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Voglino D, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Furrer H, Balcarcel A, Rangel-de Lazaro G, Aguirre Fernández G, Forasiepi AM. Pampean megamammals in Europe: the fossil collections from Santiago Roth. Swiss J Palaeontol 2023; 142:25. [PMID: 37790996 PMCID: PMC10542304 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00283-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023]
Abstract
Santiago Roth was a Swiss fossil finder, naturalist, and paleontologist that emigrated to Argentina in 1866. His work largely influenced the discipline in the country at the end of the twentieth century, particularly the stratigraphy of the Pampean region. Some of his collections of Pampean fossils were sold to museums and private collectors in Europe and were accompanied by elaborated catalogues. Fossils in the Roth's catalogues N° 2 and 3 are housed today in the Natural History Museum of Denmark, fossils from catalogues N° 4 to 6, were sold to Swiss museums, with Catalogue N° 5 currently housed at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich. Here, we provide a general framework on the stratigraphy from the Roth's Pampean fossil sites, summarize the history of the Pampean fossils in Europe originally collected by Roth, and provide historical and curatorial details of the Roth's collection at the Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-023-00283-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damián Voglino
- Museo de Ciencias Naturales “A. Scasso” (Observatorio del Patrimonio Arqueológico Y Paleontológico OPAP, CRePAP, Dirección Provincial de Patrimonio Cultural), Calle Don Bosco 580, 2900 San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Buenos Aires Argentina
| | | | - Heinz Furrer
- Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Balcarcel
- Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gizeh Rangel-de Lazaro
- Department of Paleontology, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Analía M. Forasiepi
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología Y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas (CONICET), CCT-Mendoza, Av. Ruiz Leal S/N° Parque Gral. San Martín, 5500 Mendoza, Argentina
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2
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Ronez C, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Hadler P, Sánchez-Villagra MR, Pardiñas UFJ. Pliocene sigmodontine rodents (Mammalia: Cricetidae) in northernmost South America: test of biogeographic hypotheses and revised evolutionary scenarios. R Soc Open Sci 2023; 10:221417. [PMID: 37538748 PMCID: PMC10394426 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
We document the first occurrence of Sigmodontinae (Mammalia, Rodentia, Cricetidae) from the Pliocene of northern South America, from the San Gregorio Formation of northwestern Venezuela. The recovered isolated molars are identified as Oligoryzomys sp. and Zygodontomys sp., two currently widespread sigmodontines in South America. These records constitute the oldest representatives of these genera, potentially new species, and the first Pliocene occurrence for Oryzomyini and the whole subfamily outside Argentina. Hypotheses on the historical biogeography of sigmodontines have been constructed almost exclusively using genetic data and the fossils we report provide a new kind of evidence. The occurrence of Oligoryzomys sp. and Zygodontomys sp. in Venezuela provides novel information for the diversification models suggested for Oligoryzomys, by supporting a potential eastern corridor of open environments from northern to southern South America. The presence of sigmodontines from the locality home of the new reports, Norte Casa Chiguaje, is consistent with the palaeoenvironmental conditions originally proposed for it based on mammals and botanical records, being characterized as mixed open grassland/forest areas surrounding permanent freshwater systems. The new sigmodontine evidence is used to discuss the putative scenarios of the ancient evolution of the subfamily in South America, favouring a model in which open areas (savannahs) to the east of the Andes played crucial role aiding or obstructing Late Miocene-Pliocene sigmodontine dispersion southwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Ronez
- Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral (IDEAus-CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto, Madryn, Argentina
| | | | - Patrícia Hadler
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, João David Ferreira Lima, s/n, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | | | - Ulyses F. J. Pardiñas
- Instituto de Diversidad y Evolución Austral (IDEAus-CONICET), Boulevard Brown 2915, 9120 Puerto, Madryn, Argentina
- Associate Researcher, Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO), Quito 170135, Ecuador
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3
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Benites-Palomino A, Velez-Juarbe J, Altamirano-Sierra A, Collareta A, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Urbina M. Sperm whales (Physeteroidea) from the Pisco Formation, Peru, and their trophic role as fat sources for late Miocene sharks. