A tale from the middle Paleocene of Denmark: A tube-dwelling predator documented by the ichnofossil Lepidenteron mortenseni n. isp. and its predominant prey, Bobbitichthys n. gen. rosenkrantzi (Macroridae, Teleostei)

The ichnofossil Lepidenteron provides a unique taphonomic window into the life habits of a tube-dwelling predator, probably an eunicid polychaete, and its fish prey. Here we describe a new tube-like ichnofossil Lepidenteron mortenseni n. isp. from the Kerteminde Marl (100–150 m palaeo-water depth) from the Gundstrup gravel pit near Odense, Fyn, Denmark. 110 individual tubes were examined which contain fish remains, including a variety of disarticulated bones and otoliths, by far dominated by a single gadiform taxon referred herein to as Bobbitichthys n. gen. The isolated otoliths here associated with disarticulated gadiform bones have previously been described, from the time equivalent Lellinge Greensand exposed in the Copen-hagen area, as Hymenocephalus rosenkrantzi, a grenadier fish (family Macrouridae). The abundance of associated bones and otoliths in the examined tubes allowed us to reconstruct part of the cranial configuration of Bobbitichthys rosenkrantzi and to tentatively interpret it as a stem macrourid. Bobbitichthys rosenkrantzi represents the earliest grenadier known in the fossil record. Additional, although considerably less abundant, skeletal remains and otoliths have been tentatively referred to a long-fin bonefish (family Pterothrissidae, Pterothrissus? conchaeformis), a viviparous brotula (family Bythitidae, Bidenichthys? lapierrei), a conger eel (family Congridae, possibly belonging to Rhynchoconger angulosus), and another unidentified gadiform.

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A mid-Cretaceous enantiornithine foot and tail feather preserved in Burmese amber

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51929-9 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lida Xing ◽

Ryan C. McKellar ◽

Jingmai K. O’Connor ◽

Kecheng Niu ◽

Huijuan Mai

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Skin Surface ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

Tail Feather ◽

Burmese Amber ◽

Morphological Disparity

Abstract Since the first skeletal remains of avians preserved in amber were described in 2016, new avian remains trapped in Cretaceous-age Burmese amber continue to be uncovered, revealing a diversity of skeletal and feather morphologies observed nowhere else in the Mesozoic fossil record. Here we describe a foot with digital proportions unlike any previously described enantiornithine or Mesozoic bird. No bones are preserved in the new specimen but the outline of the foot is recorded in a detailed skin surface, which is surrounded by feather inclusions including a partial rachis-dominated feather. Pedal proportions and plumage support identification as an enantiornithine, but unlike previous discoveries the toes are stout with transversely elongated digital pads, and the outer toe appears strongly thickened relative to the inner two digits. The new specimen increases the known diversity and morphological disparity among the Enantiornithes, hinting at a wider range of habitats and behaviours. It also suggests that the Burmese amber avifauna was distinct from other Mesozoic assemblages, with amber entrapment including representatives from unusual small forms.

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On the Tracks of Neandertals: The Ichnological Assemblage from Le Rozel (Normandy, France)

Reading Prehistoric Human Tracks ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-60406-6_11 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 183-200

Author(s):

Jérémy Duveau ◽

Gilles Berillon ◽

Christine Verna

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Homo Sapiens ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

Upper Pleistocene ◽

Archaeological Material

AbstractHominin tracks represent a unique window into moments in the life of extinct individuals. They can provide biological and locomotor data that are not accessible from skeletal remains. However, these tracks are relatively scarce in the fossil record, particularly those attributed to Neandertals. They are also most often devoid of associated archaeological material, which limits their interpretation. The Palaeolithic site of Le Rozel (Normandy, France) located in a dune complex formed during the Upper Pleistocene has yielded between 2012 and 2017 several hundred tracks (257 hominin footprints, 8 handprints as well as 6 animal tracks). This ichnological assemblage is distributed within five stratigraphic subunits dated to 80,000 years. These subunits are rich in archaeological material that attests to brief occupations by Neandertal groups and provides information about the activities that they carried out. The ichnological assemblage discovered at Le Rozel is the largest attributed to Neandertals to date and more generally the most important for hominin taxa other than Homo sapiens. The particularly large number of footprints can provide major information for our understanding of the Palaeolithic occupations at Le Rozel and for our knowledge of the composition of Neandertal groups.

