Triassic vertebrates

To cite this article: Dalla Vecchia F.M. (2020)-Raibliania calligarisi gen. n., sp. n., a new tanystropheid (Diapsida, Tanystropheidae) from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of northeastern Italy. Riv. It. Paleontol. Strat., 126(1): 197-222. Abstract. Tetrapod remains are extremely rare in the early Carnian (Late Triassic) Calcare del Predil Formation on the Italian side of the Julian Alps (Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region), which yielded the Raibl fossil assemblage including the famous "Raibl ichthyofauna". A new tanystropheid archosauromorph, Raibliania calligarisi, is here named based on a partial skeleton found in this formation along the Prasnig Brook. The new taxon is similar to Tanystropheus, sharing with it the very elongated cervical vertebrae, but is characterized by the presence of relatively large button-like teeth; apex of the neural spines not transversely thickened; articular facets on the upper corners of the neural spines of the dorsal vertebrae; short and distally pointed pleurapophyses of the second and last 'lumbar' vertebra; ilium with a long preacetabular process bearing a robust and transversely thick tuberosity and a medial ridge bordering the entire ventral part of the iliac blade; and pubis with a cranial process. Tanystropheids lived in the present day Alps and Prealps of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region from the late Anisian to the mid-late Norian and were an important component of the coastal reptile faunas, although they were less common than eusauropterygians and placodonts during the early Carnian. Tanystropheids with extremely elongated cervical vertebrae are reported in this area from the upper Anisian to the lower Carnian.

The Chinle Formation of Arizona is a highly fossiliferous terrestrial unit from the Late Triassic Period. Fossil vertebrate collections from the Chinle Formation date back to the late 1890s and document a diverse fauna that is correlative with other Late Triassic faunas worldwide. No fewer than 18 holotype specimens including metoposaurids, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, crocodylomorphs, dinosauromorphs, and other archosaurs have been described from Chinle exposures in Arizona. A faunal overview of the most important localities and a review of the vertebrates is provided.

2013.53 These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me ([email protected]). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

For 130 years dinosaurs have been divided into two distinct clades – Ornithischia and Saurischia.

This dissertation looks at the earliest evolution of the clade Dinosauria by focusing upon the interrelationships of the major subsidiary clades within it. It does this following examination, comparison and description of early dinosaur material, and by utilising modern phylogenetic analysis techniques, to rigorously and objectively test the fundamental groupings within the clade Dinosauria using a newly compiled dataset of early dinosaurs and other dinosauromorphs (= close dinosaur relatives). The current consensus on how the principal clades within Dinosauria (Theropoda, Sauropodomorpha and Ornithischia) are related to one another is challenged by the results of these analyses. This study finds, for the first time, a sister-group relationship between Ornithischia and Theropoda, here termed Ornithoscelida. Consequently, a new definition for Dinosauria is presented, as the historic definition would exclude all members of Sauropodomorpha from the clade. As well as this, I propose revisions to the definitions of each of the principal dinosaurian sub-divisions and propose a new timeframe and geographic setting for the origin of Dinosauria. These new hypotheses force re-evaluations of early dinosaur cladogenesis and character evolution, suggest the independent acquisition of hypercarnivory in multiple dinosaur groups and offers an explanation for many of the anatomical features previously regarded as striking convergences between theropods and early ornithischians.

As well as presenting new anatomical data on many early dinosaurs and dinosauromorphs, including a comprehensive re-description of the postcranial anatomy of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus (Chapter 2), and a new anatomical dataset of early dinosaurs (the largest ever compiled), this thesis goes on to implement the new dataset to investigate a number of important outstanding questions about early dinosaur evolution and provides new lines of enquiry for future workers to pursue. The results of this thesis reveal the oldest known members of the dinosaurian clades Theropoda and Sauropodomorpha (Chapter 6), as well as a new clade within Ornithischia; a taxon previously thought to represent a derived theropod has been recovered as a potential ‘missing link’ between theropods and ornithischians using the new dataset.
This work now provides a unique tool for the assessment of the phylogenetic affinities of early dinosaurs and dinosauromorphs and, once published, will hopefully become the benchmark dataset for palaeontologists working in this area.

The actual abstract (summary) is 2 printed pages.

