Quantcast
Channel: Species New to Science
Viewing all 9391 articles
Browse latest View live

[Botany • 2015] Musa nanensis Swangpol & Traiperm | กล้วยศรีน่าน • A New Banana (Musaceae) Species from Northern Thailand

October 4, 2015, 10:30 pm
$
0
0

กล้วยศรีน่าน (Kluai Si Nan)
Musa nanensis Swangpol& Traiperm

Abstract
A new species of banana (Musaceae), Musa nanensis Swangpol & Traiperm, from Nan, Thailand, is described and illustrated. Based on vegetative features, M. nanensis could be superficially categorized as related to M. laterita; however, it possesses several unique floral characters from the rest of the genus Musa, especially its six tepals and anthers, each fused at the base. A key to banana species of northern Thailand, based on morphology, is provided. The plant was found in a single location and is threatened with extinction due to heavy deforestation in the region.

Keywords: Autapomorphic characters, floral morphology, leaf anatomy, morphological characters, syntepal



Distribution — Musa nanensis was collected from only one locality closed to the Thai-Lao border in Changwat Nan, Thailand. However, it is expected that this species will be found across the border in Laos PDR.

Ecology — The taxon was found at 835 m altitude in the dry evergreen forest, by streams in a valley in a lower mountainous forest. Its flowering time is year round.

Conservation — Musa nanensis is an extremely rare plant. Since the first collection in 2002 until 2012, it has been seen by the authors only at the type locality, where there are fewer than 50 plants. In addition, its habitat in the dry evergreen forest in Tambon Dong Phaya, Amphoe Bo Kluea of Changwat Nan is threatened by heavy deforestation and fragmentation. On the basis of IUCN (2014), the plant should be listed as critically endangered (CR), criteria D2, and therefore considered to be in need of urgent conservation.

Etymology — The new taxon was named Kluai Si Nan (กล้วยศรีน่าน) which means ‘banana pride of Nan,’ the northern province of Thailand where the specimens were originally discovered.


Sasivimon Chomchalow Swangpol, Paweena Traiperm, Jamorn Somana, Narongsak Sukkaewmanee, Prachaya Srisanga and Piyakaset Suksathan. 2015. Musa nanensis, A New Banana (Musaceae) Species from Northern Thailand.
 Systematic Botany.40(2):426-432.  doi: 10.1600/036364415X688790



กล้วยศรีน่าน (Kluai Si Nan)
Musa nanensis Swangpol & Traiperm || วงศ์กล้วย (MUSACEAE)


กล้วยศรีน่านเป็นกล้วยชนิดใหม่ของโลกที่เพิ่งได้รับการตั้งชื่อและตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิชาการทางพฤกษศาสตร์ระดับนานาชาติเมื่อต้นเดือนสิงหาคม 2558 ที่ผ่านมา กล้วยศรีน่านเป็นกล้วยป่าขนาดกลางสูงราว 180 ซม. ลักษณะที่โดดเด่นคือมีปลีสีแดงส้ม ก้านปลีขนานพื้นและโค้งตั้งขึ้น ลักษณะทางพฤกษศาสตร์ที่สำคัญอีกประการหนึ่งคือ มีเกสรเพศผู้ 6 อัน แตกต่างจากกล้วยชนิดอื่นในโลกที่มีเกสรเพศผู้ 5 อัน ผลของกล้วยศรีน่านมีเมล็ดสีดำแข็งจำนวนมาก รับประทานได้แต่เนื้อน้อยมาก กล้วยศรีน่านถูกพบในพื้นที่ป่าดิบแล้ง ในหุบเขาใกล้ลำธาร และพบเพียง 5-10 กอเท่านั้น อีกทั้งอยู่ในพื้นที่ป่าที่มีแนวโน้มจะถูกบุกรุกแผ้วถางทำลาย หากพิจารณาด้วยหลักเกณฑ์ของ สหภาพนานาชาติเพื่อการอนุรักษ์ธรรมชาติและทรัพยากรธรรมชาติ หรือ IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) พบว่าเป็นพืชที่มีความเสี่ยงขั้นวิกฤติต่อการสูญพันธุ์ กล้วยศรีน่านเป็นพืชชนิดแรกที่ตั้งชื่อให้จังหวัดน่าน โดยพบเป็นครั้งแรกที่อำเภอบ่อเกลือ จังหวัดน่าน และยังไม่พบในพื้นที่อื่นอีกเลย พิกัดที่พบจึงขอปกปิดไว้เพื่อความปลอดภัย

ขณะนี้มีการนำเข้ามาในห้องปฏิบัติเพื่อการขยายพันธุ์ด้วยวิธีเพาะเลี้ยงเนื้อเยื่อ โดยหวังว่าจะช่วยเพิ่มจำนวนต้นให้มากขึ้น กล้วยศรีน่านถูกพบเป็นครั้งแรกเมื่อปี พ.ศ. 2545 โดย ดร. ปรัชญา ศรีสง่า หัวหน้าส่วนหอพรรณไม้ สวนพฤกษศาสตร์สมเด็จพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ์ฯ จากนั้น 10 ปีต่อมาได้แจ้งให้ ผู้ช่วยศาสตราจารย์ ดร. ศศิวิมล แสวงผล อาจารย์ประจำภาควิชาพฤกษศาสตร์ คณะวิทยาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล เข้าไปตรวจสอบและพบว่าเป็นกล้วยชนิดใหม่ จึงได้รวบรวมข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมทั้งด้านสัณฐานวิทยา และกายวิภาคศาสตร์ โดยผู้ช่วยศาสตราจารย์ ดร. ปวีณา ไตรเพิ่ม เพื่อยืนยันความแตกต่างจากกล้วยป่าชนิดอื่น และตีพิมพ์ชื่อชนิดใหม่ในวารสารซิสเตมาติก โบตานี (Systematic Botany) ปีที่ 40 ฉบับที่ 2 เมื่อวันที่ 10 สิงหาคม 2558 

ทั้งนี้ในประเทศไทยมีกล้วยป่าราว 10 ชนิด เช่น กล้วยหก กล้วยบัวสีส้ม กล้วยศรีนรา กล้วยนวล กล้วยผา เป็นต้น กระจายพันธุ์อยู่ทุกภาคของประเทศไทย โดยเฉพาะบริเวณชายป่าบนเทือกเขาต่างๆ กล้วยศรีน่านเป็นชนิดที่ 11 ซึ่งก่อนหน้านี้เมื่อปี พ.ศ. 2551 อาจารย์ศศิวิมลและทีมสำรวจกล้วยของมหาวิทยาลัยมหิดลได้พบกล้วยชนิดใหม่ทางภาคตะวันตกของประเทศไทย และตั้งชื่อว่ากล้วยนาคราช (Musa serpentina Swangpol & Somana)

↧
Search
↧

[PaleoMammalogy • 2015] Kimbetopsalis simmonsae • A New Taeniolabidoid Multituberculate (Mammalia) from the middle Puercan of the Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico, and A Revision of Taeniolabidoid Systematics and Phylogeny

October 7, 2015, 6:55 am
$
0
0

Kimbetopsalis simmonsae
Williamson, Brusatte, Secord & Shelley, 2015
DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12336 | newsroom.UNL.edu

Multituberculates were amongst the most abundant and taxonomically diverse mammals of the late Mesozoic and the Palaeocene, reaching their zenith in diversity and body size in the Palaeocene. Taeniolabidoidea, the topic of this paper, includes the largest known multituberculates, which possess highly complex cheek teeth adapted for herbivory. A new specimen from the early Palaeocene (middle Puercan; biochron Pu2) of the Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico represents a new large-bodied taeniolabidoid genus and species, Kimbetopsalis simmonsae. A phylogenetic analysis to examine the relationships within Taeniolabidoidea that includes new information from Kimbetopsalis gen. et sp. nov. and gen. nov. and from new specimens of Catopsalis fissidens, first described here, and data from all other described North American and Asian taeniolabidoids. This analysis indicates that Catopsalis is nonmonophyletic and justifies our transfer of the basal-most taeniolabidoid ‘Catopsalis’ joyneri to a new genus, Valenopsalis. Kimbetopsalis and Taeniolabis form a clade (Taeniolabididae), as do the Asian Lambdopsalis, Sphenopsalis, and possibly also Prionessus (Lambdopsalidae). Taeniolabidoids underwent a modest taxonomic radiation during the early Palaeocene of North America and underwent a dramatic increase in body size, with Taeniolabis taoensis possibly exceeding 100 kg. Taeniolabidoids appear to have gone extinct in North America by the late Palaeocene but the appearance of lambdopsalids in the late Palaeocene of Asia suggests that they dispersed from North America in the early to middle Palaeocene. 

Keywords: body size; dispersal; ecological recovery; mammalian radiation; multituberculata; palaeobiogeography; Palaeocene; San Juan Basin; Taeniolabididae; Taeniolabidoidea


Systematic palaeontology

Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758
Multituberculata Cope, 1884

Taeniolabidoidea Sloan & Van Valen, 1965
Taeniolabididae Granger & Simpson, 1929

Kimbetopsalis simmonsae gen. et sp. nov.(Figs 1, 2, Tables 1 and 2) 
(http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9E9F07C3-D042-4E8F-862A-279072E04035)


Holotype: NMMNH P-69902 from locality L-9181.


The jaws of Kimbetopsalis simmonsae.

A reconstruction of Kimbetopsalis simmonsae, a rodent-like multituberculate mammal species discovered during a 2014 fossil hunting trip
Illustration: Sarah Shelley, University of Edinburgh


Type locality and horizon: The specimen was discovered in the lower Palaeocene part of the Nacimiento Formation of the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, in the west flank of Kimbeto Wash, at locality 11 of Williamson (1996: fig. 18). It is from Fossil Horizon A and within the Hemithlaeus kowalevskianus– Taeniolabis taoensis Biozone (H-T Zone) (Williamson, 1996). The vertebrate fauna from this horizon is considered part of the type faunas of the middle Puercan Interval Zone (Pu2) (Archibald et al., 1987; Williamson, 1996; Lofgren et al., 2004).

The west flank of Kimbeto Wash has yielded numerous taxa that are restricted to the H-T Zone, including Hemithlaeus kowalevskianus and Conacodon entoconus. These taxa are particularly abundant in H-T Zone faunas of the Nacimiento Formation, but are absent from the overlying Fossil Horizon B that yields the type faunas of the late Puercan Interval Zone (Pu3) (Williamson, 1996). Furthermore, no specimens of T. taoensis have been recovered from the west flank of Kimbeto Wash. This is important because the first occurrence of Taeniolabis defines the beginning of the Pu3 Interval Zone (Archibald et al., 1987; Lofgren et al., 2004). Although it does not in itself support a Pu2 age for the locality, the absence of Taeniolabis is further evidence that the west flank of Kimbeto Wash is not Pu3 in age (a time when other large taeniolabidids are known from the Nacimiento Formation). Specimen NMMNH P-69902 was found fragmented, but in close association, weathering from a silty mudstone in an area of low relief. There is no possibility that the specimen is float from a higher horizon and therefore we are confident that it is a member of the H-T Zone fauna, and thus is Pu2 in age.

