Some recent and some not so recent papers not yet mentioned (some dating back to 2019). Some of these are in open access or are posted where they can be downloaded.
Free pdf:
Eric Buffetaut, Delphine Angst, Julien Claude, Haiyan Tong, Andrà Amoros, Damien Boschetto, Jean-Pierre Chenet, Didier Clavel, Bruno Maggia, Thomas Roques & StÃphane SÃbe (2021)
Les niveaux à vertÃbrÃs fossiles du CrÃtacà supÃrieur de Castigno et Combebelle (Villespassans, HÃrault): historique et nouvelles dÃcouvertes.
Les niveaux à vertÃbrÃs fossiles du CrÃtacà supÃrieur de Castigno et Combebelle (Villespassans, HÃrault): historique et nouvelles dÃcouvertes.
[Horizons with vertebrate fossils from the Upper Cretaceous of Castigno et Combebelle (Villespassans, HÃrault): historic and new discoveries]
Carnets natures 8: 33-47 (in French)
Free pdf:
https://carnetsnatures.fr/volume8/castigno_buffetaut-etal2021.pdf
Carnets natures 8: 33-47 (in French)
Free pdf:
https://carnetsnatures.fr/volume8/castigno_buffetaut-etal2021.pdf
Stratigraphical and palaeontological researches on the continental Upper Cretaceous beds of the Castigno Valley (Villespassans, HÃrault, southern France) began in the 1890s with the work of the local researcher Jean Miquel. The study of the dinosaur remains from that locality by Charles DepÃret in 1900 greatly added to the knowledge of the Late Cretaceous dinosaurs of France. Stratigraphical misinterpretations by DepÃret and Miquel then led Emile Haug to believe that the Castigno dinosaurs came from the base of the Tertiary (Montian). This mistake was corrected by Albert F. de Lapparent in 1938. Recent researches at Castigno and at the nearby Combebelle site have yielded remains of various vertebrate groups (amphibians, squamates, turtles, crocodiles, dinosaurs, birds) from several fossil-bearing horizons, corresponding to different depositional environments (fluvial followed by lacustrine), probably referable to the upper Campanian. The Castigno-Combebelle sedimentary series is clearly important for our understanding of vertebrate faunal succession in the Late Cretaceous of Languedoc.
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From 2019 but not yet mentioned on the DML:
Free pdf:
Eric Buffetaut, Delphine Angst, Patrick Mechin & Annie Mechin-Sales (2019)
A femur of the giant bird Gargantuavis from the Late Cretaceous of Var (south-eastern France).
Carnets natures 6: 47-52
Free pdf:
https://carnetsnatures.fr/volume%206/gargantuavis-buffetautetal.pdf
An incomplete femur from the Bastide-Neuve site (Fox-Amphux, Var) is referred to the giant bird Gargantuavis philoinos, various remains of which have already been reported from that locality. It shows close similarities with a more complete Gargantuavis femur previously described from the Montplo-Nord locality (Cruzy, HÃrault). An estimate based on the minimum circumference of the femur from Bastide-Neuve indicates a mass of 75 kg, between the weights of the living cassowary and ostrich.
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Free pdf:
StÃphane Hua and ÂElisabeth & GÃrard Pennetier (2021)
A juvenile Steneosaurus in the Callovian of Normandy (France); a genus too hastily consigned to the wastebasket?
Carnets natures 8: 1-8
Free pdf:
https://carnetsnatures.fr/volume8/steneosaurus-normandy_huapennetier.pdf
This paper describes a fragment of a sub-adult specimen of Steneosaurus cf. heberti (Crocodylia, Thalattosuchia, Teleosauridae) found in the Callovian of the âVaches Noiresâ (Normandy, France). The small size of the specimen makes it particularly interesting, as few Teleosauridae of this size have been found in the Callovian in Europe. A recent revision, based solely on the existing material of the genus Steneosaurus, proposes that the genus be abandoned for ten other monospecific genera. We intend to show that in addition to this being a misinterpretation, it also skews diagnoses, such as the one presented here. A reassessment of the paleoecology of Teleosauridae is also provided.
