A fossil aardvark (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) from the lower Pliocene of Chad

The Mission Paléoanthropologique Franco-Tchadienne (MPFT) found a new species of Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Kollé fossiliferous sector, northern Chad. After Orycteropus abundulafus [Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20 (1) (2000) 205–209; Lehmann, T., Vignaud, P., Likius A., Brunet M., in press. A new Orycteropodidae (Mammalia, Tubulidentata) in the Mio-Pliocene of Northern Chad. Zool. J. Linnean Soc.], this specimen is the second complete skeleton of fossil aardvark found in the Djurab desert. It is the first complete representative of an Orycteropus species found in the Pliocene of Africa. In regard to the Miocene fossil aardvarks, this new taxon, Orycteropus djourabensis nov. sp., shows more affinities with the extant O. afer. The main differences are the larger teeth and the shorter hand in the fossil form. Kossom Bougoudi and Kollé represent a chronological series that gives a unique opportunity for studying the evolution of the African Tubulidentata around the Mio-Pliocene boundary (5.5-4 My). The new species is distinct from the older Chadian Orycteropodid from KB and it embodies the taxonomic turnover that took place within the order Tubulidentata around this boundary in Africa. Moreover, this new species is the oldest known Orycteropus species that clearly belongs to the modern forms including the extant aardvark.     

Talaya batraba gen.et sp.nov.- the First Nymph of a Protopsyllidiid(Hemiptera:Sternorrhyncha:Psyllomorpha) from the Lower Cretaceous Amber of Lebanon

A hemipteran nymph of the sternorrhynchan lineage,placed in the family Protopsyllidiidae is the first found in the fossil record,based on an inclusion in amber from the Lower Cretaceous of Hammana / Mdeyrij,Abeih Formation,Central Lebanon.Based on distinctive features such as a median dorsal elevation and the presence of a large,conical,exposed,setiferous anal tube,the fossil is placed in Talaya batraba gen.et sp.nov.and the newly erected taxon is compared to known nymphs of extinct Protopsyllidiidae.The evolutionary traits of the family and its relatives are considered.     

Upper Cretaceous depositional environments and bivalve assemblages of far-east Asia: the Himenoura Group, Kyushu, Japan

The depositional environments and bivalve assemblages are determined for the Upper Cretaceous Hinoshima Formation of the Himenoura Group, Kamishima, Amakusa Islands, Kyushu, Japan. The Hinoshima Formation is characterized by a thick transgressive succession that varies from incised-valley-fill deposits to submarine slope deposits with high aggradation rates of depositional systems. The incised valley is filled with fluvial, bayhead delta, brackish-water estuary, and marine embayment deposits, and is overlain by thick slope deposits.Shallow marine bivalves are grouped into five fossil assemblages according to species composition: Glycymeris amakusensis (foreset beds of a bayhead delta), Nippononectes tamurai (foreset beds of a bayhead delta), Ezonuculana mactraeformis–Nucula formosa (central bay), Glycymeris amakusensis–Apiotrigonia minor (slope), and Inoceramus higoensis–Parvamussium yubarensis (slope). These bivalve assemblages all represent autochthonous and parautochthonous conditions except for a Glycymeris amakusensis–Apiotrigonia minor assemblage found in debris flow and slump deposits. The life habitats of these bivalves and the compositions of the assemblages are discussed in terms of the ecological history of fossil bivalves of the mid- to Late Cretaceous.     

Discovery of antler from a new site in the Pinjor Formation (Pleistocene) of Pakistan

Partially complete right antler from the Pinjor Formation (Pleistocene) of the Upper Siwalik Subgroup is identified, described and its phylogenetic relationship is discussed. The fossil antler is compared with other known fossil records of family Cervidae as well as with the extant species, on the basis of which it can be attributed to Axis punjabiensis. This species has not been reported previously from this fossil site.     