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Assemblage Data and Bone and Teeth Modifications as an Aid to Paleoenvironmental Interpretations of the Open-Air Pleistocene Site of Tighenif (Algeria)

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1006/qres.1994.1084 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 340-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Yannicke Dauphin ◽

Casimir Kowalski ◽

Christiane Denys

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Fossil Record ◽

Climatic Changes ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

Complex Interaction ◽

Fossil Bones

AbstractVariations in the proportions of the various groups of Rodentia collected from eight stratigraphic levels at Tighenif had previously been interpreted as representing environmental (climatic) changes. However, the processes involved in the formation of assemblages are still not well understood. Examination of fragmentation, crystallinity, and chemical composition of fossil bones and teeth, compared to recent samples, shows that a possible explanation for the variations in frequencies is the differential preservation of skeletal remains. Thus, the evaluation of postmortem effects is essential in determining the accuracy of the fossil record. The abundance and composition of remains are governed by the complex interaction of many factors. As indicated by actualistic studies, direct deductions from fauna lists must be avoided as much as possible.

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Biology and Management of Dogfish Sharks

Biology and Management of Dogfish Sharks ◽

10.47886/9781934874073.ch3 ◽

2009 ◽

Keyword(s):

Deep Water ◽

Fossil Record ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

Phylogenetic Hypothesis ◽

Population Crisis ◽

Root Face ◽

Hypothetical Ancestor ◽

Careful Management ◽

Fin Spines

Abstract.—Squaliform sharks constitute a monophyletic group of predominantly deep-water neoselachians. Their fossil record mainly consists of isolated teeth; complete skeletons or skeletal remains are very rare. The quality of the fossil record of squaliform sharks is analyzed using a phylogenetic hypothesis based on a supertree to establish the timing of cladogenetic events, those related to descent from a common ancestor, and gaps in the fossil record. The supertree is the most inclusive estimate of squaliform interrelationships that has been proposed to date and contains 23 fossil and extant members of all major groups. In addition, the simple completeness metric is used to examine the quality of the fossil record of squaliforms as an independent measure. Although different (48% and 61%, respectively), both measures indicate that the fossil record of squaliforms is very incomplete considering that most living and extinct squaliforms are deep-water sharks and corresponding sediments are very scarce. Gaps in the fossil record range from 5 to 100 million years. The most basal and stratigraphically oldest group within Squaliformes consists of Squalus and †Protosqualus1. The phylogenetic hypothesis indicates a gap in the fossil record of Squalus spp. of about 25–30 million years. Our results show a postJurassic origination of squaliforms in the shallow waters of the northern Tethyal margin. The hypothetical ancestor of squaliforms is characterized by two dorsal fin spines and absence of dignathic heterodonty (the morphology of upper and lower teeth differs significantly). Lower teeth are characterized by a slightly oblique basal root face and overlapping upper teeth. Although disappearance and appearance of organisms is a fact of life, the very long geologic range and success of Squalus highlights the need for very careful management of its current population crisis, which is due to causes that never occurred before in Earth’s history–the anthropogenetic impact.

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Bromalites from the Upper Triassic Polzberg section (Austria); insights into trophic interactions and food chains of the Polzberg palaeobiota

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-77017-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alexander Lukeneder ◽

Dawid Surmik ◽

Przemysław Gorzelak ◽

Robert Niedźwiedzki ◽

Tomasz Brachaniec ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trophic Interactions ◽

