Mariliasuchus (notosuchian) skeleton and more recent non-dino papers

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com

First, all the articles in the May issue of Palaeontology are
currently open access, including one about fossil feathers and one
about Cricosaurus. The url is weird for now.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.2013.56.issue-3/issuetoc?systemMessage=Wiley+Online+Library+will+be+disrupted+on+11+May+from+10%3A00-12%3A00+BST+%2805%3A00-07%3A00+EDT%29+for+essential+maintenance

Here are a number of recent non-dino papers that may be of interest:

Pedro Henrique Nobre & Ismar de Souza Carvalho (2013)
Postcranial skeleton of Mariliasuchus amarali Carvalho and Bertini,
1999 (Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Bauru Basin, Upper Cretaceous of
Brazil.
Ameghiniana 50 (1): 98–113.
pdf available at:
http://www.igeo.ufrj.br/ismar/3/3_40.pdf


Mariliasuchus amarali is a notosuchian crocodylomorph found in the
Bauru Basin, São Paulo State, Brazil (Adamantina Formation,
Turonian–Santonian). The main trait of M. amarali is its robust
construction, featuring short, laterally expanded bones. The centra of
the vertebrae are amphicoelous. In the ilium, the postacetabular
process is ventrally inclined and exceeds the limits of the roof of
the acetabulum. M. amarali has postcranial morphological
characteristics that are very similar to those of Notosuchus
terrestris, though it also displays traits resembling those of
eusuchian crocodyliforms (Crocodyliformes, Eusuchia). The similarity
of the appendicular skeleton of M. amarali with the recent forms of
Eusuchia, leads us to infer that M. amarali did not have an erect or
semi-erect posture, as proposed for the notosuchian
mesoeucrocodylians, but a sprawling type posture and, possibly, had
amphibian habits (sharing this characteristic with the extant
Eusuchia).

===
Leonardo Sebastian Filippi, Ignacio Alejandro & Alberto Carlos Garrido (2013)
MORPHOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY OF OSTEODERMS FROM A PEIROSAURID FROM THE
NEUQUEN BASIN.
Ameghiniana 50(1): 3 – 13
http://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/article/view/430

Osteoderms of a new crocodyliform specimen recovered from the Puesto
Hernández locality are described here, found in sediments of the
Plottier Formation (late Coniacian), near Rincón de los Sauces city,
Neuquén Province. The studied osteoderms, that are part of the
associated material, include: dorso-sacral region, appendicular
osteoderms associated to the right femur, proximoventral region of
articulated caudal osteoderms, and isolated osteoderms. The histology
of the osteoderms allowed determining they have a compact cortex that
surrounds a more cancellous internal region. It was possible to
recognize growth marks (annuli) in the entire compact tissue,
indicating a minimum age of 18 years for the studied specimen. The
osteoderms have characters that allow preliminarily assigning the
specimen MAU-Pv-PH-437 to Mesoeucrocodylia closely related to
Peirosauridae.

==
A. Pérez-García, T.M. Scheyer & X. Murelaga (2013)
The turtles from the uppermost Jurassic and Early Cretaceous of Galve
(Iberian Range, Spain): Anatomical, systematic, biostratigraphic and
palaeobiogeographical implications.
Cretaceous Research (advance online publication)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2013.03.011
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667113000621

The faunal associations of the uppermost Jurassic and Early Cretaceous
Villar del Arzobispo, El Castellar, and Camarillas formations of the
Spanish town of Galve (Maestrazgo Basin of the Iberian Range) are
composed of more than fifty taxa belonging to Chondrichthyes, bony
fishes, lissamphibians, mammals, and reptiles. Although the presence
of turtles has been recognized in these three formations, being very
abundant, the published information is limited. The detailed study of
these turtles allows us to recognize at least nine taxa, several of
them previously not identified in the Spanish record. These taxa
correspond to stem Testudines (Solemydidae), members of Paracryptodira
(Pleurosternidae), several representatives of Plesiochelyidae and taxa
closely related with this clade, representatives of the stem group of
Cryptodira (Xinjiangchelyidae) and members of crown Cryptodira. The
chelonian fauna of Galve increases the systematic, anatomical,
biostratigraphic, and paleobiogeographic knowledge on several clades,
represented by taxa shared with other European regions, clades also
present in Early Cretaceous sites of North America or Asia, as well as
taxa exclusive of the Iberian record.