Etymology: Kimbeto, for Kimbeto Wash; psalis, ‘cutting shears’ (Greek). Simmonsae, after Nancy Simmons, in recognition of her work on taeniolabidoid multituberculates.


Valenopsalis gen. nov.
Etymology: Named after the late Leigh Van Valen, one of the 20th century's great mammalian palaeontologists, who studied Cretaceous–Palaeogene multituberculates (including ‘Ca.’ joyneri) and was a colourful inspiration to T. E. W. (who fondly remembers Leigh's visit to the NMMNH collections when he was a graduate student) and S. L. B. (when he was an undergraduate student in Chicago).

Type species: Catopsalis joyneri Sloan & Van Valen, 1965.

Included species: Type species only.
Distribution: Early Puercan (Pu1) of eastern Montana.


Conclusions
The recovery of a new genus and species of large taeniolabidoid multituberculate, Ki. simmonsae, from the early Palaeocene (middle Puercan; Pu2) of the Nacimiento Formation prompted a revision of Taeniolabidoidea and an evaluation of their phylogeny and evolution. Our phylogenetic analysis of Taeniolabidoidea included all Asian and North American species referable to this clade. Owing to uncertainties over the choice of an appropriate outgroup we ran analyses using five different outgroups and found that trees were highly resolved using three (Cimo. gracilis, Men. robustus, and Mi. conus) of the five outgroups. In the highly resolved trees, species of the largest-bodied North American forms, Kimbetopsalis and Taeniolabis, consistently form a monophyletic clade as do species of the Asian Lambdopsalis, Sphenopsalis, and Prionessus. We here define Kimbetopsalis and Taeniolabis as the basis of Taeniolabididae and Lambdopsalis and Sphenopsalis as the basis of Lambdopsalidae.

This study underscores the extreme rapidity of development of large body size and the increase in dental complexity within taeniolabidoids within the first 800 Kyr of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (Wilson et al., 2012; Williamson et al., 2014). Taeniolabidoids evolved extremely unusual and highly specialized, large, chisel-shaped incisors and massive, multicusped cheek teeth for grinding vegetation and attained large body masses, exceeding 20 kg. The shifts to larger body sizes and increased cusp complexity strongly suggest a shift toward herbivory, and possibly folivory.

Figure 6. Time-calibrated phylogeny based on the most-resolved consensus tree from our phylogenetic analyses. Each taxon is accompanied by a silhouette that illustrates the relative sizes resulting from our mass estimates (Table 4; skull length – m1 estimate).
The area of the silhouette is proportionate to the mass [ln(area) = 0.6667*ln(volume) + 0.231]. The time scale follows Ogg (2012). The placement of the Puercan faunas of the Nacimiento Formation is after Williamson et al. (2014). Asian Palaeocene mammal biochronology is after Ting et al. (2011). Fm., Formation. DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12336

Bubodens magnus, the largest multituberculate and largest mammal of the latest Cretaceous, probably represents the sole Cretaceous representative of Taeniolabidoidea. Taeniolabidoids of the earliest Palaeocene faunas of North America include V. joyneri, which our phylogenetic analyses found to be the basal-most taeniolabidoid. We find that Kimbetopsalis simmonsae is the basal-most member of Taeniolabididae and it provides a plausible progenitor for T. taoensis, which first appeared in the San Juan Basin within the next 200 Kyr.

Although taeniolabidoids disappeared from North America several million years before the end of the Palaeocene, they dispersed to Asia where they underwent a subsequent modest radiation towards the end of the Palaeocene, becoming extinct near the Palaeocene–Eocene boundary.


 Thomas E. Williamson, Stephen L. Brusatte, Ross Secord, and Sarah Shelley. 2015. A New Taeniolabidoid Multituberculate (Mammalia) from the middle Puercan of the Nacimiento Formation, New Mexico, and A Revision of Taeniolabidoid Systematics and Phylogeny. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12336

Paleo Profile: Kimbetopsalis simmonsae http://on.natgeo.com/1VEJwHs via  @NGPhenomena
This massive furry rodent outlived the dinosaurs http://www.slashgear.com/this-massive-furry-rodent-outlived-the-dinosaurs-05407846/ via @slashgear
↧

[Paleontology • 2015] Allodaposuchus hulki • A New Species of Allodaposuchus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Spain: Phylogenetic and Paleobiological Implications

October 8, 2015, 9:57 am
$
0
0

Allodaposuchus hulki 
Blanco, Fortuny, Vicente, Luján, García-Marçà & Sellés, 2015
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1171

Abstract

Background. The Late Cretaceous is a keystone period to understand the origin and early radiation of Crocodylia, the group containing all extant lineages of crocodilians. Among the taxa described from the latest Cretaceous of Europe, the genus Allodaposuchus is one of the most common but also one of the most controversial. However, because of its fragmentary record, several issues regarding its phylogenetic emplacement and its ecology remain unsolved or unknown. The discovery of a single specimen attributed to Allodaposuchus, represented by both cranial and postcranial remains, from the Casa Fabà site (Tremp Basin, NE Spain) in the lower red unit of the Tremp Fm. (early Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous) offers a unique opportunity to deepen in the phylogenetic relationships of the group and its ecological features.

Methods. The specimen is described in detail, and CT scan of the skull is performed in order to study the endocranial morphology as well as paratympanic sinuses configuration. In addition, myological and phylogenetic analyses are also carried out on the specimen for to shed light in ecological and phylogenetic issues, respectively.

Results. The specimen described herein represents a new species, Allodaposuchus hulki sp. nov., closely related to the Romanian A. precedens. The CT scan of the skull revealed an unexpected paratympanic sinuses configuration. Allosaposuchushulki exhibits an “anterodorsal tympanic sinus” not observed in any other extant or extinct crocodilian. The caudal tympanic recesses are extremely enlarged, and the expanded quadratic sinus seems to be connected to the middle-ear channel. Phylogenetic analyses confirm the emplacement of the informal taxonomic group ‘Allodaposuchia’ at the base of Crocodylia, being considered the sister group of Borealosuchus and Planocraniidae.

Discussion. Although this is a preliminary hypothesis, the unique paratympanic configuration displayed by A. hulki suggests that it could possess a high-specialized auditory system. Further, the large cranial cavities could help to reduce the weight of the cranium. Concerning the postcranial skeleton, Allodaposuchus hulki shows massive and robust vertebrae and forelimb bones, suggesting it could have a bulky body. The myological study performed on the anterior limb elements supports this interpretation. In addition, several bone and muscular features seem to point at a semi-erected position of the forelimbs during terrestrial locomotion. Taking all the above results into consideration, it seems plausible to suggest that A. hulki could conduct large incursions out of the water and have a semi-terrestrial lifestyle.

Keywords: Animal Behavior, Paleontology, Taxonomy, Zoology





Systematic Paleontology

Order CROCODYLIFORMES Hay, 1930 (sensu Benton & Clark, 1988),
Suborder EUSUCHIA Huxley, 1875,

Unranked CROCODYLIA Gmelin, 1789 (sensu Benton & Clark, 1988),

Genus Allodaposuchus Nopcsa, 1928,
Allodaposuchus hulki sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 267AADFA-AD84-45F4-B195-D08E174559CC

Etymology: hulki, from the character of Marvel, Hulk; due to the strong muscle attachments of the bones.


Alejandro Blanco, Josep Fortuny, Alba Vicente, Àngel H. Luján, Jordi Alexis García-Marçà and Albert G. Sellés​. 2015. A New Species of Allodaposuchus (Eusuchia, Crocodylia) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Spain: Phylogenetic and Paleobiological Implications. PeerJ 3:e1171. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1171

“Hulki”, un cocodrilo musculoso entre los dinosaurios de los Pirineos - @MuseuICP @ICP_MCrusafont ||  http://www.icp.cat/index.php/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias-icp/item/2501-allodaposuchus-hulki-cocodrilo-musculoso-dinosaurios

↧

[Ornithology / Evolution • 2015] A Comprehensive Phylogeny of Birds (Aves) using targeted Next-Generation DNA Sequencing

October 10, 2015, 9:22 am
$
0
0



Although reconstruction of the phylogeny of living birds has progressed tremendously in the last decade, the evolutionary history of Neoaves—a clade that encompasses nearly all living bird species—remains the greatest unresolved challenge in dinosaur systematics. Here we investigate avian phylogeny with an unprecedented scale of data: >390,000 bases of genomic sequence data from each of 198 species of living birds, representing all major avian lineages, and two crocodilian outgroups. Sequence data were collected using anchored hybrid enrichment, yielding 259 nuclear loci with an average length of 1,523 bases for a total data set of over 7.8 × 107 bases. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses yielded highly supported and nearly identical phylogenetic trees for all major avian lineages. Five major clades form successive sister groups to the rest of Neoaves: (1) a clade including nightjars, other caprimulgiforms, swifts, and hummingbirds; (2) a clade uniting cuckoos, bustards, and turacos with pigeons, mesites, and sandgrouse; (3) cranes and their relatives; (4) a comprehensive waterbird clade, including all diving, wading, and shorebirds; and (5) a comprehensive landbird clade with the enigmatic hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) as the sister group to the rest. Neither of the two main, recently proposed Neoavian clades—Columbea and Passerea1—were supported as monophyletic. The results of our divergence time analyses are congruent with the palaeontological record, supporting a major radiation of crown birds in the wake of the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) mass extinction.



Figure 1: Phylogeny of birds. Phylogeny of birds. Time-calibrated phylogeny of 198 species of birds inferred from a concatenated, Bayesian analysis of 259 anchored phylogenomic loci using ExaBayes17. Figure continues on the lower panel from the green arrow at the bottom of the top panel. Complete taxon data in Supplementary Table 1. Higher taxon names appear at right. All clades are supported with posterior probability (PP) of 1.0, except for the Balaeniceps–Pelecanus clade (PP = 0.54; clade 109). The five major, successive, neoavian sister clades are: Strisores (brown), Columbaves (purple), Gruiformes (yellow), Aequorlitornithes (blue), and Inopinaves (green). Background colours mark geological periods. Ma, million years ago; Ple, Pleistocene; Pli, Pliocene; Q., Quaternary. Clade numbers refer to the plot of estimated divergence dates (Supplementary Fig. 7). Fossil age-calibrated nodes are shown in grey. Illustrations of representative bird species30 are depicted by their lineages.

Richard O. Prum, Jacob S. Berv, Alex Dornburg, Daniel J. Field, Jeffrey P. Townsend, Emily Moriarty Lemmon and Alan R. Lemmon. 2015. A Comprehensive Phylogeny of Birds (Aves) using targeted Next-Generation DNA Sequencing. Nature (2015). DOI: 10.1038/nature15697


↧

[Mammalogy • 2015] Hipposideros lankadiva gyi • A Review of Hipposideros lankadiva Kelaart, 1850 (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with A Description of A New Subspecies from Myanmar

October 11, 2015, 11:56 am
$
0
0

Hipposideros lankadiva gyi 
Bates, Tun, Aung, Lu, Lum & Sein, 2015
FIGURE 3. Hipposideros lankadiva gyi from Pawtawmu Cave, Karmine Township, Kachin State, Myanmar.

