1
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Klug C, Spiekman SNF, Bastiaans D, Scheffold B, Scheyer TM. The marine conservation deposits of Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland, Italy): the prototype of Triassic black shale Lagerstätten. SWISS JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY 2024; 143:11. [PMID: 38450287 PMCID: PMC10912274 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-024-00308-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Marine conservation deposits ('Konservat-Lagerstätten') are characterized by their mode of fossil preservation, faunal composition and sedimentary facies. Here, we review these characteristics with respect to the famous conservation deposit of the Besano Formation (formerly Grenzbitumenzone; including the Anisian-Ladinian boundary), and the successively younger fossil-bearing units Cava inferiore, Cava superiore, Cassina beds and the Kalkschieferzone of Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland and Italy). We compare these units to a selection of important black shale-type Lagerstätten of the global Phanerozoic plus the Ediacaran in order to detect commonalities in their facies, genesis, and fossil content using principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses. Further, we put the Monte San Giorgio type Fossillagerstätten into the context of other comparable Triassic deposits worldwide based on their fossil content. The results of the principal component and cluster analyses allow a subdivision of the 45 analysed Lagerstätten into four groups, for which we suggest the use of the corresponding pioneering localities: Burgess type for the early Palaeozoic black shales, Monte San Giorgio type for the Triassic black shales, Holzmaden type for the pyrite-rich black shales and Solnhofen type for platy limestones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Klug
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Dylan Bastiaans
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Scheffold
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Torsten M. Scheyer
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Laboury A, Scheyer TM, Klein N, Stubbs TL, Fischer V. High phenotypic plasticity at the dawn of the eosauropterygian radiation. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15776. [PMID: 37671356 PMCID: PMC10476616 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The initial radiation of Eosauropterygia during the Triassic biotic recovery represents a key event in the dominance of reptiles secondarily adapted to marine environments. Recent studies on Mesozoic marine reptile disparity highlighted that eosauropterygians had their greatest morphological diversity during the Middle Triassic, with the co-occurrence of Pachypleurosauroidea, Nothosauroidea and Pistosauroidea, mostly along the margins of the Tethys Ocean. However, these previous studies quantitatively analysed the disparity of Eosauropterygia as a whole without focussing on Triassic taxa, thus limiting our understanding of their diversification and morphospace occupation during the Middle Triassic. Our multivariate morphometric analyses highlight a clearly distinct colonization of the ecomorphospace by the three clades, with no evidence of whole-body convergent evolution with the exception of the peculiar pistosauroid Wangosaurus brevirostris, which appears phenotypically much more similar to nothosauroids. This global pattern is mostly driven by craniodental differences and inferred feeding specializations. We also reveal noticeable regional differences among nothosauroids and pachypleurosauroids of which the latter likely experienced a remarkable diversification in the eastern Tethys during the Pelsonian. Our results demonstrate that the high phenotypic plasticity characterizing the evolution of the pelagic plesiosaurians was already present in their Triassic ancestors, casting eosauropterygians as particularly adaptable animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Laboury
- Evolution & Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Nicole Klein
- Institute of Geosciences, Paleontology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas L. Stubbs
- School of Life, Health & Chemical Sciences, Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
| | - Valentin Fischer
- Evolution & Diversity Dynamics Lab, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium
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3
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A new long-snouted marine reptile from the Middle Triassic of China illuminates pachypleurosauroid evolution. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16. [PMID: 36604433 PMCID: PMC9816097 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24930-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Sauropterygia is the largest, most successful group of Mesozoic marine diapsids, spanning from the late Early Triassic to the Late Cretaceous. Plesiomorphic for sauropterygians, pachypleurosauroids are important for our understanding on the early evolution of this group. Here, we present a new pachypleurosaurid, Luopingosaurus imparilis gen. et sp. nov., based on an exceptionally preserved skeleton from the early Middle Triassic Luoping Lagerstätte in Yunnan, China. The discovery documents the first long-snouted pachypleurosaurid with an unexpected hyperphalangy in the manus, providing new insights into the morphological diversification, ecological adaption and biogeographic evolution of this clade. The discovery further indicates that there is a morphological divergence between short-snouted (brevirostrine) keichousaurids and relatively long-snouted (longirostrine) pachypleurosaurids, which was probably driven by ecological specializations related to feeding and foraging. Additionally, an evolutionary trend towards the reduction of the ratio of the hyoid length to mandibular length (HM ratio) is recognized in pachypleurosauroids. This reduction of HM ratio, associated with the increase of the snout length, might implicate a gradual recession of suction feeding in pachypleurosauroid evolution. Phylogenetic studies incorporating Luopingosaurus recover European pachypleurosaurids as successive sister groups to Chinese derived pachypleurosaurids, supporting a western Tethyan origin for this family.
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4
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Qiao Y, Liu J, Wolniewicz AS, Iijima M, Shen Y, Wintrich T, Li Q, Sander PM. A globally distributed durophagous marine reptile clade supports the rapid recovery of pelagic ecosystems after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1242. [PMCID: PMC9663502 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04162-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractMarine ecosystem recovery after the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) has been extensively studied in the shallow sea, but little is known about the nature of this process in pelagic ecosystems. Omphalosauridae, an enigmatic clade of open-water durophagous marine reptiles, potentially played an important role in the recovery, but their fragmentary fossils and uncertain phylogenetic position have hindered our understanding of their role in the process. Here we report the large basal ichthyosauriform Sclerocormus from the Early Triassic of China that clearly demonstrates an omphalosaurid affinity, allowing for the synonymy of the recently erected Nasorostra with Omphalosauridae. The skull also reveals the anatomy of the unique feeding apparatus of omphalosaurids, likely an adaptation for feeding on hard-shelled pelagic invertebrates, especially ammonoids. Morphofunctional analysis of jaws shows that omphalosaurids occupy the morphospace of marine turtles. Our discovery adds another piece of evidence for an explosive radiation of marine reptiles into the ocean in the Early Triassic and the rapid recovery of pelagic ecosystems after the PTME.