This monograph is based on my PhD dissertation and describes microvertebrate faunas from seven localities in the lower Chinle Group of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. This includes Trilophosaurus quarry 1 (Colorado City Formation, TX), the lower and upper Kalgary localities (Tecovas Formation, TX), the Ojo Huelos locality (Ojo Huelos, NM), L-2739 (Sixmile Canyon, NM), Krzyzanowski bonebed (St. Johns, AZ), and Dying Grounds (Petrified Forest, Arizona). There's a few new taxa here---Diplolonchidion murryi, Palaeollanosaurus fraseri, Planocephalosaurus lucasi, Crosbysaurus harrisae, and Protecovasaurus lucasi. They are a shark, two sphenodontians, and two archosauriforms that may or may not be convergent with early ornithischians or pterosaurs (subperpendicular, offset denticles). I particularly like Crosbysaurus because it has compound denticles and would appear to represent an intermediate stage between fine denticles (serrations) and coarse denticles typical of both Revueltosaurus and many ornithischian dinosaurs.

2013.52 These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me ([email protected]). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

The Permian and Triassic were key time intervals in the history of life on Earth. Both periods are marked by a series of biotic crises including the most catastrophic of such events, the end-Permian mass extinction, which eventually led to a major turnover from typical Palaeozoic faunas and floras to those that are emblematic for the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Here we review patterns in Permian-Triassic bony fishes, a group whose evolutionary dynamics are understudied. Based on data from primary literature, we analyse changes in their taxonomic diversity and body size (as a proxy for trophic position) and explore their response to Permian-Triassic events. Diversity and body size are investigated separately for different groups of Osteichthyes (Dipnoi, Actinistia, 'Palaeopterygii', 'Subholostei', Holostei, Teleosteomorpha), within the marine and freshwater realms and on a global scale (total diversity) as well as across palaeolatitudinal belts. Diversity is also measured ...

Mass extinction events near the Palaeozoic/Mesozoic boundary had a major impact on life on Earth. Here we present an updated analysis of the diversity dynamics and size changes of Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes during the Permian/Triassic. We show that chondrichthyan genus diversity declined during the Middle–Late Permian. Many Palaeozoic groups (e.g. Petalodontiformes) were largely replaced by hybodonts and modern sharks (Neoselachii). A significant overall decrease in tooth size and body length observed across the Permian/Triassic boundary suggests a selective loss of large-sized chondrichthyans. The largest extinction occurred amongst marine groups, with benthic and pelagic groups suffering most, but selectivity for these palaeoecological traits is not evident. Osteichthyes show a general pattern of low diversity during the Permian to higher levels in the Triassic, leading to increased diversity among the modern ray-finned fishes (Neopterygii). Palaeopterygii experienced a significant increase in body size across the Middle/Late Permian boundary and remain among the larger fishes during the Triassic. Neopterygians mostly remained smaller and, thus, mostly occupied lower positions within aquatic food webs. Our data indicates an important evolutionary turnover among fishes, changing from chondrichthyan-dominated communities of the Carboniferous–Permian to osteichthyan (actinopterygian)-dominated associations of the Meso- and Cenozoic.

The Lower Triassic Red Peak Formation of the Chugwater Group has long been considered to have an extremely poor paleontological record, although the cause for the apparent dearth of fossils has yet to be been determined. During the course of fieldwork in central Wyoming numerous vertebrate and invertebrate ichnogenera (n $ 11) were observed. Vertebrate tracks and trackways representative of dinosauromorph, archosaur, lepidosaur, and testudinate trackmakers were found (cf. Rotodactylus, Chirotherium barthii, Rhynchosauroides, and cf. Chelonipus respectively). An invertebrate ichnoassemblage composed of at least 6 ichnogenera consistent with the Scoyenia ichnofacies were also found (e.g., Diplichnites, Lockeia, Fuersichnus communis, Palaeophycus striatus, cf. Scoyenia, and cf. Scolicia). The majority of these tracks and traces were found in the upper platy facies (upper 10-20 m of the of the Red Peak Formation), which is thought to be no younger than upper Spathian in age. Sedimentary structures, architectural elements, and lateral stratigraphic relationships support the interpretation of floodplain, fluvial, and lacustrine deposition for the upper platy facies in central Wyoming. The Red Peak Formation vertebrate and invertebrate ichnoassemblages, along with their associated depositional environments, are consistent with a fluviolacustrine (continental) setting comparable to those described from Lower to Middle Triassic strata with a Pangean distribution, including the Moenkopi Formation in the southwestern United States. This ichnoassemblage provides the first opportunity to observe paleoecological diversity and associated paleoenvironments within the Lower Triassic of the Chugwater Group.