ABSTRACT
 In January, 2011, a colony of Hipposideros lankadiva was discovered in Kachin State, upper Myanmar. The large size of the specimens when compared to those from peninsular India led to a review of the taxonomy of the species and the description of a new subspecies from Myanmar, with material from north-east India referred to this new taxon. The distribution of the species from throughout its range is summarised and mapped. Based on the material from Myanmar, new information is provided on the acoustic characters and the bacular morphology. Short notes are provided on its ecology in Myanmar and north-east India.

KEY WORDS: India, taxonomy, distribution, echolocation, ecology


FIGURE 6. Distribution of Hipposideros lankadiva. Red shading: distribution of H. l. gyi; brown shading: subspecies not known; blue shading: distribution of H. l. indus; green shading: distribution of H. l. lankadiva. Shading is for indicative purposes only; locations based on specimen data, either collected personally or from the literature, are shown as solid circles.

Distribution. — Hipposideros lankadiva gyi is known from Myanmar and north-east India. In addition, the species is recorded from Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh (Fig. 6, for details see Appendix 1).
Remarks. — Although genetic data are not currently available for H. l. gyi, a follow-up study of Hipposideros lankadiva from throughout its range is being planned. This will include morphometric, genetic and acoustic data sets and will review in detail the phylogeny of three subspecies. 

The colony of H. l. gyi at Pawtawmu Cave was estimated to number about 1,000 individuals, although no precise count could be made. In addition, there were about 20,000 fruit bats, Eonycteris spelaea, and a few individuals of the small leaf-nosed bat, Aselliscus stoliczkanus. The cave, which is at an elevation of 245 metres (798 feet) above sea level, is situated in a limestone outcrop. It comprises two stories with the main chamber measuring about 260 m in length, 6 m in width and 11 m in height. The outcrop is surrounded by heavily disturbed evergreen forest, which includes wild banana and coconut (MMA and OMT, pers. observations). 

Material from Mizoram State, here referred to H. l. gyi, was collected at an elevation of about 250 metres beside a bamboo plantation (Mandal et al., 1997) whilst that from Manipur State was collected at 175 metres on a hill-top with rubber plantations (Mandal et al., 1993). In Meghalaya, it was found in ‘incredible numbers, closely covering the entire walls and the roof’ at the end of a tunnel some 360 metres from the entrance of Siju Cave (Kemp, 1924).

Information about the ecology of H. lankadiva indus and H. l. lankadiva in peninsular India and Sri Lanka is included in Bates and Harrison (1997). 


Conservation status. — The conservation status of Hipposideros lankadiva is listed by the IUCN Red List as ‘Least Concern’ (Molur et al., 2008). According to Bates and Harrison (1997), it is known from a relatively small number of colonies but many of these are large. One colony of over 11,000 individuals is known from Sri Lanka and a colony of about 6000 individuals was observed in Meghalaya (Molur et al., 2008). 





Paul Bates, Ohnmar Tun, Moe Moe Aung, Aung Lu, M. Roi Lum and Mie Mie Sein. 2015. A Review of Hipposideros lankadiva Kelaart, 1850 (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae) with A Description of A New Subspecies from Myanmar.
Tropical Natural History. 15(2): 191–204.

As part of the mentoring session in scientific writing during the SEABCRU meeting at University of Mandalay, Myanmar 2 years ago. Here we present taxonomic papers based on a bunch of interesting unpublished data of local researchers there! Congratulations to Paul Bates, Ohnmar Tun, Moe Moe Aung, Aung Lu, Roi Lum and Prof. Mie Mie Sein on the first report and a new subspecies of Hipposideros lankadiva from Myanmar, H. lankadiva gyi, named after their retired senior bat researcher, 'Stanley' Khin Maung Gyi.

↧
↧

[Paleontology • 2015] Linlongopterus jennyae • A New Toothed Pteranodontoid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Jiufotang Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of China and comments on Liaoningopterus gui Wang and Zhou, 2003

October 11, 2015, 10:29 pm
$
0
0

Linlongopterus jennyae  Rodrigues, Jiang, Cheng, Wang & Kellner, 2015
Figure 1. General view of specimen IVPP V15549, holotype of Linlongopterus jennyae gen. et sp. nov.
 (A) Photograph;(B) respective line drawing. afo, adductor fossa; art, articular; d, dentary; j, jugal; l, left; m, maxilla; naof, nasoantorbital fenestra; pl,palatine; pm, premaxilla; pty, pterygoid; q, quadrate; qj, quadratojugal; r, right; te, teeth. Scale bar: 50 mm.
Figure 2. Line drawing reconstruction of the skull and mandible of Linlongopterus jennyae based on holotype IVPP V15549. Preservedbones in white. Scale bar: 50 mm.


Abstract
Pteranodontoids consist of a diverse and cosmopolitan clade of Cretaceous pterodactyloid pterosaurs. In the Jiufotang Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of northeastern China, pterodactyloids are represented by azhdarchoids and pteranodontoids, including istiodactylids and anhanguerians. Here, we describe a new pterosaur from this unit that represents a new species of toothed pteranodontoid. Its overall morphology is consistent with other toothed pteranodontoids but shows some interesting features such as the orbit being more ventrally positioned than in all other species from this clade. It differs markedly from all other pterosaurs from this unit, including Liaoningopterus, Guidracoand Ikrandraco, with which the new taxon is possibly related. In addition to the description of the new taxon, we also describe the anhanguerid Liaoningopterus gui in more detail. The new species, Liaoningopterus gui, Guidraco venator and Ikrandraco avatar, are large pterosaurs with very distinct tooth morphologies, suggesting that they had different prey preferences, partially explaining how the Jiufotang Formation could bear such a high diversity of pterosaur species.

Keywords: Lower Cretaceous, Jiufotang Formation, China, Pterosauria, Linlongopterus, Liaoningopterus


Systematic palaeontology

Pterosauria  Kaup, 1834
Pterodactyloidea  Plieninger, 1901
Pteranodontoidea  Marsh, 1876, sensu Kellner, 2003

Linlongopterus jennyae  gen. et sp. nov.

Linlongopterus  gen. nov. Type species

Etymology: . From the Chinese words lin, meaning forest, and long, dragon; and pteros, from the Greek meaning wing.




 Linlongopterus jennyae sp. nov.

Etymology: Species name in honour of the late Elfriede Kellner, also known as Jenny, a great supporter of palaeontological studies.

 Holotype: IVPP V15549, partial associated skull andmandible, deposited at the IVPP in Beijing, China.

 Locality and horizon: Jianchang, Jianchang County,western Liaoning Province, China. Jiufotang Formation, Aptian (120 Ma) (He et al. 2004)


Taissa Rodrigues, Shunxing Jiang, Xin Cheng, Xiaolin Wang and Alexander W.A. Kellner. 2015. A New Toothed Pteranodontoid (Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea) from the Jiufotang Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Aptian) of China and comments on Liaoningopterus gui Wang and Zhou, 2003. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. [Special Issue: RIO PTEROSAUR] 27(6); 782-795. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2015.1033417

↧

[PaleoMammalogy • 2015] Spinolestes xenarthrosus • A Cretaceous Eutriconodont and Integument Evolution in Early Mammals

October 14, 2015, 10:53 pm
$
0
0

Spinolestes xenarthrosus 
Martin, Marugán-Lobón, Vullo, Martín-Abad, Luo & Buscalioni, 2015
doi: 10.1038/nature14905   
life reconstruction in its natural environment of the Las Hoyas wetland. 
Illustration: Oscar Sanisidro

The Mesozoic era (252–66 million years ago), known as the domain of dinosaurs, witnessed a remarkable ecomorphological diversity of early mammals. The key mammalian characteristics originated during this period and were prerequisite for their evolutionary success after extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Many ecomorphotypes familiar to modern mammal fauna evolved independently early in mammalian evolutionary history. Here we report a 125-million-year-old eutriconodontan mammal from Spain with extraordinary preservation of skin and pelage that extends the record of key mammalian integumentary features into the Mesozoic era. The new mammalian specimen exhibits such typical mammalian features as pelage, mane, pinna, and a variety of skin structures: keratinous dermal scutes, protospines composed of hair-like tubules, and compound follicles with primary and secondary hairs. The skin structures of this new Mesozoic mammal encompass the same combination of integumentary features as those evolved independently in other crown Mammalia, with similarly broad structural variations as in extant mammals. Soft tissues in the thorax and abdomen (alveolar lungs and liver) suggest the presence of a muscular diaphragm. The eutriconodont has molariform tooth replacement, ossified Meckel’s cartilage of the middle ear, and specialized xenarthrous articulations of posterior dorsal vertebrae, convergent with extant xenarthran mammals, which strengthened the vertebral column for locomotion.



Class Mammalia 
Order Eutriconodonta 

Family Gobiconodontidae 

Spinolestes xenarthrosus gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology. Spinosus (Latin), in reference to the spiny integument; λέστης (Greek) or lestes (Latin spelling), meaning robber and a common term in taxonomic names of mammals. The specific name xenarthrosus refers to the special additional (ξένος, (Greek) strange) articulation facets (ἄρϑρον, (Greek) articulation) of the dorsal vertebrae.

Locality and horizon. Las Hoyas Quarry, Calizas de la Huérgina Formation, southwestern Iberian Basin (Cuenca, Spain). Las Hoyas is latest Barremian (125–127 Ma) in age, on the basis of charophytes and ostracodes17. The Las Hoyas Konservat-Lagerstätte occurs in finely laminated limestones deriving from a freshwater wetland. Fossils are usually preserved fully articulated, including soft tissues such as mineralized muscle and skin. Potential mechanisms for exquisite preservation are microbial mats, anoxia, and rapid burial by sediments18.


Thomas Martin, Jesús Marugán-Lobón, Romain Vullo, Hugo Martín-Abad, Zhe-Xi Luo and Angela D. Buscalioni. 2015. A Cretaceous Eutriconodont and Integument Evolution in Early Mammals.  
Nature. 526, 380–384. doi: 10.1038/nature14905 


125-million-year-old mammal fossil preserved with hair, spines and even a fungal infection http://t.co/lr0RfD3h8o via @ScienceLife

↧

[PaleoOrnithology • 2015] Hakawai melvillei • Wading A Lost Southern Connection: Miocene Fossils from New Zealand Reveal A New Lineage of Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Linking Gondwanan Avifaunas

October 15, 2015, 7:19 am
$
0
0


Hakawai melvillei
De Pietri, Scofield, Tennyson, Hand & Worthy, 2015  

Abstract
An endemic and previously unknown lineage of shorebirds (Charadriiformes: Scolopaci) is described from early Miocene (19–16 Ma) deposits of New Zealand. Hakawai melvillei gen. et sp. nov. represents the first pre-Quaternary record of the clade in New Zealand and offers the earliest evidence of Australasian breeding for any member of the Scolopaci. Hakawai melvillei was a representative of the clade that comprises the South American seedsnipes (Thinocoridae) and the Australian Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae), and presumed derived features of its postcranial skeleton indicate a sister taxon relationship to Australian pedionomids. Our findings reinforce that terrestrial adaptations in seedsnipes and the Plains-wanderer are convergent as previously proposed, and support an ancestral wading ecology for the clade. Although vicariance events may have contributed to the split between pedionomids and H. melvillei, the proposed sister taxon relationship between these taxa indicates that the split of this lineage from thinocorids must have occurred independently from Australia and Zealandia's separation from the rest of Gondwana.