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5
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A long-tailed marine reptile from China provides new insights into the Middle Triassic pachypleurosaur radiation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:7396. [PMID: 35513463 PMCID: PMC9072359 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11309-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Pachypleurosaurs (Pachypleurosauroidea) are a group of small to medium-sized, lizard-like marine reptiles in the Early to Middle Triassic, including Pachypleurosauridae, Keichousauridae and closely related taxa. The group is generally considered as a sauropterygian radiation, but its phylogenetic interrelationships remain highly debated. Here, we present a new pachypleurosaurid, Honghesaurus longicaudalis gen. et sp. nov., from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian, ~ 244 Ma) marine deposits in Luxi, Yunnan, China. The discovery documents the first really long-tailed pachypleurosaur with totally 121 (69 caudal) vertebrae, providing new evidence for the vertebral multiplication and ecological adaption of this group. The long trunk associated with an incredibly long tail could provide Honghesaurus the advantage of maneuverability and energy efficiency for lateral undulatory swimming. Honghesaurus, although possessing a series of autapomorphies, fills the morphological gap between Qianxisaurus from the Ladinian Xingyi Biota and Wumengosaurus from the Anisian Panxian Biota. Phylogenetic studies unite these three pachypleurosaurids as a monophyletic clade above European pachypleurosaurid clades and provide new insights into the interrelationships of this group. Our scenario of pachypleurosaurian phylogeny combined with the stratigraphic data imply that the Tethys Ocean was a west–east corridor for dispersal of pachypleurosaurids from Europe into South China.
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An injured pachypleurosaur (Diapsida: Sauropterygia) from the Middle Triassic Luoping Biota indicating predation pressure in the Mesozoic. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21818. [PMID: 34750442 PMCID: PMC8575933 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-01309-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Middle Triassic Luoping Biota in south-west China represents the inception of modern marine ecosystems, with abundant and diverse arthropods, fishes and marine reptiles, indicating recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Here we report a new specimen of the predatory marine reptile Diandongosaurus, based on a nearly complete skeleton. The specimen is larger than most other known pachypleurosaurs, and the body shape, caniniform teeth, clavicle with anterior process, and flat distal end of the anterior caudal ribs show its affinities with Diandongosaurus acutidentatus, while the new specimen is approximately three times larger than the holotype. The morphological characters indicate that the new specimen is an adult of D. acutidentatus, allowing for ontogenetic variation. The fang-like teeth and large body size confirm it was a predator, but the amputated hind limb on the right side indicate itself had been predated by an unknown hunter. Predation on such a large predator reveals that predation pressure in the early Mesozoic was intensive, a possible early hint of the Mesozoic Marine Revolution.
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7
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Xu GH. The oldest species of Peltoperleidus (Louwoichthyiformes, Neopterygii) from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of China, with phylogenetic and biogeographic implications. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12225. [PMID: 34703669 PMCID: PMC8487245 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The previously alleged ‘perleidid’ genus Peltoperleidus is a stem-neopterygian fish taxon with two or three horizontal rows of notably deepened flank scales. Until recently, members of this genus were known only from the Ladinian (late Middle Triassic) or near the Anisian/Ladinian boundary (~242 Ma) in southern Switzerland and northern Italy. Here, I report the discovery of a new species of the genus, Peltoperleidus asiaticus sp. nov., based on three well-preserved specimens from the Anisian (early Middle Triassic, ~244 Ma) of Luoping, eastern Yunnan, China. The discovery extends the geological range of Peltoperleidus by approximately two million years and documents the first record of the genus in Asia. Similar to its relatives (represented by P. macrodontus) from Europe, P. asiaticus sp. nov. is likely a small-sized durophagous predator with dentition combining grasping and crushing morphologies. Results of a cladistic analysis unite four species of Peltoperleidus as a monophyletic group within the Louwoichthyiformes, and suggest that the presence of two horizontal rows of notably deepened scales was independently evolved in Peltoperleidus and another stem-neopterygian taxon Altisolepis. P. asiaticus sp. nov. is nested at the base of Peltoperleidus, and a new family Peltoperleididae is proposed for the genus, contrasting the previous placement of Peltoperleidus in the poorly defined, paraphyletic ‘Perleididae’. Comparative studies of the basal peltoperleidid from China with its younger relatives from Europe provide new insights into the evolutionary origin and paleogeographic distribution of this clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
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8
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Smith CPA, Laville T, Fara E, Escarguel G, Olivier N, Vennin E, Goudemand N, Bylund KG, Jenks JF, Stephen DA, Hautmann M, Charbonnier S, Krumenacker LJ, Brayard A. Exceptional fossil assemblages confirm the existence of complex Early Triassic ecosystems during the early Spathian. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19657. [PMID: 34608207 PMCID: PMC8490361 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99056-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The mass extinction characterizing the Permian/Triassic boundary (PTB; ~ 252 Ma) corresponds to a major faunal shift between the Palaeozoic and the Modern evolutionary fauna. The temporal, spatial, environmental, and ecological dynamics of the associated biotic recovery remain highly debated, partly due to the scarce, or poorly-known, Early Triassic fossil record. Recently, an exceptionally complex ecosystem dated from immediately after the Smithian/Spathian boundary (~ 3 myr after the PTB) was reported: the Paris Biota (Idaho, USA). However, the spatiotemporal representativeness of this unique assemblage remained questionable as it was hitherto only reported from a single site. Here we describe three new exceptionally diverse assemblages of the same age as the Paris Biota, and a fourth younger one. They are located in Idaho and Nevada, and are taxonomic subsets of the Paris Biota. We show that the latter covered a region-wide area and persisted at least partially throughout the Spathian. The presence of a well-established marine fauna such as the Paris Biota, as soon as the early Spathian, indicates that the post-PTB biotic recovery and the installation of complex ecosystems probably took place earlier than often assumed, at least at a regional scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P A Smith
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000, Dijon, France.