Protophyllocladoxylon jingyuanense sp.nov.,a Gymnospermous Wood of the Serpukhovian (Late Mississippian) from Gansu,Northwest China

<正>A new species of gymnospermous fossil wood,Protophyllocladoxylon jingyuanense sp.nov., is described from the lower part of the Tsingyuan Formation(Serpukhovian/Late Mississippian),near the coal mine of Ciyao,Gansu,northwestern China.The specimen is preserved only in silicified secondary xylem,while growth rings are absent.Pits in radial tracheidal walls are araucaroid in type, uniseriate,occasionally biseriate.Xylem rays are homogeneous,uniseriate,occasionally biseriate. Cross-field pits are simple,large,one to two in number.Axial parenchyma is absent.The anatomical characters and geographic distribution of Protophyllocladoxylon woods through geological ages are documented.Those species with axial parenchyma and without growth rings live in warm climate, whereas the species without axial parenchyma and with growth rings are present either in warm or cool climate.The ideal living climate for Protophyllocladoxylon woods is warm and wet.Our new species,as a fossil wood of Early Carboniferous,is likely the earliest known species of Protophyllocladoxylon.     

A New Fossil Termite(Isoptera,Stolotermitidae,Stolotermes)from the Early Miocene of Otago,New Zealand

<正>The forewing of a termite from Early Miocene lake sediments in Otago,southern New Zealand is figured and described.It exhibits the generic characters of the damp-wood termite Stolotermes Hagen,but differs from forewings of the known species in size and venation pattern and is described as Stolotermes kupe sp.nov.S.kupe represents the first confident record of fossil Stolotermitidae and extends the fossil record of the family back to the Early Miocene.It also is the first direct evidence of fossil Isoptera from New Zealand,though silicified termite faecal pellets,referable to Kalotermes brauni,have been previously described.S.kupe indicates that Stolotermitidae has been present in the Australasian region since at least the Early Miocene.     

Zalesskioxylon xiaheyanense sp. nov., a gymnospermous wood of the Stephanian (Late Pennsylvanian) from Ningxia, northwestern China

A new Late Pennsylvanian species of gymnospermous fossil wood, Zalesskioxylon xiaheyanense sp. nov. is described from the Lower Taiyuan Formation (Stephanian B-C) near the village of Xiaheyan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwestern China. The specimen consists only of silicified secondary xylem. The tracheids are pycnoxylic with 2–3 seriate bordered pits, arranged in subcircular or hexagonal alternate (araucaroid) pattern. The pores of the pits are small, linear, and regularly tilted. Xylem rays are homogeneous, uniseriate, 1–25 cells high. Cross-fields are filled with numerous mixed simple pits of various sizes. Growth rings, axial parenchymatous elements and resin canals are absent. The geographic distribution of Zalesskioxylon woods is reviewed. Zalesskioxylon xiaheyanense sp. nov. grew at low latitudes, and because of the lack of growth rings, probably lived under relatively uniform climatic conditions. Our new species supplements the poorly known distribution of Carboniferous wood in China.     

A Late Jurassic fossil assemblage in Gondwana: Biostratigraphy and correlations of the Tacuarembó Formation, Parana Basin, Uruguay

The Tacuarembó Formation has yielded a fossil assemblage that includes the best known body fossils, consisting of isolated scales, teeth, spines, and molds of bones, recovered from thin and patchy bonebeds, from the Botucatu Desert, Parana Basin, South America. The remains are preserved in the sandstones widespread around the city of Tacuarembó. We propose a new formalized nomenclature for the Tacuarembó Formation, naming its “Lower” and “Upper” members as the Batoví (new name) and Rivera (new rank) members, respectively. An assemblage zone is defined for the Batoví Member (fluviolacustrine and aeolian deposits). In this unit, the freshwater hybodontid shark Priohybodus arambourgi D’Erasmo is well represented. This species was previously recorded in Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous units of the Sahara and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Globally considered, the fossil assemblage of this member (P. arambourgi, dipnoan fishes, Ceratosaurus-like theropods, and conchostracans) is indicative of a Kimmeridgian–Tithonian age, which in combination with the stratigraphic relationships of the Tacuarembó Formation with the overlying basalts of the Arapey Formation (132 My average absolute age) implies that the latter was deposited during the Kimmeridgian–Hauterivian interval.     