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220774. [PMID: 35765834 PMCID: PMC9240678 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Shark-cetacean trophic interactions, preserved as bite marks in the fossil record, mostly correspond to isolated or fragmentary findings that bear limited information about major trophic patterns or roles. Here, we provide evidence of focalized foraging by sharks in the form of tooth bite marks over physeteroids fossil bones from the late Miocene of Peru. These findings indicate that sharks were targeting the forehead of coeval physeteroids to actively feed on their lipid-rich nasal complexes. Miocene physeteroids displayed a broad diversity, including giant predatorial forms, small benthic foragers and suction feeders. Like their extant relatives, these animals exhibited enlarged fatty forehead organs responsible for their sound production capabilities, thus evolving taxon-specific cranial architecture. Bite marks are found on the cranial bones where these structures were attached, indicating that sharks actively targeted this region; but also, in areas that would only be accessible following the consumption of the surrounding soft tissues. The shape of the bite marks and their distribution suggests a series of consecutive scavenging events by individuals of different shark species. Similar bite patterns can be recognized on other Miocene physeteroids fossils from across the globe, suggesting that sharks actively exploited physeteroid carcasses as fat sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo Benites-Palomino
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland,Departamento de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural-Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avenida Arenales 1256, Lima 11, Peru
| | - Jorge Velez-Juarbe
- Department of Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA,Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Ali Altamirano-Sierra
- Departamento de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural-Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avenida Arenales 1256, Lima 11, Peru
| | - Alberto Collareta
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, via Santa Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mario Urbina
- Departamento de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural-Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Avenida Arenales 1256, Lima 11, Peru
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4
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Carrillo-Briceño JD, Cadena EA. A new hybodontiform shark ( Strophodus Agassiz 1838) from the Lower Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) of Colombia. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13496. [PMID: 35673391 PMCID: PMC9167585 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate marine faunas that inhabited northern South America during the Cretaceous are still poorly known. This study is a contribution to a growing wave of new studies on Lower Cretaceous vertebrates from Colombia. Here we report and describe a new species of a hybodontiform shark of the genus Strophodus, which we named Strophodus rebecae sp. nov., based on isolated teeth, that were collected in Valanginian-Hauterivian rocks of the Rosa Blanca Formation (Carrizal and El Sapo Members) near the town of Zapatoca, Santander Department, Andes of Colombia. In addition, we describe two other fragmented teeth assigned to Strophodus sp. from the Rosa Blanca Fm. The new species from Colombia represents the only Cretaceous record of Strophodus from Gondwana, offering new insights into the paleogeographic distribution of the genus, as well as increasing the knowledge about the scarce hybodontiform paleodiversity known from South America. The presence of Strophodus in the Rosa Blanca Formation suggests that these durophagous (shell-crushing) fishes played an important role as predators of the abundant and diverse invertebrate fauna present in these ancient tropical coastal ecosystems of Gondwana.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edwin-Alberto Cadena
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Grupo de Paleontología Neotropical Tradicional y Molecular (PaleoNeo), Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
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5
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Argyriou T, Alexopoulos A, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Cavin L. A fossil assemblage from the mid-late Maastrichtian of Gavdos Island, Greece, provides insights into the pre-extinction pelagic ichthyofaunas of the Tethys. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265780. [PMID: 35417474 PMCID: PMC9007369 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The global body-fossil record of marine 'fishes' from the time interval immediately preceding the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction is markedly poor. This deficiency appears to be further exacerbated with regards to offshore and deep-water taxa, obscuring our understanding of the state and composition of corresponding vertebrate faunas at the onset of this major extinction event. Recent fieldwork in the mid-late Maastrichtian exposures of the Pindos Unit in Gavdos Island, Greece, yielded a small but informative sample of fossil 'fishes', which inhabited the Tethys approximately three to four million years before the extinction. In this work we describe this sample, which comprises between eight and nine discrete morphotypes of various size classes, belonging to †Ichthyodectoidei, Aulopiformes (†Dercetidae, †Enchodontidae, †Ichthyotringidae), cf. †Sardinioididae, as well as the hexanchid shark †Gladioserratus sp. The new material expands the faunal list for the Maastrichtian of Gavdos Island, and the Pindos Unit as a whole, and further allows for the description of a new genus and species of †Enchodontidae and a new species of †Ichthyotringidae. The two new taxa are found to be widespread in the Maastrichtian of the Pindos Unit. The overall character of the assemblage agrees with previous interpretations of an offshore and rather deep depositional environment for the fossiliferous horizons. Furthermore, it exhibits a higher diversity than, and little taxonomic overlap with penecontemporaneous teleost assemblages from the Tethys, and informs on the otherwise poorly known Maastrichtian offshore and deep-water marine ichthyofaunas of the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thodoris Argyriou
