Annelise Folie

A complete skull of Allodaposuchus precedens Nopcsa, 1928 (Eusuchia) and a reassessment of the morphology of the taxon based on the Romanian remains

Abstract A new eusuchian skull from the Maastrichtian locality of Oarda de Jos in the southwestern Transylvanian Basin of Romania represents the best-preserved known specimen of Allodaposuchus precedens Nopcsa, 1928. This new fossil allows us to clearly characterize the skull morphology of A. precedens and to reject the idea, as recently suggested, that the taxon could be considered a nomen dubium. Parsimony analysis confirms earlier phylogenetic hypotheses based on the fragmentary holotype from the Maastrichtian of Valioara in Haţeg Basin (Romania), as well as on putative conspecific remains from approximately coeval localities in Spain and France: A. precedens is a non-crocodylian eusuchian. However, some relevant morphological traits differ from what was previously reported for this taxon: the external naris is large and anterodorsally directed; the lateral profile of the skull is not festooned in dorsal view; the suborbital fenestrae reach the eighth alveolus; the postorbital bar is not massive and inset from the jugal margin; the skull table is approximately planar or medially concave and does not markedly overhang the supratemporal fenestrae; the exoccipitals are not significantly involved in the basioccipital tubera. Because the condition of most of these characters was unknown in the holotype, the morphology of the taxon was previously evaluated on non-Romanian remains only. The morphological discrepancies between Romanian and western European fossils could suggest the presence of different taxa, possibly of infra-generic rank. Allodaposuchus and presumably Hylaeochampsa are the only eusuchians showing a laterally open cranioquadrate passage.

Early Eocene (Ypresian) continental vertebrate assemblage from India, with description of a new anthracobunid (Mammalia, Tethytheria)

K. D. ROSE, T. SMITH, R. S. RANA, A. SAHNI, H. SINGH, P. MISSIAEN, and A. FOLIE Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, kdrose@jhmi.edu; Department of Paleontology, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium, Thierry.Smith@naturalsciences.be, Annelise.Folie@naturalsciences.be; Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar 246175, Uttaranchal, India, rs_rana_hnbgu@yahoo.com; Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014, India, ashok.sahni@gmail.com; Research Unit of Paleontology, University of Ghent, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium, Pieter.Missiaen@ugent.be

A Diverse Snake Fauna from the Early Eocene of Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India

The early Eocene (Ypresian) Cambay Formation of Vastan Lignite Mine in Gujarat, western India, has produced a diverse assemblage of snakes including at least ten species that belong to the Madtsoiidae, Palaeophiidae (Palaeophis and Pterosphenus), Boidae, and several Caenophidia. Within the latter taxon, the Colubroidea are represented by Russellophis crassus sp. nov. (Russellophiidae) and by Procerophis sahnii gen. et sp. nov. Thaumastophis missiaeni gen. et sp. nov. is a caenophidian of uncertain family assignment. At least two other forms probably represent new genera and species, but they are not named; both appear to be related to the Caenophidia. The number of taxa that represent the Colubroidea or at least the Caenophidia, i.e., advanced snakes, is astonishing for the Eocene. This is consistent with the view that Asia played an important part in the early history of these taxa. The fossils come from marine and continental levels; however, no significant difference is evident between faunas from these levels. The fauna from Vastan Mine includes highly aquatic, amphibious, and terrestrial snakes. All are found in the continental levels, including the aquatic palaeophiids, whereas the marine beds yielded only two taxa. Vastan Mine is only the second locality in which the palaeophiids Palaeophis and Pterosphenus co-occur. The composition of the fauna from Vastan is on the whole similar to that of the early Eocene of Europe; however, comparisons with early Eocene faunas of other continents are not possible because they are poorly known or unknown.

First Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene basal Sparnacian facies of Europe: fauna, flora, paleoenvironment and (bio)stratigraphy.