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This paper should be open access at some point in the future onÂthe Paludicola website (after two-year delay). It is currently posted on Research Gate.
Judy A. Massare, William R. Wahl and Dean R. Lomax (2021)
Narial structures in Ichthyosaurus and other early Jurassic ichthyosaurs as precursors to a completely subdivided naris.
Paludicola 13(2): 128-139
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351025602_Narial_structures_in_Ichthyosaurus_and_other_Early_Jurassic_ichthyosaurs_as_precursors_to_a_completely_subdivided_naris
The Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Ichthyosaurus displays a variety of bony features surrounding the external naris: a small triangular process on the lacrimal protruding into the external naris; a raised edge on the posterior portion of the naris formed by the lacrimal; or an arc-shaped bone at the posterior end of the naris. These features demarcate a circular, posterior region of the external naris. Similar features also occur in the narial region of other Early Jurassic taxa, including Temnodontosaurus, Leptonectes, Excalibosaurus, and Hauffiopteryx. Additionally, Leptonectes tenuirostris displays a protrusion or flange on the nasal that extends over the external naris. In the more derived ophthalmosaurid ichthyosaurs, bony structures around the naris are more pronounced. Large processes on the nasal almost separate the naris into two openings in Sveltonectes and Muiscasaurus. In other taxa (e.g., Simbirskiasaurus birjukovi, Arthropterygius thalassonotus) the naris is completely subdivided into two openings. A subdivided naris occurred in ophthalmosaurine ophthalmosaurids as early as the Oxfordian (Late Jurassic) in Baptanodon natans, as described here. Recent work interprets the complete partitioning of the naris as separate openings to accommodate the functions of air exchange and salt excretion. The bony structures seen in Early Jurassic taxa are probably precursors to the complete bony subdivision of the naris and might be related to the presence of nasal salt glands.
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Not yet mentioned from 2020 and 2019. Papers can be downloaded in Research Gate.
Ralph Werneburg (2020)
On the morphology of large branchiosaurids (Amphibamiformes) from the Rotliegend (lower Permian) of the Saar-Nahe basin, Germany.
Semana 35: 39-54
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346673508_R_Werneburg_Large_Branchiosaurids_Semana_35_2020
The analysis of three large branchiosaurids from the Rotliegend (Lower Permian) of the Saar-Nahe basin revealed many new characters. The largest skeleton found so far by Apateon caducus (Ammon, 1889) has a 33 mm long skull and an anterior skeleton with a very small branchiosaurid as intestinal content. A very well preserved skeleton of A. caducus shows a 19.5 mm long skull and a complete postcranial skeleton. A second specimen of Melanerpeton humbergense (Boy, 1978) with the largest skull length of 32 mm is known now. Here are some results of the study: The subtemporal window becomes narrower and shorter in the ontogeny of the branchiosaurids up to its complete loss. The widening of palatine and ectopterygoid and their increasing lateral contact with the maxilla causes the reduction of this palatal window. During the ontogeny of A. caducus, the palatine migrates anteriorly from the orbital region under the preorbital skull roof, and the anterior region of the palatine is finally covered mainly by the lacrimal + prefrontal. The very high dorsal ridge on the palatine most likely makes the bony connection between palatine and lacrimal + prefrontal. Themakes the bony connection between palatine and lacrimal + prefrontal. The basipterygoid branch of the pterygoid has a very long medial elongation and is therefore located somewhat on the anterolateral edge of the basal plate from the parasphenoid in A. caducus. Few additional characters of the adult A. caducus are important for the family Branchiosauridae. The diagnoses for both species are newly arranged.
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Anthracobamus gen. nov.
Type species: Anthracobamus fritschi (Werneburg, 2012; firstly referred to Platyrhinops)
Anthracobamus fayoli (Thevenin, 1906)
Montceaubatrachus platyrynchus gen. et sp. nov.