Pliocene and late Pleistocene (MIS 5e) decapod crustaceans from Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago: Central Atlantic): systematics,palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography

The presence of decapod crustaceans in the Pliocene and Pleistocene (MIS 5e) fossil record of Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago) is herein reviewed. Our study raises the number of fossil decapods from this island from one species to 10 taxa (three for the Pliocene and seven for the Last Interglacial). Four of these 10 taxa are reported for the first time in the fossil record, worldwide. A new species of a mud shrimp is also described (Upogebia azorensis n. sp.). Our study suggests that the Plio–Pleistocene decapod assemblages of the Azores did not differ significantly from modern ones, being dominated by species that are today widespread across the Webbnesia ecoregion, the Mediterranean Sea, and the eastern Atlantic shores, including the Azores. As far as can be judged from the limited fossil record, apparently no tropical crab species with a Cabo Verdean/Senegalese provenance reached the Azores during windows of opportunity associated with Glacial Termination 2 or with the initial setting of the Last Interglacial period. This contribution increases the total number of marine taxa reported for the Pliocene and Pleistocene outcrops of Santa Maria Island to 218 and 155, respectively, highlighting the scientific relevance of its palaeontological heritage.     

A new species of Mirovia (Coniferales, Miroviaceae) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Iberian Ranges (Spain)

The Lower–Middle Albian coaly clay bed of the Escucha Formation, which is exposed at Rubielos de Mora (eastern Iberian Ranges, Spain), contains a diverse fossil plant assemblage. Among the taxa present in this layer, Mirovia gothanii Gomez sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by its greater leaf length, margins typically overhanging the depressed stomatal groove, a single short, blunt, papilla borne by each subsidiary cell, non-stomatal cells inside the groove and margins, and a higher number of resin ducts in the mesophyll. Morphological study of the well-preserved cuticles demonstrates that the species also occurs in Lower Cretaceous coals of Santa Maria de Meià (Pyrenees, Spain) where Gothan (1954) described it as Sciadopitytes sp. Both localities constitute the southernmost extent of the genus in Laurasia when the family was likely to have reached its climax in terms of abundance and diversity.     

A New Material of Lindera (Lauraceae) of the Late Pliocene from Tengchong, Yunnan and the Genus' Biogeography Significance

Lindera is a large genus of graceful, pleasantly scented and common native trees and shrubs of southern China and neighboring regions of SE Asia. There is a well-documented Cenozoic fossil record not only in these regions but also from elsewhere. A new fossil leaf record has been found in diatomite beds from the Upper Pliocene Mangbang Formation of Tuantian, Tengchong County, Yunnan. The leaves are identified and assigned to Lindera acuminatissima K. Q. Dao et B. N. Sun sp. nov., by comparing their leaf architecture and epidermal characteristics with those of 51 extant Lauraceae species and with 15 known fossil Lindera taxa. The specimens have well-preserved cuticles, with typical leaf architecture and epidermal characteristics of the Lauraceae, including entire leaf margin, intramarginal veins, basal ternate acrodromous primary veins, one-cell trichome base, paracytic stomatal apparatus, sunken guard cells, subsidiary hardly staining cells and presence of oil cells. These characteristics are consistent with Lindera sect. Daphnidium but are different from reported fossil and extant species of Lindera. The cuticles of Lindera are fragile and delicate with only three Lindera fossils reported based on this tissue. In terms of paleobiogeography, the fossil record indicates that Lindera is distributed in high- to mid-latitude regions of the Late Cretaceous to Paleocene northern hemisphere. Coincidentally, the records of Lindera located on both sides of the Bering Land Bridge possibly support the hypothesis that ancient plants extended via transcontinental exchanges through the Bering Corridor. In the Eocene, ancient Lindera spread to Europe through the Northern Degeer Route and the Southern Thulian Route. At the same time, ancient Lindera spread into Central Asia. Climatic changes and tectonization since the Neogene prevented the propagation of Lindera throughout Asia, North America and Europe, and hence the distribution areas have just regressed to the low-latitude regions in Asia and North America. From the Paleogene to the Neogene, Lindera has changed its distribution by surviving extreme climate changes. Quaternary glaciations ultimately led to Lindera becoming extinct in Europe. The new record from Tengchong, Yunnan, with its lower latitude located in tropical and subtropical regions, indicates that Lindera has lived in those regions since the late Pliocene.     

First Psocodean (Psocodea,Empheriidae) from the Cretaceous Amber of New Jersey

<正>Representatives of the extinct psocid family Empheriidae are known from Eocene Baltic amber, Lowermost Eocene French amber(Oise),and Lower Cretaceous Spanish amber(Alava).We report herein the first discovery of an empheriid psocid from the Cretaceous amber of New Jersey as Jerseyempheria grimaldii gen.et sp. nov.The fossil is figured and described.The new species is distinguished from related taxa.A discussion and checklist of Empheriidae are provided.     