Skeletal Remains ◽

Upper Triassic ◽

Cartilaginous Fish ◽

Food Chains ◽

Northern Calcareous ◽

Early Mesozoic ◽

Fish Remains ◽

First Time ◽

Lines Of Evidence

AbstractA rich assemblage of various types of bromalites from the lower Carnian “Konservat-Lagerstätte” from the Reingraben Shales in Polzberg (Northern Calcareous Alps, Lower Austria) is described for the first time in detail. They comprise large regurgitalites consisting of numerous entire shells of ammonoid Austrotrachyceras or their fragments and rare teuthid arm hooks, and buccal cartilage of Phragmoteuthis. Small coprolites composed mainly of fish remains were also found. The size, shape and co-occurrence with vertebrate skeletal remains imply that regurgitalites were likely produced by large durophagous fish (most likely by cartilaginous fish Acrodus). Coprolites, in turn, were likely produced by medium-sized piscivorous actinopterygians. Our findings are consistent with other lines of evidence suggesting that durophagous predation has been intense during the Triassic and that the so-called Mesozoic marine revolution has already started in the early Mesozoic.

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Gastropod Morphology and Function

Notes for a Short Course: Studies in Geology ◽

10.1017/s0271164800001147 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 138-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Carole S. Hickman

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Comparative Morphology ◽

Classification Systems ◽

Internal Anatomy ◽

Life Habits ◽

Living Organisms ◽

And Function ◽

Functionally Diverse ◽

Diverse Groups

The Class Gastropoda is one of the most morphologically and functionally diverse groups of living organisms. The diversity is even greater when major morphological (and implied functional) departures are added in from the more than 500 million years of fossil record of the group. There are a number of good basic illustrated accounts of the comparative morphology of the shell, external and internal anatomy, and radula (see especially Cox, 1960; Fretter and Graham, 1962; Hyman, 1967). There are no corresponding accounts of function. Accounts of gastropod ecology, behavior, and life habits are traditionally treated separately and outside of the morphological framework. As a result, the terminology and classification systems developed to describe gastropod form are separate from those dealing with gastropod function.

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Revised diagnoses of Hadrosaurus foulkii Leidy, 1858 (the type genus and species of Hadrosauridae Cope, 1869) and Claosaurus agilis Marsh, 1872 (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Late Cretaceous of North America

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2765.1.6 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2765 (1) ◽

pp. 61 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

ALBERT PRIETO-MÁRQUEZ

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Late Cretaceous ◽

Fossil Record ◽

Skeletal Remains

Hadrosauridae constitutes a very diverse clade of herbivorous dinosaurs that were extremely abundant during the Campanian–Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Europe, Asia, both Americas, and probably also Antarctica (Horner et al. 2004). The fact that hadrosaurids are one of the best-known clades of dinosaurs, represented by arguably the richest dinosaurian fossil record, contrasts with the scarcity of material and apparently undiagnostic nature of their type genus and species, Hadrosaurus foulkii. The holotype and only known specimen of H. foulkii is also historically significant for being the first skeletal remains of a dinosaur described outside Europe (Leidy 1858).

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Isolated teeth of Anhangueria (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3256 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3256 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Tom Brougham ◽

Elizabeth T. Smith ◽

Phil R. Bell

Keyword(s):

Early Cretaceous ◽

Western Australia ◽

Lower Cretaceous ◽

Fossil Record ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Global Distribution ◽

Formal Description ◽

South Wales ◽

Life Habits

The fossil record of Australian pterosaurs is sparse, consisting of only a small number of isolated and fragmentary remains from the Cretaceous of Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Here, we describe two isolated pterosaur teeth from the Lower Cretaceous (middle Albian) Griman Creek Formation at Lightning Ridge (New South Wales) and identify them as indeterminate members of the pterodactyloid clade Anhangueria. This represents the first formal description of pterosaur material from New South Wales. The presence of one or more anhanguerian pterosaurs at Lightning Ridge correlates with the presence of ‘ornithocheirid’ andAnhanguera-like pterosaurs from the contemporaneous Toolebuc Formation of central Queensland and the global distribution attained by ornithocheiroids during the Early Cretaceous. The morphology of the teeth and their presence in the estuarine- and lacustrine-influenced Griman Creek Formation is likely indicative of similar life habits of the tooth bearer to other members of Anhangueria.

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