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is correlated with the first occurrences of earliest modern mammals in the Northern Hemisphere. The latest Paleocene Clarkforkian North American Land Mammal Age, that has yielded rodents and carnivorans, is the only exception to this rule. However, until now no pre-PETM localities have yielded modern mammals in Europe or Asia. We report the first Clarkforkian equivalent Land Mammal Age in the latest Paleocene deposits of the basal Sparnacian facies at Rivecourt, in the north-central part of the Paris Basin. The new terrestrial vertebrate and macroflora assemblages are analyzed through a multidisciplinary study including sedimentologic, stratigraphic, isotopic, and palynological aspects in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironment and to evaluate biochronologic and paleogeographic implications. The mammals are moderately diverse and not abundant, contrary to turtles and champsosaurs. The macroflora is exceptional in preservation and diversity with numerous angiosperms represented by flowers, fruits, seeds and wood preserved as lignite material, revealing an abundance of Arecaceae, Betulaceae, Icacinaceae, Menispermaceae, Vitaceae and probably Cornaceae. Results indicate a Late Paleocene age based on carbon isotope data, palynology and vertebrate occurrences such as the choristoderan Champsosaurus, the arctocyonid Arctocyon, and the plesiadapid Plesiadapis tricuspidens. However, several mammal species compare better with the earliest Eocene. Among these, the particular louisinid Teilhardimys musculus, also recorded from the latest Paleocene of the Spanish Pyrenees, suggests a younger age than the typical MP6 reference level. Nevertheless, the most important aspect of the Rivecourt fauna is the presence of dental remains of a rodent and a “miacid” carnivoran, attesting to the presence of two modern mammalian orders in the latest Paleocene of Europe. Interestingly, these two groups are also the only modern groups recorded from the latest Paleocene of North America, making Rivecourt the first direct equivalent to the Clarkforkian Land Mammal Age outside of North America.

First Evidence of Reproductive Adaptation to “Island Effect” of a Dwarf Cretaceous Romanian Titanosaur, with Embryonic Integument In Ovo

Background The Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages of Romania are famous for geographically endemic dwarfed dinosaur taxa. We report the first complete egg clutches of a dwarf lithostrotian titanosaur, from Toteşti, Romania, and its reproductive adaptation to the “island effect”. Methodology/Findings The egg clutches were discovered in sequential sedimentary layers of the Maastrichtian Sânpetru Formation, Toteşti. The occurrence of 11 homogenous clutches in successive strata suggests philopatry by the same dinosaur species, which laid clutches averaging four ∼12 cm diameters eggs. The eggs and eggshells display numerous characters shared with the positively identified material from egg-bearing level 4 of the Auca Mahuevo (Patagonia, Argentina) nemegtosaurid lithostrotian nesting site. Microscopic embryonic integument with bacterial evidences was recovered in one egg. The millimeter-size embryonic integument displays micron size dermal papillae implying an early embryological stage at the time of death, likely corresponding to early organogenesis before the skeleton formation. Conclusions/Significance The shared oological characters between the Haţeg specimens and their mainland relatives suggest a highly conservative reproductive template, while the nest decrease in egg numbers per clutch may reflect an adaptive trait to a smaller body size due to the “island effect”. The combined presence of the lithostrotian egg and its embryo in the Early Cretaceous Gobi coupled with the oological similarities between the Haţeg and Auca Mahuevo oological material evidence that several titanosaur species migrated from Gondwana through the Haţeg Island before or during the Aptian/Albian. It also suggests that this island might have had episodic land bridges with the rest of the European archipelago and Asia deep into the Cretaceous.

A new scincomorph lizard from the Palaeocene of Belgium and the origin of Scincoidea in Europe

Well-preserved jaw fragments and skull bones of a new scincomorphan lizard are described from the continental Hainin Formation (Middle Palaeocene) of the Mons Basin in southwestern Belgium. This taxon, Scincoideus haininensis gen. et sp. nov., is characterised by vermiculate dermal rugosities and represents the earliest formally recognised scincoid in Europe. It differs from cordylids (girdled lizards) by lacking the parietal downgrowth and differs from scincids (skinks) by having robustly built bones and a well-developed lingual cusp on tooth crowns. By its mosaic characters, S. haininensis is considered here as being a basal scincoid lizard close to the origin of cordylids and scincids. Palaeobiogeographic analysis suggests that scincoids were present in Europe from the Palaeocene or maybe even before the Cretaceous/Palaeogene boundary and that they were replaced by modern scincoids such as true scincids and cordylids during the Eocene. The origin of the latter two families in Europe was very likely related with the immigration of the first modern mammals.

