Fluvioviridavis (Aves: Strisores), new species from Eocene London Clay + Neochelys Eocene fossils + Paleodays 2024 Abstract Book + more
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Ben Creisler
Jun 7, 2024, 3:06:02 PMJun 7
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
https://www.paleoitalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Paleodays-2024-Abstract-Book_DEF.pdf
Fluvioviridavis nazensis sp. nov.
Fluvioviridavis michaeldanielsi sp. nov.
Gerald Mayr & Andrew C. Kitchener (2024)
The non-apodiform Strisores (potoos, nightjars and allied birds) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-024-00610-9
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-024-00610-9
Fossils of the avian clade Strisores (nightjars, swifts and allies) are well represented in some early Eocene localities. These birds were also taxonomically diverse in the British London Clay, but most of the previously described fossils belong to the Apodiformes (swifts and allies), or are represented by very fragmentary specimens. Here we report substantial new material of non-apodiform taxa of the Strisores from Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK) that bears on the diversity and affinities of aerial insectivores from the London Clay. In addition to specimens of the recently described archaeotrogonid Archaeodromus, we report partial skeletons of the enigmatic taxon Palaeopsittacus, as well as two new species of the Fluvioviridavidae. The new Archaeodromus fossils reveal previously unknown osteological details, including features of the skull. The Palaeopsittacus specimens suggest that this poorly known taxon may be the earliest stem group representative of the Nyctibiiformes. The specimens of the Fluvioviridavidae elucidate some aspects of the osteology of these birds and the quadrate shows a morphology that is distinct from all extant Strisores. The non-apodiform Strisores from Walton-on-the-Naze exhibit disparate morphologies, which indicate that there was already significant ecological diversification of these birds by the early Eocene, and the diversity of these aerial insectivores in Walton-on-the-Naze contrasts with the absence of bats in this locality and other sites of the London Clay.
Elif Duran, Juan Olvido Perea-García, Diede Piepenbrock, Celine Veefkind, Mariska E. Kret & Jorg J. M. Massen (2024)
Preliminary evidence that eye appearance in parrots (Psittaciformes) co-varies with latitude and altitude
Scientific Reports 14: 12859
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63599-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63599-3
External eye appearance in avian taxa has been proposed to be driven by social and ecological functions. Recent research in primates suggests, instead, that, photoprotective functions are important drivers of external eye appearance. Using similar methods, we examined the variation in external eye appearance of 132 parrot species (Psittaciformes) in relation to their ecology and sociality. Breeding systems, flock size and sexual dimorphism, as well as species’ latitude and maximum living altitude, and estimated UV-B incidence in species’ ranges were used to explore the contribution of social and ecological factors in driving external eye appearance. We measured the hue and brightness of visible parts of the eye and the difference in measurements of brightness between adjacent parts of the eye. We found no link between social variables and our measurements. We did, however, find a negative association between the brightness of the inner part of the iris and latitude and altitude. Darker inner irises were more prevalent farther away from the equator and for those species living at higher altitudes. We found no link between UV-B and brightness measurements of the iris, or tissue surrounding the eye. We speculate that these results are consistent with an adaptation for visual functions. While preliminary, these results suggest that external eye appearance in parrots is influenced by ecological, but not social factors.
=====
João C. S. Nascimento, Fernando Blanco, M. Soledad Domingo, Juan L. Cantalapiedra & Mathias M. Pires (2024)
The reorganization of predator–prey networks over 20 million years explains extinction patterns of mammalian carnivores
Ecology Letters 27(6): e14448
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14448
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.14448
Linking the species interactions occurring at the scale of local communities to their potential impact at evolutionary timescales is challenging. Here, we used the high-resolution fossil record of mammals from the Iberian Peninsula to reconstruct a timeseries of trophic networks spanning more than 20 million years and asked whether predator–prey interactions affected regional extinction patterns. We found that, despite small changes in species richness, trophic networks showed long-term trends, gradually losing interactions and becoming sparser towards the present. This restructuring of the ecological networks was driven by the loss of medium-sized herbivores, which reduced prey availability for predators. The decrease in prey availability was associated with predator longevity, such that predators with less available prey had greater extinction risk. These results not only reveal long-term trends in network structure but suggest that prey species richness in ecological communities may shape large scale patterns of extinction and persistence among predators.
=====
Adán Pérez-García, Andrea Guerrero, Santiago Martín de Jesús, and Francisco Ortega (2024)
Shell anatomy and intraspecific variability of the Spanish Lutetian podocnemidid turtle Neochelys zamorensis.