- UMR 7207 (MNHN–Sorbonne Université–CNRS) Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie—Paris, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Apostolos Alexopoulos
- Faculty of Geology & Geoenvironment, Department of Dynamic, Tectonic & Applied Geology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Lionel Cavin
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, Geneva, Switzerland
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6
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Bastiaans D, Madzia D, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Sachs S. Equatorial pliosaurid from Venezuela marks the youngest South American occurrence of the clade. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15501. [PMID: 34326353 PMCID: PMC8322105 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94515-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Pliosaurids were the dominant macropredators in aquatic environments at least since the Middle Jurassic until their extinction in the early Late Cretaceous. Until very recently, the Cretaceous record of Pliosauridae has been poor and difficult to interpret from the taxonomic and phylogenetic perspective. Despite that the knowledge of Cretaceous pliosaurids improved in recent years, numerous aspects of their evolutionary history still remain only poorly known. Here, we report the first pliosaurid material from Venezuela. The taxon is most likely earliest Cenomanian in age, thus representing the youngest occurrence of Pliosauridae from South America. The Venezuelan taxon is based on a well-preserved tooth crown whose morphology and outer enamel structural elements appear to resemble especially those observable in the giant pliosaurid Sachicasaurus vitae from the Lower Cretaceous of Colombia. The new discovery extends the pliosaurid record on the continent by more than 10 million years and likely marks the southernmost Upper Cretaceous occurrence of Pliosauridae, worldwide. We also briefly discuss the affinities of the enigmatic Venezuelan elasmosaurid Alzadasaurus tropicus and highlight similarities to elasmosaurids from the Western Interior Seaway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Bastiaans
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Madzia
- grid.413454.30000 0001 1958 0162Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- grid.7400.30000 0004 1937 0650Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sven Sachs
- Abteilung Geowissenschaften, Naturkunde-Museum Bielefeld, Adenauerplatz 2, 33602 Bielefeld, Germany
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7
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Carrillo-Briceño JD, Sánchez R, Scheyer TM, Carrillo JD, Delfino M, Georgalis GL, Kerber L, Ruiz-Ramoni D, Birindelli JLO, Cadena EA, Rincón AF, Chavez-Hoffmeister M, Carlini AA, Carvalho MR, Trejos-Tamayo R, Vallejo F, Jaramillo C, Jones DS, Sánchez-Villagra MR. A Pliocene-Pleistocene continental biota from Venezuela. Swiss J Palaeontol 2021; 140:9. [PMID: 34721281 PMCID: PMC8550326 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-020-00216-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Pliocene-Pleistocene transition in the Neotropics is poorly understood despite the major climatic changes that occurred at the onset of the Quaternary. The San Gregorio Formation, the younger unit of the Urumaco Sequence, preserves a fauna that documents this critical transition. We report stingrays, freshwater bony fishes, amphibians, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, aquatic and terrestrial turtles, and mammals. A total of 49 taxa are reported from the Vergel Member (late Pliocene) and nine taxa from the Cocuiza Member (Early Pleistocene), with 28 and 18 taxa reported for the first time in the Urumaco sequence and Venezuela, respectively. Our findings include the first fossil record of the freshwater fishes Megaleporinus, Schizodon, Amblydoras, Scorpiodoras, and the pipesnake Anilius scytale, all from Pliocene strata. The late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene ages proposed here for the Vergel and Cocuiza members, respectively, are supported by their stratigraphic position, palynology, nannoplankton, and 86Sr/88Sr dating. Mammals from the Vergel Member are associated with the first major pulse of the Great American Biotic Interchange. In contrast to the dry conditions prevailing today, the San Gregorio Formation documents mixed open grassland/forest areas surrounding permanent freshwater systems, following the isolation of the northern South American basin from western Amazonia. These findings support the hypothesis that range contraction of many taxa to their current distribution in northern South America occurred rapidly during at least the last 1.5 million years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rodolfo Sánchez
- Museo Paleontológico de Urumaco, Calle Bolívar s/n, Urumaco, Estado Falcón Venezuela
| | - Torsten M. Scheyer
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Juan D. Carrillo
- CR2P, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 8 Rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22B, 41319 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Massimo Delfino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Torino, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA/ICP, c/Columnes s/n, Campus de la UAB, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona Spain
| | - Georgios L. Georgalis
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Leonardo Kerber
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia (CAPPA), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul Brazil
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Belém, PA Brazil
| | - Damián Ruiz-Ramoni