| | - Thomas Laville
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CR2P, UMR 7207, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Fara
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Gilles Escarguel
- LEHNA UMR 5023, CNRS, ENTPE, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nicolas Olivier
- LMV, Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Emmanuelle Vennin
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Nicolas Goudemand
- IGFL UMR 5242, CNRS, ENS de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69364, Lyon, France
| | | | | | - Daniel A Stephen
- Department of Earth Science, Utah Valley University, Orem, UT, 84058, USA
| | - Michael Hautmann
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Charbonnier
- Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CR2P, UMR 7207, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005, Paris, France
| | - L J Krumenacker
- Department of Geosciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209-8072, USA
| | - Arnaud Brayard
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 21000, Dijon, France
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9
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Bicknell RDC, Shcherbakov DE. New austrolimulid from Russia supports role of Early Triassic horseshoe crabs as opportunistic taxa. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11709. [PMID: 34249518 PMCID: PMC8254475 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Horseshoe crabs are extant marine euchelicerates that have a fossil record extending well into the Palaeozoic. Extreme xiphosurid morphologies arose during this evolutionary history. These forms often reflected the occupation of freshwater or marginal conditions. This is particularly the case for Austrolimulidae—a xiphosurid family that has recently been subject to thorough taxonomic examination. Expanding the austrolimulid record, we present new material from the Olenekian-aged Petropavlovka Formation in European Russia and assign this material to Attenborolimulus superspinosus gen. et sp. nov. A geometric morphometric analysis of 23 horseshoe crab genera illustrates that the new taxon is distinct from limulid and paleolimulid morphologies, supporting the assignment within Austrolimulidae. In considering Triassic austrolimulids, we suggest that the hypertrophy or reduction in exoskeletal sections illustrate how species within the family evolved as opportunistic taxa after the end-Permian extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D C Bicknell
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Dmitry E Shcherbakov
- Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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10
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Ma XY, Xu GH, Geng BH. Feroxichthys panzhouensis sp. nov., a hump-backed colobodontid (Neopterygii, Actinopterygii) from the early Middle Triassic of Panzhou, Guizhou, China. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11257. [PMID: 33868833 PMCID: PMC8035898 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Neopterygii is a taxonomically diverse clade of ray-finned fishes, including Teleostei, Holostei and closely related fossil taxa. The Colobodontidae is a stem group of large-sized neopterygians with a durophagous feeding adaption from the Middle to Late Triassic marine ecosystems in Europe and South China. Here, we report the discovery of a new colobodontid, Feroxichthys panzhouensis sp. nov., based on a well-preserved specimen from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Panzhou (formerly known as Panxian), Guizhou, China. The discovery extends the geographical distribution of Feroxichthys from eastern Yunnan into western Guizhou, and demonstrates a more rapid diversification of early colobodontids than previously thought. The new species possesses diagnostic features of Feroxichthys (e.g., a fused lacrimal-maxilla), but it is easily distinguished from the type species Feroxichthys yunnanensis and other colobodontids by some derived features on the skull and, especially, the relatively short and deep body with a prominent postcranial hump. This body form, previously unknown in colobodontids, implicates a morphological adaptation to structurally complex habitats in light of ecological studies of modern ray-finned fishes with a similar body form. In addition, the feeding apparatus suggests a more obligate durophagous diet for F. panzhouensis sp. nov. than other colobodontids. Results of a cladistic analysis recover the new species as a sister taxon of F. yunnanensis within the Colobodontidae, and suggest that a hump-backed body form has independently evolved multiple times in Triassic neopterygians. As such, the new finding provides an important addition for our understanding of the morphological and ecological diversity of neopterygian fishes from the Triassic marine ecosystems in South China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin-Ying Ma
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Bing-He Geng
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
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11
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Xu GH. Feroxichthys yunnanensis gen. et sp. nov. (Colobodontidae, Neopterygii), a large durophagous predator from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Luoping Biota, eastern Yunnan, China. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10229. [PMID: 33150093 PMCID: PMC7583626 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Neopterygii is a large group of ray-finned fishes which underwent a rapid radiation in the Middle Triassic. Until recently, 11 stem neopterygians have been recovered from the early Middle Triassic Luoping Biota in eastern Yunnan, China, and they are small to medium-sized fishes. Here, I report the discovery of a new stem neopterygian, Feroxichthys yunnanensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Luoping Biota, which represents the first evidence of large-sized stem neopteygians in this biota with a total length of ~340 mm (290 mm in standard length). The skull of the new taxon is exceptionally well-preserved, showing some peculiar features rarely known in other stem neopterygians, for example fusion of paired premaxillae, fusion of lacrimal with maxilla, and a fused parieto-dermopterotic with a strong posterior process. Phylogenetic studies recover Feroxichthys as a basal colobodontid, and a revised diagnosis of this family is presented. The feeding apparatus indicates that Feroxichthys might have been predominantly durophagous, resembling other colobodontids. However, the anterior peg-like teeth in the jaws of Feroxichthys are much longer and stronger than other colobodontids, enabling a more powerful initial prey capture before food was passed posteriorly to molariform teeth for crushing in the oral cavity. As a mysterious large durophagous predator previously unknown from the Luoping Biota, the new finding is important not only for understanding the early diversification of neopterygians during this age but also for investigating the trophic structure in this marine ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
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12