Palaeontologia Electronica 27(2): a28
doi: https://doi.org/10.26879/1388
https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5220-shell-of-neochelys-zamorensis
Free pdf:
Two Eocene podocnemidid turtles are recognized in the Duero Basin (northwestern Spain), both exclusive to the middle Eocene record of that region: the Bartonian Neochelys salmanticensis and the Lutetian Neochelys zamorensis. Information on the shell anatomy of the former, identified at several sites in the Salamanca Province, is much greater than that available for any other representative of this exclusively European Eocene genus. However, only one specimen indisputably attributable to Neochelys zamorensis has so far been described and figured. It corresponds to a shell of a subadult individual, from the Sanzoles fossil site, in the Zamora Province. Some well-preserved partial shells of several individuals from its type locality are analyzed here, including adult specimens, so that knowledge about this hitherto poorly known taxon is markedly increased. In addition, numerous unpublished shells and plates from the same geological formation, and found in various fossil sites in the Zamora Province, are studied. They are also recognized as attributable to Neochelys zamorensis. A selection of nearly 200 specimens allows us to study in detail the shell anatomy of this taxon. Given the great availability of remains, and their generally good state of preservation, the shell intraspecific variability of the species is analyzed here (considering aspects such as the ontogeny, the dimorphism, and the individual variability), with a degree of precision much greater than that so far recognized for any other European pleurodiran representative.
===
Free pdf:
Michael Wuttke, Markus J. Poschmann, Torsten Wappler, Johannes M. Bouchal, Christian Geier, Silvia Ulrich & Friðgeir Grímsson (2024)
Pollen-feeding in a giant pelobatid tadpole from the late Oligocene of Enspel, Germany
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-024-00603-8
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-024-00603-8
We examined the gut contents of a fossil giant pelobatid tadpole from the late Oligocene of Enspel, Germany, and discovered that it contains mainly pollen from spruce (Picea) but also pollen from pine (Pinus), beech (Fagus), and elm (Ulmus). Pollen in the gut of the fossil tadpole and other plant fossil records from this locality suggest that the regional vegetation around Enspel was characterised by mixed conifer and broadleaved forests with a prominent deciduous angiosperm component. Palaeoclimatic estimations indicate that the area endured a fully humid warm temperate climate with a hot to warm summer and a distinct temperature difference between seasons. The pollination period of potential modern analogues of the plant taxa discovered in the gut of the fossil tadpole hints that it was feeding on pollen floating on the water surface of the ancient Enspel Lake during late spring or earliest summer. Comparable analyses from the guts of extant pelobatid tadpoles have shown a broad spectrum of food remains, including whole/or parts of algae, protists, protozoans, macrophytes, rotifers, crustaceans, and pollen. It seems that living pelobatid tadpoles are indiscriminate and opportunistic feeders able to adapt and change their feeding behaviour according to the available food source. The time of origin and evolution of pollen feeding in tadpoles is obscure. Our discovery indicates that pelobatid tadpoles were already feeding on pollen in the late Oligocene, and the amount and purity of pollen filling the gut suggests intentional surface feeding.
Recent items:
Free pdf:
XXIV Giornate della Paleontologia - Paleodays 2024 Abstract Book:
https://www.paleoitalia.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Paleodays-2024-Abstract-Book_DEF.pdf
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Recent Cenozoic papers:
Free pdf:
Fluvioviridavis nazensis sp. nov.
Fluvioviridavis michaeldanielsi sp. nov.
Gerald Mayr & Andrew C. Kitchener (2024)
The non-apodiform Strisores (potoos, nightjars and allied birds) from the early Eocene London Clay of Walton-on-the-Naze
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-024-00610-9
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-024-00610-9
Fossils of the avian clade Strisores (nightjars, swifts and allies) are well represented in some early Eocene localities. These birds were also taxonomically diverse in the British London Clay, but most of the previously described fossils belong to the Apodiformes (swifts and allies), or are represented by very fragmentary specimens. Here we report substantial new material of non-apodiform taxa of the Strisores from Walton-on-the-Naze (Essex, UK) that bears on the diversity and affinities of aerial insectivores from the London Clay. In addition to specimens of the recently described archaeotrogonid Archaeodromus, we report partial skeletons of the enigmatic taxon Palaeopsittacus, as well as two new species of the Fluvioviridavidae. The new Archaeodromus fossils reveal previously unknown osteological details, including features of the skull. The Palaeopsittacus specimens suggest that this poorly known taxon may be the earliest stem group representative of the Nyctibiiformes. The specimens of the Fluvioviridavidae elucidate some aspects of the osteology of these birds and the quadrate shows a morphology that is distinct from all extant Strisores. The non-apodiform Strisores from Walton-on-the-Naze exhibit disparate morphologies, which indicate that there was already significant ecological diversification of these birds by the early Eocene, and the diversity of these aerial insectivores in Walton-on-the-Naze contrasts with the absence of bats in this locality and other sites of the London Clay.
====
Free pdf:
Elif Duran, Juan Olvido Perea-García, Diede Piepenbrock, Celine Veefkind, Mariska E. Kret & Jorg J. M. Massen (2024)
Preliminary evidence that eye appearance in parrots (Psittaciformes) co-varies with latitude and altitude
Scientific Reports 14: 12859
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63599-3
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63599-3
External eye appearance in avian taxa has been proposed to be driven by social and ecological functions. Recent research in primates suggests, instead, that, photoprotective functions are important drivers of external eye appearance. Using similar methods, we examined the variation in external eye appearance of 132 parrot species (Psittaciformes) in relation to their ecology and sociality. Breeding systems, flock size and sexual dimorphism, as well as species’ latitude and maximum living altitude, and estimated UV-B incidence in species’ ranges were used to explore the contribution of social and ecological factors in driving external eye appearance. We measured the hue and brightness of visible parts of the eye and the difference in measurements of brightness between adjacent parts of the eye. We found no link between social variables and our measurements. We did, however, find a negative association between the brightness of the inner part of the iris and latitude and altitude. Darker inner irises were more prevalent farther away from the equator and for those species living at higher altitudes. We found no link between UV-B and brightness measurements of the iris, or tissue surrounding the eye. We speculate that these results are consistent with an adaptation for visual functions. While preliminary, these results suggest that external eye appearance in parrots is influenced by ecological, but not social factors.
