scholarly journals Naticid gastropod and octopodid cephalopod predatory traces: evidence of drill holes on the leucosid crab Ristoria pliocaenica (Ristori, 1891), from the Pliocene of the “La Serra” quarry (Tuscany, Italy)

10.4081/19 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Pasini ◽  
Alessandro Garassino
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Early Pliocene ◽  
First Report ◽  
Predatory Activity ◽  
The Common ◽  
Drill Holes

Garassino<em> et al.</em> (2012) reported on a rich community of decapod crustaceans including axiideans, gebiideans, anomurans, and brachyurans from the Zanclean (Early Pliocene) of the “La Serra” quarry near San Miniato (Pisa, Tuscany, central Italy). In this decapod-rich assemblage some carapaces of the common pebble crab<em> Ristoria pliocaenica</em> (Ristori, 1891) (<em>Leucosiidae Samouelle</em>, 1819) are drilled in characteristic ways, due to the predatory activity of individuals belonging to two different taxa of marine clades, possibly naticids (Gastropoda, Naticoidea), and to octopodids (Cephalopoda, Octopoda). This is the first report of direct evidence of predation by cephalopods on crabs in the fossil record.

scholarly journals Bathypluma pliocenica n. sp. (Decapoda, Brachyura, Retroplumidae) from the Zanclean (Early Pliocene) of Volterra (Pisa, Toscana, Italy)

2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Alessandro Garassino ◽  
Giovanni Pasini ◽  
Federico Marini
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Early Pliocene ◽  
First Report ◽  
Pacific Area

We report <em>Bathypluma pliocenica</em> n. sp. (Retroplumidae Gill, 1894), discovered from the Zanclean (Early Pliocene) clays near Volterra (Pisa, Toscana, Central Italy). This discovery is very important because it is the first report of <em>Bathypluma</em> in the worldwide fossil record, enlarging the knowledge on its distribution and antedating the presence of the genus, known only from the Indo-W Pacific area, to the Early Pliocene of the paleo-Mediterranean basin.

Remarkable crayfish remains (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from Oklahoma—evidence of predation

1991 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 884-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney M. Feldmann ◽  
William May
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Invertebrate Predators ◽  
Freshwater Decapods

Direct physical evidence for predation upon decapod crustaceans is extremely limited in the fossil record. Although it is well recognized that decapods serve as a food resource for a wide variety of vertebrate and invertebrate predators and that the remains of decapods, in the forms of molts and corpses, are readily scavenged, direct evidence for these activities is limited (Tshudy et al., 1989). Bishop (1975) summarized evidences for predation in the fossil record and, although he frequently referred to decapods as predators, cited only one example (Bishop, 1972) of the group as prey. Thus, the discovery of three specimens of freshwater decapods, referable to the crayfish family Cambaridae, that clearly exhibit the effects of predation is significant.

scholarly journals The Early Pliocene extinction of the mega-toothed shark Otodus megalodon: a view from the eastern North Pacific

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Boessenecker ◽  
Dana J. Ehret ◽  
Douglas J. Long ◽  
Morgan Churchill ◽  
Evan Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Atlantic Coastal Plain ◽  
Early Pliocene ◽  
Marine Strata ◽  
The North ◽  
Great White Shark ◽  
Optimal Linear ◽  
Neogene Sediments ◽  
Atlantic Coastal

The extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon is the last member of the predatory megatoothed lineage and is reported from Neogene sediments from nearly all continents. The timing of the extinction of Otodus megalodon is thought to be Pliocene, although reports of Pleistocene teeth fuel speculation that Otodus megalodon may still be extant. The longevity of the Otodus lineage (Paleocene to Pliocene) and its conspicuous absence in the modern fauna begs the question: when and why did this giant shark become extinct? Addressing this question requires a densely sampled marine vertebrate fossil record in concert with a robust geochronologic framework. Many historically important basins with stacked Otodus-bearing Neogene marine vertebrate fossil assemblages lack well-sampled and well-dated lower and upper Pliocene strata (e.g., Atlantic Coastal Plain). The fossil record of California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico, provides such an ideal sequence of assemblages preserved within well-dated lithostratigraphic sequences. This study reviews all records of Otodus megalodon from post-Messinian marine strata from western North America and evaluates their reliability. All post-Zanclean Otodus megalodon occurrences from the eastern North Pacific exhibit clear evidence of reworking or lack reliable provenance; the youngest reliable records of Otodus megalodon are early Pliocene, suggesting an extinction at the early-late Pliocene boundary (∼3.6 Ma), corresponding with youngest occurrences of Otodus megalodon in Japan, the North Atlantic, and Mediterranean. This study also reevaluates a published dataset, thoroughly vetting each occurrence and justifying the geochronologic age of each, as well as excluding several dubious records. Reanalysis of the dataset using optimal linear estimation resulted in a median extinction date of 3.51 Ma, somewhat older than a previously proposed Pliocene-Pleistocene extinction date (2.6 Ma). Post-middle Miocene oceanographic changes and cooling sea surface temperature may have resulted in range fragmentation, while alongside competition with the newly evolved great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) during the Pliocene may have led to the demise of the megatoothed shark. Alternatively, these findings may also suggest a globally asynchronous extinction of Otodus megalodon.