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, CONICET, UNLaR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, Entre Ríos y Mendoza s/n, 5301 Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - José L. O. Birindelli
- Departamento de Biologia Animal e Vegetal, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Brazil
| | - Edwin-Alberto Cadena
- Grupo de Investigación Paleontología Neotropical Tradicional y Molecular (PaleoNeo), Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón Panama
| | - Aldo F. Rincón
- Departamento de Física y Geociencias, Universidad del Norte, Km. 5 Vía Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Martin Chavez-Hoffmeister
- Laboratorio de Paleontología, Instituto de Ciencias de La Tierra, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
| | - Alfredo A. Carlini
- Lab. Morfología Evolutiva Desarrollo (MORPHOS), and División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, B1900FWA La Plata, Argentina
| | - Mónica R. Carvalho
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón Panama
| | - Raúl Trejos-Tamayo
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Estratigrafía (IIES), Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 #26-10, Manizales, Colombia
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Felipe Vallejo
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Estratigrafía (IIES), Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 #26-10, Manizales, Colombia
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | - Carlos Jaramillo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado, 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón Panama
- Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
- ISEM, U. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Douglas S. Jones
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
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Benites-Palomino A, Reyes-Cespedes AE, Aguirre-Fernández G, Sánchez R, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Sánchez-Villagra MR. A stem delphinidan from the Caribbean region of Venezuela. Swiss J Palaeontol 2021; 140:6. [PMID: 33746896 PMCID: PMC7929948 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-021-00217-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The dense Miocene record of cetaceans is known from localities along the coasts of all continents, mostly in the northern Atlantic or the eastern Pacific regions, but Antarctica. Fossils from the Caribbean region are few and include of a couple of findings from Panama and Venezuela. Here, we report a partly complete skull from the Caujarao Formation (middle Miocene), Falcon State, Caribbean region of Venezuela. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Caujarao specimen is a 'stem delphinidan', a group that includes several taxa of early diverging odontocetes whose phylogenetic affinities remain a matter of debate. The fossil record has shown that this group of stem delphinidans was taxonomically diverse, but displayed a somewhat homogeneous cranial patterning, with most of the variations being found within the mandible or tympanoperiotic characters. As other stem delphinidans the Caujarao odontocete displays an enlarged temporal fossa and a fairly symmetrical cranium. Because the skull is missing several key diagnostic characters due to the preservation state of the specimen, a more precise taxonomic identification is not possible. Despite this, the finding of this specimen highlights the importance of the fossil record from the Neogene of Venezuela, and the importance of the area to understand cetacean evolution in the proto-Caribbean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldo Benites-Palomino
- Paläontologisches Institut Und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Gabriel Aguirre-Fernández
- Paläontologisches Institut Und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Rodolfo Sánchez
- Museo Paleontológico de Urumaco, Urumaco, Estado Falcón Venezuela
| | - Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- Paläontologisches Institut Und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, 8006 Zürich, Switzerland
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9
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Carrillo-Briceño JD, Villafaña JA, De Gracia C, Flores-Alcívar FF, Kindlimann R, Abella J. Diversity and paleoenvironmental implications of an elasmobranch assemblage from the Oligocene-Miocene boundary of Ecuador. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9051. [PMID: 32391203 PMCID: PMC7195833 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The occurrence and diversity of elasmobranchs from the Oligocene–Miocene boundary from Tropical America is poorly known in comparison with the paleodiversity from younger Neogene intervals of the region. Here we describe a new elasmobranch assemblage from the rich fossil site of Montañita-Olón (Dos Bocas Formation, Santa Elena, Ecuador), where other vertebrates have already been described: for example, sea turtles and cetaceans. We report a total of 27 elasmobranch taxa, 19 of which are new fossil records for Ecuador, 10 new records for the Central Eastern Pacific and four new records for South America. Additionally, in order to reconstruct the environment where these marine remains were deposited, we performed abundance, paleobathymetric and habitat preference analyses, concluding that they were likely deposited in an outer neritic (open shelf) environment. The study of Oligocene and early Miocene marine elasmobranchs faunas in Tropical America is key to addressing the issues in the evolutionary history of this group.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jaime A Villafaña
- University of Vienna, Department of Paleontology, Vienna, Austria.,Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Bernardo O'Higgins, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos De Gracia