=====
João C. S. Nascimento, Fernando Blanco, M. Soledad Domingo, Juan L. Cantalapiedra & Mathias M. Pires (2024)
The reorganization of predator–prey networks over 20 million years explains extinction patterns of mammalian carnivores
Ecology Letters 27(6): e14448
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14448
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.14448
Linking the species interactions occurring at the scale of local communities to their potential impact at evolutionary timescales is challenging. Here, we used the high-resolution fossil record of mammals from the Iberian Peninsula to reconstruct a timeseries of trophic networks spanning more than 20 million years and asked whether predator–prey interactions affected regional extinction patterns. We found that, despite small changes in species richness, trophic networks showed long-term trends, gradually losing interactions and becoming sparser towards the present. This restructuring of the ecological networks was driven by the loss of medium-sized herbivores, which reduced prey availability for predators. The decrease in prey availability was associated with predator longevity, such that predators with less available prey had greater extinction risk. These results not only reveal long-term trends in network structure but suggest that prey species richness in ecological communities may shape large scale patterns of extinction and persistence among predators.
=====
Free pdf:
Adán Pérez-García, Andrea Guerrero, Santiago Martín de Jesús, and Francisco Ortega (2024)
Shell anatomy and intraspecific variability of the Spanish Lutetian podocnemidid turtle Neochelys zamorensis.
Palaeontologia Electronica 27(2): a28
doi: https://doi.org/10.26879/1388
https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/2024/5220-shell-of-neochelys-zamorensis
Free pdf:
Two Eocene podocnemidid turtles are recognized in the Duero Basin (northwestern Spain), both exclusive to the middle Eocene record of that region: the Bartonian Neochelys salmanticensis and the Lutetian Neochelys zamorensis. Information on the shell anatomy of the former, identified at several sites in the Salamanca Province, is much greater than that available for any other representative of this exclusively European Eocene genus. However, only one specimen indisputably attributable to Neochelys zamorensis has so far been described and figured. It corresponds to a shell of a subadult individual, from the Sanzoles fossil site, in the Zamora Province. Some well-preserved partial shells of several individuals from its type locality are analyzed here, including adult specimens, so that knowledge about this hitherto poorly known taxon is markedly increased. In addition, numerous unpublished shells and plates from the same geological formation, and found in various fossil sites in the Zamora Province, are studied. They are also recognized as attributable to Neochelys zamorensis. A selection of nearly 200 specimens allows us to study in detail the shell anatomy of this taxon. Given the great availability of remains, and their generally good state of preservation, the shell intraspecific variability of the species is analyzed here (considering aspects such as the ontogeny, the dimorphism, and the individual variability), with a degree of precision much greater than that so far recognized for any other European pleurodiran representative.
===
Free pdf:
Michael Wuttke, Markus J. Poschmann, Torsten Wappler, Johannes M. Bouchal, Christian Geier, Silvia Ulrich & Friðgeir Grímsson (2024)
Pollen-feeding in a giant pelobatid tadpole from the late Oligocene of Enspel, Germany
Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-024-00603-8
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12549-024-00603-8
We examined the gut contents of a fossil giant pelobatid tadpole from the late Oligocene of Enspel, Germany, and discovered that it contains mainly pollen from spruce (Picea) but also pollen from pine (Pinus), beech (Fagus), and elm (Ulmus). Pollen in the gut of the fossil tadpole and other plant fossil records from this locality suggest that the regional vegetation around Enspel was characterised by mixed conifer and broadleaved forests with a prominent deciduous angiosperm component. Palaeoclimatic estimations indicate that the area endured a fully humid warm temperate climate with a hot to warm summer and a distinct temperature difference between seasons. The pollination period of potential modern analogues of the plant taxa discovered in the gut of the fossil tadpole hints that it was feeding on pollen floating on the water surface of the ancient Enspel Lake during late spring or earliest summer. Comparable analyses from the guts of extant pelobatid tadpoles have shown a broad spectrum of food remains, including whole/or parts of algae, protists, protozoans, macrophytes, rotifers, crustaceans, and pollen. It seems that living pelobatid tadpoles are indiscriminate and opportunistic feeders able to adapt and change their feeding behaviour according to the available food source. The time of origin and evolution of pollen feeding in tadpoles is obscure. Our discovery indicates that pelobatid tadpoles were already feeding on pollen in the late Oligocene, and the amount and purity of pollen filling the gut suggests intentional surface feeding.
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