Els vertebrats del Triàsic a Catalunya es concentren en pocs jaciments, principalment dels sectors del Montseny i de Montral-Alcover (Tarragona). Al massís del Montseny els afloraments tenen una edat de Triàsic mitjà. En fàcies Buntsandstein i Muschelkalk s’han recuperat restes de peixos, amfibis i rèptils. A l’area del Pla de la Calma i zones limítrofes els jaciments adquireixen un valor més alt: se n’han documentat abundants  petjades (icnites) de tetràpodes, restes fòssils de flora i invertebrats i una important localitat que ha aportat centenars de restes assignades, majoritàriament a un amfibi de tipus capitosàurid, a més d’altres amfibis i rèptils. Des de l’any 2008, s’han reprès les actuacions paleontològiques al Montseny (amb noves excavacions i prospeccions) en el marc d’un projecte d’investigació dels vertebrats del Triàsic de Catalunya.

2013.51 These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me ([email protected]). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

2013.55 These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me ([email protected]). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

2013.50 These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me ([email protected]). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

Two new partial skeletons from the Petrified Forest Member (Chinle Formation) of Petrified Forest National Park are referable to <i>Vancleavea campi</i> Long and Murry 1995. Although lacking good skull material, the new specimens possess postcranial elements that are either absent or poorly preserved in the holotype specimen. A phylogenetic analysis tentatively suggests that <i>Vancleavea campi</i> represents a basal archosauriform more derived than <i>Erythrosuchus, Proterosuchus</i>, and possibly <i>Euparkeria</i>. Comparisons with undescribed material from the Chinle Formation near St. Johns, Arizona, and Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, are needed to confirm this placement and also to determine the taxonomic validity of the genus <i>Vancleavea</i>.

Precise field relocation and documentation of fossil localities in Petrified Forest National Park allows for better resolution of the stratigraphic ranges of taxa thought to have biochronological significance. Palynomorph data suggests that the Sonsela Member of the Chinle Formation is Latest Carnian-Early Norian in age and that the boundary between the Carnian and Norian Stages lies in the lower-middle portion of the member. There is no evidence for a significant unconformity at this boundary and whereas the Sonsela Member fauna appears to be transitional, there appears to be an abrupt change in the flora in this section.

The Rhaetian marine transgression, which occurred across Europe in the latest Triassic, 205.5 Ma, famously deposited one or more bone beds. Attention has generally focused on the basal bone bed alone,
but here we explore this bed, and a stratigraphically higher bone bed at the top of the Westbury Formation, and compare the faunas. The Rhaetian at Hampstead Farm Quarry, Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, UK, has produced more than 26,000 identifiable microvertebrate remains, including teeth and scales of chondrichthyan and osteichthyan fishes, as well as vertebrae of sharks, bony fishes,
ichthyosaurs, and plesiosaurs. The higher bone bed (‘bed 9’) contains more small specimens than the basal bone bed, and they are also less abraded, suggesting less transport. Both bone beds yield largely
the same taxa, but Rhomphaiodon minor and rare Vallisia coppi and Sargodon tomicus are found only in the basal bone bed. Duffinselache is reported only from units above the basal bone bed, but low in the
Westbury Formation, and durophagous teeth only from two horizons. Four out of nine chondrichthyan species are common to both bone beds, whereas Rhomphaiodon minor and Ceratodus are absent, and
hybodonts in general are rarer, in bed 9. Bed 9 is the richer source of marine reptile remains, including ichthyosaur teeth, jaw fragments, vertebrae, rare plesiosaur teeth and vertebrae, and a few Pachystropheus vertebrae and limb bones. Whereas the basal bone bed represents considerable transport and possible storm bed deposition associated with the onset of the Rhaetian Transgression, bed 9 was deposited under a lower energy regime.