Nyranerpeton montceauense sp. nov.
Ralf Werneburg (2019)
Dissorophoid amphibians from the Carboniferous-Permian boundary of France.
Semana 34: 11-51
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337870091_Dissorophoid_amphibians_from_the_Carboniferous-Permian_boundary_of_France
The dissorophoid amphibian faunas from the uppermost Carboniferous of Commentry and Montceau-les-Mines in France are firstly revised in detail. All these known 'branchiosaurs' assigned to Branchiosaurus fayoli up to now. After the present revision four dissorophoid species are established, which belong to three or probable four families, inclusively two new genera and three new species. The ?micropholid amphibamiform Anthracobamus fayoli (Thevenin, 1906) and the branchiosaurid Branchiosaurus commentryensis sp. nov. are described from Commentry. The stratigraphic age of the finding horizon near the coalbed 'Grande Couche' from the Coal mine Commentry is confirmed as late Stephanian B up to Stephanian C, Gzhelian, Upper Pennsylvanian, Carboniferous, using the Permo-Carboniferous biostratigraphy with insects (Sysciophlebia euglyptica-Syscioblatta dohrni-zone; after Schneider and Werneburg, 2006, 2012; Schneider et al., 2019). The 'amphibamid' Montceaubatrachus platyrynchus gen. et sp. nov. and the micromelerpetid Nyranerpeton montceauense sp. nov. are reported from Montceau-les-Mines. The Permo-Carboniferous age of the nodule horizon ('assise de nodules') from the Coal open-cast Montceau-les- Mines represents late Stephanian C (Gzhelian) up to Lower Rotliegend (Gzhelian/Asselian), using the Permo-Carboniferous biostratigraphy with insects (Sysciophlebia ilfeldensis-Spiloblattina weissigensis-zone; after Schneider and Werneburg, 2006, 2012; Schneider et al., 2019). Two 'amphibamids' (Amphibamiformes), newly established by larval specimens from Commentry and Montceau-les-Mines, may pollinate the discussion of this inspiring dissorophoid group at the base of lissamphibians. M. platyrynchus may be a unique form of higher amphibamiformes nearby Gerobatrachus, Georgenthalia and Branchiosauridae (compare Schoch, 2018). A peculiarity of dissorophoids in the nodules from Montceau-les-Mines is the very good record of few capillaries and internal canals of lateral lines in skull roof bones, intestine organs with stomach, large and small intestine, as well as soft tissue preservation with remains of skin, dermal colour stripes, orbital sacs, caudal fins and external gills.
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V.I. Davydov, E.V. Karasev, N.G. Nurgalieva, M.D. Schmitz, I.V. Budnikov, A.S. Biakov, D.M. Kuzina, V.V. Silantiev, M.N. Urazaeva, V.V. Zharinova, S.O. Zorina, B. Gareev & D.V. Vasilenko (2021)
Climate and biotic evolution during the Permian-Triassic transition in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, Kuznetsk Basin, Siberia, Russia.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110432
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018221002170
Highlights
V.I. Davydov, E.V. Karasev, N.G. Nurgalieva, M.D. Schmitz, I.V. Budnikov, A.S. Biakov, D.M. Kuzina, V.V. Silantiev, M.N. Urazaeva, V.V. Zharinova, S.O. Zorina, B. Gareev & D.V. Vasilenko (2021)
Climate and biotic evolution during the Permian-Triassic transition in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, Kuznetsk Basin, Siberia, Russia.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110432
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018221002170
Highlights
Permian-Triassic transition in Kuznetsk Basin (Russia) constrained with CA-IDTIMS dates.
Regional biota evolutionary turnover in the region occurs 820 kyr earlier than in South China.
The biota in Kuznetsk Basin diversified across the Permian-Triassic transition.
Permian-Triassic extinction mostly occurs in the tropics due to the strong climatic warming.