Keywords: Scolopaci, Pedionomidae, Miocene, fossil birds, St Bathans Fauna


Systematic palaeontology
Class Aves Linnaeus, 1758
Order Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867
Suborder Scolopaci Strauch, 1978 sensu Paton et al. (2003)

Family incertae sedis 

Genus Hakawai gen. nov. 
Type species. Hakawai melvillei sp. nov. 

Derivation of name. The generic name refers to an unseen and enigmatic ‘mystery bird’ in Maori mythology; gender is feminine. Although recent research shows that Maori from Rakiura (Stewart Island) considered the Coenocorypha snipe’s nocturnal aerial calls to be those of the Hakawai (Miskelly 1987), our choice alludes to a link between the mythical Hakawai and waders of the suborder Scolopaci. The specific name honours NZ-based ornithologist and ecologist David Melville, for his efforts in implementing conservation measures for shorebirds, locally and globally

Figure 4. Proposed Gondwanan diversification of the lineage from which the South American seedsnipes (Thinocoridae), the Australian Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae) and the New Zealand (NZ) Hakawai melvillei gen. et sp. nov. originated. Continents are shown in their current position but the splits are likely to have taken place before 40 Ma (see main text). The possibility of trans-Tasman dispersal between Australia and NZ is indicated by a dotted arrow and a question mark. However, there is no evidence of a common ancestor of H. mellvillei and pedionomids in Australia, and Oligocene pedionomids already shared derived traits with Pedionomus torquatus (De Pietri et al. 2015) that are absent in H. melvillei. We propose instead that both lineages have common ancestry in East Gondwana before its final fragmentation, and became independently isolated following complete separation of NZ and Australia from the rest of Gondwana. Insets: A, phylogeny of Scolopaci (Gibson & Baker 2012), showing the proposed sister taxon relationship between H. melvillei and pedionomids; B, position of continents at 55 Ma (Lawver & Gahagan 2003). Bird images reproduced with permission of HBW Alive (Baker-Gabb 1996; Fjeldsa 1996).

Vanesa L. De Pietri, R. Paul Scofield, Alan J. D. Tennyson, Suzanne J. Hand and Trevor H. Worthy. 2015. Wading A Lost Southern Connection: Miocene Fossils from New Zealand Reveal A New Lineage of Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Linking Gondwanan Avifaunas. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.   DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2015.1087064

New Zealand fossils reveal new bird species http://phy.so/364109833 @physorg_com
A new species of shorebird, dating from a time when New Zealand was covered in subtropical forests and crocodiles roamed parts of the South Island, has been found near St Bathans in Central Otago.
↧
Search

[Ornithology • 2015] Potential Merger of Ancient Lineages in A Passerine Bird discovered based on Evidence from Host-Specific Ectoparasites

October 15, 2015, 10:44 am
$
0
0

Figure 1. Phylograms and sample distribution maps of Xanthomixis zosterops and its associated Myrsidea.
(A) ML phylogram of X. zosterops from 1979 bp of mtDNA (ND3, cyt-b, and ATP6), collapsed to unique haplotypes. Nodes labeled with cyt-b corrected and p-distance (in parentheses) divergences and with nodal support (MP/ML/PP, *=100/100/1.0). Map shows distribution of X. zosterops mtDNA clades, with pie charts showing proportion of each clade among samples from a given area. Numbers next to pie charts are sample sizes.
 (B) ML phylogram of all Myrsidea feather lice collected from X. zosterops, based on 379 bp of mtDNA (COI). Numbers at tips represent the X. zosterops clade from which the individual was collected. Nodes labeled with corrected and p-distance (in parentheses) divergences and with nodal support (MP/ML/PP, *=100/100/1.0). Map shows geographic distribution of Myrsidea samples.
 Internal pie charts represent proportion of Myrsidea collected from each of the four X. zosterops mtDNA clades. Numbers next to pie charts are sample sizes. || DOI:  10.1002/ece3.1639

Abstract
The merger of formerly isolated lineages is hypothesized to occur in vertebrates under certain conditions. However, despite many demonstrated instances of introgression between taxa in secondary contact, examples of lineage mergers are rare. Preliminary mtDNA sequencing of a Malagasy passerine, Xanthomixis zosterops (Passeriformes: Bernieridae), indicated a possible instance of merging lineages. We tested the hypothesis that X. zosterops lineages are merging by comparing mtDNA sequence and microsatellite data, as well as mtDNA sequence data from host-specific feather lice in the genus Myrsidea (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae). Xanthomixis zosterops comprises four deeply divergent, broadly sympatric, cryptic mtDNA clades that likely began diverging approximately 3.6 million years ago. Despite this level of divergence, the microsatellite data indicate that the X. zosterops mtDNA clades are virtually panmictic. Three major phylogroups of Myrsidea were found, supporting previous allopatry of the X. zosterops clades. In combination, the datasets from X. zosterops and its Myrsidea document a potential merger of previously allopatric lineages that likely date to the Pliocene. This represents the first report of sympatric apparent hybridization among more than two terrestrial vertebrate lineages. Further, the mtDNA phylogeographic pattern of X. zosterops, namely the syntopy of more than two deeply divergent cryptic clades, appears to be a novel scenario among vertebrates. We highlight the value of gathering multiple types of data in phylogeographic studies to contribute to the study of vertebrate speciation.

Keywords: Birds; despeciation; ectoparasites; Madagascar; microsatellites


Conclusion
In addition to contributing to the study of vertebrate speciation, particularly in birds, this work adds to limited data concerning avian phylogeography on Madagascar. The focus of most phylogeographic studies on Madagascar has been amphibians, reptiles, or mammals, with only four utilizing extensive population-level sampling in birds (Fuchs et al. 2007, 2013; Cruaud et al. 2011; Goodman et al. 2011). This study represents the densest and largest sampling yet presented for a Malagasy endemic bird and the first for a species within one of Madagascar's endemic avian radiations. Although bird communities show differences between lowland and montane forests, this differentiation between habitats has not been suggested to play a direct role in bird diversification on the island. Studies on other vertebrates have highlighted cryptic taxa geographically split by elevation in humid forests (e.g., Olson et al. 2004), but X. zosterops provides the first example of this biogeographic pattern in birds.

As well as being informative about avian biogeography in Madagascar, this study illustrates the importance of lowland humid forest to preserving extant biodiversity on the island. This has been highlighted in other vertebrate taxa, but it has been underemphasized in birds. Low-elevation forests in the central east and southeast have not received attention as a center of endemism in birds, but the X. zosterops results show their importance. Further phylogeographic studies on Malagasy birds may yet uncover similar patterns and unknown cryptic taxa.

Finally, we highlight the value of gathering multiple types of data in phylogeographic studies to contribute to the study of vertebrate speciation. In this instance, data from mtDNA, nuclear DNA, and ectoparasites were necessary to better understand the complicated evolutionary history of X. zosterops. We also emphasize the importance of sampling across a taxon's distribution to provide greater insight into the biodiversity of a region and to reveal unknown patterns of regional endemism. These aspects contribute to more accurate and comprehensive biogeographic theories and provide important details for developing conservation programs.


Nicholas L. Block, Steven M. Goodman, Shannon J. Hackett, John M. Bates and Marie J. Raherilalao. 2015. Potential Merger of Ancient Lineages in A Passerine Bird discovered based on Evidence from Host-Specific Ectoparasites.
Ecology and Evolution. 5(17); 3743–3755.
DOI:  10.1002/ece3.1639


↧
↧

[Crustacea • 2003] Scandarma lintou • A New Genus and Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Taiwan with Notes on its Ecology and Larval Morphology

October 16, 2015, 6:09 am
$
0
0

Scandarma lintou Schubart, Liu & Cuesta, 2003

ABSTRACT
A new genus and species of sesarmid crab, Scandarma lintou, is described from Taiwan. This crab has a semi-terrestrial habit: adults and juveniles thrive in wind-protected and vegetated habitats in close vicinity of fresh water and up to one kilometer from the sea. In southern Taiwan, this species was most commonly found hiding in leaf axils or climbing on the thorny leaves of the screw pine Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus. During the reproductive season (June to January), ovigerous females migrate to estuaries, where small and free-swimming pelagic larvae are released into the brackish waters and probably washed into the sea. Morphologically, this species is superficially similar to species of other semi-terrestrial sesarmid genera, but differs from these taxa by the shape of the anterolateral carapace region, by the markedly flattened fingers, by the presence of a row of tubercles on the dorsal border of the dactylus, a row of ventral spines on the pollex, and a granular ridge on the dorsal face of the palm. The first zoeal stage of the new genus shows two autapomorphies in the morphology of antennae and first maxillipeds. Otherwise, this stage presents the combination of features that are typical of sesarmid zoeae, i.e. absence of lateral carapace spines, a 2,3 setation of the maxillar endopod, a 2,2,3,3 setation on the basis of the first maxilliped, and a characteristic setation pattern of antennae and telson.

KEY WORDS: Sesarmidae, taxonomy, morphology, ecology, zoea larva




TAXONOMY

Scandarma, new genus
Type species. – Scandarma lintou, new species, by present designation.

Etymology. – The name is derived from the arbitrary combination of the Latin word “scandere” for climbing and the ending of the name “Sesarma”, alluding to the tree- and rock-climbing habit of the type species. The gender of the new genus is neuter.

Scandarma lintou, new species

Etymology. – The name “lintou” corresponds to the Chinese name for the screw pine Pandanus odoratissimus. In southwestern Taiwan and Green Island this plant constitutes the favourite habitat of this crab. The name is used as a noun in apposition

Ecology. – Scandarma lintou is a semi-terrestrial (adults terrestrial) crab, usually found less than 300 m away from the sea. Along the Kangkou River, the crabs were encountered in a distance of one kilometre from the sea. In southern Taiwan and Green Island, the presence of this species is always associated with three environmental factors: 1) the close proximity of a stream or freshwater pools, 2) protection from strong winds, and 3) the presence of the screw pine or pandang Pandanus odoratissimus (Pandanales: Pandanaceae). At these localities, Scandarma lintou was found hiding in the leaf axils of P. odoratissimus at daytime, while active on the leaf surfaces of the same plant or other nearby plants at night. In eastern Taiwan, however, where P. odoratissimus is not present, Scandarma lintou finds refuge under man-made concrete blocks on the forest floor or in crevices of vertical concrete walls. Also in this case, the habitat is close to fresh water and protected from strong winds. 