Antiquity and long-term morphological stasis in a group of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae): Description of the oldest Octavius species from Cretaceous Burmese amber and a review of the “Euaesthetine subgroup” fossil record

The Staphylinine group of rove beetle subfamilies is a significant animal radiation, and one subordinate monophyletic clade – the ‘Euaesthetine subgroup’ – includes around 3000 species in subfamilies Euaesthetinae and Steninae and has a fossil record dating to the Early Cretaceous. Detailed morphological study of a new well-preserved Cretaceous Burmese amber fossil revealed strong evidence consistent with its taxonomic placement in the euaesthetine genus Octavius. We thus describe Octavius electrospinosus sp. nov., the first Cretaceous record of the genus and of the tribe Euaesthetini. Previously, the oldest records of Octavius and Euaesthetini were from the Eocene (Baltic amber) and discovery of O. electrospinosus sp. nov. therefore nearly doubles the minimum lineage age of Octavius, increasing it by 50 million years. We also briefly review the known Euaesthetine subgroup fossil record and tabulate summary data for all previously described fossils. All are placed in extant genera, and have visible diagnostic generic-level characters including some putative synapomorphies as judged by recent phylogenetic work. Including O. electrospinosus sp. nov., there are now four known Cretaceous species, all of which belong to either Octavius, Nordenskioldia, or Stenus. To explain the long-term morphological stasis in this group of rove beetles, we suggest that the continuous presence of mesic habitats may have buffered these lineages from strong selection for morphological change. Considering the fossils along with phylogenetic hypotheses we suggest the Euaesthetine subgroup originated in the Late Jurassic– Early Cretaceous and the Staphylinine group in the Early Jurassic. We emphasize the derived status of Cretaceous fossils in assessing possible divergence times and the significance of the pre-Cretaceous taphonomic bias for restricting more robust estimates. Further detailed morphological study of available fossils in a phylogenetic framework is badly needed to clarify the phylogenetic positions of these taxa.     

Equus species as stratigraphic markers reality or wishful thinking?

This paper addresses the use of fossil species of the horse Equus as stratigraphic markers in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Current research shows that the species recently so used do not succeed one another in orderly fashion, but occur and co-occur at ages other than presupposed by the stratigraphic schemes (usually earlier). Horse species should be identified on their morphology, not on their stratigraphic age. ‘Subspecies’ of fossil horses do not conform to subspecies in zoology, as they lack a geographic range. They thus lack taxonomic status and stratigraphic significance and should be avoided.     

A New Elaterid from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Protagrypninae)

A new genus and species of fossil elaterid namely Clavelater ningchengensis gen. et sp. nov. assigned to the subfamily Protagrypninae based on one specimen from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation near Daohugou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, northeastern China is described and illustrated. This specimen displays a pair of large antennae that easily differs from those of most Mesozoic elaterids. There are around 36 species within 20 genera referred to elateroids described from the Early Jurassic to Miocene of China, with another three species within three genera reviewed, but the taxonomic assignment of at least seven species within three genera is doubted. The systematic position of fossil elateriform beetles reported from China is reviewed and the evolution of Mesozoic elateroids briefly discussed.     

Pelecinid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Proctotrupoidea) from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia

Thirteen new species referable to four genera, of which one is new, from the Cretaceous of Russia and Mongolia are established herein and assigned to the family Pelecinidae. Among the four genera, Protopelecinus gen. nov., including four new species, is referred to the subfamily Pelecininae, while Iscopinus Kozlov, including three new species, Eopelecinus Zhang, Rasnitsyn and Zhang, including five new species, and Scorpiopelecinus laetus sp. nov. are assigned to the subfamily Iscopininae. Of these new taxa, eight, namely Protopelecinus regularis, P. furtivus, Iscopinus simplex, ?I. suspectus, Eopelecinus exquisitus, E. scorpioideus, E. rudis and Scorpiopelecinus laetus, are from the Lower Cretaceous Zaza Formation of Baissa, Transbaikalia, Russia; two, E. minutus and E. fragilis, are from the basal Lower Cretaceous Tsagan-Tsab Formation of Khutel-Khara, Mongolia; two, P. dubius and P. deformis, are from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian?) of Bon Tsagan, Mongolia; and one, I. separatus, is from the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Ola Formation of Obeshchayushchiy, Russia. A key to fossil pelecinid wasps is provided and a morphological analysis shows that the Pelecinidae might be paraphyletic with respect to the Proctotrupidae. The Chinese insect fauna from both the Yixian and Laiyang formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Sinopelecinus whereas the Siberian + Mongolian fauna from the Zaza and Tsagan-Tsab formations is dominated by Eopelecinus and Iscopinus. Hence, Eopelecinus is common to both. The differences between the two faunas are likely to be the result of geographical variation in populations.     