- University of Vienna, Department of Paleontology, Vienna, Austria.,Center of Tropical Paleoecology and Archaeology, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama
| | | | - René Kindlimann
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Juan Abella
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, (Parque La Carolina) Quito, Ecuador
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10
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Scheyer TM, Hutchinson JR, Strauss O, Delfino M, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Sánchez R, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Giant extinct caiman breaks constraint on the axial skeleton of extant crocodylians. eLife 2019; 8:e49972. [PMID: 31843051 PMCID: PMC6917493 DOI: 10.7554/elife.49972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The number of precaudal vertebrae in all extant crocodylians is remarkably conservative, with nine cervicals, 15 dorsals and two sacrals, a pattern present also in their closest extinct relatives. The consistent vertebral count indicates a tight control of axial patterning by Hox genes during development. Here we report on a deviation from this pattern based on an associated skeleton of the giant caimanine Purussaurus, a member of crown Crocodylia, and several other specimens from the Neogene of the northern neotropics. P. mirandai is the first crown-crocodylian to have three sacrals, two true sacral vertebrae and one non-pathological and functional dorsosacral, to articulate with the ilium (pelvis). The giant body size of this caiman relates to locomotory and postural changes. The iliosacral configuration, a more vertically oriented pectoral girdle, and low torsion of the femoral head relative to the condyles are hypothesized specializations for more upright limb orientation or weight support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Torsten M Scheyer
- University of Zurich, Palaeontological Institute and MuseumZurichSwitzerland
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure & Motion LaboratoryDepartment of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary CollegeHatfieldUnited Kingdom
| | - Olivier Strauss
- University of Zurich, Palaeontological Institute and MuseumZurichSwitzerland
| | - Massimo Delfino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di TorinoTorinoItaly
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
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11
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Cadena EA, Carrillo-Briceño JD. First Fossil of Rhinoclemmys Fitzinger, 1826 (Cryptodira, Geoemydidae) East of the Andes. South American Journal of Herpetology 2019. [DOI: 10.2994/sajh-d-17-00099.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Alberto Cadena
- Grupo de Investigación en Paleontología Neotropical Tradicional y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Matemáticas, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse, Zurich, 8006, Switzerland
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12
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Villafaña JA, Marramà G, Hernandez S, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Hovestadt D, Kindlimann R, Kriwet J. The Neogene fossil record of Aetomylaeus (Elasmobranchii, Myliobatidae) from the southeastern Pacific. J Vertebr Paleontol 2019; 39:e1577251. [PMID: 31709025 PMCID: PMC6817319 DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2019.1577251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The presence of eagle rays of the genus Aetomylaeus in the Neogene of the Temperate Pacific coast of South America (TPSA) still is ambiguous, although the fossil record of elasmobranch fishes (sharks, rays, and skates) from this area is quite good. Here, we present the first unmistakable fossil remains of Aetomylaeus from the Neogene of the TPSA. The material comprises 13 dental plates from one site in Peru and six localities in Chile ranging in age from Miocene to Pliocene and was compared with dental plates of extant species. Our study reveals that the number of tooth rows and the shape of lateral teeth in extant species are seemingly very variable and need to be established before fossil specimens can be confidently identified. Consequently, we do not assign the fossil specimens from the Neogene of the TPSA to any species but leave them as Aetomylaeus. Moreover, we recognized that only the shape of medial teeth provides reliable diagnostic characters in our material, whereas the shape and number of lateral teeth are highly variable, similar to the condition seen in extant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime A Villafaña
- University of Vienna, Department of Paleontology, Althanstraße 14, Geocenter, 1090 Vienna, Austria, ;
| | - Giuseppe Marramà
- University of Vienna, Department of Paleontology, Althanstraße 14, Geocenter, 1090 Vienna, Austria, ;
| | - Sebastian Hernandez
- Biomolecular Laboratory, Center for International Programs, Universidad Veritas, 10105 San José, Costa Rica,
- Sala de Colecciones Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad Católica del Norte, 1780000 Coquimbo, Chile
| | - Jorge D Carrillo-Briceño
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland,
| | | | | | - Jürgen Kriwet
- University of Vienna, Department of Paleontology, Althanstraße 14, Geocenter, 1090 Vienna, Austria, ;
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13