Scandarma lintou is a nocturnal and mostly arboreal animal. At night, it can be found climbing on leave surfaces, twigs, trunks, vines, grasses and sometimes also on the ground. It moves up trees as high as five metres. When climbing on trees, the crabs are constantly picking small food items from the surface of the plants with both of their chelae. Food items that were observed to be ingested included flowers, fruits, bark and some small invertebrates living on trees. Water availability seems to be the more important factor limiting the activity as compared to temperature: the crabs increased activity when rainfall dampened their habitat. 

Scandarma lintou has a seasonal breeding, taking place from June to January. Ovigerous crabs have small eggs which hatch out into pelagic, free-swimming larvae. As the hatching approaches, ovigerous females migrate to the estuaries and release larvae into brackish water. The timing of larval release does not seem to follow lunar or semilunar periodicity. Releasing behavior could be observed throughout the month during the breeding season. The timing of larval release also does not correlate with tidal peaks. Female Scandarma lintou most abundantly released larvae in the evening hours (between 1900 and 2000 hours). It was noticed that both sexes lose their appendages by autotomy easily during handling.


Schubart, C.D., H.-C. Liu, and J.A. Cuesta. 2003. A New Genus and Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Taiwan with notes on its Ecology and Larval Morphology. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 51(1): 49-59.

Yudai Okuyama. 2014. Repeated Visitation by a Sesarmid Crab to Male Inflorescences of Piper sp. Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B. 40(3); 119–123.   http://www.kahaku.go.jp/research/researcher/papers/30420.pdf


Taiwan Stamp 2010 [543] Taiwanese Crabs, Marine Life MNH 臺灣蟹類

To raise understanding about our coastal wildlife and to call for the public to pay more attention to marine ecology conservation, Chunghwa Post is following up with a third set of four stamps on Taiwan’s crabs, featuring Cardisoma carnifex, Scandarma lintou, Sesarmops intermedius, and Gecarcoidea lalandii. The designs follow:

1. Cardisoma carnifex (NT$5.00): This land crab has a reddish or grayish purple carapace, yellowish cream colored abdomen and claws, and orange walking legs. It has unequal-sized claws and long, slender, flat walking legs. It burrows in swamps near estuaries, under shrubs and in the walls of fish ponds in coastal areas.

2. Scandarma lintou (NT$5.00): The color of this sesarmid crab is similar to a dry fallen leaf. It has a smooth and square carapace that is slightly wider than long. The claws are almost equal in size. With its long and slender walking legs (the third pair of which is the longest), it is an excellent tree climber. Its name is derived from the Chinese for screw pine (lintou), which is where the crab was first discovered by Dr. Liu Hung-chang.

3. Sesarmops intermedius (NT$10.00): This sesarmid crab has an almost square-shaped carapace, and slightly unequal-sized claws. Its walking legs are flat with sharp terminal joints. It is bright red to dark red in color. Therefore, it is also called Christmas crab. Every year, from May to mid-summer, when the tide is high on the Hengchun Peninsula, droves of gravid females cross coastal roads for larval release at dusk in the sea.

4. Gecarcoidea lalandii (NT$25.00): This land crab has a dark purple to reddish purple carapace, a creamy yellow abdomen, and reddish purple claws and walking legs. Its carapace is transversely ovate, with scale-like wrinkles on the sides. Its claws are equal or slightly unequal in size and its walking legs are somewhat flat. It lives in burrows in coastlines that are rocky or near coral reefs.

http://www.luckystamps.com/China-Taiwan-Stamp-2010-Sp.543-Taiwanese-Crabs-Animals-Marine-Life-MNH.html

↧

[Crustacea • 2007] Scandarma splendidum • A New Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo

October 16, 2015, 6:14 am
$
0
0

Scandarma splendidum Naruse & Ng, 2007
Fig. 1. Live colouration of Scandarma splendidum, new species.


ABSTRACT
 The present study describes a second species of Scandarma (Sesarmidae), from Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo). Scandarma splendidum, new species, is differentiated from the only congener, S. lintou, by the characters of the carapace, the cheliped, the ambulatory legs, male abdominal segment and male first gonopod. Scandarma splendidum can be also differentiated from S. lintou by its colouration and large body size.

KEY WORDS:Scandarma splendidum, new species, Sesarmidae, taxonomy, Borneo, tree-climbing crab.

TAXONOMY

SESARMIDAE Dana, 1851
Scandarma Schubart, Liu & Cuesta, 2003
novataxa.blogspot.com/2015/10/2003-scandarma.html

Scandarma splendidum, new species

Disribution. – Scandarma splendidum, new species, is known only from Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia and nearby areas. Specimens have been observed by the second author at Camp Permai near the Park.

Etymology. – From the Latin ‘splendidus’ meaning brilliant or shining, alluding to beautiful coloration of the new species. The name is used as an adjective.


Naruse, T. and Ng, P. K. L. 2007. Scandarma splendidum, A New Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo. 
The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 55(2): 337-341.
http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/55/55rbz337-341.pdf

↧

[Crustacea • 2015] Arachnothelphusa merarapensis • A New Species of Tree-Hole Dwelling Freshwater Crab of the Genus Arachnothelphusa Ng, 1991 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo

October 16, 2015, 7:23 am
$
0
0

Arachnothelphusa merarapensis  Grinang, Min & Ng, 2015
Fig. 3. The colour in life ofArachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species, holotype male (22.5 × 16.8 mm) (ZRC), 
A, dorsal view; B, frontal view.
Fig. 4. Illustration of Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species, holotype male (22.5 × 16.8 mm) (ZRC), emerging at night from its filled-water tree-hole in primary dipterocarp forest, Merarap Hot Spring, Lawas, Sarawak.

Abstract
A new species of tree-hole gecarcinucid freshwater crab, Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, is described from a primary dipterocarp forest near Merarap Hot Spring Resort in Lawas, northern Sarawak, Malaysia. This brings the number of species in the genus Arachnothelphusa found in Borneo to five, and it is likely that more species will be discovered from this island. The new species has preference for living in water-filled tree-holes, which is the first record of a tree-hole crab for Southeast Asia. The habitat characteristics and distribution of this new species are also discussed.

Key words. Brachyura, Gecarcinucidae, Arachnothelphusa, tree-hole, Sarawak, Borneo



TAXONOMY

Family Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904

Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species

Etymology. The species is named after Merarap, the type locality where it was collected.

 Habitat. The habitat of A. merarapensis is a steep primary dipterocarp forest with a closed canopy, near the thermal springs area of the Merarap Hot Spring Resort. The holotype male was caught from a water-filled tree-hole, ca. 22 cm deep, ca. 15 cm in diameter, and ca. 100 cm above ground (Fig. 4). The bottom layer of the tree-hole consists of finely decomposed organic material (plant and arthropod debris), with the other two-thirds filled with water which increases after heavy rain. The two other specimens were caught from the water-filled crevices of tree buttresses. One buttress-crevice had a diameter of about 26 cm, was 60 cm deep, and 90 cm above the ground, and contained tightly compacted roots and leaf litter, with a hole dug into this that was apparently constructed by the crab. The other buttress-crevice runs along the side of the buttress and is about 30 cm above ground, shallow (15 cm), horizontal, and 30 cm deep. For two consecutive nights, the first two authors examined more than 15 tree-holes and crevices of different form, size, and conditions (either water-filled, dry, or debris-filled tree-holes), but we were only able to locate three specimens. This species is nocturnal and highly sensitive to light. We did not find any burrows on the soil around the tree-holes, suggesting the crab is a tree-hole specialist.

Other true freshwater crabs from the Old World showing similar phytotelmic behaviour are Potamonautes raybouldiCumberlidge & Vannini, 2004 (Potamonautidae) in Tanzania, East Africa; Globonautes macropus (Rathbun, 1898) (Potamonautidae) in Liberia, West Africa; Malagasya goodmani (Cumberlidge, Boyko & Harvey, 2002)(Potamonautidae) in Madagascar; and Perbrinckia scansor (Ng, 1995) (Gecarcinucidae) in Sri Lanka (Ng, 1995; Cumberlidge & Sachs, 1991; Bayliss, 2002; Cumberlidge et al., 2002, 2005; Cumberlidge & Vannini, 2004; Bahir et al., 2008). In Sarawak, the sesarmid crab Scandarma splendidumhas been reported climbing forest trees at night in western Sarawak (Naruse & Ng, 2007), but it is not known to be a phytotelm crab.

Conservation status. Considering unique habitat and probable limited distribution, A. merarapensis will easily be threatened by human activities, especially logging. The type locality is not protected but the forest is currently safe because it is part of the Merarap Hot Spring Resort. However, the forest in the vicinity is part of a concession allocated to logging companies and the future of the species is therefore uncertain. As such, we recommend that A. merarapensis should at least be listed as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (cf. Cumberlidge et al., 2009).



Jongkar Grinang, Pui Yong Min and Peter K. L. Ng. 2015. A New Species of Tree-Hole Dwelling Freshwater Crab of the Genus Arachnothelphusa Ng, 1991 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 63: 454–460

flickr.com/photos/rainforests/sets/72157617615402490/

↧

[Herpetology • 2015] Chelonoidis donfaustoi • Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Testudines: Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island

October 21, 2015, 11:03 pm
$
0
0

Chelonoidis donfaustoi  Poulakakis, Edwards & Caccone, 2015

Abstract
The taxonomy of giant Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.) is currently based primarily on morphological characters and island of origin. Over the last decade, compelling genetic evidence has accumulated for multiple independent evolutionary lineages, spurring the need for taxonomic revision. On the island of Santa Cruz there is currently a single named species, C. porteri. Recent genetic and morphological studies have shown that, within this taxon, there are two evolutionarily and spatially distinct lineages on the western and eastern sectors of the island, known as the Reserva and Cerro Fatal populations, respectively. Analyses of DNA from natural populations and museum specimens, including the type specimen for C. porteri, confirm the genetic distinctiveness of these two lineages and support elevation of the Cerro Fatal tortoises to the rank of species. In this paper, we identify DNA characters that define this new species, and infer evolutionary relationships relative to other species of Galapagos tortoises.




Chelonoidis donfaustoi  Poulakakis, Edwards & Caccone, 2015
Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise 
photo: Gisella Caccone || PopSci.com

SYSTEMATICS

Class REPTLIA Laurenti, 1768

Order TESTUDINES Linnaeus, 1758
Family TESTUDINIDAE Batsch, 1788

Genus Chelonoidis Fitzinger, 1835

Chelonoidis donfaustoi sp. nov. Poulakakis, Edwards, and Caccone
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:333D161C-2BA0-43D3-B84E-B0FBC859787D

Common name: Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise. To distinguish the two extant lineages now recognized on Santa Cruz Island, we also propose to substitute for the current common name Chelonoidis porteri from “Santa Cruz tortoise,” which inappropriately subsumes both lineages, to the “Western Santa Cruz tortoise” to more clearly distinguish these two, distinct taxa.

Fig 6. A-E.: The skull of the museum specimen UWZS 32700, holotype for Chelonoidis sp. nov. from Cerro Fatal in Santa Cruz (A: dorsal, B: ventral, C: occipital, D: frontal and E: lateral view).