New Fossil Palaeontinids from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou,Inner Mongolia,China (Insecta,Hemiptera)

Two new genera and species of fossil Palaeontinidae are described from Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China: Cladocossus undulatus gen. et sp. nov. and Cricocossus paradoxus gen. et sp. nov. Both new genera are described based on well-preserved forewings. This discovery confirms the high diversity of palaeontinids during the Middle Jurassic. Both specimens have interesting modal structures which are new to Palaeontinidae: M five-branched and M3 with two branches. Based on this character, wing structural characteristic is discussed.     

Two new glaphyrids (Coleoptera,Scarabaeoidea) from the Jehol Biota,China

Two new species, Cretohypna puncta sp. nov. and Cretohypna robusta sp. nov., of Glaphyridae are described and illustrated. These fossils were collected from the Jehol Biota, Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liutiaogou Village in Ningcheng, Inner Mongolia, China. Up to date, 18 fossil species in 6 genera of Glaphyridae have been reported, among which ten species are from China. Respective keys to the Mesozoic genera of Glaphyridae and to species of Cretohypna Yan, Nikolajev & Ren, 2012 are provided. This is the first report of spiracles in fossil Glaphyridae leading to a hypothesis that the character of the 7th abdominal spiracles present in pleural membrane is a plesiomorphy for Glaphyridae.     

Baurusuchus salgadoensis, a New Crocodylomorpha from the Bauru Basin (Cretaceous), Brazil

Baurusuchus salgadoensis is a new baurusuchid crocodylomorph from Bauru Basin (Cretaceous), Brazil, partially preserved through a complete skull. The fossil comes from a fine sandstone sequence of Adamantina Formation, General Salgado County, São Paulo State. The sedimentary sequence where it was found, located in Fazenda Buriti, is considered Turonian-Santonian in age. The described species _Baurusuchus salgadoensis sp. nov. _ is a baurusuchid with an antorbital fenestra, double external nares with a bony septum, two well-fused supraorbitals, the supratemporal fenestrae larger than the orbits and a quadrangular-shaped laterotemporal fenestra. The position of the external nares, located on anterior and terminal portion of the rostrum together with the theropod-like lateral compression of the snout and teeth are indicators that Baurusuchus salgadoensis was a terrestrial crocodyliform. This was a carnivorous species and the lateral compression of the rostrum could be interpreted as a mechanism to increase the skull resistance forces during biting. The pointed, conical teeth, some with crenulated borders, could be used to perforate and to carve the prey. The geological context of Baurusuchus salgadoensis indicates that it probably lived in a hot and arid climate.     

Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Valley,Zambia

This paper describes a large collection of Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Rift Valley, Zambia. Stone Age artefacts have been recovered from stratified fluvial contexts, but no in situ fossil faunas have yet been recovered. We report on 500 fossil specimens collected from the surface of point bars exposed seasonally along the banks of the main Luangwa River channel. We used non‐destructive X‐ray fluorescence analysis of the fossils' chemical signatures to determine whether they derive from one or many primary contexts, and the relationship between chemical signature and state of preservation. Specimens are identified to taxon (genus) to reconstruct palaeoenvironments and biochronology. A relatively wide range of taxa is identified, including a fossil hominin talus, described here. None of the fossils is positively attributable to extinct species, except a femur of an extinct Theropithecus reported in 2003. Although no additional extinct taxa were identified, some of the remains were attributable to genera that are not currently found in this region. The results suggest that most of the assemblage derives from sediments which are Middle Pleistocene or later, and that past environments in the Luangwa Valley may have differed from the habitat availability found today.