The temnospondyl Wantzosaurus elongatus Lehman, 1961, from the Lower Triassic of Madagascar, is redescribed on the basis of a new specimen, which is the most complete trematosaur ever found. Detailed osteological observations and comparisons provide new data on the anatomy, ontogeny, palaeobiology and palaeoecology of this peculiar marine`amphibian'. The morphology of this aquatically readapted taxon is compared to that of marinè reptiles': Wantzosaurus might have been able to swim by undulation. A phylogenetic analysis of the trematosaurs is performed for the ®rst time and suggests that Wantzosaurus is a derived taxon within the clade Trematosauridae. The family is de®ned on the basis of derived character states and is shown to be monophyletic.

The Aetosauria are a monophyletic group of quadrupedal, armored, primarily herbivorous reptiles ranging from 1 to 6 m in body length that are known from Upper Triassic strata in North and South America, Greenland, Europe, Africa, and India. To date, 17 genera and 20 species of aetosaurs have been named, and several new forms are current- ly under study. Of these, we recognize ten valid genera: Aetosaurus, Coahomasuchus, Des- matosuchus, Longosuchus, Neoaetosauroides, Paratypothorax, Redondasuchus, Stago- nolepis, Typotharax, and one other unpublished genus. Most of these genera are monospe- cific, with the exception of Aetosaurus (A. ferratus, A. crassicauda, A. arcuatusi and, pos- sibly, Stagonolepis (S. robertsoni, S. wellesii. Most footprints assigned to the ichnogenus Brachychirotherium are probably of aetosaurs.
A phylogenetic analysis using 60 characters and utilizing the rauisuchians as an out- group produces the following phylogenetic hypothesis: Aetosaurus is the sistergroup to all other aetosaurs, which are divided into two clades a more primitive clade consisting of Stagonolepis + one of the unnamed new taxa, and a more advanced clade consisting of tNeoaetosauroides+«Desmatosuchus+(Typothorax+Redondasuchusi +tLongosuchus + Paratypothoraxiii. We refer Aetosaurus to the Aetosaurinae, n. subfam., the more prim- itive clade to the Stagonolepininae and the more advanced clade to the Desmatosuchinae, both preexisting names. Of the other genera, Stegomus is a junior subjective synonym of Aetosaurus: Aetosauroides, Argentinosuchus, Calyptosuchus, and, Ebrachosaurus (in part) are junior subjective synonyms of Stagonolepis; Lucasuchus is a junior subjective syno- nym of Longosuchus;Acaenasuchusis based on juvenile specimens of Desmatosuchusand thus is a junior subjective synonym of that taxon; Fukangolepis is based on fragmentary dicynodont skull material and thus is not an aetosaur; and Chilenosuchus from the El Bordo Formation in Chile is neither from Triassic rocks nor is it an aetosaur. The holotype of Acompsosaurus wingatensis is lost, and probably represents an individual of Stagonolepis. The German Schilfsandstein reptile Dyoplax is a sphenosuchian, not an aetosaur.
Based on the stratigraphic succession of aetosaurs in the upper Carnian-Rhaetian Chinle Group of the western U.S.A., we identify seven aetosaur biochrons: (1) Longosu- chus biochron of early to late Carnian (late Julian to Tuvalian) age; (2) Desmatosuchus biochron that straddles the Carnian-Norian boundary; (3) Stagonolepis biochron of latest Tuvalian age; (4) Paratypothorax biochron straddling the Carnian-Norian boundary; (5) Typothoraxbiochron of Norian age; (6) Aetosaurus biochron of Norian-Rhaetian age; and (7) Redondasuchus biochron of Rhaetian age. Many of these biochrons correlate strata across much of Pangea. Additionally, a marine occurrence of Aetosaurus from the Calcare di Zorzino in Italy (middle-late Norian =younger portion of the Himavatites columbianus Zone) directly correlates the Aetosaurus biochron, including strata in the U.S.A., Green- land, and Germany, to the global marine timescale. An eighth biochron, the Neoaetosau- roides biochron of late Norian-Rhaetian age, can only be identified in the Los Colorados Formation in Argentina. .
Aetosaur genera were relatively cosmopolitan during the late Carnian, as evidenced by intercontinental correlations based on Longosuchus (from the U.S.A., Morocco, and possiblyIndia)andStagonolepis (fromScotland,theU.S.A.,Argentina,andBrazil).How- ever, with the exception of Aetosaurus, aetosaurs became increasingly provincial in the Norian-Rhaetian, as evidenced by endemic taxa such as Typothorax (North American No- rian),Neoaetosauroides (SouthAmericanlate Norian-Rhaetian), and Redondasuchus (North American Rhaetian). Aetosaurus is known from Germany, Italy, Greenland, the United Kingdom, and both the eastern and western United States.