Siberian basalts as a cause of the extinction at the P-T boundary remain questionable.
Abstract
The Siberian Traps volcanism is widely considered the main cause of the end-Permian mass extinction, the greatest biological crisis in the Earth history. While the extinction is interpreted as catastrophic and sudden with estimates of duration of approximately 35â40 thousand years from marine strata in South China, various lines of evidence have emerged for a more complex, prolonged, and diachronous extinction pattern. We present here the results of a multidisciplinary study of the Permian-Triassic continental transition in the Kuznetsk Basin, Russia. The region is proximal to the Siberian Traps LIP and the detrimental effects of the flood basalt volcanism in the Kuznetsk Basin may have been of similar scale as in the main area of the Siberian Traps distribution (Tunguska and Taymyr regions). Whereas earlier work has placed the Permian-Triassic boundary position between the coal-bearing Tailugan Formation and the volcanoclastic Maltsev Formation, here we revised the traditional model using three independent methods: radioisotopic CA-IDTIMS U-Pb zircon ages, Î13Corg isotope values and paleomagnetic proxies. The regional extinction of the humid-dominated forest flora (cordaites) and the aridity-induced biotic turnover in the Kuznetsk Basin occurred 820 kyr earlier than the end-Permian extinction event recorded in South China at 251.94âMa. The biota in Kuznetsk Basin at the turnover subsequently diversified (with some exceptions) across the Permian-Triassic transition.
By compiling a large taxonomic database, we find that marine and terrestrial biotic diversity in Siberia progressively increased from the beginning of the Permian up to the middle Roadian (early Guadalupian global glacial event). After that time, the diversity at the species and generic level progressively and slowly declined towards the aforementioned latest Changhsingian (252.76âMa) biotic turnover. Starting from this time, the biota rapidly diversified in the latest Changhsingian and Early-Middle Triassic. We suggest that the Permian-Triassic mass extinction mostly occurred in the tropics and subtropics due to the strong climatic warming, which was relatively low in late Changhsingian and gradually but quickly extends in the latest Changhsingian to an abnormally high temperature and extremely low oxygenated water in the oceans that was deadly for most marine animals. The warm climate shift poleward during Permian-Triassic transition in the middle-high latitudes caused the replacement (turnover) of the humid-related biotas by the dry climate-related and more diverse communities, which continued to expand throughout the Triassic in both marine and terrestrial habitats. The pattern of the Permian-Triassic event in both marine and terrestrial habitats was more intricate in terms of extinction, turnover, and diversity of biota within the different climatic zones and environmental habitats than has been generally considered.
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Free pdf:
[There have been (disputed) claims of Paleocene dinosaurs in the Ojo Alamo Sandstone...]
Kevin M. Hobbs & Peter J. Fawcett (2021)
A physical and chemical sedimentary record of Laramide tectonic shifts in the Cretaceous-Paleogene San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA.
Geosphere (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02324.1
https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article/doi/10.1130/GES02324.1/596304/A-physical-and-chemical-sedimentary-record-of
Fluvial siliciclastic rocks bracketing the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico (USA), provide records of regional fluvial and tectonic evolution during the Laramide orogeny. Petrographic analyses of sandstones from the Upper Cretaceous Fruitland Formation and Kirtland Formation and the Paleocene Ojo Alamo Sandstone and Nacimiento Formation show that the rivers depositing these sediments were sourced in areas where unroofing of crystalline basement rocks took place, introducing an increasing proportion of immature detrital grains into the fluvial system through time. After the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, rivers deposited an increasing amount of microcline and orthoclase feldspar relative to plagioclase feldspar, suggesting a growing source in unique crystalline basement rocks. Geochemical analyses show significant differences between Al- and K-poor Upper Cretaceous sandstones and Al- and K-rich lower Paleocene sandstones in the San Juan Basin.