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Xu GH. A new stem-neopterygian fish from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Yunnan, China, with a reassessment of the relationships of early neopterygian clades. Zool J Linn Soc 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Neopterygii is a taxonomically diverse group of ray-finned fishes, including Teleostei, Holostei and their closely related fossil taxa. Here, a new small-sized stem-neopterygian with extraordinarily long teeth, Louwoichthys pusillus gen. et sp. nov., is described based on 14 well-preserved specimens from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) marine deposits of Yunnan, China. Louwoichthys is closely related to Luopingichthys from the same fossil beds and Ctenognathichthys from the Middle Triassic of the Monte San Giorgio area in Europe; the three genera are grouped into the family Louwoichthyidae fam. nov., which is recovered as sister to the ‘perleidiform’ Pseudobeaconiidae. Given that ‘Perleidiformes’ is notoriously paraphyletic, a new order, Louwoichthyiformes ord. nov., is introduced to group both families. The louwoichthyiform monophyly is strongly supported by a series of derived features, such as a relatively short maxilla, an anteriorly inclined preopercle, a subopercle with a prominent anteroventral extension, and two or three pairs of branchiostegal rays. Louwoichthys is one of the smallest louwoichthyiforms, having a largest standard length of 39 mm. It is deduced to be a scavenger that might use its long and sharp teeth to grasp and tear the prey from the substrate or to bite a piece from a larger prey item.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
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13
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Li Q, Liu J. An Early Triassic sauropterygian and associated fauna from South China provide insights into Triassic ecosystem health. Commun Biol 2020; 3:63. [PMID: 32047220 PMCID: PMC7012838 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0778-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The timing and pattern of biotic recovery from the Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction remains elusive. Here we report new material of the Early Triassic sauropterygian Lariosaurus sanxiaensis and associated fauna from the Jialingjiang Formation in Hubei Province, South China. Phylogenetic analysis based on a novel data matrix of sauropterygians recognizes L. sanxiaensis as a basal nothosaur. Stratigraphic congruence analysis shows that the new phylogenetic consensus tree matches to the stratigraphic distribution of sauropterygians very well. The diversified reptilian fauna and inferred simple food web in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an fauna where L. sanxiaensis was discovered suggest that the Triassic biotic recovery adopted a top-down pattern, in contrast to the prevailing view. Comparison with the Middle Triassic Luoping biota from the same carbonate platform suggests that the Triassic biotic recovery is delayed and healthy ecosystems were not established until the Middle Triassic in South China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China
| | - Jun Liu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China.
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, 53115, Germany.
- Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing, 210008, China.
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14
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Bicknell RDC, Birch SA, Charbonnier S, Sautereau F, Hitij T, Campione NE. On the appendicular anatomy of the xiphosurid Tachypleus syriacus and the evolution of fossil horseshoe crab appendages. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2019; 106:38. [PMID: 31209559 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-019-1629-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Xiphosurida-crown group horseshoe crabs-are a group of morphologically conservative marine chelicerates (at least since the Jurassic). They represent an idealised example of evolutionary stasis. Unfortunately, body fossils of horseshoe crabs seldom preserve appendages and their associated features; thus, an important aspect of their morphology is absent in explorations of their conservative Bauplan. As such, fossil horseshoe crab appendages are rarely considered within a comparative framework: previous comparisons have focussed almost exclusively on extant taxa to the exclusion of extinct taxa. Here, we examine eight specimens of the xiphosurid Tachypleus syriacus (Woodward, 1879) from the Cenomanian (ca 100 Ma) Konservat-Lagerstätten of Lebanon, five of which preserve the cephalothoracic and thoracetronic appendages in exceptional detail. Comparing these appendages of T. syriacus with other fossil xiphosurids highlights the conserved nature of appendage construction across Xiphosurida, including examples of Austrolimulidae, Paleolimulidae, and Limulidae. Conversely, Belinuridae have more elongate cephalothoracic appendages relative to body length. Differences in appendage sizes are likely related to the freshwater and possible subaerial life modes of belinurids, contrasting with the primarily marine habits of other families. The morphological similarity of T. syriacus to extant members of the genus indicates that the conserved nature of the generic lineage can be extended to ecological adaptations, notably burrowing, swimming, possible diet, and sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell D C Bicknell
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, Australia.
| | - Sienna A Birch
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, Australia
| | - Sylvain Charbonnier
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, Département Origines et Evolution; Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P, UMR 7207), Sorbonne Université,CNRS, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005, Paris, France
| | | | - Tomaž Hitij
- Dental School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Hrvatski trg 6, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nicolás E Campione
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, Australia
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15
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Cheng L, Motani R, Jiang DY, Yan CB, Tintori A, Rieppel O. Early Triassic marine reptile representing the oldest record of unusually small eyes in reptiles indicating non-visual prey detection. Sci Rep 2019; 9:152. [PMID: 30679783 PMCID: PMC6345829 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37754-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The end-Permian mass extinction (EPME) led to reorganization of marine predatory communities, through introduction of air-breathing top predators, such as marine reptiles. We report two new specimens of one such marine reptile, Eretmorhipis carrolldongi, from the Lower Triassic of Hubei, China, revealing superficial convergence with the modern duckbilled platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), a monotreme mammal. Apparent similarities include exceptionally small eyes relative to the body, snout ending with crura with a large internasal space, housing a bone reminiscent of os paradoxum, a mysterious bone of platypus, and external grooves along the crura. The specimens also have a rigid body with triangular bony blades protruding from the back. The small eyes likely played reduced roles during foraging in this animal, as with extant amniotes (group containing mammals and reptiles) with similarly small eyes. Mechanoreceptors on the bill of the animal were probably used for prey detection instead. The specimens represent the oldest record of amniotes with extremely reduced visual capacity, utilizing non-visual cues for prey detection. The discovery reveals that the ecological diversity of marine predators was already high in the late Early Triassic, and challenges the traditional view that the ecological diversification of marine reptiles was delayed following the EPME.