Holotype: Below we provide the morphological description of the skull from the designated C. donfaustoi holotype. This morphological description is not intended to diagnose the new species, but to clearly describe the specimen. Anatomical terms follow Gaffney (1979). Specimen UWZS 32700 is a skull (Fig 6A–6E) and single carapace marginal scute. The skull is nearly equal in basicranial length and maximum width (Table 5). The quadratojugal broadly contacts the jugal anteriorly and narrowly contacts the postorbital dorsally. Anterior edge of maxilla is rough. Posterior edge of maxilla does not extend past the contact of maxilla to jugal. In lateral view (Fig 6E) the squamosal is only narrowly visible dorsal to the quadrate and is not visible posterior to the quadrate. Dorsally the squamosal only narrowly contacts the opisthotic (Fig 6A). Contact of the pre-frontals to the frontals is broad and V-shaped, with the pre-frontal extending posteriorly forming the majority of the medial margin of the eye socket. The parietal extends nearly as far dorsally as the pre-frontal extends posteriorly and bisects the frontals. Maxilla contact with pre-frontal extends dorsally and is visible when the skull is viewed dorsally. Preootic is wider than long and does not extend posteriorly much beyond the foramen stepedio-temporale. Supraoccipital extends posteriorly well beyond the squamosal. Contact between basisphenoid and basioccipital is V-shaped with the lateral contact extending posteriorly. Vomer does not contact basisphenoid. Palatine bone much longer than wide. Prefrontal visible ventrally making contact with the palatine and vomer.

Diagnosis: The new species can be diagnosed by a combination of genetic, morphological, and geographic distribution evidence.

Genetic characters: This species can be distinguished from all other Galapagos tortoise species by allele frequency differences at 12 microsatellite loci, which allow assignment of Cerro Fatal tortoises to their own genetically distinct cluster. This cluster is as genetically divergent from the other named species as the genetic clusters grouping them. Furthermore, a set of polymorphisms in the mitochondrial control region sequence (haplotypes) is unique to the Cerro Fatal taxon (Fig 3). In particular, all individuals from Cerro Fatal share a set of nucleotides that separates them from the C. porteri (Reserva) species on the same island and from C. chathamensis (San Cristóbal), the sister taxon to the Cerro Fatal tortoises.

Morphological characters: Although there are no diagnostic morphological characters that uniquely define the new species, linear and geometric morphometric analyses reveal consistent differences in mean shell size and shape between tortoises from Reserva and Cerro Fatal. Tortoises from Reserva are larger in size and have a relatively larger carapace with higher anterior opening than the Cerro Fatal tortoises.


Don Fausto with Chelonoidis donfaustoi
 Ranger Fausto Llerena Sánchez “Don Fausto” poses with a tortoise representing the species that was named in his honor.
photo: Washington Tapia || DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779 || PopSci.com 

Distribution: The new species is only found on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island occupying an area currently estimated at about 40 km2 (Fig 1).

Etymology: The new species is named in honor of Fausto Llerena Sánchez who devoted 43 years of service (1971–2014) to giant tortoise conservation as a park ranger within the Galapagos National Park Directorate. “Don Fausto” was the primary caretaker of endangered tortoises in captivity, one of the first to explore tortoise habitat throughout the archipelago, and was well known for his work ethic, commitment to tortoise conservation, and collegiality. Several tortoise lineages in Galapagos remain extant in large part due to Don Fausto’s dedication, ingenuity, and patience.


Conclusion
Genetic and morphological data confirm the existence of two tortoise species on Santa Cruz Island. We describe the tortoises from Cerro Fatal as a new species, C. donfaustoi. The recognition of C. donfaustoi as a new species has important conservation implications for both taxa. The revised taxonomy reduces the range of C. porteri, with a population of several thousand individuals, to occupying only the western and southwestern parts of Santa Cruz Island. It also confines C. donfaustoi to the eastern part of Santa Cruz Island, with a much smaller population size estimated currently at ca. 250 individuals.

From a conservation standpoint, recognition of this new species will help promote efforts to protect and restore it, given that its low abundance, small geographic range, and reduced genetic diversity make it vulnerable. In particular, further investigation is needed to better determine C. donfaustoi’s population size and structure, range, movement patterns, location of nesting zones, and habitat requirements, as well as ongoing threats and effective ways to mitigate them. In an age of increasing human occupation of much of the higher elevations on Santa Cruz Island, maintaining the two species’ biological isolation is critical. Of particular importance is ensuring that no human-mediated transport of tortoises occurs between the two sides of Santa Cruz Island given that the two species’ ranges are now linked via a single agricultural zone.


Nikos Poulakakis, Danielle L. Edwards , Ylenia Chiari, Ryan C. Garrick, Michael A. Russello, Edgar Benavides, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Scott Glaberman, Washington Tapia, James P. Gibbs, Linda J. Cayot and Adalgisa Caccone. 2015. Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Chelonoidis; Testudines: Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island.  DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779


Discovered: A Brand-New Species of Giant Galapagos Tortoise http://pops.ci/PuJDrV via @PopSci
Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise: New Subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortoise Discovered | Sci-News.com/biology/science-eastern-santa-cruz-tortoise-chelonoidis-nigra-donfaustoi-03362.html

↧
↧

[Ichthology • 2015] Diplecogaster tonstricula • A New Species of Cleaning Clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Canary Islands and Senegal, eastern Atlantic Ocean, with a review of the Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group

October 25, 2015, 7:58 am
$
0
0

Diplecogaster tonstricula Fricke, Wirtz & Brito, 2015
Eastern Atlantic Cleaner Clingfish

Abstract
The Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group is reviewed; it comprises two species. The clingfish Diplecogaster ctenocrypta from the Canary Islands is redescribed. The new species Diplecogaster tonstricula, a facultative cleaner of other teleosts, is described on the basis of eight specimens and colour photos from Senegal and the Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species is small, apparently not exceeding 23 mm total length; it is characterised by having nine dorsal-fin rays, eight anal-fin rays, 24–25 pectoral-fin rays, 14–15 principal caudal-fin rays, 13–16 rakers on third gill arch, pelvic disc without lateral papillae in region A, disc region B with two rows of weak papillae, interorbital distance 4.1–4.6 in head length, distance between disc and anus 14–17% of SL, head and body with 10–13 narrow vertical brownish bars, cheek with a white ocellus surrounded by black, and with a small black spot in the middle. The new species is compared with other species of the genus; a key to the six known species of the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea and South African genus Diplecogaster is presented. A checklist is provided for the species of Diplecogaster and their synonyms.

Keywords: Fishes, clingfishes, taxonomy, morphology, identification key, facultative cleaner


Fricke, R., Wirtz, P. & Brito, A. 2015. Diplecogaster tonstricula, A New Species of Cleaning Clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Canary Islands and Senegal, eastern Atlantic Ocean, with a review of the Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group.
Journal of Natural History.  DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1079659

↧

[Herpetology • 2015] Phylogeny of the Genus Rhynchocalamus (Reptilia; Colubridae) with A First Record from the Sultanate of Oman

October 26, 2015, 8:27 am
$
0
0

FIGURE 2. Comparison of body habitus (left) and head coloration (right) of all known Rhynchocalamus species.
A, B — Rhynchocalamus arabicus from Wadi Ayoun, Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman.
Photos by Javier Aznar Gonzalez de Rueda; 
C, D — R. melanocephalus from Tartus, Syria.
E, F — R. satunini from Artuklu, Mardin Province, Turkey.
 Photos by Bayram Göçmen.
Šmíd, Martínez, Gebhart, et al, 2015 || ResearchGate.net

Abstract

The genus Rhynchocalamus comprises three species distributed in Southwest Asia. Little is known about them, most probably because of their secretive fossorial lifestyle. The poor knowledge of the genus is even underscored by the fact that its phylogenetic affinities remained unclear until very recently. The least known of the species, Rhynchocalamus arabicus, is known only from the holotype collected in Aden, Yemen, and it has not been observed since its description in 1933. Here we provide a second record for this species, which represents the first record of this genus for Oman. This extends its range in southern Arabia by more than 1000 km. The observed specimen was determined as R. arabicus on the basis of its similarity in size, color, and scalation with the holotype. Furthermore, we sequenced three mitochondrial (12S, 16S, cytb) and one nuclear (cmos) genes for R. arabicus and for two individuals of R. melanocephalus and one R. satunini and inferred the phylogenetic relationships of all currently recognized species of the genus for the first time. The results of our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Rhynchocalamus is a member of the Western Palearctic clade of Colubrinae and is sister to Lytorhynchus, with which it forms a very well supported clade and shares some morphological characters. As our results show, R. satunini is the basal lineage of the genus and R. melanocephalus is sister to R. arabicus.

Keywords: Reptilia, Anatolia, Arabia, Colubrinae, Kukri snake, Levant, mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA, Rhynchocalamus arabicus, R. melanocephalus, R. satunini


 Jiří Šmíd, Gabriel Martínez, Jurgen Gebhart, Javier Aznar, 5th Javier Gállego, Bayram Göçmen, Philip de Pous, Karin Tamar and Salvador Carranza. 2015. Phylogeny of the Genus Rhynchocalamus (Reptilia; Colubridae) with  A First Record from the Sultanate of Oman. ZOOTAXA. 4033(3): 380–392.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4033.3.4

↧
Search

[Environment • 2015] Global Nutrient Transport in A World of Giants

October 27, 2015, 6:25 am
$
0
0

Fig. 4. Potential interlinked system of recycling nutrients. The diagram shows a potential route of nutrient transport of the planet in the past. Red arrows show the estimated fluxes or diffusion capacity of nutrients listed in Table 1. Grey animals represent extinct or reduced population densities of animals.
Whales and other deep-diving marine mammals feed deep in the ocean and poop up high, moving nutrients upward through the water column. Seabirds and spawning fish transfer nutrients from sea to shore. Megafauna such as moose move nutrients as they graze and poop, creating a natural manure fertilizer. Grey animals represent the loss of megafauna that once contributed to this nutrient cycle. (Numbers in kilograms.)
 PNAS/Renate Helmiss | DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502549112

Significance
Animals play an important role in the transport of nutrients, but this role has diminished because many of the largest animals have gone extinct or experienced massive population declines. Here, we quantify the movement of nutrients by animals in the land, sea, rivers, and air both now and prior to their widespread reductions. The capacity to move nutrients away from hotspots decreased to 6% of past values across land and ocean. The vertical movement of phosphorus (P) by marine mammals was reduced by 77% and movement of P from sea to land by seabirds and anadromous fish was reduced by 96%, effectively disrupting an efficient nutrient distribution pump that once existed from the deep sea to the continental interiors.