The high proportion of sand-sized material in the Ojo Alamo Sandstone suggests that it was deposited in a basin with a low ratio of sediment supply to accommodation. However, magnetostratigraphic age constraints suggest it had a relatively high sedimentation and/or subsidence rate of as much as 0.38 m/k.y. The sediment supply must have been high in order to deposit a basin-wide coarse sand-dominated package, suggesting rapid creation of topographic relief in the San Juan uplift, the proposed source area of the Ojo Alamo fluvial system.
The observed sedimentary architecture and age constraints of the Ojo Alamo Sandstone, including kilometers-wide sand bodies and limited overbank mudstones throughout most of the outcrop area, are difficult to reconcile with accepted models of aggradation and avulsion in large fluvial systems, but available age and lithologic data make difficult a complete understanding of Paleocene San Juan Basin fluvial systems and basin evolution. Here, we present new lithologic, petrographic, and thickness data from San Juan Basin K-Pg fluvial siliciclastic units and interpretations of their origins.
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Also for the record, non-dino paleontology history, but brought to my attention and may interest some on the list:
Volkan SarigÃl (2021)
A short history of paleontology in Turkey, part I: from the nineteenth century to the collapse of Ottoman Turkey.
Earth Sciences History 40 (1): 158â201.
doi: https://doi.org/10.17704/1944-6187-40.1.158
https://meridian.allenpress.com/esh/article-abstract/40/1/158/464298/A-SHORT-HISTORY-OF-PALEONTOLOGY-IN-TURKEY-PART-I?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Modern paleontology in Turkey appeared in the early nineteenth century, together with the first modern geological studies. The fossils collected in these studies were initially used to establish biostratigraphy and to make the first geological maps of the country. Paleontologists were involved in these studies from the beginning; the earliest identifications of new animal and plant taxa from Turkey occurred in the same century along with the detailed descriptions of the rich and diverse Turkish fossil record. Aside from the academic studies, some paleontologists also took part in the economic side by contributing to stratigraphic analysis of coal beds or participating in petroleum exploration. All these pioneering works on the geology and paleontology of Turkey were done by foreigners; however, the outcomes of this newly introduced science were quickly appreciated by Ottoman Turkey. During the middle of the nineteenth century, the first text mentioning geological processes was written by the head scholar of the Imperial School of Military Engineering, while the first geology classes began to be taught under the Imperial Medical School in Istanbul, in which the first natural history collection was also established. Unfortunately, not a single original study in paleontology was produced by Ottoman citizens, with the notable exception of an Austrian immigrant of Hungarian descent, possibly because of a lack of a real interest in earth sciences.
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Volkan SarigÃl (2021)
A short history of paleontology in Turkey, Part II: paleontology in the Republic of Turkey.
Earth Sciences History 40(1): 202â243
doi: https://doi.org/10.17704/1944-6187-40.1.202
https://meridian.allenpress.com/esh/article-abstract/40/1/202/464289/A-SHORT-HISTORY-OF-PALEONTOLOGY-IN-TURKEY-PART-II
Succeeding a period of wars and political turmoil, the reassuring policies of the new regime of Turkey positively influenced all branches of science, including geology which provided a basis for the earliest studies in paleontology, as it had done in the former Ottoman Turkey. Although most of the specialists were still foreigners during the early years of the republic, the government of Turkey under the leadership of AtatÃrk, rapidly established modern institutions in order to train native earth scientists and engineers of all sorts. Turkish paleontologists began to replace their foreign colleagues by the 1940s; and female Turkish paleontologists became especially prominent not only in the universities but also in the national geological surveys and mapping, and in fossil fuel exploration. Subsequent to their separation from departments of natural sciences, teaching fundamentals of paleontology was taken on by geology departments which, by the 1960s, started to evolve into departments of geological engineering. As a result, most Turkish paleontologists are geologists and most of them specialized either in micropaleontology or paleobotany. In contrast, paleontology of late Cenozoic mammals is dominated by graduates of anthropology programs.
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