taxon include simple, forceps-like gonostyli, a broadly compressed aedeagus with large serrate lateral flanges, and the anal tube bearing a pair of short, stout, truncate, caudally-directed processes on the ventro-caudal margin and slender, elongate processes from the antero-ventral margin. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3582 (1) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
ANDRÉ NEL ◽  
GUNTHER FLECK

Germanostenolestes lutzi, new genus and species of Sieblosiidae is described from the Middle Miocene of Öhningen (Germany). It probably belongs to the clade (Paraoligolestes + (Parastenolestes (Germanolestes + Stenolestes))) sensu Nel et al. (2005). It is the third representative of the Sieblosiidae described from this outcrop, showing that this family was still quite diverse in the Middle-Late Miocene.


2020 ◽  
Vol 189 (4) ◽  
pp. 1232-1248
Author(s):  
Grey T Gustafson ◽  
Mariano C Michat ◽  
Michael Balke

Abstract Burmese amber is well known for preserving unique extinct lineages of insects. Here, we describe a new fossil beetle in its larval stage from Burmese amber. Bayesian and parsimony phylogenetic analysis of 50 morphological characters support this fossil as being sister to both the tribes Dineutini and Orectochilini, representing an extinct stem lineage in Gyrininae. It is described here as a new genus and species of whirligig beetle, Chimerogyrus gigagalea gen. & sp. nov., a taxon that preserves remarkable intermediate features between the whirligig beetle tribe Gyrinini and the crown Orectochilini and Dineutini. This new taxon preserves key features for studying the evolution of characters within the larval stage of the Gyrinidae and highlights the importance of Burmese amber for preserving both stem and crown lineages present during the mid-Cretaceous, before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event.


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