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Affiliation(s)
- Long Cheng
- Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey, Wuhan, Hubei, 430023, P. R. China.
| | - Ryosuke Motani
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
| | - Da-Yong Jiang
- Laboratory of Orogenic Belt and Crustal Evolution, MOE, Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Yiheyuan Str. 5, Beijing, 100871, P. R. China
| | - Chun-Bo Yan
- Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey, Wuhan, Hubei, 430023, P. R. China
| | - Andrea Tintori
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli, 34-20133, Milano, Italy
| | - Olivier Rieppel
- Center of Integrative Research, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL, 60605-2496, USA
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16
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Thompson JR, Hu SX, Zhang QY, Petsios E, Cotton LJ, Huang JY, Zhou CY, Wen W, Bottjer DJ. A new stem group echinoid from the Triassic of China leads to a revised macroevolutionary history of echinoids during the end-Permian mass extinction. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:171548. [PMID: 29410858 PMCID: PMC5792935 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The Permian-Triassic bottleneck has long been thought to have drastically altered the course of echinoid evolution, with the extinction of the entire echinoid stem group having taken place during the end-Permian mass extinction. The Early Triassic fossil record of echinoids is, however, sparse, and new fossils are paving the way for a revised interpretation of the evolutionary history of echinoids during the Permian-Triassic crisis and Early Mesozoic. A new species of echinoid, Yunnanechinus luopingensis n. sp. recovered from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Luoping Biota fossil Lagerstätte of South China, displays morphologies that are not characteristic of the echinoid crown group. We have used phylogenetic analyses to further demonstrate that Yunnanechinus is not a member of the echinoid crown group. Thus a clade of stem group echinoids survived into the Middle Triassic, enduring the global crisis that characterized the end-Permian and Early Triassic. Therefore, stem group echinoids did not go extinct during the Palaeozoic, as previously thought, and appear to have coexisted with the echinoid crown group for at least 23 million years. Stem group echinoids thus exhibited the Lazarus effect during the latest Permian and Early Triassic, while crown group echinoids did not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey R. Thompson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Zumberge Hall of Science, 3651 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740, USA
| | - Shi-xue Hu
- Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
- Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
| | - Qi-Yue Zhang
- Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
- Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
| | - Elizabeth Petsios
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Zumberge Hall of Science, 3651 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740, USA
| | - Laura J. Cotton
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 241 Williamson Hall, PO Box 112120, Gainesville, FL 32611-2120, USA
| | - Jin-Yuan Huang
- Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
- Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
| | - Chang-yong Zhou
- Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
- Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen Wen
- Chengdu Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
- Chengdu Center of China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, People's Republic of China
| | - David J. Bottjer
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Zumberge Hall of Science, 3651 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740, USA
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17
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Hu S, Zhang Q, Feldmann RM, Benton MJ, Schweitzer CE, Huang J, Wen W, Zhou C, Xie T, Lü T, Hong S. Exceptional appendage and soft-tissue preservation in a Middle Triassic horseshoe crab from SW China. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14112. [PMID: 29075039 PMCID: PMC5658423 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-13319-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Horseshoe crabs are classic "living fossils", supposedly slowly evolving, conservative taxa, with a long fossil record back to the Ordovician. The evolution of their exoskeleton is well documented by fossils, but appendage and soft-tissue preservation is extremely rare. Here we analyse details of appendage and soft-tissue preservation in Yunnanolimulus luopingensis, a Middle Triassic (ca. 244 million years old) horseshoe crab from Yunnan Province, SW China. The remarkable preservation of anatomical details including the chelicerae, five pairs of walking appendages, opisthosomal appendages with book gills, muscles, and fine setae permits comparison with extant horseshoe crabs. The close anatomical similarity between the Middle Triassic horseshoe crabs and their recent analogues documents anatomical conservatism for over 240 million years, suggesting persistence of lifestyle. The occurrence of Carcinoscorpius-type claspers on the first and second walking legs in male individuals of Y. luopingensis indicates that simple chelate claspers in males are plesiomorphic for horseshoe crabs, and the bulbous claspers in Tachypleus and Limulus are derived.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixue Hu
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China.
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China.
| | - Qiyue Zhang
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | | | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Carrie E Schweitzer
- Department of Geology, Kent State University at Stark, 6000 Frank Avenue NW, North Canton, OH, 44720, USA
| | - Jinyuan Huang
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Wen Wen
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Changyong Zhou
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Tao Xie
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Tao Lü
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Chengdu Insitute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Shuigen Hong
- Institute of Neuroscience, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
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18
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Liu J, Organ CL, Benton MJ, Brandley MC, Aitchison JC. Live birth in an archosauromorph reptile. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14445. [PMID: 28195584 PMCID: PMC5316873 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Live birth has evolved many times independently in vertebrates, such as mammals and diverse groups of lizards and snakes. However, live birth is unknown in the major clade Archosauromorpha, a group that first evolved some 260 million years ago and is represented today by birds and crocodilians. Here we report the discovery of a pregnant long-necked marine reptile (Dinocephalosaurus) from the Middle Triassic (∼245 million years ago) of southwest China showing live birth in archosauromorphs. Our discovery pushes back evidence of reproductive biology in the clade by roughly 50 million years, and shows that there is no fundamental reason that archosauromorphs could not achieve live birth. Our phylogenetic models indicate that Dinocephalosaurus determined the sex of their offspring by sex chromosomes rather than by environmental temperature like crocodilians. Our results provide crucial evidence for genotypic sex determination facilitating land-water transitions in amniotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.,Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China.,State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Chris L Organ
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Matthew C Brandley
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Jonathan C Aitchison
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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19
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Brayard A, Krumenacker LJ, Botting JP, Jenks JF, Bylund KG, Fara E, Vennin E, Olivier N, Goudemand N, Saucède T, Charbonnier S, Romano C, Doguzhaeva L, Thuy B, Hautmann M, Stephen DA, Thomazo C, Escarguel G. Unexpected Early Triassic marine ecosystem and the rise of the Modern evolutionary fauna. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1602159. [PMID: 28246643 PMCID: PMC5310825 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
In the wake of the end-Permian mass extinction, the Early Triassic (~251.9 to 247 million years ago) is portrayed as an environmentally unstable interval characterized by several biotic crises and heavily depauperate marine benthic ecosystems. We describe a new fossil assemblage-the Paris Biota-from the earliest Spathian (middle Olenekian, ~250.6 million years ago) of the Bear Lake area, southeastern Idaho, USA. This highly diversified assemblage documents a remarkably complex marine ecosystem including at least seven phyla and 20 distinct metazoan orders, along with algae. Most unexpectedly, it combines early Paleozoic and middle Mesozoic taxa previously unknown from the Triassic strata, among which are primitive Cambrian-Ordovician leptomitid sponges (a 200-million year Lazarus taxon) and gladius-bearing coleoid cephalopods, a poorly documented group before the Jurassic (~50 million years after the Early Triassic). Additionally, the crinoid and ophiuroid specimens show derived anatomical characters that were thought to have evolved much later. Unlike previous works that suggested a sluggish postcrisis recovery and a low diversity for the Early Triassic benthic organisms, the unexpected composition of this exceptional assemblage points toward an early and rapid post-Permian diversification for these clades. Overall, it illustrates a phylogenetically diverse, functionally complex, and trophically multileveled marine ecosystem, from primary producers up to top predators and potential scavengers. Hence, the Paris Biota highlights the key evolutionary position of Early Triassic fossil ecosystems in the transition from the Paleozoic to the Modern marine evolutionary fauna at the dawn of the Mesozoic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Brayard
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
- Corresponding author.