===

Zbigniew M. Bochenski, Teresa Tomek, Krzysztof Wertz & Ewa Swidnicka (2013)
The third nearly complete passerine bird from the early Oligocene of Europe.
Journal of Ornithology (advance online publication)
DOI: 10.1007/s10336-013-0958-z
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-013-0958-z

NOTE: Paper is open access (free pdf)

A new species and genus of a passerine bird from the early Oligocene
of Poland is described. Resoviaornis jamrozi gen. et sp. nov. is the
third nearly complete passerine known so far from the Paleogene. As in
the two recently described passerine birds, it shows a mosaic of
characters typical for the Oscines or Suboscines, and therefore its
systematic position within Passeriformes remains unresolved, pending
discoveries of new specimens. The specimen is so far the oldest
passerine to have the coracoid with well pronounced and hooked
processus acrocoracoideus. With the size of the extant Blue Tit, it is
also the smallest of the Oligocene passerines. The slender remnants of
its beak point to an insectivorous or frugivorous bird, and the
relatively long legs suggest that it spent much time on the ground.

===
Gregory J. Retallack (2013)
Permian and Triassic greenhouse crises.
Gondwana Research 24(1): 90–103
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2012.03.003
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X12000895

Paleoclimatic time series from Permian and Triassic paleosols reveal
transient episodes of unusually warm and wet conditions, interrupting
long periods of cool and dry conditions usual for calcareous red
paleosols. Some of these paleoclimatic events are known from stomatal
index of fossil Lepidopteris leaves to have been episodes of elevated
global atmospheric CO2. The magnitude of 19 known Permian and Triassic
greenhouse crises varied considerably, and they offer new evidence for
the relationship between paleoclimate and atmospheric CO2 levels.
These greenhouse crises also had marked effects on global lowland
vegetation, introducing frost-sensitive tropical lycopsids to high
latitudes and drought-tolerant conifers to low latitude lowlands.
Greenhouse events punctuate phases in plant evolution
(Ottokaria–Callipteris, Plumsteadia–Rufloria, Lidgettonia–Tatarina,
Pleuromeia, and Dicroidium–Scytophyllum floras). Greenhouse events
also punctuate the evolution of reptilian dynasties (successive
pelycosaur, dinocephalian, dicynodont, rhynchosaur and dinosaur
faunas) and respiratory adaptations (such as enlarged bony secondary
palate). Greenhouse crises of the Late and Middle Permian were the
most severe known, and suggest a role for atmospheric pollution with
CH4 and CO2 in those mass extinction events, probably from thermogenic
cracking of coals by intrusive feeder dikes of flood basalts. Because
of formalities in boundary definition these mass extinctions are
neither “end-Permian” nor “end-Guadalupian”, but upper Changhsingian
and mid-Capitanian, respectively.
===


Spencer G. Lucas (2013)
Vertebrate biostratigraphy and biochronology of the upper Paleozoic
Dunkard Group, Pennsylvania-West Virginia-Ohio, USA.
International Journal of Coal Geology (advance online publication)
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2013.04.007
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166516213001249

The Dunkard Group is ~ 343 m of mostly clastic rocks exposed in
Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, USA. Correlation of the Dunkard
Group to the Pennsylvanian-Permian boundary has long been debated.
Fossil vertebrates from the Dunkard Group include palaeoniscoids,
dipnoans, a rhipidistian crossopterygian, selachians, lepospondyl and
temnospondyl amphibians, diadectomorphs, primitive amniotes,
eureptiles and eupelycosaurs. These vertebrates represent two
biostratigraphically distinct assemblages, one from the Waynesburg and
Washington formations and the other from the overlying Greene
Formation. Comparison of the Dunkard vertebrate biostratigraphy to a
vertebrate biostratigraphy and biochronology developed in New
Mexico-Texas allows correlation to the Coyotean (= latest Virgilian-
middle Wolfcampian) and Seymouran (late Wolfcampian-early Leonardian)
land-vertebrate faunachrons. Tetrapod taxa from the Waynesburg and
Washington formations include Edops and Protorothyris, Coyotean index
taxa, as well as the characteristic Coyotean taxa Trimerorhachis,
Diadectes, Edaphosaurus and Dimetrodon. Significantly, these Dunkard
taxa are best known from the Archer City Formation in Texas, which is
late Coyotean (= middle Wolfcampian). The Greene Formation contains
the eupelycosaur Ctenospondylus, an index taxon of the Seymouran
land-vertebrate faunachron. Dunkard xenacanth selachians support the
tetrapod-based correlations. Vertebrate biochronology thus indicates
the Waynesburg and Washington formations are late Coyotean, whereas
the Greene Formation is Seymouran. Therefore, vertebrate
biostratigraphy and biochronology indicate the entire Dunkard Group is
Early Permian and likely straddles the Wolfcampian-Leonardian
boundary.