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Albino AM, Rothschild B, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Neenan JM. Spondyloarthropathy in vertebrae of the aquatic Cretaceous snake Lunaophis aquaticus, and its first recognition in modern snakes. Naturwissenschaften 2018; 105:51. [PMID: 30291451 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-018-1576-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Inflammatory arthritis is documented for the first time in snakes. Ossification of the intervertebral capsule and zygapophyseal joints resulting in segmental vertebral fusion was observed in the aquatic Cretaceous snake Lunaophis aquaticus. Such pathologic alterations are pathognomonic for the spondyloarthropathy form of inflammatory arthritis. A survey of 2144 snakes in recent collections, performed to identify Holocene prevalence, revealed only two occurrences in extant snakes. The findings in Bitis gabonica and Elaphe taeniura were indistinguishable from those noted in Lunaophis aquaticus and identical to those previously recognized in modern varanids. The pathology likely represents a form of reactive arthritis related to enteropathic infection. While the disease probably did not affect general locomotion, its vertebral column position may have compromised mating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana María Albino
- CONICET, Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250, B7602AYJ, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
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14
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Aguilera O, Luz Z, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Kocsis L, Vennemann TW, de Toledo PM, Nogueira A, Amorim KB, Moraes-Santos H, Polck MR, Ruivo MDL, Linhares AP, Monteiro-Neto C. Neogene sharks and rays from the Brazilian 'Blue Amazon'. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0182740. [PMID: 28832664 PMCID: PMC5568136 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The lower Miocene Pirabas Formation in the North of Brazil was deposited under influence of the proto-Amazon River and is characterized by large changes in the ecological niches from the early Miocene onwards. To evaluate these ecological changes, the elasmobranch fauna of the fully marine, carbonate-rich beds was investigated. A diverse fauna with 24 taxa of sharks and rays was identified with the dominant groups being carcharhiniforms and myliobatiforms. This faunal composition is similar to other early Miocene assemblages from the proto-Carribbean bioprovince. However, the Pirabas Formation has unique features compared to the other localities; being the only Neogene fossil fish assemblage described from the Atlantic coast of Tropical Americas. Phosphate oxygen isotope composition of elasmobranch teeth served as proxies for paleotemperatures and paleoecology. The data are compatible with a predominantly tropical marine setting with recognized inshore and offshore habitats with some probable depth preferences (e.g., Aetomylaeus groups). Paleohabitat of taxa particularly found in the Neogene of the Americas (†Carcharhinus ackermannii, †Aetomylaeus cubensis) are estimated to have been principally coastal and shallow waters. Larger variation among the few analyzed modern selachians reflects a larger range for the isotopic composition of recent seawater compared to the early Miocene. This probably links to an increased influence of the Amazon River in the coastal regions during the Holocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orangel Aguilera
- Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Zoneibe Luz
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
- * E-mail:
| | | | - László Kocsis
- Faculty of Science, Geology Group, University of Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Torsten W. Vennemann
- Institut des Dynamiques de la Surface Terrestre, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Peter Mann de Toledo
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Afonso Nogueira
- Instituto de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Kamilla Borges Amorim
- Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - Heloísa Moraes-Santos
- Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Marcia Reis Polck
- Departamento Nacional de Produção Mineral, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Maria de Lourdes Ruivo
- Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Ana Paula Linhares
- Coordenação de Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brasil
| | - Cassiano Monteiro-Neto
- Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
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Jaramillo C, Romero I, D’Apolito C, Bayona G, Duarte E, Louwye S, Escobar J, Luque J, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Zapata V, Mora A, Schouten S, Zavada M, Harrington G, Ortiz J, Wesselingh FP. Miocene flooding events of western Amazonia. Sci Adv 2017; 3:e1601693. [PMID: 28508052 PMCID: PMC5415333 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1601693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
There is a considerable controversy about whether western Amazonia was ever covered by marine waters during the Miocene [23 to 5 Ma (million years ago)]. We investigated the possible occurrence of Miocene marine incursions in the Llanos and Amazonas/Solimões basins, using sedimentological and palynological data from two sediment cores taken in eastern Colombia and northwestern Brazil together with seismic information. We observed two distinct marine intervals in the Llanos Basin, an early Miocene that lasted ~0.9 My (million years) (18.1 to 17.2 Ma) and a middle Miocene that lasted ~3.7 My (16.1 to 12.4 Ma). These two marine intervals are also seen in Amazonas/Solimões Basin (northwestern Amazonia) but were much shorter in duration, ~0.2 My (18.0 to 17.8 Ma) and ~0.4 My (14.1 to 13.7 Ma), respectively. Our results indicate that shallow marine waters covered the region at least twice during the Miocene, but the events were short-lived, rather than a continuous full-marine occupancy of Amazonian landscape over millions of years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Jaramillo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
- Corresponding author.