| | - L. J. Krumenacker
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173480, Bozeman, MT 59717–3480, USA
| | - Joseph P. Botting
- Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
- Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP, U.K
| | | | | | - Emmanuel Fara
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Emmanuelle Vennin
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Nicolas Olivier
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand, Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, 5 rue Kessler, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Nicolas Goudemand
- Institute of Functional Genomics of Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon–CNRS 5242–Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Unités Sous Contrat INRA USC 1370, 46 allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Thomas Saucède
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Sylvain Charbonnier
- Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN), Centre de Recherche sur la Paléobiodiversité et les Paléoenvironnements (UMR 7207), Sorbonne Universités–MNHN, CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Carlo Romano
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Larisa Doguzhaeva
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 50007, SE-10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ben Thuy
- Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum Luxembourg, 25 rue Münster, L-2160 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Michael Hautmann
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel A. Stephen
- Department of Earth Science, Utah Valley University, 800 West University Parkway, Orem, UT 84058, USA
| | - Christophe Thomazo
- Biogéosciences UMR 6282, CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Gilles Escarguel
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 Laboratoire d’Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, 27-43 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
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20
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A Middle Triassic stem-neopterygian fish from China sheds new light on the peltopleuriform phylogeny and internal fertilization. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-016-1189-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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21
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The Cosmic Zoo: The (Near) Inevitability of the Evolution of Complex, Macroscopic Life. Life (Basel) 2016; 6:life6030025. [PMID: 27376334 PMCID: PMC5041001 DOI: 10.3390/life6030025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Life on Earth provides a unique biological record from single-cell microbes to technologically intelligent life forms. Our evolution is marked by several major steps or innovations along a path of increasing complexity from microbes to space-faring humans. Here we identify various major key innovations, and use an analytical toolset consisting of a set of models to analyse how likely each key innovation is to occur. Our conclusion is that once the origin of life is accomplished, most of the key innovations can occur rather readily. The conclusion for other worlds is that if the origin of life can occur rather easily, we should live in a cosmic zoo, as the innovations necessary to lead to complex life will occur with high probability given sufficient time and habitat. On the other hand, if the origin of life is rare, then we might live in a rather empty universe.
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22
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Xu GH, Zhao LJ. A Middle Triassic stem-neopterygian fish from China shows remarkable secondary sexual characteristics. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11434-016-1007-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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23
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Tintori A, Hitij T, Jiang D, Lombardo C, Sun Z. Triassic actinopterygian fishes: the recovery after the end-Permian crisis. Integr Zool 2015; 9:394-411. [PMID: 24148549 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In the last 15 years, the discovery of several new actinopterygian fish faunas from the Early and Middle Triassic of the Tethys, cast new light on the timing, speed and range of their recovery after the end-Permian crisis. In addition to several new taxa having been described, the stratigraphical and geographical record of many others have been greatly extended. In fact, most of the new fossiliferous sites are in southern China, thus at the Eastern end of the Tethys, and furthermore a few are somewhat older (Chaohu, Panxian, Luoping) than the major classical Western Tethys sites (Monte San Giorgio). Following these new finds, it is possible to have a better definition of the Triassic recovery stages. Indeed, after a quite short phase till the end of the Smithian (Olenekian, Early Triassic) in which a rather consistent fauna was present all around the Pangea coasts, a major radiation occurred in the Early-Middle Anisian after the new Middle Triassic fish fauna already appeared in the late Early Triassic, thus occuring well before what was previously supposed from the Alps localities. Furthermore, the new assemblages from southern China point to an early broader differentiation among the basal neopterygians rather than in the 'subholosteans', the group that was then dominant in the Western Tethys since the Late Anisian. It stands that during the Norian a new basal neopterygian radiation gave rise to several new branches that dominated the remaining part of the Mesozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Tintori
- Department of Earth Sciences 'A. Desio', Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
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24
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Maxwell EE, Romano C, Wu F, Furrer H. Two new species ofSaurichthys(Actinopterygii: Saurichthyidae) from the Middle Triassic of Monte San Giorgio, Switzerland, with implications for character evolution in the genus. Zool J Linn Soc 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Erin E. Maxwell
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart; Rosenstein 1 70191 Stuttgart Germany
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum; Universität Zürich; Zürich Switzerland
| | - Carlo Romano
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum; Universität Zürich; Zürich Switzerland
| | - Feixiang Wu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing 100044 China
| | - Heinz Furrer
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum; Universität Zürich; Zürich Switzerland
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25