The Late Triassic (Carnian) upper Santa Maria Formation of south Brazil has yielded some of the oldest unequivocal records of dinosaurs. Here, we describe a new saurischian dinosaur from this formation, Nhandumirim waldsangae, gen. et sp. nov., based on a semiarticulated skeleton, including trunk, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, one chevron, right ilium, femur, partial tibia, fibula, and metatarsals II and IV, as well as ungual and non-ungual phalanges. The new taxon differs from all other Carnian dinosauromorphs through a unique combination of characters, some of which are autapomorphic: caudal centra with sharp longitudinal ventral keels; brevis fossa extending for less than three-quarters of the ventral surface of the postacetabular ala of the ilium; dorsolateral trochanter ending well distal to the level of the femoral head; distal part of the tibia with a mediolaterally extending tuberosity on its cranial surface and a tabular caudolateral flange; conspicuous, craniomedially oriented semicircular articular facet on the distal fibula; and a straight metatarsal IV. This clearly distinguishes Nhandumirim waldsangae from both Saturnalia tupiniquim and Staurikosaurus pricei, which were collected nearby and at a similar stratigraphic level. Despite not being fully grown, the differences between Nhandumirim waldsangae and those saurischians cannot be attributed to ontogeny. The phylogenetic position of Nhandumirim waldsangae suggests that it represents one of the earliest members of Theropoda. Nhandumirim waldsangae shows that some typical theropod characters were already present early in dinosaur evolution, and it represents possibly the oldest record of the group known in Brazil.

Elongated skin projections of the reptile Longisquama insignis from the Triassic of Kyrgyzstan are preserved as imprints on the only skeletal specimen and on seven additional pairs of fossil slabs and counter-slabs from the same locality and horizon. The integumentary structures became a matter of debate when they were assessed as “non-avian feathers” homologous to avian feathers. Conflicting interpretations of their morphology and relationship to other appendage types arose from the ambiguity of the fossil skin impressions. On the basis of comparative description of the individual morphology of all yet known Longisquama specimens we address aspects of taphonomy, development, and function and define to what extent Longisquama’s appendages share characteristics of avian vaned feathers. We explain the existing feather similarity by their development from a filamentous primordium and a complex sequence of individual processes, some of which are reminiscent of processes observed in feather development. Such an interpretation is in agreement with a set of homologous mechanisms of appendage morphogenesis in an archosauromorph clade including Longisquama and feather-bearing archosaurs but does not necessarily require that the appendages of Longisquama themselves are feathers or high-level feather homologues.

Until 1960, the record of dinosaurs was rather poor in Switzerland. Between 1960 and 1980, several new localities with plateosaurid remains as well as prosauropod and theropod tracks were found in Late Triassic sabkha and floodplain environments.
The discovery of large surfaces with sauropod tracks in the Late Jurassic of the Jura Mountains in 1987 triggered a stream
of new data. More than 20 new localities with tracks from both sauropod and theropod dinosaurs in different stratigraphic levels
have been found since then. The latest discoveries include trackways of iguanodontids from the Early Cretaceous of the central Swiss Alps and a large Late Jurassic surface with trackways of small sauropods in the northernmost part of the Jura Mountains. The best skeletal record comes from the Late Triassic, with scattered data from the Late Jurassic. The track and trackway record appears to be best in the Late Jurassic.

Abstract—The Triassic vertebrate paleontological record of New Mexico includes important assemblages of tetrapod fossils from both the Middle Triassic Moenkopi Formation and the Upper Triassic Chinle Group. The Anton Chico Member of the Moenkopi Formation preserves primarily temnospondyl amphibian body fossils, but the record of reptiles comprises both sparse body fossil assemblages and more abundant track assemblages, mostly of chirotheriid reptiles. A bonebed accumulation of temnospondyls assigned to Eocyclotosaurus appetolatus is particularly notable. The Upper Triassic Chinle Group in New Mexico preserves an array of vertebrate faunal assemblages that represent the entirety of Chinle “time,” and includes numerous bonebeds of Revueltian age as well as the best records of Apachean vertebrates in the American West. These include the characteristic assemblages of the Revueltian and Apachean land-vertebrate faunachrons.