| | - Ingrid Romero
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
- Corporación Geológica Ares, Calle 44A No. 53-96, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Carlos D’Apolito
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
- Corporación Geológica Ares, Calle 44A No. 53-96, Bogotá, Colombia
- University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K
| | - German Bayona
- Corporación Geológica Ares, Calle 44A No. 53-96, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Edward Duarte
- Corporación Geológica Ares, Calle 44A No. 53-96, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Stephen Louwye
- Department of Geology, University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Javier Luque
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Jorge D. Carrillo-Briceño
- Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Karl-Schmid-Strasse 4, Zürich 8006, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Stefan Schouten
- Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB, Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands
| | - Michael Zavada
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin, Odessa, TX 79762, USA
| | | | - John Ortiz
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
| | - Frank P. Wesselingh
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, Darwinweg 2, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
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Carrillo-Briceño JD, Cadena EA, Dececchi AT, Larson HCE, Du TY. First record of a hybodont shark (Chondrichthyes: Hybodontiformes) from the Lower Cretaceous of Colombia. Neotropical Biodiversity 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2016.1191749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Edwin A. Cadena
- School of Geological Sciencies and Engineering, Yachay Tech University, San Miguel de Urcuqui, Ecuador
| | - Alex T. Dececchi
- Biology Department, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
| | | | - Trina Y. Du
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
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17
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Albino A, Carrillo-Briceño JD, Neenan JM. An enigmatic aquatic snake from the Cenomanian of Northern South America. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2027. [PMID: 27257536 PMCID: PMC4888305 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the first record of a snake from the Cretaceous of northern South America. The remains come from the La Luna Formation (La Aguada Member, Cenomanian of Venezuela) and consist of several vertebrae, which belong to the precloacal region of the vertebral column. Comparisons to extant and extinct snakes show that the remains represent a new taxon, Lunaophis aquaticus gen. et sp nov. An aquatic mode of life is supported by the ventral position of the ribs, indicating a laterally compressed body. The systematic relationships of this new taxon are difficult to determine due to the scarcity of fossil material; it is, however, a representative of an early lineage of snakes that exploited tropical marine pelagic environments, as reflected by the depositional conditions of the La Aguada Member. Lunaophis is also the first aquatic snake from the Cenomanian found outside of the African and European Tethyan and Boreal Zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Albino
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata-CONICET , Mar del Plata , Argentina
| | | | - James M Neenan
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Carrillo-Briceño JD, Maxwell E, Aguilera OA, Sánchez R, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Sawfishes and Other Elasmobranch Assemblages from the Mio-Pliocene of the South Caribbean (Urumaco Sequence, Northwestern Venezuela). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139230. [PMID: 26488163 PMCID: PMC4619466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Urumaco stratigraphic sequence, western Venezuela, preserves a variety of paleoenvironments that include terrestrial, riverine, lacustrine and marine facies. A wide range of fossil vertebrates associated with these facies supports the hypothesis of an estuary in that geographic area connected with a hydrographic system that flowed from western Amazonia up to the Proto-Caribbean Sea during the Miocene. Here the elasmobranch assemblages of the middle Miocene to middle Pliocene section of the Urumaco sequence (Socorro, Urumaco and Codore formations) are described. Based on new findings, we document at least 21 taxa of the Lamniformes, Carcharhiniformes, Myliobatiformes and Rajiformes, and describe a new carcharhiniform species (†Carcharhinus caquetius sp. nov.). Moreover, the Urumaco Formation has a high number of well-preserved fossil Pristis rostra, for which we provide a detailed taxonomic revision, and referral in the context of the global Miocene record of Pristis as well as extant species. Using the habitat preference of the living representatives, we hypothesize that the fossil chondrichthyan assemblages from the Urumaco sequence are evidence for marine shallow waters and estuarine habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin Maxwell
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Orangel A. Aguilera
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, Instituto de Biologia, Campus do Valonguinho, Outeiro São João Batista, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Rodolfo Sánchez
- Museo Paleontológico de Urumaco, Urumaco, estado Falcón, Venezuela
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