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Glasspool IJ, Scott AC, Waltham D, Pronina N, Shao L. The impact of fire on the Late Paleozoic Earth system. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:756. [PMID: 26442069 PMCID: PMC4585212 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2014] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Analyses of bulk petrographic data indicate that during the Late Paleozoic wildfires were more prevalent than at present. We propose that the development of fire systems through this interval was controlled predominantly by the elevated atmospheric oxygen concentration (p(O2)) that mass balance models predict prevailed. At higher levels of p(O2), increased fire activity would have rendered vegetation with high-moisture contents more susceptible to ignition and would have facilitated continued combustion. We argue that coal petrographic data indicate that p(O2) rather than global temperatures or climate, resulted in the increased levels of wildfire activity observed during the Late Paleozoic and can, therefore, be used to predict it. These findings are based upon analyses of charcoal volumes in multiple coals distributed across the globe and deposited during this time period, and that were then compared with similarly diverse modern peats and Cenozoic lignites and coals. Herein, we examine the environmental and ecological factors that would have impacted fire activity and we conclude that of these factors p(O2) played the largest role in promoting fires in Late Paleozoic peat-forming environments and, by inference, ecosystems generally, when compared with their prevalence in the modern world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian J. Glasspool
- Department of Geology, Colby CollegeWaterville, ME, USA
- Science and Education, Field Museum of Natural HistoryChicago, IL, USA
| | - Andrew C. Scott
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of LondonEgham, Surrey, UK
- *Correspondence: Andrew C. Scott, Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK,
| | - David Waltham
- Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway University of LondonEgham, Surrey, UK
| | | | - Longyi Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, and School of Geosciences and Survey Engineering, China University of Mining and TechnologyBeijing, China
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26
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Xu GH, Zhao LJ, Coates MI. The oldest ionoscopiform from China sheds new light on the early evolution of halecomorph fishes. Biol Lett 2014; 10:20140204. [PMID: 24872460 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2014.0204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Halecomorphi are a major subdivision of the ray-finned fishes. Although living halecomorphs are represented solely by the freshwater bowfin, Amia calva, this clade has a rich fossil history, and the resolution of interrelationships among extinct members is central to the problem of understanding the origin of the Teleostei, the largest clade of extant vertebrates. The Ionoscopiformes are extinct marine halecomorphs that were inferred to have originated in the Late Jurassic of Europe, and subsequently dispersed to the Early Cretaceous of the New World. Here, we report the discovery of a new ionoscopiform, Robustichthys luopingensis gen. et sp. nov., based on eight well-preserved specimens from the Anisian (242-247 Ma), Middle Triassic marine deposits of Luoping, eastern Yunnan Province, China. The new species documents the oldest known ionoscopiform, extending the stratigraphic range of this group by approximately 90 Ma, and the geographical distribution of this group into the Middle Triassic of South China, a part of eastern Palaeotethys Ocean. These new data provide a minimum estimate for the split of Ionoscopiformes from its sister clade Amiiformes and shed new light on the origin of ionoscopiform fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
| | - Li-Jun Zhao
- Zhejiang Museum of Natural History, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael I Coates
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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Liu J, Hu SX, Rieppel O, Jiang DY, Benton MJ, Kelley NP, Aitchison JC, Zhou CY, Wen W, Huang JY, Xie T, Lv T. A gigantic nothosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Middle Triassic of SW China and its implication for the Triassic biotic recovery. Sci Rep 2014; 4:7142. [PMID: 25429609 PMCID: PMC4245812 DOI: 10.1038/srep07142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of gigantic apex predators in the eastern Panthalassic and western Tethyan oceans suggests that complex ecosystems in the sea had become re-established in these regions at least by the early Middle Triassic, after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (PTME). However, it is not clear whether oceanic ecosystem recovery from the PTME was globally synchronous because of the apparent lack of such predators in the eastern Tethyan/western Panthalassic region prior to the Late Triassic. Here we report a gigantic nothosaur from the lower Middle Triassic of Luoping in southwest China (eastern Tethyan ocean), which possesses the largest known lower jaw among Triassic sauropterygians. Phylogenetic analysis suggests parallel evolution of gigantism in Triassic sauropterygians. Discovery of this gigantic apex predator, together with associated diverse marine reptiles and the complex food web, indicates global recovery of shallow marine ecosystems from PTME by the early Middle Triassic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- 1] Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China [2] School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China [3] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Shi-Xue Hu
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Olivier Rieppel
- Center of Integrative Research, The Field Museum, Chicago, IL 60605-2496, USA
| | - Da-Yong Jiang
- Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Neil P Kelley
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC 20013, USA
| | | | - Chang-Yong Zhou
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Wen Wen
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Jin-Yuan Huang
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Tao Xie
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Tao Lv
- Chengdu Center, China Geological Survey, Chengdu 610081, China
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28
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Nothosaur foraging tracks from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3973. [PMID: 24917514 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 04/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The seas of the Mesozoic (266-66 Myr ago) were remarkable for predatory marine reptiles, but their modes of locomotion have been debated. One problem has been the absence of tracks, although there is no reason to expect that swimmers would produce tracks. We report here seabed tracks made by Mesozoic marine reptiles, produced by the paddles of nothosaurs (Reptilia, Sauropterygia) in the Middle Triassic of the Luoping localities in Yunnan, southwestern China. These show that the track-making nothosaurs used their forelimbs for propulsion, they generally rowed (both forelimbs operating in unison rather than alternately), and the forelimb entered medially, dug in as the paddle tip gained purchase, and withdrew cleanly. These inferences may provide evidence for swimming modes, or it could be argued that the locomotory modes indicated by the tracks were restricted to such contact propulsion. Such punting behaviour may have been used to flush prey from the bottom muds.