Course name: Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Spain - an Introduction

Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus, Faculty: Science and Engineering
Semester:  Spring 2005.

Course description: This course gives an introduction into the Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Spain. Basic principles and methods of Paleontology and Paleoanthropology will be outlined. Especially presented will be the origins of life and human beings, evolution, and extinctions. The paleontological part will concentrate on some interesting Spanish case studies (reefs of the Devonian period, swamp forests of the Carboniferous period, shallow sea of the Jurassic period, dinosaurs from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, and mammals and insects of the Tertiary period). In the center of the paleoanthropological part will be the famous findings of Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis in the caves of Atapuerca and their importance for our knowledge about Human evolution.

Course Calendar:
Monday, Jan. 17: 1. Introduction – What are Fossils?
Wednesday, Jan. 19: 2. The Geologic Time Scale
Monday, Jan. 24, & Wednesday, Jan. 26: 3. Evolution and Taxonomy – Biology and Paleontology in Dialogue (I)
Thursday, Jan. 27: End of DROP/ADD period
Monday, Jan. 31, & Wednesday, Feb. 2: 3. Evolution and Taxonomy – Biology and Paleontology in Dialogue (II) & 4. Biogeography and Mass Extinctions (I)
Monday, Feb. 7: 4. Biogeography and Mass Extinctions (II)
Wednesday, Feb. 9: 5. From the Origins of Life to the Silurian
Monday, Feb. 14: Review & Preparation of first mid-term exam
Monday, Feb. 14: Deadline for the submission of the title of the paper
Wednesday, Feb. 16: First mid-term exam.
Monday, Feb. 21: 6. Reefs of the Devonian Period
Wednesday, Feb. 23: 7. Swamp Forests of the Carboniferous Period (I)
Monday, Feb. 28: 7. Swamp Forests of the Carboniferous Period (II) & 8. Reptiles of the Triassic Period
Wednesday, Mar. 2: 9. Life of the Shallow Sea of the Jurassic Period (I)
Saturday, Mar. 5, to Sunday, Mar. 13: SPRING BREAK
Monday, Mar. 14: 9. Life of the Shallow Sea of the Jurassic Period (II)
Wednesday, Mar. 16: 10. Dinosaurs and Other Reptiles of the Cretaceous Period (I)
Monday, Mar. 21: 10. Dinosaurs and Other Reptiles of the Cretaceous Period (II)
Wednesday, Mar. 23: 11. Fossils of the Tertiary Period
Thursday, Mar. 24, to Sunday, Mar. 27: Easter
Monday, Mar. 28: Review & Preparation of second mid-term exam
Wednesday, Mar. 30: Second mid-term exam
Monday, Apr. 4: Deadline for the submission of papers and PowerPoint presentations
Monday, Apr. 4, & Wednesday, Apr. 6: 12. Outline of Human evolution.
Friday, Apr. 8: Last day to drop a class and receive a grade of "W"
Monday, Apr. 11, & Wednesday, Apr. 13: 13. The Earliest Man in Spain – the Homo from Orce. & 14. Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis from the Caves of Atapuerca (Prov. Burgos) (I)
Saturday, Apr. 16: Field trip to Guadalajara
Monday, Apr. 18: 14. Homo antecessor and Homo heidelbergensis from the Caves of Atapuerca (Prov. Burgos) (II)
Wednesday, Apr. 20: 15. The Humans after Homo heidelbergensis in Spain.
Monday, Apr. 25, & Wednesday, Apr. 27: Presentation of papers