Early Eocene Frogs from Vastan Lignite Mine, Gujarat, India

The Ypresian Cambay Shale Formation of Vastan Lignite Mine in Gujarat, western India, has yielded a rich vertebrate fauna, including the earliest modern mammals of the Indian subcontinent. Here we describe its assemblage of four frogs, including two new genera and species, based on numerous, diverse and well-preserved ilia and vertebrae. An abundant frog, Eobarbourula delfinoi gen. and sp. nov., with a particular vertebral articulation similar to a zygosphene-zygantrum complex, represents the oldest record of the Bombinatoridae and might have been capable of displaying the Unken reflex. The large non-fossorial pelobatid Eopelobates, known from complete skeletons from the Eocene and Oligocene of Europe, is also identified at Vastan based on a single nearly complete ilium. An abundant “ranid” and a possible rhacophorid Indorana prasadi gen. and sp. nov. represent the earliest records of both families. The Vastan pelobatids and ranids confirm an early worldwide distribution of these families, and the bombinatorids and rhacophorids show possible origins of those clades on the Indian subcontinent.

MORPHYLL: A a database of fossil leaves and their morphological traits

Morphometric characters of fossil leaves such as size and shape are important and widely used sources for reconstructing palaeoenvironments. Various tools, including CLAMP or Leaf Margin Analysis, utilize leaf traits as input parameters for estimating palaeoclimate, mostly based on correlations between traits and climate parameters of extant plants. During the last few years, the scope of information extracted from the morphology of fossil leaves has been further expanded by including leaf economics, which describe correlations between functional leaf traits and ecological strategies. The amount and quality of available data are essential for a successful palaeoecological analysis utilizing leaf traits. Here, the database MORPHYLL is described. This database is devised to offer a web-based resource for fossil leaf trait data. For this purpose, fossil leaves from various collections were digitized and morphometric traits extracted from leaf outlines. Besides metadata such as accession number, repository, fossil site or taxonomic information (for identified specimens), MORPHYLL offers queries for several morphometric parameters and derived ecophysiological traits (e.g., leaf mass per area). Currently, the database contains data from about 6000 fossil leaves from sites in Central Europe, spanning almost the entire Paleogene and part of the early Neogene. The application potential of the database is demonstrated by conducting some exemplary analyses of leaf traits for the Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene, with the results indicating changes of mean leaf traits through time. For example, the results show leaf mass per area to peak during the Eocene, which is in accordance with general climate development during the Paleogene. Christopher Traiser. State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. traiser@smns-bw.de Anita Roth-Nebelsick. State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. Traiser, Christopher, Roth-Nebelsick, Anita, Grein, Michaela, Kovar-Eder, Johanna, Kunzmann, Lutz, Moraweck, Karolin, Lange, Jörg, Kvaček, Jiří, Neinhuis, Christoph, Folie, Annelise, De Franceschi, Dario, Kroh, Andreas, Prestianni, Cyrille, Poschmann, Markus, and Wuttke, Michael. 2018. MORPHYLL: A database of fossil leaves and their morphological traits. Palaeontologia Electronica 21.1.1T: 117 https://doi.org/10.26879/773 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2018/2114-database-of-fossil-leaves Copyright: January 2018 Palaeontology Association. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which permits users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided it is not used for commercial purposes and the original author and source are credited, with indications if any changes are made. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ TRAISER ET AL.: DATABASE OF FOSSIL LEAVES anita.rothnebelsick@smns-bw.de Michaela Grein. State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. michaela.grein@smns-bw.de; present address: Übersee-Museum Bremen, Bahnhofsplatz 13, 28195 Bremen, Germany. m.grein@uebersee-museum.de Johanna Kovar-Eder. State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. johanna.eder@smns-bw.de Lutz Kunzmann, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstr. 159, 01109 Dresden, Germany. lutz.kunzmann@senckenberg.de Karolin Moraweck. Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstr. 159, 01109 Dresden, Germany. karolin.moraweck@senckenberg.de Jörg Lange. State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany. joerg.lange@smns-bw.de Jiří Kvaček. National Museum Prague, Václavské náměsti 68, 115 79 Prague 1, Czech Republic. jiri.kvacek@nm.cz Christoph Neinhuis. Technische Universität Dresden, Institute for Botany, Zellescher Weg 20b, 01217 Dresden, Germany. christoph.neinhuis@tu-dresden.de Annelise Folie. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. afolie@naturalsciences.be Dario De Franceschi. CR2P-Sorbonne-Universités, CP38, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 Paris, France. dario.defranceschi@mnhn.fr Andreas Kroh. Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria. andreas.kroh@nhmwien.ac.at Cyrille Prestianni. Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium. cprestianni@naturalsciences.be Markus Poschmann. Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe RLP, Direktion Landesarchäologie / Erdgeschichte, Niederberger Höhe 1, 56077 Koblenz, Germany. markus.poschmann@gdke.rlp.de Michael Wuttke. Senckenberg Research Institute, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. michael.wuttke@senckenberg.de