First plesiosaur remains from Algeria + Scyllacerta, new neodiapsid from Permian of South Africa
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Ben Creisler
Jan 23, 2026, 1:21:36 PM (10 days ago) Jan 23
to DinosaurMa...@googlegroups.com
Ben Creisler
New papers:
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Mohammed Nadir Naimi, Sihem Salmi-Laouar, José P. O’Gorman, Sakina Nemouchi & Amor Degaichia (2026)
First plesiosaurian (Diapsida; Sauropterygia) remains from Algeria
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2026.2612987
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2612987
Plesiosaur remains are reported here for the first time from Algeria. The studied material consists of a single dorsal centrum recovered from the Essen Formation in the Tébessa Mountains, dated to the Late Coniacian, Marginotruncana sinuosa Zone. The vertebra exhibits morphological features consistent with Plesiosauria, most plausibly referable to Elasmosauridae. The associated macro- and microfaunal assemblages, dominated by bivalves, echinoids, foraminifera, and ostracods, indicate a shelf lagoon environment characterised by a low sedimentation rate, oxic conditions, and normal marine salinity. The global Coniacian record of plesiosaurs is extremely limited, and no previous occurrences have been documented from this interval in North Africa. The present finding therefore extends the stratigraphic and palaeobiogeographic range of plesiosaurs in the southern Tethyan margin and represents a discovery of considerable significance for reconstructing the distribution and evolution of Cretaceous marine reptiles in Africa.
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First plesiosaurian (Diapsida; Sauropterygia) remains from Algeria
Historical Biology (advance online publication)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2026.2612987
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2026.2612987
Plesiosaur remains are reported here for the first time from Algeria. The studied material consists of a single dorsal centrum recovered from the Essen Formation in the Tébessa Mountains, dated to the Late Coniacian, Marginotruncana sinuosa Zone. The vertebra exhibits morphological features consistent with Plesiosauria, most plausibly referable to Elasmosauridae. The associated macro- and microfaunal assemblages, dominated by bivalves, echinoids, foraminifera, and ostracods, indicate a shelf lagoon environment characterised by a low sedimentation rate, oxic conditions, and normal marine salinity. The global Coniacian record of plesiosaurs is extremely limited, and no previous occurrences have been documented from this interval in North Africa. The present finding therefore extends the stratigraphic and palaeobiogeographic range of plesiosaurs in the southern Tethyan margin and represents a discovery of considerable significance for reconstructing the distribution and evolution of Cretaceous marine reptiles in Africa.
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Scyllacerta creanae gen. et. sp. nov.
Xavier A. Jenkins, Valentin Buffa, Cy J. Marchant, David P. Ford, Claire Browning, Vincent Fernandez, Kathleen Dollman, Jennifer Botha, Jonah N. Choiniere, Roger B. J. Benson & Brandon R. Peecook (2026)
The origin of the tympanic fossa in reptiles revealed by a late Permian neodiapsid
Palaeontology 69(1): e70041
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.70041
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.70041
Living reptiles including turtles, crocodilians, birds and squamates are descended from a common ancestor among the Neodiapsida that lived in the late Permian c. 257 million years ago. Their origin was preceded by key evolutionary changes to cranial architecture that are poorly understood due to the rarity of early neodiapsids in the fossil record. Here, we describe a monospecific aggregation of a new non-saurian neodiapsid from the late Permian of South Africa. Synchrotron microtomography of four complete skulls reveals a mosaic of classic ‘saurian’ features such as a tympanic fossa and cephalic condyle of the quadrate and an open lower temporal bar, alongside surprising plesiomorphies including a rectangular denticle field on the braincase and a comparatively robust stapes. Phylogenetic analysis finds the new taxon within the Younginidae, sister to Akkedops bremneri and Youngina capensis as the earliest-diverging neodiapsid lineage. Our results demonstrate that the mobile (strepostylic) quadrate evolved only shortly after the origin of the tympanic fossa and the loss of the lower temporal bar, among crownward stem reptiles. This suggests a functional evolutionary linkage between these important traits related to hearing and feeding during the rise of crown reptiles.
Palaeontology 69(1): e70041
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.70041
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.70041
Living reptiles including turtles, crocodilians, birds and squamates are descended from a common ancestor among the Neodiapsida that lived in the late Permian c. 257 million years ago. Their origin was preceded by key evolutionary changes to cranial architecture that are poorly understood due to the rarity of early neodiapsids in the fossil record. Here, we describe a monospecific aggregation of a new non-saurian neodiapsid from the late Permian of South Africa. Synchrotron microtomography of four complete skulls reveals a mosaic of classic ‘saurian’ features such as a tympanic fossa and cephalic condyle of the quadrate and an open lower temporal bar, alongside surprising plesiomorphies including a rectangular denticle field on the braincase and a comparatively robust stapes. Phylogenetic analysis finds the new taxon within the Younginidae, sister to Akkedops bremneri and Youngina capensis as the earliest-diverging neodiapsid lineage. Our results demonstrate that the mobile (strepostylic) quadrate evolved only shortly after the origin of the tympanic fossa and the loss of the lower temporal bar, among crownward stem reptiles. This suggests a functional evolutionary linkage between these important traits related to hearing and feeding during the rise of crown reptiles.
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