Manor Farm Quarry shows a detailed record of the entire Rhaetian section typical of southwest England.
It has yielded a standard Rhaetian marine fauna, including eight species of sharks, four species of
actinopterygian fishes, and the reptiles Pachystropheus and Ichthyosaurus, all of which are widely known
from coeval sites. An unusual feature is the occurrence of an unidentified coelacanth, represented by nine
isolated quadrates showing a broad range of sizes. The site has also provided information on the
occurrence of vertebrates through five distinctive bone-bearing horizons, including the famous basal
Westbury Formation bone bed, as well as a second horizon with bones at the top of the Westbury
Formation, and three within the overlying Cotham Member of the Lilstock Formation. These show
substantial differences, especially between the basal bone bed and the four overlying bone-rich units.
The basal Westbury Formation bone bed is dominated by shark remains (73%, compared to 23–30% in the
four overlying units), most notably, teeth of Rhomphaiodon minor and Lissodus minimus, which are absent
or rare in higher beds. Further, teeth of the bony fishes Gyrolepis albertii and Severnichthys acuminatus are
rare in the basal bone bed, but abundant at the top of the Westbury Formation and through the Cotham
Member, and the sharks Duffinselache holwellensis and Pseudocetorhinus pickfordi, absent in the basal
bone bed, are relatively abundant in the four overlying bone-bearing units. These differences in faunal
lists and in relative proportions probably do not reflect sampling, but some major differences in ecology
and evolution.

A jaw fragment of a giant temnospondyl from the Upper Triassic or Lower Jurassic of Lesotho (southern Africa), initially regarded as a Triassic mastodonsaurid because of its size, is redescribed in detail and considered to be a member of the Brachyopoidea (Brachyopidae + Chigutisauridae sensu Warren and Marsicano [2000]) based on its dental morphology, presence of a well-developed ectopterygoid tusk, and the concavity of the ventral margin of the skull in lateral view. Recognition of the specimen as a brachyopid, rather than as a chigutisaurid, is of palaeobiogeographical significance in representing one of the youngest known brachyopids from Gondwana. The Lesotho specimen is also of palaeobiological interest in that an estimate of its overall size indicates that it represents one of the largest amphibians sensu lato ever known.

Procolophonids were diverse small reptiles through the late Permian and Triassic. Relatively complete specimens of various taxa are known from the Early and Late Triassic, but the 10 or so Middle Triassic taxa, from South Africa, Russia, China and the UK, are mostly incomplete, being known only from skulls or partial and poorly preserved isolated elements. Because of their small size, it has often been difficult to establish details of anatomy using physical preparation methods, so application of scanning technology can massively improve knowledge. Here, we describe the first substantial portion of a skull and anterior postcranial skeleton of the genus Kapes, known from Russia and the UK. CT scanning and 3D digital restoration of the new specimen from the Ani-sian Otter Sandstone of Devon, UK, reveal anatomical details previously unknown for this taxon, most notably the enlarged quadratojugal processes. This is also one of the few mature procolophonid specimens with a preserved postcranium, and it gives valuable insight into ossification patterns. Fused sutures of the skull, fused scapulocoracoid, and heavily worn teeth show evidence of the common reptilian ossification pattern with a possible limitation in tooth replacement. There is sufficient anatomical information to include Kapes bentoni for the first time in a cladistic analysis, which shows that it is sister to the Russian Kapes majmesculae and part of a clade of Ani-sian taxa phylogenetically more basal than Procolophon. Inferences on the function of the quadratojugal spines and fossorial mode of life are also considered.

A new procolophonid reptile, Kitchingnathus untabeni n. gen. et n. sp., is described from the uppermost strata of the Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone of the Karoo Basin, South Africa. The new taxon co-occurs with the well-known Procolophon trigoniceps. The most distinctive feature of the new taxon is the presence of numerous small bicuspid molariforms in both the maxilla and the dentary. A phylogenetic analysis indicates that Kitchingnathus occupies a basal position among procolophonids. Character optimisation suggests that bicuspid teeth were acquired independently by the new taxon, and originated twice in procolophonid evolution.

Recent collecting of vertebrate fossils in Petrified Forest National Park as the result of an ongoing inventory of fossil localities has produced numerous important new specimens. These include phytosaur skulls and partial skeletons, aetosaur partial skeletons and isolated, but complete, osteoderms, as well as new dinosaur material that contributes new information to a currently poor dinosaur record
from the Late Triassic of Arizona. Stratigraphic placement of phytosaur and aetosaur fossils from the park shows that several index taxa used for Late Triassic land vertebrate faunachrons overlap and that revision of these faunachrons is needed.