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Scheyer TM, Romano C, Jenks J, Bucher H. Early Triassic marine biotic recovery: the predators' perspective. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88987. [PMID: 24647136 PMCID: PMC3960099 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Examining the geological past of our planet allows us to study periods of severe climatic and biological crises and recoveries, biotic and abiotic ecosystem fluctuations, and faunal and floral turnovers through time. Furthermore, the recovery dynamics of large predators provide a key for evaluation of the pattern and tempo of ecosystem recovery because predators are interpreted to react most sensitively to environmental turbulences. The end-Permian mass extinction was the most severe crisis experienced by life on Earth, and the common paradigm persists that the biotic recovery from the extinction event was unusually slow and occurred in a step-wise manner, lasting up to eight to nine million years well into the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) in the oceans, and even longer in the terrestrial realm. Here we survey the global distribution and size spectra of Early Triassic and Anisian marine predatory vertebrates (fishes, amphibians and reptiles) to elucidate the height of trophic pyramids in the aftermath of the end-Permian event. The survey of body size was done by compiling maximum standard lengths for the bony fishes and some cartilaginous fishes, and total size (estimates) for the tetrapods. The distribution and size spectra of the latter are difficult to assess because of preservation artifacts and are thus mostly discussed qualitatively. The data nevertheless demonstrate that no significant size increase of predators is observable from the Early Triassic to the Anisian, as would be expected from the prolonged and stepwise trophic recovery model. The data further indicate that marine ecosystems characterized by multiple trophic levels existed from the earliest Early Triassic onwards. However, a major change in the taxonomic composition of predatory guilds occurred less than two million years after the end-Permian extinction event, in which a transition from fish/amphibian to fish/reptile-dominated higher trophic levels within ecosystems became apparent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torsten M. Scheyer
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (TMS); (CR)
| | - Carlo Romano
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (TMS); (CR)
| | - Jim Jenks
- West Jordan, Utah, United States of America
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Hugo Bucher
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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A new marine reptile from the Triassic of China, with a highly specialized feeding adaptation. Naturwissenschaften 2014; 101:251-9. [PMID: 24452285 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-014-1148-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2013] [Revised: 01/09/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The Luoping fauna (Anisian, Middle Triassic) is probably the oldest of Triassic faunas in Guizhou-Yunnan area, China. The reptilian assemblage is comprised of ichthyosaurs, a number of sauropterygians (pachypleurosaur-like forms), saurosphargids, protorosaurs, and archosauriforms. Here, we report on a peculiar reptile, newly found in this fauna. Its dentition is fence or comb-like and bears more than 175 pleurodont teeth in each ramus of the upper and lower jaws, tooth crown is needle-like distally and blade-shaped proximally; its rostrum strongly bends downward and the anterior end of its mandible expands both dorsally and ventrally to form a shovel-headed structure; and its ungual phalanges are hoof-shaped. The specializations of the jaws and dentition indicate that the reptile may have been adapted to a way of bottom-filter feeding in water. It is obvious that such delicate teeth are not strong enough to catch prey, but were probably used as a barrier to filter microorganisms or benthic invertebrates such as sea worms. These were collected by the specialized jaws, which may have functioned as a shovel or pushdozer (the mandible) and a grasper or scratcher (the rostrum). Our preliminary analysis suggests that the new reptile might be more closely related to the Sauropterygia than to other marine reptiles.
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Macropredatory ichthyosaur from the Middle Triassic and the origin of modern trophic networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:1393-7. [PMID: 23297200 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1216750110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The biotic recovery from Earth's most severe extinction event at the Permian-Triassic boundary largely reestablished the preextinction structure of marine trophic networks, with marine reptiles assuming the predator roles. However, the highest trophic level of today's marine ecosystems, i.e., macropredatory tetrapods that forage on prey of similar size to their own, was thus far lacking in the Paleozoic and early Mesozoic. Here we report a top-tier tetrapod predator, a very large (>8.6 m) ichthyosaur from the early Middle Triassic (244 Ma), of Nevada. This ichthyosaur had a massive skull and large labiolingually flattened teeth with two cutting edges indicative of a macropredatory feeding style. Its presence documents the rapid evolution of modern marine ecosystems in the Triassic where the same level of complexity as observed in today's marine ecosystems is reached within 8 My after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and within 4 My of the time reptiles first invaded the sea. This find also indicates that the biotic recovery in the marine realm may have occurred faster compared with terrestrial ecosystems, where the first apex predators may not have evolved before the Carnian.
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32
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Xu GH, Zhao LJ, Gao KQ, Wu FX. A new stem-neopterygian fish from the Middle Triassic of China shows the earliest over-water gliding strategy of the vertebrates. Proc Biol Sci 2012; 280:20122261. [PMID: 23118437 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2012.2261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Flying fishes are extraordinary aquatic vertebrates capable of gliding great distances over water by exploiting their enlarged pectoral fins and asymmetrical caudal fin. Some 50 species of extant flying fishes are classified in the Exocoetidae (Neopterygii: Teleostei), which have a fossil record no older than the Eocene. The Thoracopteridae is the only pre-Cenozoic group of non-teleosts that shows an array of features associated with the capability of over-water gliding. Until recently, however, the fossil record of the Thoracopteridae has been limited to the Upper Triassic of Austria and Italy. Here, we report the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of a new thoracopterid flying fish from the Middle Triassic of China, which represents the earliest evidence of an over-water gliding strategy in vertebrates. The results of a phylogenetic analysis resolve the Thoracopteridae as a stem-group of the Neopterygii that is more crown-ward than the Peltopleuriformes, yet more basal than the Luganoiiformes. As the first record of the Thoracopteride in Asia, this new discovery extends the geographical distribution of this group from the western to eastern rim of the Palaeotethys Ocean, providing new evidence to support the Triassic biological exchanges between Europe and southern China. Additionally, the Middle Triassic date of the new thoracopterid supports the hypothesis that the re-establishment of marine ecosystems after end-Permian mass extinction is more rapid than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang-Hui Xu
- Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China
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Sun Y, Joachimski MM, Wignall PB, Yan C, Chen Y, Jiang H, Wang L, Lai X. Lethally Hot Temperatures During the Early Triassic Greenhouse. Science 2012; 338:366-70. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1224126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 693] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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