The brain endocasts of the late Triassic (Carnian) traversodontids (Eucynodontia: Gomphodontia) Siriusgnathus niemeyerorum and Exaeretodon riograndensis from southern Brazil are described based on virtual models generated using computed tomography scan data. Their skull anatomy resembles that of other nonâmammaliaform cynodonts, showing an endocranial cavity that is not fully ossified. A "Vâshaped" orbitosphenoid, neither fully developed nor ossified is present in E. riograndensis. The nasal cavity is confluent with the encephalic cavity. Thus, the anterior limit of the olfactory bulbs is not definite. The brain endocast is elongated, being narrow anteriorly and wide posteriorly, with the maximum width at the parafloccular cast. The olfactory bulbs do not present a clear division between their counterparts, due to the absence of a longitudinal sulcus. A longitudinal sulcus in the forebrain delimiting the cerebral hemispheres, the pineal tube, and the parietal foramen are absent in both taxa. The large and wellâdeveloped unossified zone is partially separated from the remaining endocast by a notch formed by the supraoccipital. The encephalization quotients, as well as the endocranial volume/body mass relationships of S. niemeyerorum and E. riograndensis are within the range expected for nonâmammaliaform Therapsida.
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The reassessment of a lower jaw fragment of a mosasaur from the upper Maastrichtian of central Chile (Q.3105) indicates that the specimen does not belong to Plotosaurus, as previously suggested by Frey et al. (2016). The specimen does not show the characteristics of Plotosaurus, such as the long projection anterior to the anteriormost tooth socket of the dentary, the ventrally positioned Meckelian canal, nor does it possess teeth with enamel coarsely striated at the base of the crown and a smooth apex. We continue in agreement to the previous assignment to Halisaurinae indet. (JimÃnez-Huidobro et al., 2015). Even more, tooth morphologies such as the curvature pattern and the smooth and finely striated enamel, plus dentary characters such as the curvature of that bone, and the medially located Meckelian canal, support the assignation of the specimen Q.3105 to Halisaurus sp. Affinities of Q.3105 with the halisaurine genus Eonatator are discarded, due to the shape in cross section and size of marginal teeth that decreases distally in the latter (PÃramo-Fonseca, 2013), traits not seen in the specimen Q.3105; marginal teeth of Phosphorosaurus are not described in the literature. This specimen represents to the fourth halisaurine described from South America, and the second Maastrichtian halisaurine from the southernmost part of the continent. This record contributes to the understanding of the broad distribution that halisaurines reached during the Late Cretaceous.
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We present new specimens of a teratorn (Aves, Teratornithidae) from the Chasicoan (early late Miocene) of southwestern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The specimens consist of an incomplete left ulna without its proximal end and two fragments of a radius. The ulna is very similar to, but larger than, Vultur, and its size and the relative slenderness of the distal shaft excludes it from Cathartidae and is diagnostic of Teratornithidae. Its length is very similar to Teratornis merriami, so its wingspan would have been around 4 m. Coming from sediments of the Barrancas Member of the Arroyo Chasicà Formation is older than Argentavis magnificens and so far the oldest record for Teratornithidae in Argentina.
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