Abstract
The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely to have had important consequences for broad-scale nutrient cycling, because recent literature suggests that large animals disproportionately drive nutrient movement. We estimate that the capacity of animals to move nutrients away from concentration patches has decreased to about 8% of the preextinction value on land and about 5% of historic values in oceans. For phosphorus (P), a key nutrient, upward movement in the ocean by marine mammals is about 23% of its former capacity (previously about 340 million kg of P per year). Movements by seabirds and anadromous fish provide important transfer of nutrients from the sea to land, totalling ∼150 million kg of P per year globally in the past, a transfer that has declined to less than 4% of this value as a result of the decimation of seabird colonies and anadromous fish populations. We propose that in the past, marine mammals, seabirds, anadromous fish, and terrestrial animals likely formed an interlinked system recycling nutrients from the ocean depths to the continental interiors, with marine mammals moving nutrients from the deep sea to surface waters, seabirds and anadromous fish moving nutrients from the ocean to land, and large animals moving nutrients away from hotspots into the continental interior.

Keywords: biogeochemical cycling, extinctions, megafauna, whales, anadromous fish


Christopher E. Doughty, Joe Roman, Søren Faurby, Adam Wolf, Alifa Haque, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Yadvinder Malhi, John B. Dunning Jr., and Jens-Christian Svenning. Global Nutrient Transport in A World of Giants. PNAS, October 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502549112

Declines in whales, fish, seabirds and large animals disrupt Earth's nutrient cycle

"Earth has a problem: not enough poop."

The extinction of megafauna both at land and at sea has led to a shortage of mega manure, new research finds. As a result, the planet's composting and nutrient-recycling system is broken.
......
No Crap: Missing '#MegaPoop' Starves #Earth || #environment #megafauna  via @LiveScience https://shar.es/1uM1HK

↧

[Paleontology • 2015] Deep-Time Evolution of Regeneration and Preaxial Polarity in Tetrapod Limb Development

October 27, 2015, 7:29 am
$
0
0

Micromelerpeton credneri from the Early Permian era in Germany. Panels show the regeneration of the forelimb, which results in a hand with malformations
  Illustration: Kalliopi Monoyios news.brown.edu  Image: Hwa-Ja Götz/MfN [Museum für Naturkunde] Berlin
doi: 10.1038/nature15397

Among extant tetrapods, salamanders are unique in showing a reversed preaxial polarity in patterning of the skeletal elements of the limbs, and in displaying the highest capacity for regeneration, including full limb and tail regeneration. These features are particularly striking as tetrapod limb development has otherwise been shown to be a highly conserved process. It remains elusive whether the capacity to regenerate limbs in salamanders is mechanistically and evolutionarily linked to the aberrant pattern of limb development; both are features classically regarded as unique to urodeles. New molecular data suggest that salamander-specific orphan genes play a central role in limb regeneration and may also be involved in the preaxial patterning during limb development. Here we show that preaxial polarity in limb development was present in various groups of temnospondyl amphibians of the Carboniferous and Permian periods, including the dissorophoids Apateon and Micromelerpeton, as well as the stereospondylomorph Sclerocephalus. Limb regeneration has also been reported in Micromelerpeton, demonstrating that both features were already present together in antecedents of modern salamanders 290 million years ago. Furthermore, data from lepospondyl ‘microsaurs’ on the amniote stem indicate that these taxa may have shown some capacity for limb regeneration and were capable of tail regeneration, including re-patterning of the caudal vertebral column that is otherwise only seen in salamander tail regeneration. The data from fossils suggest that salamander-like regeneration is an ancient feature of tetrapods that was subsequently lost at least once in the lineage leading to amniotes. Salamanders are the only modern tetrapods that retained regenerative capacities as well as preaxial polarity in limb development.

An artist’s rendering of Micromelerpeton credneri from the Early Permian era in Germany. Panels show the regeneration of the forelimb, which results in a hand with malformations.
Illustration: Kalliopi Monoyios news.brown.edu

Well-preserved fossils, such as this Micromelerpeton credneri, allowed researchers to track the evoluton of regeneration.
Image: Hwa-Ja Götz/MfN [Museum für Naturkunde] Berlin


Nadia B. Fröbisch, Constanze Bickelmann, Jennifer C. Olori and Florian Witzmann. 2015. Deep-Time Evolution of Regeneration and Preaxial Polarity in Tetrapod Limb Development. Nature. (2015) doi: 10.1038/nature15397


Regeneration faded as most four-legged vertebrates evolved

 —Nowadays, salamanders are extraordinary among modern four-legged vertebrates: Repeatedly and throughout their lifespan, they can regenerate limbs, tails, and internal organs that were injured or lost due to amputation.

They are also special in the way their legs form during embryonic development. Generally limb development follows the same process in all four-legged vertebrates — from frogs to humans — despite the enormous variety of forms and functions that vertebrate limbs have.

“Salamanders, on the contrary, form their fingers in a reversed order compared to all other four-legged vertebrates, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for over a century,” said lead author Nadia Fröbisch of Museum für Naturkunde. “The question that we wanted to address was if and how this different way of developing limbs is evolutionarily linked with the high regenerative capacities.”

So the team, including co-author Florian Witzmann, visiting scientist in Brown’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, set out to study fossils from about 300 million years ago to see how the capacity developed. The fossils used in the study, which appears in Nature, derive from the collections of a number of natural history museums including the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

“The amphibians fossilized under excellent conditions for preservation and are represented by a large number of individuals and developmental stages,” Witzmann said. “This extraordinary fossil record allowed for the detailed study of limb development and regeneration.”


In their studies the authors investigated different amphibian groups of the Carboniferous and Permian periods and showed that different groups were able to regenerate their legs and tails in a way that previously was exclusively known from modern salamanders.

“We were able to show salamander-like regenerative capacities in fossil groups that develop their limbs like the majority of modern four-legged vertebrates as well as in groups with the reversed pattern of limb development seen in modern salamanders,” said co-author Jennifer Olori of the State University of New York at Oswego.

That means that back then, it wasn’t just salamanders but many creatures that had the capacity to regenerate.

“The fossil record shows that the form of limb development of modern salamanders and the high regenerative capacities are not something salamander-specific, but instead were much more widespread and may even represent the primitive condition for all four-legged vertebrates,” said Fröbisch. “The high regenerative capacities were lost in the evolutionary history of the different tetrapod lineages, at least once, but likely multiple times independently, among them also the lineage leading to mammals.”

Regeneration faded as most four-legged vertebrates evolved
http://news.brown.edu/articles/2015/10/regenerate via @BrownUniversity
Capacity to regenerate body parts may be the primitive state for all four-legged vertebrates
  http://phy.so/365065883 via @physorg_com

↧
↧

[Paleontology • 2016] A Densely Feathered Ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada

October 28, 2015, 9:25 pm
$
0
0

Reconstruction of Ornithomimus showing a plumage pattern that is consistent with both UALVP 52531 and previously described feathered specimens from Alberta ( Zelenitsky et al., 2012), as well as with modern ratite birds, collectively suggesting a thermoregulatory role in all cases.
Artwork: Julius Csotonyi.  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

Abstract
A recently discovered articulated partial skeleton of Ornithomimus from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada is remarkable in the extent and quality of preservation of integumentary structures including feathers. It is the first ornithomimid to preserve a tail bearing extensive plumaceous feathers that are slightly more elongate in comparison to those present on the remainder of the body. However, the underside of the tail and the hind limb distal to the middle of the femur appear devoid of plumage. Overall, the plumage pattern in Ornithomimus is similar to that of Struthio camelus (ostrich) and other large palaeognaths, indicating a probable function in thermoregulation. The specimen also preserves the body outline around the legs, including a skin contour anterior to the femur, analogous to skin webs in extant birds. Whereas the knee web of birds bridges the knee to the abdomen, in Ornithomimus it spans from the mid-femoral shaft to the abdomen, and is herein referred to as an anterior femoral web. This is the first report of such soft tissue structures in non-avian theropods. It may indicate that the resting position of the femur was positioned more anteroventrally in ornithomimids than in most theropods, and in that sense may have been transitional to the situation in modern birds.

 Keywords: Feathered dinosaur; Ornithomimidae; Ornithomimus; Late Cretaceous; Alberta

Reconstruction of Ornithomimus showing a plumage pattern that is consistent with both UALVP 52531 and previously described feathered specimens from Alberta ( Zelenitsky et al., 2012), as well as with modern ratite birds, collectively suggesting a thermoregulatory role in all cases.
Artwork: Julius Csotonyi.  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

 Concluding remarks
In conclusion, while UALVP 52531 is not the first feathered ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of western North America, the quality and extent of feather preservation in this specimen is unparalleled. As such, it provides a much stronger basis for interpreting the most likely function of feathers in non-avian theropods, and a much-refined perspective of the biology and ecology of ornithomimids.


Aaron J. van der Reest, Alexander P. Wolfe and Philip J. Currie. 2016. A Densely Feathered Ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. Cretaceous Research. 58; 108–117. DOI:  10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

Ornithomimus dinosaur with preserved tail feathers and skin tightens linkages between dinosaurs and birds http://phy.so/365249627 via @physorg_com

↧

[Herpetology • 2015] Euspondylus paxcorpus • A Novel Species of Euspondylus (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Andes Mountains of central Peru

October 29, 2015, 7:42 am
$
0
0

Euspondylus paxcorpus
Doan& Adams, 2015

Abstract

The South American gymnophthalmid genus Euspondylus is distributed from Venezuela through Peru, with its highest diversity occurring in Peru.Euspondylus paxcorpus sp. nov. is a new species from Junín, Peru possessing prefrontal scales and represented by 60 specimens. The new species differs from all other species by the combination of four supraoculars with supraocular/supraciliary fusion, 5–7 occipitals, a single palpebral scale, five supralabials and infralabials, quadrangular dorsal scales with low keels arranged in transverse series only, 40–45 in a longitudinal count and 22–28 in a transverse count, 12 rows of ventrals in a transverse count and 23–25 in a longitudinal count, and no sexual dimorphism in coloration. The discovery of E. paxcorpus increases the known number of Euspondylus species to 13. Because the coloration patterns of the specimens were greatly different after preservation in alcohol, caution should be used when identifying Euspondylus species from museum specimens.

Keywords: Reptilia, Euspondylus paxcorpus, Gymnophthalmidae, Junín, lizard, Peru, new species, Reptilia, South America, Squamata, taxonomy




Distribution and natural history.Euspondylus paxcorpus is endemic to the eastern slope of the Cordillera Oriental of the central Peruvian Andes. All specimens were collected by day associated with groups of rocks near small farms between 3500–3800 masl in the district of Ulcumayo, region of Junín, Peru. The terrain is montane and andenes (agricultural terraces) constructed by the local pre-hispanic culture dominate the area and have been maintained for the continued cultivation of potatoes (Solanum spp.), olluco (Ullucus tuberosus), oca (Oxalis tuberosa), mashua (Trapaeolum tuberosum), and fava beans (Vicia faba). The climate is defined as boreal (Dwb, Köppen–Geiger climate classification system) and is cold and dry with a marked difference between day and night (approximately 7 to 15  ̊C difference) stereotypical of the Suni and Quechua natural regions (Monge Miguel et al., 1996). An intense rainy season occurs between the months of December and March. The flora is mainly composed of small herbaceous plants and grasses including Jarava ichu. The only other reptile species found in the area was the dipsadid snake Tachymenis peruviana Wiegmann. Interestingly, in the district of Ulcumayo and surrounding areas, E. paxcorpus is used for traditional medicinal purposes; specimens are flayed and tied to extremities to heal broken bones. The use of reptiles for medicinal means is not limited to E. paxcorpus in Ulcumayo, as snakes are commonly left to steep in sugar cane alcohol called cañaso and considered a curative. In Quechua these lizards are referred to as shakurhuay. 