scholarly journals AN OVERVIEW OF PREDATION EVIDENCE FOUND ON FOSSIL DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS WITH NEW EXAMPLES OF DRILL HOLES ATTRIBUTED TO GASTROPODS AND OCTOPODS

Palaios ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 599-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. KLOMPMAKER ◽  
H. KARASAWA ◽  
R. W. PORTELL ◽  
R. H. B. FRAAIJE ◽  
Y. ANDO
Keyword(s):  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Drill Holes

scholarly journals Occurrence of microplastics in pellets from the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) along the Ticino River, North Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (33) ◽  
pp. 41731-41739
Author(s):  
Anna Winkler ◽  
Alessandro Nessi ◽  
Diego Antonioli ◽  
Michele Laus ◽  
Nadia Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
First Report ◽  
The Common

Abstract Previous research has reported avian plastic ingestion in marine bird species. Yet, while research attention on plastic pollution is shifting from marine to freshwater ecosystems, very few information on plastic ingestion is available for freshwater birds. Here, we examined the presence of microplastic in regurgitated pellets of the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) collected along the Ticino River (North Italy). In total, 133 kingfisher’s pellets were examined between March and October 2019 from 54 transects along the river. Plastic elements were detected and identified by visual inspection followed by μ-FTIR and SEM-EDS. Overall, we found 12 (micro)plastics from at least three different polymers in 7.5% of the pellets. This study provides the first report of plastic uptake of this bird species. It highlights the importance of spectroscopic techniques in plastic monitoring studies in order to avoid misidentification of items found. Documenting the presence of plastic ingestion by top carnivores such as fish-eating birds is necessary to understand the pervasiveness and impact of (micro)plastic pollution in food webs of freshwater ecosystems.

scholarly journals Tetraliidae and Trapeziidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from the Early Eocene of Monte Magrè (Vicenza, NE Italy)

2013 ◽  
Vol 154 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Antonio De Angeli ◽  
Loris Ceccon
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Decapod Crustaceans ◽  
Ne Italy ◽  
Late Ypresian

The decapod crustaceans of the families Tetraliidae and Trapeziidae from the Early Eocene (middle-late Ypresian) of Monte Magrè (Schio, Vicenza, NE Italy), are described. The specimens are assigned to <em>Eurotetralia loerenthey</em> (Müller, 1975) n. gen., <em>Tetralia vicetina</em> n. sp. (Tetraliidae Castro, Ng &amp; Ahyong, 2004); <em>Archaeotetra lessinea</em> n. sp., <em>Eomaldivia trispinosa</em> Müller &amp; Collins, 1991, <em>Paratetralia convexa</em> Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli &amp; Tessier, 2007, and <em>Paratetralia sulcata</em> n. sp. (Trapeziidae Miers, 1886).<br />The specimens were discovered associated with other decapods, in the coral-rich limestone. This report is the oldest fossil record of both two families. The stratigraphical distribution of the Tetraliidae and Trapeziidae is extended back to the middle-late Ypresian.

scholarly journals Intestinal Strongyle Genera in Different Typology of Donkey Farms in Tuscany, Central Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 195
Author(s):  
Michela Maestrini ◽  
Marcelo Beltrão Molento ◽  
Simone Mancini ◽  
Mina Martini ◽  
Francesco Giovanni Salvo Angeletti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
High Agreement ◽  
Farm Typology ◽  
First Report ◽  
Organic Farm ◽  
Identification Keys ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Metrical Analysis

Intestinal strongyles are common helminths of donkeys, in which they may be responsible for disease and poor performance. This study aimed to identify intestinal strongyle genera in 55 naturally infected donkeys from three different farm typologies in Tuscany, central Italy, using morphological and metrical analysis of third stage larvae (L3) obtained from faecal cultures. Larvae were identified using two previous reported morphological identification keys. Moreover, eggs per gram (EPG) data were also evaluated to assess differences, if any, according to the farm typology, sex, and age of the examined donkeys. The results showed that small strongyles were prevalent in all donkey farms. In all examined farms, most (92–100%) of L3 were identified as cyathostomin species of the genera Cylicocyclus spp. and Cylicostephanus spp. Large strongyles of the genera Strongylus spp. and Triodontophorus spp., were identified at low percentage (8%), only in the single organic farm included in the study. A high agreement was observed between the two different morphometric keys used. No significant differences were found for EPG according to farm typology, and sex and age from the examined donkeys. This is the first report about genera identification of intestinal strongyles infecting donkeys in Tuscany, Italy.

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