Etymology. The specific epithet paxcorpus is a Latin noun that honors the Peace Corps, or Cuerpo de Paz in Spanish. The lizards were discovered and collected by a Peace Corps Volunteer during his service in Peru to promote community-based environmental management.  



Discussion 
The description of Euspondylus paxcorpus brings the current number of Euspondylus species to 13. In Peru nine or 10 species occur (it is questionable whether E. guentheri occurs in Peru), with three other species (E. josyi, E. maculatus, and E. spinalis) also occurring within the Junín region, though none of them is sympatric with E. paxcorpus. In fact, although E. paxcorpus was quite abundant in all areas where it was located, no other lizard species were found locally. 

One striking finding during this study was the drastic difference in coloration of all specimens from life to after preservation in ethanol (Fig. 3). In ethanol, all specimens had a uniform dark brown dorsum, head, and dorsal surface of the tail, with no stripes, spots, or variations in color visible. However, the coloration in life showed visible spots, ocelli, stripes, and different regions of color. These differences do not bode well for the examination of museum specimens of Euspondylus or other species whose coloration is so greatly altered. In our experience, though colors typically fade in alcohol, patterns are usually still visible in other species. The fact that no patterning is visible indicates that the examination of color patterns of museum specimens may give misleading information about the coloration of living specimens and conclusions about coloration based solely on museum specimens should be treated with caution.  


Doan, Tiffany M. & Grant Adams. 2015. A Novel Species of Euspondylus (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Andes Mountains of central Peru. Zootaxa. 4033(1): 129–136. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4033.1.7


This Peace Corps volunteer helped discover a lizard unknown to science

  http://wpo.st/0Sej0 @RachelFeltman


Resumen
El género Euspondylus de la familia Gymnophthalmidae se distribuye en Sudamérica desde Venezuela hasta Perú, con la máxima diversidad en el Perú. Euspondylus paxcorpus sp. nov. procedente de Junín, Perú, posee escamas prefrontales y está representado por 60 especímenes. La nueva especie se distingue de los demás por poseer la combinación de cuatro supraoculares con la fusión de supraocular y supraciliar, 5–7 occipitales, una sola escama palpebral, cinco supralabiales e
infralabiales, escamas dorsales cuadrangulares con quillas bajas y arregladas en filas transversales solamente, 40–45 por conteo longitudinal y 22–28 por conteo transversal, 12 filas de escamas ventrales en conteo longitudinal y 23–25 por conteo transversal, y sin dimorphismo sexual en coloración. El descubrimiento de E. paxcorpus aumenta el número de especies de Euspondylus conocidas a 13. Debido a que los patrones de coloración de los especímenes cambiaron tan drásticamente después de la conservación en alcohol, se debe tener precaución cuando se identifican las especies de Euspondylus de especímenes del museo.

Palabras claves: Euspondylus paxcorpus, Gymnophthalmidae, Junín, lagartija, Peru, nueva especie, Reptilia, Squamata, Sudamérica, taxonomía

↧

[PaleoAnthropology • 2015] Pliobates cataloniae • Miocene Small-bodied Ape from Eurasia sheds light on Hominoid Evolution

October 30, 2015, 11:20 pm
$
0
0

A team of researchers from the George Washington University and the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont identified a new genus and species of small ape that existed before the evolutionary split of humans/great apes (hominids) and gibbons (the 'lesser apes' or hylobatids).
Illustration: Marta Palmero / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont 



ABSTRACT
Miocene small-bodied anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia are generally considered to precede the divergence between the two groups of extant catarrhines—hominoids (apes and humans) and Old World monkeys—and are thus viewed as more primitive than the stem ape Proconsul. Here we describe Pliobates cataloniae gen. et sp. nov., a small-bodied (4 to 5 kilograms) primate from the Iberian Miocene (11.6 million years ago) that displays a mosaic of primitive characteristics coupled with multiple cranial and postcranial shared derived features of extant hominoids. Our cladistic analyses show that Pliobates is a stem hominoid that is more derived than previously described small catarrhines and Proconsul. This forces us to reevaluate the role played by small-bodied catarrhines in ape evolution and provides key insight into the last common ancestor of hylobatids (gibbons) and hominids (great apes and humans).



 STRUCTURED ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION
Reconstructing the ancestral morphotype from which extant hominoids (apes and humans) evolved is complicated by the mosaic nature of ape evolution, the confounding effects of independently evolved features (homoplasy), and the virtual lack of hylobatids (gibbons and siamangs) in the Miocene fossil record. For several decades, small-bodied anthropoid primates from Africa and Eurasia have not played an important role in this debate, because they generally lack the shared derived features of extant catarrhines (hominoids and Old World monkeys) and are thus considered to precede their divergence. Even some small-bodied catarrhines from Africa (dendropithecids), considered to be stem hominoids by some authors, are viewed as more primitive than the larger-bodied stem ape Proconsul. This has led to the assumption that hylobatids are a dwarfed lineage that evolved from a larger-bodied and more great ape–like common ancestor with hominids (great apes and humans).

RATIONALE
Here we describe a new genus of small-bodied (4 to 5 kg) ape from the Miocene (11.6 Ma), discovered in the Abocador de Can Mata stratigraphic series (Vallès-Penedès Basin, northeast Iberian Peninsula), that challenges current views on the last common ancestor of extant hominoids. This genus is based on a partial skeleton that enables a reliable reconstruction of cranial morphology and a detailed assessment of elbow and wrist anatomy. It exhibits a mosaic of primitive (stem catarrhine–like) and derived (extant hominoid–like) features that forces us to reevaluate the role played by small-bodied catarrhines in ape evolution.


Order: Primates
Suborder: Haplorhini
Superfamily: Hominoidea

Family: Pliobatidae Alba et al. 2015

Genus: Pliobates Alba et al. 2015

Species: Pliobates cataloniaeAlba et al. 2015


Reconstruction of the skull (front and side view) and representation of life appearance of Pliobates cataloniae are shown.
Credit: Marta Palmero / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont 

Long bones from the left arm of Pliobates cataloniae. Humerus (A), radius (B) and ulna (C).
photos: Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) 


RESULTS
The new genus retains some features that are suggestive of generalized above-branch quadrupedalism, but it possesses more extensive hominoid-like postcranial features (mostly related to enhanced forearm rotation and ulnar deviation capabilities) than those convergently displayed by atelids. Its overall body plan is more compatible with an emphasis on cautious and eclectic climbing, combined with some degree of below-branch forelimb-dominated suspension (although less acrobatic than in extant gibbons). Its relative brain size implies a monkey-like degree of encephalization (similar to that of hylobatids but below that of great apes), and dental microwear indicates a frugivorous diet. From a phylogenetic viewpoint, the new genus combines craniodental and postcranial primitive features (similar to those of dendropithecids) with multiple derived cranial and postcranial features shared with extant hominoids. Some cranial similarities with gibbons would support a closer phylogenetic link between the new genus and hylobatids. However, this possibility is not supported by the total evidence. A cladistic analysis based on more than 300 craniodental and postcranial features reveals that the new genus is a stem hominoid (preceding the divergence between hylobatids and hominids), although more derived than previously known small catarrhines and Proconsul.

CONCLUSION
As the first known Miocene small-bodied catarrhine to share abundant derived features with extant hominoids, the new genus indicates a greater morphological diversity than previously recognized among this heterogeneous group, and it provides key insight into the last common ancestor of hylobatids and hominids. Our cladistic results, coupled with the chronology and location of the new genus, suggest that it represents a late-surviving offshoot of a small African stem hominoid that is more closely related to crown hominoids than Proconsul is. These results suggest that, at least in size and cranial morphology, the last common ancestor of extant hominoids might have been more gibbon-like (less great ape–like) than generally assumed.

Representation of the environment and some of the species that inhabited the area of Els Hostalets de Pierola about 12 million years ago.
Illustration: Oscar Sanisidro / Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) 


D. M. Alba, S. Almecija, D. DeMiguel, J. Fortuny, M. P. de los Rios, M. Pina, J. M. Robles, S. Moya-Sola. 2015. Miocene Small-bodied Ape from Eurasia sheds light on Hominoid Evolution. Science. 350 (6260): aab2625. DOI: 10.1126/science.aab2625

 Meet your gibbon cousin
Apes are divided into two groups: larger-bodied apes, or hominoids, such as humans, chimps, and gorillas; and smaller-bodied hylobatids, such as gibbons. These two lineages are thought to have diverged rather cleanly, sharing few similarities after the emergence of crown hominoids. Alba et al. describe a new ape from the Miocene era that contains characteristics from both hominoids and small-bodied apes (see the Perspective by Benefit and McCrossin). Thus, early small-bodied apes may have contributed more to the evolution of the hominoid lineage than previously assumed.


New Fossil Suggests We Had A Gibbon-Like Early Ancestor | IFLScience http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/new-fossil-suggests-we-had-gibbon-early-ancestor
A new primate species at the root of the tree of extant hominoids http://phy.so/365332715 via  @physorg_com




  



↧
Viewing all 9391 articles
Browse latest View live
More Pages to Explore .....
Search

Latest Images

Eco Data 4/26/24

Eco Data 4/26/24

April 25, 2024, 5:00 pm
‘Pay day every day’ may become Shangri-La Group, BPOs’ secret to happy employees

‘Pay day every day’ may become Shangri-La Group, BPOs’ secret to happy employees

April 25, 2024, 5:51 am
Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

Nonprofit donates custom home in this East Bay city for Marine injured in...

April 23, 2024, 7:00 am
New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

New private rooms on Tokaido Shinkansen change the way we travel from Tokyo...

April 22, 2024, 6:00 am
Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

Ukraine bans military from online gambling amid addiction concerns

April 22, 2024, 5:17 am
ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

ಮಂಡ್ಯದಿಂದ ಸುಮಲತಾ ದೂರ; ಹೆಚ್‌ಡಿಕೆ ಪರ ಪ್ರಚಾರಕ್ಕಿಳಿಯದ ಸಂಸದೆ –ಬರ್ತಾರೆ ನೋಡೋಣ ಎಂದ...

April 20, 2024, 8:08 pm
OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

OCBC Bank Singapore Offers Up to 2.8% p.a. Fixed Deposit Promotion from 21...

April 20, 2024, 12:38 pm
National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

National Poetry Month 2024: Maxine Starr

April 19, 2024, 9:56 am
Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie

April 19, 2024, 9:18 am
Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

Firefox UX: On Purpose: Collectively Defining Our Team’s Mission Statement

April 19, 2024, 7:03 am